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Independent school head calls for radical change to qualification system

Posted on 5th May 2009

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The head of an independent school has called for England's qualification system to undergo a complete change.

Writing in Times2, Bristol Grammar School headteacher Rod MacKinnon calls for the scrapping of GCSEs.

Instead, he argues, there should be a system of teacher assessment with "rigorous external monitoring" to avoid "over-examining" children.

He suggests that the GCSE system is "an unproductive use of time that dominates the summer term".

Mr MacKinnon writes that the current assessments were "designed for a different age", arguing that they are "hugely expensive and bureaucratic".

"What we really need is a sensible assessment system that helps 16-year-olds to choose the right course for the next stage of their education," he adds.

Mr MacKinnon, who was formerly the head of state school Bexley Grammar, recently told the Times Educational Supplement that it is time to accept that a one-size-fits-all qualification is not possible in England.

He suggested that allowing schools to offer alternatives to the GCSE helps them tailor learning to the needs of each child.