The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today
submitted a response to the
government’s consultation on the Advanced British Standard.
Kevin Gilmartin, Post-16 Specialist at the Association of Schools
and College Leaders, said: “The post-16 landscape has for too
long been overlooked and underfunded, but while the focus the
sector is now receiving as a result of the Advanced British
Standard (ABS) is welcome, the approach that has been taken is
fundamentally flawed.
“It is wrong to use a new qualification as a starting point for
16-19 reform, without first consulting on the principles of what
we want students to study at this age. If there are not enough
teachers in the system in the first place, then the proposals
stand little chance of being successfully implemented, let alone
attracting the support of the sector. The ABS could have
represented a pivotal moment in re-imagining the purpose of our
16-19 curriculum and a chance to agree with the profession which
issues most need to be addressed. Unfortunately, this opportunity
has been missed.
“Right now the post-16 sector needs resources, namely investment
in teachers, buildings and level of per-student funding, much
more urgently than it needs further reform. T-levels still need
time to bed in and yet the government’s present Level 3 reforms
to defund many BTECs and other similar qualifications – which are
taken by many thousands of young people – are continuing apace.
This risks removing a proven and popular pathway for young
people, destablising the post-16 system, and causing uncertainty
and concern in schools and colleges across the country. The
proposal for the ABS – which would replace A-levels and T-levels
in 10 years’ time – only adds to this uncertainty.”
ASCL’s full consultation response is available to read here.
