Schools will be told to stop teaching GCSEs earlier in bid to tackle persistent absence

Secondary schools, including Lancashire, will be told to stop teaching GCSEs early as part of changes to the curriculum aimed at keeping pupils engaged, the Department for Education (DfE) has announced.

The overhaul is also meant to tackle persistent absence, which the DfE said nearly doubles from Year 6 to Year 9.

Due to be published in full later this year, the new national curriculum for Years 7 to 9, when pupils are aged 11 to 14, will slim down “over-crowded” content and allow space for schoolchildren to develop skills they will need for the future, like confident speaking, reading for pleasure and numeracy, the Government said.

It said the changes will “make the first three years of secondary school count” and help tackle the rising number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said: “The early years of secondary school should be a time when children are excited to go to school and engage in the specialist and much broader teaching on offer, and where they find their passion and develop a love of learning.

“Instead, we’ve seen worrying trends of disengagement and high levels of persistent absence, with the disadvantage gap stubbornly large and too many leaving school without the knowledge and skills they need to thrive.

“That’s what our exciting and engaging new national curriculum aims to address as part of our wider education reforms.

“What’s more, the pressures of GCSEs and an overcrowded curriculum are resulting in too many children receiving a narrower offer during Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9) and being rushed towards exams without grasping the fundamentals or developing deeper understanding. I’m putting a stop to that.

“The new curriculum and focus for these vital early teen years will mean more children are excited to learn and more teachers are excited to teach.

“There will be more time to develop deeper understanding, as well as a richer experience that will engage more young people in their passions and prepare them better for the fast-changing world they will grow up in.”

In a survey by Public First, more than half of teachers said qualifications dominate the first three years of secondary school, with some schools starting teaching for exams most pupils take at 16 when they are in Year 7.

The new curriculum will say schools should not start GCSE specifications early for large cohorts or see children routinely required to narrow their options earlier or entered earlier for exams.

But teachers will still be able to stretch high-achieving pupils or groups who are ready to go further without narrowing their options, the Government said.

There will also be a more engaging offer in subjects like drama, PE, music, and modern foreign languages, alongside technical and digital skills.

The Government said the changes are aimed in particular at improving outcomes for white working class pupils, for whom disengagement in the transition to secondary school is markedly worse, according to an independent inquiry.

It said this affects pupils’ attendance, attainment and ultimately their life chances.

Baroness Estelle Morris, who co-chaired the inquiry into white working class pupils’ school outcomes, said: “Our report highlighted the problems for children at points of transition, including the move from primary to secondary school – it also demonstrated how white working class young people and their families disengage from the education system through the Key Stage 3 years. This is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to begin to address these issues.

“The work of the inquiry is not yet over and we will soon come forward with fresh plans to drive change for white working class you people in the education system.

“Together, we should be relentless in our focus on changing the opportunities available for this group of children and families.”