ConsultGov

CONSULTATION

RESPONSE

GCSE & A-Level Reform

Phase 3

AUGUST 2015

Contents

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Methodology / Outline of the Day ......................................................................................................... 4

Findings ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

GCSE Economics ..................................................................................................................................... 6

GCSE Business ......................................................................................................................................... 6

GCSE Design and Technology ............................................................................................................. 7

GCSE Psychology ................................................................................................................................... 8

A-Level Philosophy ................................................................................................................................. 9

GCSE Sociology ................................................................................................................................... 10

Why Engage? ............................................................................................................................................ 11

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Abstract

This is a student response to the Department for Education’s consultation on reformed GCSE and A-Level subject content for teaching from 2017. An event was held at the DfE headquarters in London on 29th July 2015 to gather the views of students. This was supported by Voting Counts UK, the World Youth Organization and Mock Recruit. The event was facilitated by ConsultGov and hosted by the Department for Education.

Subjects

GCSE Design and Technology

GCSE Business

GCSE Economics

GCSE Sociology

GCSE Psychology

A Level Philosophy

Subjects

The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the individual attendees and do not necessarily reflect the position of the facilitators, ConsultGov, Voting Counts UK, the World Youth Organization, Mock Recruit or the Department for Education.

Executive Summary

Since our last event in October last

year, it will seem like little has changed

within such a short space of time.

However, during that period between

the start of a new term last year,

students will have completed exams,

finished their studies at school or

college and will be looking to start the

next stage of their lives. With the

current course of curriculum reforms to

be completed by 2017, many of the

subjects have now already gone

through consultation or are now ready

for implementation.

Unlike our last event also, a new

government has been elected and that

too will naturally bring many changes

with it in the course of this Parliament.

Schools Minister at the Department for

Education (DfE) Nick Gibb has written

on the changes proposed for this set of

subject content consultation in wanting

to ensure they are ‘rigorous and more

knowledge based and to match the

qualifications used in the best

education systems in the world.’ While

the primary target audience for this

consultation are academics and

experts who can advise on the quality

of the subject content, the views of

students themselves, particularly if

they had studied any of the consulted

subjects, are equally as invaluable and

can highlight any strong issues that

could be improved for their peers in

the future.

While the content will meet praise and

criticism from all sides, as it has

already been expressed in equal

measure by the students here, it was a

tremendous insight into the many

ideas of young people who attended

this latest ConsultGov event in July.

There is much food for thought when

students posed their concerns around

the theme of engagement on the

process for consultation, which

features as a new section here. It is a

privilege again to outline the feedback

from the day in this report.

Jack Welch

*Please note a background to these

reforms is not provided in this report,

as the context of this consultation

remains the same as previously.

Please see the October 2014 report for

this information.

Methodology / Outline of

the Day

The consultation brought together

approximately 30 students across

various parts of England and attracted

interest from those currently taking

GCSE or A Levels, as well as those

who have progressed into Higher

Education or elsewhere. During the

course of this event, the agenda was

broken into a number of related

discussions and activities which

allowed students to understand the

purpose behind the reforms and

creating effective engagement.

Both roundtables followed a consistent

format of a facilitator supporting three

groups of students to discuss the

allocated subject proposals. Ideas

were transcribed on the flipchart paper

provided and feedback, led by

members from each group, was

recorded for the purpose of capturing

those responses in this report. Rather

than focus on all 8 GCSE and the 5 A

Level consultations, groups focused

their attention on the most likely

studied choices available which were:

GCSE Design and Technology

GCSE Business

GCSE Economics

GCSE Sociology

GCSE Psychology

A Level Philosophy

Throughout the group sessions,

students were asked to bear in mind:

Whether there is a suitable level

of challenge.

Whether the content reflects

what students need to know in

order to progress onto further

academic/vocational study.

