Industry News
Conservatives: Core subjects in decline
Posted on 22nd August 2007
The Conservatives have accused schools of steering pupils away from GCSEs perceived as tough, in order to boost their position in the league tables.
Schools are encouraging students not to take core subjects but to take vocational subjects, believed to be easier, claim the Conservatives.
They said the amount of children receiving five GCSEs at grade C and above has risen from 45.1 per cent in 1997 to 58.1 per cent in 2006 but this increase of 13.6 per cent masks a decline in core subjects.
In 1997, 61 per cent of children achieving five or more good passes would have had grades in the four "core basics" of maths, English, science and a modern foreign language. In 2006 this had fallen to 44 per cent.
Shadow children's minister Michael Gove said: "The decline in core subjects marks a worrying trend and underlines the need for teaching to focus on the neglected basics."
The Learning and Skills Council has said people who do not achieve five good GCSEs or a vocational equivalent miss out on an average of £4,000 a year in future earnings.