30th July 2014 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The Department for education has announced plans to drop international GCSEs from school league tables. The decision is a u-turn from 2010 when the DfE permitted IGCSE results to be included in league tables, a move which prompted hundreds of schools to use IGCSEs instead of standard GCSEs. The controversial move has attracted criticism and concern from schools and teachers, who have said that the sudden change would be expensive and disruptive. Exam boards offering IGCSEs have also expressed their disappointment in the decision, arguing that there is no education justification to dropping the exam from league tables.
Exam providers including Cambridge International Examinations have announced their opposition to the plans, and urged schools to lobby their MPs regarding the decision. They have contacted the DfE and exams regular Ofqual to register their concerns that the exams are being dropped for political rather than education reasons. IGCSEs have become increasingly popular, and are an internationally respected qualification. Thousands of schools now use IGCSEs, but will be forced to switch to the government’s new GCSE if they are to avoid plummeting in league tables.
The new GCSE will be brought in next year, giving schools minimal time to prepare for teaching new courses. The move will also cost a considerable amount of money as schools will have to reverse decisions and pay for new training and resources at the last minute. The national association of head teachers has voiced concerns over the cost and the disruption to students’ education that will be caused by the U-turn on IGCSEs. The government is now facing criticism that they failed to keep schools informed, and have pulled yet another damaging and disruptive U-turn in education policy.