In December 2023, The House of Lords published a report by the 11-16 Education Committee. This was a long-awaited report, which DTEA members consulted on and gave evidence to the committee.
The report called for the government to scrap the EBacc and reform Progress 8 due to their negative impact on arts and technical subjects. We, along with most of the arts and education communities, were heartened by their recommendations, which are so in line with the work we do, and have been doing for many years. It is refreshing to know that our voices have been listened to.
Ditching the English baccalaureate (Ebacc) is the most surprising recommendation in the report. the Ebacc is a flagship Conservative policy requires that, by 2025, 90% of pupils should take GCSEs in maths, English language and literature, at least two sciences, history or geography, and a foreign language. There has been a lot of criticism of the policy as it excludes creativity and the arts, resulting in a narrowing of options for students, which has downgraded artistic, technical, digital and practical learning.
The DTEA supports the report's call for a review of the national curriculum’s status, along with a more diverse approach to assessment.
You can read the full report here:
Read the governments response here.
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