ATL comment on the publication of reformed GCSE and A level content
ATL
| Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Commenting on the publication of revised subject content for some GCSEs, AS and A levels that will be taught in schools from September 2017, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:
“ATL agrees that the reforms may well be intended to represent a new qualification gold standard, but schools and colleges will not be able to make that assessment until they get to see them.
“Out of 70 GCSE qualification specifications submitted to Ofqual for accreditation by the exam boards, only 26 have so far been approved for first teaching from September. For AS and A level, only 20 qualification specifications have been approved so far. How are teachers supposed to prepare for teaching these new qualifications when they haven’t had an opportunity yet to plan and prepare materials?
“This qualification reform, which is rushed and large in scale continues to be a major cause of workload pressure for teachers. The Government will not be able to meet its commitments to reduce workload unless there is greater stability in the system and reasonable lead in times for any changes needed to improve qualifications.”
