Another nail in Labour's progressive coffin
David Blackburn 9:03am
The day before A-level results are published, the Telegraph and the Independent report that traditional academic subjects, such as maths, physics and history are not being offered by a large minority of state schools. Here are the details:
‘Around one in seven schools - 264 in total - did not enter any pupils for A-level geography in 2007 - the latest available information - and a similar proportion failed to enter students for physics.
Figures also show that more than one in 10 comprehensives did not enter pupils for A-level chemistry, while six percent failed to enroll candidates for maths and seven per cent shunned biology.
A further 145 schools - eight per cent - did not enter pupils for A-level history.’
This is another indictment of A-level league tables – suggesting that the annual rise in the A-level pass rate is the result of the government encouraging weaker schools to take ‘soft options’, such as media studies, law and healthcare, rather than a genuine improvement in standards, which would see more state school pupils going to good universities to read academic subjects. The Tory pledge to reform league tables is vindicated. A Conservative government would reward comprehensives that enter pupils for tough subjects, which they believe will improve the chances of underprivileged students obtaining a worthwhile degree.
But above all, these findings illustrate that government policy is contributing to widening class divisions, and that Labour no longer drives the progressive agenda. As Tory schools spokesman Nick Gibb put it: “They (the government) are cheating these children, many of whom are from more deprived backgrounds.” After this, Lord Mandelson cannot seriously insist that top universities socially engineer where the government has failed. Alan Milburn, whose damning social mobility report was ignored by the government that commissioned it, must be tearing his hair out.
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Sally Chatterjee
August 19th, 2009 9:13am Report this comment"Massage" is too light a word. This is wholesale vandalism of a once credible educational standard.
Ray
August 19th, 2009 9:24am Report this commentFurther proof that, under New Labour, "all must have prizes" - as Melanie Phillips might say - irrespective of whether their particular prize is actually worth anything.
davidke
August 19th, 2009 9:24am Report this commentBeyond belief that the Teacher Unions and the LEAs went along with this retreat of the State schools from academic rigour.
David Ossitt
August 19th, 2009 9:48am Report this commentEducation! Education! Education!
But what did we get.
Vandalism! Vandalism! Vandalism!
john jones
August 19th, 2009 9:54am Report this commentArticle is mostly sound but very ignorant to say Law is a 'soft' A level comparable to media studies. On this logic, is a Law degree a soft subject compared to geography?. Think not.I certainly found it harder than English and History A-levels. Mind you that was 20 years ago. I couldnt speak for it now.
Draughtsman
August 19th, 2009 10:04am Report this commentPlease - I do wish that commentators would stop using the verb 'divides' as in 'class divides' when it should be 'divisions.' This really is beginning to grate with me.
Red Threads
August 19th, 2009 10:13am Report this commentArrant nonsense, David.
The reports refer to a relatively small number of schools, 1-in-6 or 1-in-7, not entering pupils for subjects such as physics, chemistry and geography.
Anyway, who says GCSE geography is harder than GCSE law? Geography strikes me as a bit of pushover, frankly.
OK: the UK needs more scientists, but this is as much a problem for your fabled independent schools, which continue to fill the bulk of places at top universities.
JohnAnt
August 19th, 2009 10:18am Report this commentFor one moment I thought 'media studies, law and healthcare' might be a single A-level.
If it isn't, it probably soon will be.
AndyinBrum
August 19th, 2009 10:29am Report this commentQuestion. Would you class General Studies from 1997 as a 'soft' subject? Or art as a 'soft' subject?
I ask about the former because when i did it, it consisted of maths, sciences, foreign languages, english and general knowledge questions to an above GCSE standards.
As for current A-level art. People knocking it have obviously never tried to take it.
Grumpf
seb
August 19th, 2009 10:30am Report this commentLet's be patient. I imagine the results for A-Levels in Creative Dance and Media Studies will be blinding and, ho hum, well up on last years triumphs.
Pete-s
August 19th, 2009 10:34am Report this commentBeing fair, the rot was already there under the last con gov. However, it has accelerated under the 'Tractor Stats' approach of this gov. Virtually every (and I mean EVERY) aspect of British life will have to be overhauled under the next gov.
luke
August 19th, 2009 10:36am Report this commentIn what sense was alan milburn's report ignored?
Michael Booth
August 19th, 2009 10:38am Report this commentDavid Ossitt
August 19th, 2009 9:48am
Education! Education! Education!
But what did we get.
