The initiative is not as innovative as media coverage might suggest. Most higher education institutions already offer courses in English and mathematics. In fact, many students recognize that both subjects are an integral element in being considered employable and choose to retake these exams. Some are able to pass on their second attempt.
Others try it three times and can't get a C grade in any of the subjects. So what are we going to do with those who may have successfully completed a post-16 grade but can't get the precious C's in English and mathematics? Is your achievement worthless? Some may see this as mere picky, but in times of limited resources, schools and universities will be forced to make difficult decisions about whether they are able to provide the same level of support to students who cannot earn C grades and those who need to be pressured to do so. If we agree that our focus should be on students reaching grade C, we run the risk of leaving behind weaker students. In addition, under Gove, there have been major changes in funding for post-16 education, leaving many sixth-grade schools and universities facing budget cuts of up to 15%.
The policy, which begins this quarter, is worrying in its opacity about how this new initiative will be financed. The Association of Colleges estimates that an additional 1,000 English and 1,100 mathematics teachers will be needed. Will institutions be provided with jackpots of extra money? In my experience, students who do not perform highly in a subject tend to face it with hatred, sometimes passionate, sometimes reserved. Their aversion to this topic and their desire for it to end can often lead to a dangerous lack of trust in education and disaffection with it.
They don't need more of the same: a rapidly evolving prescriptive curriculum that culminates in an exam they think they're likely to fail. The government should provide increased funding, focus on smaller classes, and allow schools the freedom to move away from the curriculum when it suits the needs of their students. As it stands, Gove's plan risks further stigmatizing thousands of people looking for a better path through education Their GCSEs are an important part of the college application process, but they are not as important as their most recent study, for example, the GCSE results also help the admissions to reduce applications to truly competitive courses. If, for example, they need to choose between two applications, in which the predicted qualifications, personal statement and references are equally good, then the application with the slightly better GCSEs is more likely to receive an offer.
Monday's announcement that 16-year-olds without a GCSE grade C in English and mathematics will be forced to continue with subjects made me do just that. Your GCSE scores are the only real sign universities have of how well you could do at level A, which is why they are such a big factor in your eligibility. Students struggling with basic literacy and numeracy skills do not need a GCSE grade C at the age of 19.However, before proceeding with the recovery, you should know that for very competitive degree courses, universities do not accept taking GCSE again. All UCL courses require GCSE passes in English and Mathematics in grade 5 or higher, and some courses may request higher grades in these subjects.