Although there is an imbalance in

favour of GCSE specifications, some

of the subjects in this consultation

were not studied by any of the

students present at this event and

would have proved counterproductive

to give feedback without any

experience. A role play feature

explored scenarios across the Equality

Act 2010 (encompassing Disability,

Gender Reassignment, Pregnancy &

Maternity, Race, Religion or Belief,

Sex (Male/Female), Sexual

Orientation) and how these factors

could influence situations based upon

the identified groups.

Unlike the previous consultation on

these reforms, there was greater

consideration on individual ideas

rather than formal debates on

opposing sides to identify particular

issues.

Findings

As detailed in the outline of the event,

there were two roundtable sessions

with three groups scrutinising one of

the chosen subjects. Their thoughts,

where some of the discussion was

more extensive on some compared to

others, are summarised here

GCSE Economics

For this subject, students

acknowledged the breadth of topics in

which students would be undertaking

in the course of their studies. There is

a concern in relation to ‘sustainable’

trends to the concepts was not given

sufficient priority and in light of the

significant challenges still ongoing at

home and abroad, an understanding of

the wider consequences of economic

factors deserve greater weight. This

was similarly expressed for ‘macro and

micro’ economics and implications in

this regard. Equally, it was seen that

while most could agree that the role of

government was important, it should

not be the only priority in relation to

what is concentrated on in classes and

with a broader remit than just the UK

government to draw comparisons.

Students who excel in their work

should also be provided with further

insight across different topic areas,

while those that struggle are given

encouragement to understand some of

the areas in a way that suits them.

GCSE Business

Students identified Business as one

subject which has a close similarity to

some of the concepts around

Economics. Although a merger was

proposed in the discussions, it was

reminded that exam boards have the

power to set their own syllabuses and

that right is not from the authority by

government. Issues on how all

students from an earlier age need

adequate financial education were also

emphasised, but it was understood

that Years 7-9 will already be receiving

this learning in future. In considering

these reforms, a strong emphasis was

made on the need to develop

entrepreneurship skills and a wider

understanding of what it takes to

create and sustain an enterprise.

Courses like ‘Young Enterprise’ were

recommended to participate outside of

classes. While core functions in the

specification are still necessary,

significant evolutions around

technology and social media also need

equal parity in the approach of how

businesses engage with their

consumers.

As vital it is to cover as much ground

in the course of the GCSE, students

indicated that if more attention was

given to specific areas and long term

projects, such as running a model

business as a group, were felt to be

vital if lessons from this subject could

be practically applied in later life. As it

stands, many teachers educating on

the subject were felt to be falling short

of the standards which students should

understand the topics covered and has

to be reflected as a matter of priority in

which the subject is regarded.

GCSE Design and Technology

There was much praise on the reforms

taking place for DT. On the one hand,

it was felt that the requirement of

creating prototypes was felt to be

sufficiently stimulating and the content

of the specification looked more than

challenging to reflect the demands

beyond GCSE. However, as one

student in the group iterated to the

group from a friend who had studied

this themselves, it was seen that the

level of demand in coursework was

intensive and discouraged people from

enjoying the vocation behind the

subject because of its difficulty. A

balance of achieving good quality

coursework and equal rigour needs to

be factored by exam boards who will

be designing their own specification.

As having a good standard of maths

was also illustrated as an important

subject where an understanding could

be applied to this, some who may

struggle with the more academic

aspect of learning, practical talent and

ability should not be discounted and to

be judged on an individual basis.

Creativity in ability and application is

necessary for a student’s

development. One student had the

idea of even separating engineering

from the rest, but still incorporates

elements of the course.

The group discussing the document

felt much of what was written was

repetitive in some cases and specific

headings which discussed numerous

facets of DT would have proved useful.

GCSE Psychology

In the course of this discussion, it was

felt the written content, though often

complex for those unfamiliar with the

subject was sufficiently straightforward

to be interpreted by exam boards in

designing their course specification to

make it rigorous in its practice. Some

concerns arose in one sense that the

allocated coursework study into a

choice of selected topics may be

limiting if a student may find a relevant

area of research which may be

relevant to the course and could be

something which motivates them in the

course of their work. Perhaps allow

this in the optional respect, where they

can consult with teachers. Conversely,

it was agreed students did need to

learn of theories that have now been

otherwise challenged or disproven in

order to broaden their thinking and

allow them to make their own

conclusions should they take the

subject for further study.

