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WHAT NEXT?
Critics of the current system come from state and independent schools, with a good smattering of politicians, such as former education secretary Lord Baker, among their number. Now that the pandemic has compelled educators to find different ways of measuring children’s progress, achievements and readiness for the next stage of their education, it’s argued that it’s time to dispense with GCSEs for good. According to critics, these exams generate pressure and overt competition. Once a way of sending children out into the world with tangible proof of their achievements when the leaving age was 16, they serve little purpose now that children must stay in education or training until they reach 18. Other organisations want a fundamental reimagining – not just of how we measure children’s engagement with education, but its purpose, goals and structure. Unesco, stressing the need for nations to work together, has produced nine ideas on planning for post-pandemic education. The organisation stresses that, while online learning has taken off during the pandemic, physical schools still have a unique role to play. It wants teachers and students to be able to access free and open-source technology, so they’re not dependent on limited or paid-for resources developed by others. It also reiterates the vital need to rethink the curriculum, so that scientific literacy becomes a priority – vital, it says, at a time when there is so much misinformation and denial of science out in the world. Schools in our area are already hard at work planning for the best possible outcomes for current and future pupils. We can’t expect anyone to have the answers yet. But it’s fair to assume that – given the quality of many school leaders – they will begin by asking the right questions, however difficult and disruptive, as the starting point in planning the best way forward for our school-age population.
CAMBRIDGE EDUCAT ION GUIDE
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