Lake District head teacher slams GCSE scrap plans (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Lake District head teacher slams GCSE scrap plans

3:39pm Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in News By Steven Bell, Senior Reporter

A LAKE District headteacher expressed concern about the scrapping of GCSEs as he praised students at an awards night.

Referring to a perceived ‘dumbing down’ of the qualifications, Dr David Selby, who runs the Lakes School at Troutbeck Bridge, said the possibility that youngsters were simply working harder had been dismissed.

He made the comments at what was his first school event since returning from secondment to Ofsted and used the platform to pay tribute to students he said ‘act as symbols for what students at the Lakes School can achieve’.

“At GCSE, our headline figure for the percentage of students gaining five or more A*-C GCSE grades with English and maths included was 69 per cent, just a fraction below our best ever,” said Dr Selby.

“Lying behind it was real strength in mathematics in the school and real consistency of quality across the range of subjects.

“On other measures, for example, of those students gaining five good GCSE passes in any subject this year was simply the best.”

But he said he worried about the introduction of the new English Baccalaureate Certificate, set to replace GCSEs in 2015.

“I worry with both these changes that there is more focus on the structures and systems rather than on encouraging, rewarding and celebrating the things young people can and do achieve.

The possibility that more young people are getting higher GCSE grades because they are working harder and harder in schools which are also doing a better and better job has been ruled out.”

n For a full list of award winners, see: thewestmor-landgazette.co.uk