Questions were asked whether some

of the concepts tackled in the

specification are appropriate for the

age of students taking the subject and

that consideration has to be given to

the extent of covering serious mental

health issues and criminal related

activity, where further investigation can

be taken into A Level. Exam boards

must be careful too in looking at the

proportion of theory based evidence to

what is considered factually accurate

and to ensure students are informed of

areas which are credible and those

that are dubious.

A-Level Philosophy

It was identified in the course of this

discussion that students would be

sufficiently challenged in being able to

scrutinise diverse topics in the

philosophy syllabus and analysing

various schools of thought, which

would advance students in HE. In the

course of the feedback, significant

disagreement was found to the

inclusion of religious studies as part of

the course material and whether it was

best separate as its own subject field

or whether it was best to continue

integrating it as part of Philosophy.

While some argued that much of

Western culture is inseparable from

Christianity, as an example, it is harder

to disregard some of its teachings to

understand some of the philosophical

debates. It was widely agreed though

that religion would remain intrinsic to

the concepts being learned and that

students who were previously

disinclined to carry on the subject,

because of a lack of attention to other

aspects, such as philosophy of art,

would be enhanced.

Students were concerned that the

reading list suggested would be very

intensive and solutions must be found

to ensure that while they read different

texts, closer scrutiny should be paid to

specific passages in some to ensure

the course is not impacted by the pace

of reading required. Preparation for

this kind of independent study is

accepted for university study.

GCSE Sociology

There were a number of concerns that

were raised throughout the subject

content of these changes. While the

group which analysed this content

reform were confident that much of the

concepts covered would be

intellectually rigorous and would allow

the skill development of students, a

fear was that many of the theories

addressed were somewhat outdated

and could not wholly be accepted as

an accurate reflection on society as it

is today. While figures such as Marx

and Becker are included in the

specification, the content should be

more adventurous about issues that

would relate to people in the present

day.

As part of some of the suggested

changes to include, if possible,

students should be allowed to

challenge older theories with their own

conclusions and to include debate

activities as a more practical element

to stimulate the critical thinking which

students will require on in later study.

A piece of work in evaluating society

from a student’s perspective will too be

beneficial in understanding the role

that they have and which others

contribute. Focusing alone on UK

agendas will not be appropriate in a

globalised age – considering the

functions of other societies within the

described context will be vital.

Why Engage?

As these reforms are most likely to

impact younger generations, or the

age groups of the students who took

part in this event, it was felt to be

important as to why young people

would take part in a consultation such

as this and the benefits of being

motivated in such activities.

Responses to the facilitator leading

this wider group included that it was a

rare opportunity to be in the DfE itself

for such an occasion and that having

the benefit of hindsight meant that their

input onto these reforms would be

valuable in respect of referring to their

learning experiences, particularly if

they had studied the given subjects

themselves.

However, students were willing to

criticise the DfE, besides other

government departments in general,

for their seeming lack of effort to reach

out to young people. As one of them

stated:

“There’s not a scope to get young

people’s views. It’s only been in the

last few years that the government

have thought ‘ooh, we should ask

some young people what they think is

important.’”

Although these are opinions of

students and may not reflect the

Department’s own feelings on their

efforts to engage with young people on

their work, but this was a recurring

theme which was highlighted by other

students in the course of this activity.

One suggested how in these

consultations ‘You come to us, we

[government] don’t come to you.’ It

was seen by some as fortunate they

were aware of this event, so they could

at least have an input on discussions.

Other challenges raised included:

Teachers are too reliant on

technology – in subjects like

maths; one student indicated

one of their siblings was

struggling due to a strong

emphasis on software to

provide tasks and homework

after lessons. This was said to

be disengaging the young

person with regards to their

interest in the subject.

Grammar schools were

sometimes viewed in higher

esteem than their

comprehensive counterparts

and the academic excellence of

those schools in the latter are

not sufficiently given credit by

parents or students who study

in grammar schools for their

quality.

