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Schools push students into Ebacc subjects

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jul/13/ebacc-limited-choice-gcse-school-pupils?CMP=twt_gu

I guess this is no surprise and of course it was the whole point! Michael Gove's Ebacc scheme is having the effect he had hoped for as schools get pupils, at short notice it seems, to switch to languages and humanities. There is a tricky balance here, isn't there? On the one hand most language teachers applauded the notion of an Ebacc scheme which would bring back more pupils to modern languages; on the other hand, some fear, as do I, that non- Ebacc subjects will be devalued and some pupils may end up doing subjects which they find too hard, too dull or too irrelevant.

We know that schools have been smart in raising their league table level by allowing students to do subjects they find easier or just more relevant to them. We also know that there are not enough pupils learning languages, history and geography. Headteachers will need to set up curriculum models which allow students to do subjects which are both good for them and which they enjoy. Perhaps it is right that these decisions should be taken at a local level, as circumstances vary from area to area and "one size fits all" is not the way to go.

As the French move haltingly towards more accountability they need to learn from some of the lessons from outre Manche. League tables and value added scores can have some unexpected and nefarious effects!

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