In a statement in Parliament yesterday, the Minster of State for Schools, David Laws MP launched a new measure of attainment by which school performance will be judged. The new ‘Best 8’ measure of pupil performance at GCSE includes a wider range of subjects including Citizenship Studies as well as art, music, drama and engineering.
The Minister confirmed,
“From now on, there will be 4 key measures which must be published:
- pupils’ progress across 8 subjects. So, a parent will see whether pupils at a school typically achieve 1 grade more than expected, or 1 grade less
- the average grade a pupil achieves in these same ‘best 8’ subjects. This will show, for example, that pupils in a particular school average a high B grade or a low D grade in their GCSEs
- the percentage of pupils achieving a C grade in English and maths
- the proportion of pupils gaining the EBacc, which will continue in its current form.”
The purpose of the new ‘Best 8’ measure is to remove the “perverse incentives for schools to act in a way which is not in the best interests of pupils”. The Minister hopes more pupils will get the teaching they require and will obtain the valuable qualifications they need and that this will have a positive effect on the education system.
Read the full Government response to the consultation on school accountability here.
The GCSE in Citizenship Studies was first developed in 2001 following the introduction of the subject as a National Curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4. Since then more than half a million students have gained the qualification.
For more information about the full course GCSE specifications on offer visit the awarding organisation websites:
www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/citizenship
www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/citizenship-studies
www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-citizenship-studies
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