This group may be the only

cohort in this environment to

discuss these reforms in greater

detail. It was identified that

many of the students

participating are also civically

highly engaged, so are more

likely to be taking part in this

kind of activity out of choice and

may not be reaching out to

those who have previously

struggled in the consulted

subjects.

Some of the students present included

Members of Youth Parliament (MYP)

who felt that popular campaigns such

as the ‘Curriculum for Life’, which

focuses on the improvement on the

quality of lessons such as PSHE and

Citizenship Studies, that for the young

people they represent it was felt that

all subjects should integrate an

element which explores personal

development in a young person’s

learning. It was strongly felt that the

perceptions surrounding Business and

Technology Education Council (BTEC)

study or International Baccalaureate

(IB) as options was often severely

undermined. For students to study

those which are beyond core or

humanities remit, engaging them to

ensure they have a choice of what to

study without fear of prejudice and

have equal priority in their support, as

well as resources provided, will be

beneficial. While BTEC courses have

gained in popularity in recent years,

there may be a cause for concern

when they are not sufficiently

preparing people for university. 1

Counter to criticism on over reliance of

technology, it was recognised that

schools and colleges must adapt

consistently in its advancement and

ensure students can utilise the

resources available that can support

their learning.

1 ‘Proportion of top BTEC students doubles: Hefce report’ Times Higher Education, February 26 2015 https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/proportion-of-top-btec-students-doubles-hefce-report/2018796.article

Conclusion

The debates from this round of

consultation gives a stark reminder of

the closer attention by the Department

that calling on the views of students

should be equal, and to some extent a

greater priority for the views of young

people across the country. As

illustrated in the discussions on levels

of engagement with younger

generations on government reforms

and policy, there is a great deficit in

innovation and expertise which views

of the effective service users of these

subjects are not yet given serious

priority when they could be extremely

useful in their knowledge around

consultation opportunities such as this.

While this may be a critical

assessment of the wider workings of

government departments, it should be

noted that the feedback posed by

students in subject content was

supportive of the need for intellectual

challenge and ensuring that their

application will have greater weight

when continuing further study or

looking for employment. It should not

be forgotten that as rigorous the

demands of the learning have to be for

students, room for creativity and

critical thinking must be allowed for

students, affirming the commitment by

the Education Secretary that the arts

must not be forgotten and given equal

weight in these largely humanities

based subjects here.2

While activities in this event varied

from that of October’s, it does not

disregard some of the

recommendations by students at that

consultation. On the contrary,

departments may wish to look again

and consider the ideas which will bring

young people into the department. It is

now within the hands of the DfE as to

what actions they will make of the

2 ‘Nicky Morgan defends her attitude to arts education’, Arts Professional, 6 July 2015 http://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/nicky-morgan-defends-her-attitude-arts-education

individual subject responses and if

they will give due consideration to the

ideas put forward to ensure these

reforms meet the criteria they have set

themselves.

ConsultGov

ConsultGov

1 Northumberland Avenue Trafalgar Square

London WC2N 5BW

We wish to thank the Department for Education for hosting

and funding the event. All the students, teachers, guests,

volunteers and partner organisations who came along on

the day. ConsultGov is especially grateful to Ammarah

Javid, Isa Mutlib, Jack Welch and Kate Willoughby for

their time in helping to run the event smoothly.

Alice Dermody-Palmer Isa Mutlib

Alysha Bodman Jack Welch

Ammarah Javid Kate Willoughby

Ayath Ullah Luke Thornton

Chris Mells Maliha Reza

Craig Bateman Michelle Akpata

Danielle Osajivbe-Williams Natalie Canlas

Edward Joseph Nayeema Babul

Freya Pigott Rachael Farrington

Gabriel Furey Ryan Giltinane

Georgia Sykes Sherona Lan

Gulwali Passaraly Stefany Coba Blandon

Hamza Kazmi Surina Bharath

Harriet Linley Tamanna Miah

Harvey Chandler Tanjinna Miah