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Media Release

TUESDAY 11th JANUARY 2011:

St George’s School

GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE TABLES

NEW MEASURE UNFAIR WAY OF ASSESSING SCHOOL

‘ENGLISH BAC’ IS SELECTIVE AND WILL HIT SOME SCHOOLS

CONSTANT FIDDLING WITH LEAGUE TABLES DOES REPEATED HARM

Headmaster Norman Hoare of St George’s School joins hundreds of secondary heads in condemning the Government’s decision to add an additional measure to the recently published League tables.

Tables released Wednesday 12th January show for the first time the percentage of pupils in each secondary school who achieve at least a grade C in maths, English, a humanity, a language and science.

This retrospective measure will harm the reputation of some school’s where some of the subjects have not been compulsory at GCSE for a number of years. Headteachers have very good reasons for, for instance not requiring all 14-16 year olds to do say a Modern Language, and the definition of humanities – only history and geography – is “ridiculous” states Mr Hoare who holds a Masters degree in History and was a former Oxford Teacher Training Tutor in the subject .

“Of course I believe History is a vital subject, but I also value Economics, Business Studies and surely Religious Education is the subject to teach us about the Humanities.

I am cross also that Technology is not in this group of subjects, nor any reference to ICT. How can we produce the right kind of young people that our country needs if these subjects are ignored ?

There is a real problem with a Language especially as a few years ago the Labour Government dropped the requirement for all 14 years olds to master one for GCSE. Schools in many parts of the country then made Languages an option. They were allowed to do this – and many did because there was a desperate shortage of Language graduates – and now those same schools will b e ‘hit’ by this new measurement.

The effects of this crazy new measure could be to narrow the curriculum – what about the practical and creative areas - and it will leaves some schools unfairly open to criticism. Where is the recognition for schools that have developed Vocational studies and Diplomas to serve the needs of the whole school population? This is such a backward way of measuring schools hard work.

I am so disappointed by this retrospective and regressive development even though ironically for St George’s School we come out extremely well……but it is the principle of the matter which annoys me so much.”