Year nine options and politics

The year nine options process begins over the next few weeks. It is an important decision for students and the first opportunity they have had to make any curriculum choice. For the school, it is a time to consider what we will need to be teaching in the future. What is the most appropriate curriculum for our students? As an Academy we have some choice but our size does limit our options. There has been a good deal of debate, again, in the recent months about the value of some subjects over others. Progress 8, a new measure, will be introduced for all schools in 2016. It is based on students’ progress measured across eight subjects: English; mathematics; three other English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects (sciences, computer science, geography, history and languages); and three further subjects, which can be from the range of EBacc subjects, or can be any other approved, high-value arts, academic, or vocational qualification. These new measures make it clear to schools that some subjects count more than others! In 2017, reformed GCSE grades (grades 1-9, in which 1 is the lowest grade) will also be introduced. Only qualifications that count towards the EBacc measure can be included in the Progress 8 slots reserved for EBacc qualifications. Of course this is all designed to ensure that all schools offer a broad and balanced curriculum. The irony, is that schools too often schools change their curriculum in response to league tables. I am no fan of the EBacc, believing that all schools should design a curriculum in response to the community they serve. Who knows, it may be that education dances to a different tune after the elections in May. We will attempt to explain the changes at our evening this week.