Rishi Sunak ‘planning radical A-level reform to establish British Baccalaureate’

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he Prime Minister is reportedly planning to ascertain a brand new model of British Baccalaureate during which pupils would research extra topics after the age of 16.

In response to a number of papers, together with The Occasions and The Telegraph, the substantial A-level reform would see English and maths turn out to be obligatory till the age of 18, whereas pupils could be required to check a wider array of topics in post-16 training.

Rishi Sunak has beforehand mentioned all pupils in England ought to research some type of maths as much as the age of 18, criticising a “cultural sense that it’s OK to be unhealthy at maths”.

A Division for Schooling spokesperson mentioned in a press release: “Since 2010 we now have made enormous progress in driving up college requirements and giving younger individuals one of the best begin in life, with document funding for faculties and extra full-time academics than ever earlier than.

“We now have already taken steps to reform the post-16 {qualifications} panorama, together with reforming technical training and delivering tens of millions of latest high-quality apprenticeships.

“Alongside this, we now have set out daring plans to make sure that each younger particular person research some type of maths as much as the age of 18 to present them the talents they want to achieve the roles of the longer term”.

Shadow training secretary Bridget Phillipson known as the plan an “undeliverable gimmick”.

Talking on BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Phillipson mentioned: “That is simply the newest undeliverable gimmick from a weak Prime Minister and a dying Conservative authorities with no critical plan for enhancing requirements of training for younger individuals.

“Rishi Sunak needs to be specializing in long run plans to enhance literacy and numeracy in youthful kids, not pursuing brief time period headlines with this unworkable coverage, which is able to do nothing to boost requirements.

“Labour might be specializing in how we lay robust foundations for prime and rising requirements in our faculties and ship a serious assessment of curriculum and evaluation from authorities, as a part of our mission to interrupt down limitations to alternative.”

It comes after Mr Sunak this week introduced the watering down of a bunch of pledges designed to assist the UK attain web zero in 2050.

Each strikes are mentioned to be an try to attract a transparent dividing line between his Conservative Celebration and Labour forward of a possible common election subsequent yr.