GCSEs should be scrapped and A-levels should be replaced according to Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee.
His ideas of rewriting England’s exam system are to give young people a broader range of skills for their working lives. Mr Halfon said that GCSEs for 16-year-olds have become pointless. Instead of taking academic subjects at GCSE and A-level he wants to mix in a broader curriculum for training that can be used in jobs.
Mr Halfon said: “Get rid of GCSEs, which seem to me pointless. Instead there should be some kind of assessment to show how far you’re progressing,”
“I would rather that all the concentration should be on the final exam before you leave.”
He explained how young people are leaving school without the skills they need for work. Mr Halfon campaigned to improve perceptions of technical education and apprenticeships and will argue on today about 16-year-olds taking GCSEs has led to a narrow focus on workplace skills. The new GCSE style which was added two years ago meant cutting out course work making tougher exams, by doing this has added pressures on teacher and pupils.
Mr Halfon said: “I fully support the need for every young person to be able to access through their schooling, a working knowledge of our cultural capital, our history and our literature.
“But it is also essential that we are developing our next generation of engineers, entrepreneurs and designers.
“All young people should have access to the technical and creative subjects that will give them the skills that employers are looking for.
“These are not ‘soft skills’ developed at the expense of knowledge, but the essential skills that will enable young people to interpret, manipulate and communicate that knowledge.
“We must move from knowledge-rich to knowledge-engaged.”
Alice Barnard, chief executive of the Edge Foundation, said: “This is about far more than just generating a competent workforce. Forward-thinking schools we are working with consistently demonstrate that engaging students in creative learning, rather than just schooling them in factual recall, raises attainment, aspiration and fosters personal growth,”
Ms Barnard explained how Mr Halfon was reflecting on concerns made by business leaders, parents and students.
