ATL

Excellent results, but government needs to act now on behalf of students' interests - ATL

"Let's think about students today. Hundreds and thousands of them, after two years of hard work, have achieved excellent results that they, their families and their teachers should be proud of. However, at the same time 40% have not managed 5 A*-Cs at GCSE, says Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

Mary Bousted said: "It is essential that education serves all young people. The experience in the classroom of our members is that irrespective of achievement, students are turned off by the exam-culture dictated from on-high. To succeed in education, work, and life, young people need to develop useful and transferable skills, which an over-packed curriculum focussed on passing tests, does not provide.

"The introduction of diplomas was an opportunity for an exciting, modern curriculum developing both academic and vocational skills, however, they have been fatally undermined by government. The previous government lacked the ambition to introduce them properly and the new government is heading down the path of giving up. We are also disappointed that the number of diplomas awarded is so low; it is unclear why this is the case although the complexity of the qualification may be the cause.

"ATL believes it is unacceptable for a generation of young people to be this poorly served. The government must decide, and decide quickly, what the 14-16 phase of education should look like and keep students' needs, and the cultivation of a passion for learning, at the centre of all decisions. The status quo long lost its credibility."

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.

2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first rate research, advice, information and legal advice.

3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.