HMC Chairman speaks

6 October 2003

GCSE could be reduced to a two-subject examination, taken a year earlier than at present, to leave more time for a broader advanced programme, a leading independent school head suggested today.

Graham Able, chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), told members at the opening of their annual conference in Dublin, that he believed the competing demands of breadth and depth of advanced level study required a three year programme rather than the current two.

He also attacked the "ridiculous burden of so-called coursework" as too time-consuming and open to internet-inspired abuse. Coursework should be redefined as work done in class throughout the course and teachers should be trusted to assess it themselves.

Mr Able, Master of Dulwich College, said: "I am keen to see the holy grails of depth and breadth at advanced level reconciled, and I can only envisage this within a three year framework for advanced study. This could be achieved by downgrading GCSE to a Year 10 progress check, perhaps confining any external examining to mathematics and English.

"Although cases can be made for science and a modern language, I can see no good reason why school transcripts should not suffice in these and all other subjects. Our teachers are at least as professional as those in the vast majority of other countries, which mostly rely on internal school assessments at all intermediate levels, and there is every reason to trust their judgement - particularly given the safeguards of our rigorous inspection regime."

This would enable two years to be spent on studying six or seven AS level subjects, culminating in examinations similar to Scottish Highers and ‘de-coupled' from the three A levels which students could go on to in year 13, said Mr Able.

The present A-level remained fit for the purpose of providing a university admission qualification at the pass level, its top two grades no longer distinguished adequately between candidates for the most demanding courses at selector universities.

Mr Able commented: "This needs to be addressed. So also does the ridiculous burden of so-called coursework which is very time-consuming and open to internet-inspired abuse. We need to re-define coursework as work done in class throughout the duration of the course and trust the teachers to assess it accordingly, perhaps with statistical moderation."

He added: "I very much hope that the final outcome of the Tomlinson committee will produce a curriculum which allows most members to stay within the mainstream. I am sure that this would be the best scenario for all concerned. It is, however, our duty as heads to provide the best educational experience we can for our students, so if the reforms do not produce a high quality, properly challenging and flexible curriculum with a sensible assessment regime, we will have to consider what alternatives are available.

"We must strongly resist regimes which fail to provide space for the important co-curricular programmes which contribute greatly to the overall educational experience of our pupils - and to their eventual employability and fulfilment. Our schools have always been much more than teaching academies, and our commitment to high standards and wide participation in sport, music, drama, service activities and clubs remains important in opening additional doors for our students." 

The full text of Mr Able's speech is available from the ISC Press Office.