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GCSEs need thorough overhaul, says Ofsted chief GCSEs need thorough overhaul, says Ofsted chief
(about 4 hours later)
GCSE exams should be "thoroughly overhauled" to tackle declining standards and the slump in England's ranking in global education league tables, the chief schools inspector has said.GCSE exams should be "thoroughly overhauled" to tackle declining standards and the slump in England's ranking in global education league tables, the chief schools inspector has said.
Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of the schools inspectorate Ofsted, called on Michael Gove, the education secretary, to use the row over this summer's GCSE results as a catalyst to examine whether the whole system was "credible enough". Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of the schools inspectorate Ofsted, called on the education secretary Michael Gove to use the row over this summer's GCSE results as a catalyst to examine whether the whole system is "credible enough".
Thousands of students taking GCSE English received Ds with scores that would have a got a C earlier in the year, after the exam boards changed the boundaries under order from the exams regulator to put an end to grade inflation. Thousands of pupils received Ds in GCSE English this summer on marks that would have a earned a C earlier this year, after exam boards changed grade boundaries following an order from the exams regulator Ofqual to end grade inflation. Schools reacted furiously to the results and many are considering legal action.
Wilshaw told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme: "This is a really good opportunity for our system and the secretary of state to look at our examination system and ask whether it is rigorous enough, whether it's credible enough, whether what's happened over the last few years in terms of resits, early entries and the modular approach to examination is actually raising standards. Wilshaw told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1: "This is a really good opportunity for our system and the secretary of state to look at our examination system and ask whether it is rigorous enough, whether it's credible enough, whether what's happened over the last few years in terms of resits, early entries and the modular approach to examination is actually raising standards.
"One of the worries I have and I know other people have, is that our standards are falling in relation to other countries in the rest of the world. English is the world language, it is the business language. We know that we have fallen from seventh in reading to 25th in the world. In maths, from seventh to 28th. That is not good enough. We've got to look at what is happening in the rest of the world." "One of the worries I have and I know other people have, is that our standards are falling in relation to other countries in the rest of the world.
Stephen Twigg, the shadow education secretary, blamed the exam grading row on Gove, saying it was unfair to change the grade boundaries in the middle of the year. "English is the world language, it is the business language. We know that we have fallen from seventh in reading to 25th in the world. In maths, from seventh to 28th. That is not good enough. We've got to look at what is happening in the rest of the world."
Labour has called for Gove to explain to MPs when the Commons resumes on Monday exactly what happened with the GCSEs. The Commons cross party education committee is poised to announce its own inquiry this week.
Stephen Twigg, the shadow education secretary, blamed the exam grading row on the education secretary, saying it was unfair to change the grade boundaries in the middle of the year.
He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: "If you were assessed in January you could get a grade C. The same quality of work, maybe even slightly better work, assessed in May and you would have got a D. That cannot be right. I'm all in favour of rigour, I'm in favour of making sure these are tough exams, but you can't change the boundaries in the middle of the year.He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: "If you were assessed in January you could get a grade C. The same quality of work, maybe even slightly better work, assessed in May and you would have got a D. That cannot be right. I'm all in favour of rigour, I'm in favour of making sure these are tough exams, but you can't change the boundaries in the middle of the year.
"We need a full inquiry into what went wrong, we need to make sure this doesn't happen again next year, which is why I have suggested the select committee on education should take a detailed look at that. But before then, we need to try and avert there being legal action … let's try to resolve this in the next few days.""We need a full inquiry into what went wrong, we need to make sure this doesn't happen again next year, which is why I have suggested the select committee on education should take a detailed look at that. But before then, we need to try and avert there being legal action … let's try to resolve this in the next few days."
Wilshaw signalled a toughening of Ofsted's inspections, warning that it was no longer acceptable for schools to achieve just a "satisfactory" grade. Ofsted is to replace its "satisfactory" grading with "requires improvement". A third of schools are ranked satisfactory or below and the chief inspector said they were not good enough. Wilshaw signalled a toughening of Ofsted's inspections, warning that it was no longer acceptable for schools to achieve just a "satisfactory" grade. Ofsted is replacing its "satisfactory" grading with "requires improvement" from this week. A third of schools are ranked satisfactory or below and the chief inspector said they were not good enough.
"The teaching's often not good enough, the leadership often isn't good enough, and the progress and the outcomes of children aren't good enough," he said."The teaching's often not good enough, the leadership often isn't good enough, and the progress and the outcomes of children aren't good enough," he said.
Wilshaw said that in future schools would get 24 hours' notice of an inspection, rather than 48 hours. "There'll be a day-before notice rather than the two-day notice now because really we want to see schools as they normally are." Wilshaw also said that in future schools would get 24 hours' notice of an inspection, rather than 48 hours. "There'll be a day-before notice rather than the two-day notice now because really we want to see schools as they normally are."
National GCSE results for all subjects in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, published last month, revealed 69.4% of exams were given at least a C grade, down 0.4 percentage points on last summer. It is the first time the A*-C pass rate has fallen in the 24-year history of GCSEs.
Ofqual investigated after headteachers said that between 10,000 and 67,000 pupils who sat exams in GCSE English and GCSE English language in England and Wales in June had been wrongly graded, meaning some could have missed out on sixth-form and college places.
But the regulator concluded that exams taken by other pupils in January had been too generous, triggering June's adjustments. It ruled out re-marking the GCSEs but has made provisions for students who want to re-sit their exams before Christmas free of charge.