“Change to GCSEs must be the product of a careful process of considered reform” – Will Goldsmith

In an article for School Management Plus, Will Goldsmith discusses the need for GCSE reform and calls for an independent commission which looks at the picture as a whole and then proposes several possible solutions. He says: “My interest in GCSE reform pre-dates COVID-19, but it’s been heartening in the past 18 months to connect with colleagues and people beyond the profession who have engaged in serious discussions of the problems with our current system of secondary examinations.”

Will describes the current system as “brittle” and says discussions must include university and college entrance processes, skills that employers are looking for in the 21st century and how data is used to inform inspections. He adds: “In other high performing education systems around the world, students sit much reduced assessments at 16 and still outperform English students in the PISA tests.”

To read the full article, click here.

Will Goldsmith | Bedales Assessed Courses | Rethinking Assessment | School Management Plus