Vandalism! Vandalism! Vandalism!
Or was it
Socialism, socialism, socialism?
David Blackburn
August 19th, 2009 10:39am Report this commentRed Threads,
1 in 7 is 14% of schools. How is that not serious?
Also, I do think you scupper your own argument by referring to GCSEs when A-levels are what is being discussed.
David Blackburn
August 19th, 2009 10:40am Report this commentDraughtsman,
Thank you for pointing that appalling blunder. I have corrected it.
James
August 19th, 2009 10:48am Report this commentWhy do we still let NuLab use the 'Progressive' adjective? As the root of the word is progress, we have to ask what progress has been made since '97?
How is it progressive to condemn bright children from poor backgrounds to 'bog-standard' comprehensives? How is it progressive for so many privatley educated NuLab ministers to pull up the ladder and scrap Grammar schools and assisted places? How is it progressive to saddle university students with thousands in debts, to earn degrees that will serve them no purpose in life? How is it progressive that, because of the class war on grammar schools, our prime ministers and senior politicians are going to come from the likes of Eton, Harrow and Fettes for the forseeable future? How is it progressive to have a record amount of NEETS? How is it progressive to have the worst social mobility ever?
This shower have been in power for 12 years and every meaningful measure has gone backwards. Labour are REGRESSIVE. I have my reservations about Cameron but, I cannot wait until next Spring.
Moraymint
August 19th, 2009 10:50am Report this comment"Alan Milburn, whose damning social mobility report was ignored by the government that commissioned it ..."
Par for the course of this Labour Government. Utterly incompetent for 12 years ... and now the chickens are coming home to roost ... and, oh boy, is the coup stuffed full of chickens, or what?
Nicholas
August 19th, 2009 10:59am Report this commentOne interesting thing reported elsewhere was the increase in A level studies of "sociology", "media", ICT, etc., surely the comfort zone of budding socialists?
Maybe I'm being too cynical but is this yet another example of New Labour politicising and social engineering education, aided and abetted by their teacher chums, in order to create more potential Labour voters?
Victor Southern
August 19th, 2009 12:04pm Report this commentBlame the Labour policy of equality of outcomes. All must be equally badly educated. To hide that away all must receive certificates to show how well they did - in one instance a pass in Maths was 18%.
Draughtsman
August 19th, 2009 12:46pm Report this commentIt is not just the grammar schools that have been virtually extinguished over the years, it was the Technical High schools as well such as that which I attended in the sixties. These schools gave an excellent grounding in the sciences and engineering and many of the pupils, like myself, went on to careers in these professions. I don't suppose that such careers are as attractive to young people these days as they are hard work and suffer from a poor status. Media Studies and suchlike sound far more glamourous.
David - Thank you for the change. Please don't chastise yourself over this, the use of 'divides' particularly with reference to class status, seems to be creeping into the written language and I have observed it recently in articles by other distinguished columnists.
Ian W
August 19th, 2009 1:43pm Report this commentThere are other problems with the profusion of new subjects.
My daughter wants to do History, English, French and Art A-levels, a fairly mainstream choice you might think. While her comprehensive offers all four subjects, because of the inevitable timetabling constraints three are timetabled together in the same option block. So in effect she can only do two of her chosen subjects, and would have to make up the numbers with a couple of the "studies". This is a far less attractive option to her and not as good for her university prospects.
I don't have a problem with giving pupils a wider range of subjects at sixth form but it is another illustration of how difficult it is to cater for the full range of interests and abilities within the comprehensive system.
ian brooks
August 19th, 2009 4:42pm Report this commentLabours record acoross all areas of government is appalling and their constant meddling and spin is dangerous. This 12 years will go down infamy.
Fergus Pickering
August 19th, 2009 5:15pm Report this commentA level Art is an oddity. It is very good and very challenging BY FAR the best 'Arts' subject now on the curriculum. Another goodie is 'Religious Studies' which is really Philiosophy. In Contrast English Literature and History are rubbish.
Alf Tupper
August 19th, 2009 5:19pm Report this commentTurkey Twizzlers anyone?
Mark M
August 20th, 2009 9:48am Report this commentdavidke
"Beyond belief that the Teacher Unions and the LEAs ..."
Is it really beyond belief? Labour will have said "we want to make sure that the figures go up every year and we don't care whether that involves dumbing down exams. Here's loads of money for your cooperation". Is it really a surprise that a union (especially one that sees in £ signs like the NUT) would go for an arrangement like that?
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