We have found this article in The Times of the 22nd of May and we felt it would be interesting for you to read it. The more and more students with vocational skills are being failed by the exam system EU -wide. It seems that in the UK they began understanding it!
“Thousands of teenagers with vocational talent are being failed by the school system because of government pressure on head teachers to achieve outstanding academic results, a report says.
A survey by Ipsos Mori found that provision in vocational education, such as catering, construction and engineering, had become weaker in more than half of secondary schools since 2014 because of changes to the school system. It found that almost three quarters of secondary school head teachers wanted changes to help pupils who excelled in technical areas.
More than three quarters of schools reported an increase among pupils of fear of academic failure, according to the State of Educationreport, which is based on the survey. The report was published by an organisation called The Key, which provides leadership and management support to schools.
Its said that four fifths of the heads who were questioned thought that the English baccalaureate (EBacc) performance indicator was limiting opportunities for pupils with vocational or technical aptitude. The measure looks at how many pupils at a school achieve certain GCSE results in core academic subjects.
The percentage of lower-attaining pupils entering the EBacc increased in 2015-16, but their achievement rates went down, the report said.
One secondary school leader said: “How do you measure a child’s success? With their academic progress. The whole system is set up for that and if you’re not academic, you are seen as failing.” Another head teacher said that the system should “stop focusing purely on academia and start building a workforce for the future”.