Commenting on Subject choice trends in post-16 education in
England, a new NFER report commissioned by the British Academy,
Niamh Sweeney, Deputy General Secretary of the National
Education Union, said:
“It comes as no surprise to see the data confirm what teachers
and support staff have seen in their workplaces over the past 14
years – a narrowing of the curriculum and a decrease in student
engagement.
“De-coupling AS and A-Levels was widely criticised but
Conservative governments ploughed ahead regardless, to the
detriment of hundreds of thousands of students.
“When added to the creation of the EBacc at 16 – which has also
inevitably narrowed the subjects students have taken pre-16 – and
to the severe funding cuts schools and colleges have experienced
in recent years, it should have been clear that the perfect
policy storm was being created for stunting curriculum
breadth.
“These consequences were foreseeable and avoidable but
unfortunately for the students concerned, ideological dogma was
prioritised over ensuring they could access the widest range of
subjects possible.
“It is welcome that the new Government have invited their review
panel to critique the current structures in order to help re-gain
breadth in the curriculum and access to the arts, sciences,
humanities and all other subjects, for all students. Only by
eliminating the EBacc and facilitating a broader, more flexible
post-16 route will this be achieved.”
