EBacc is not fit for purpose

Responding to the publication of a new report by the CBI, Getting young people ‘work ready’, which calls for the Government to rethink the qualifications system and to add a creative subject into the English Baccalaureate, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:
 
“When the English Baccalaureate was introduced, Ministers said they wanted pupils to take subjects that employers and universities valued most. The fact that the CBI no longer defends the EBacc in its current form should act as a wake-up call that it is not fit for purpose.
 
“Businesses want employees with the creativity, character and transferable skills to thrive in the modern workplace. Yet our high-stakes testing culture is encouraging schools to focus relentlessly on just a handful of subjects and on teaching to the test.
 
“If our children are going to thrive as tomorrow’s workers and citizens, our education system needs overhauling. Liberal Democrats would scrap the EBacc and replace league tables with a broader set of criteria for parents to evaluate schools by, so that children get the rounded educational experience they need.”

Responding to today’s data release by the Department for Education, which reveals that secondary school class sizes have risen for the fourth year running, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said:
 
“The schools funding emergency and a crisis in recruitment means that schools are struggling to bring in new staff to keep class sizes down. It leaves teachers overworked and underpaid, whilst pupils lose out on the extra support they deserve.
 
“The Conservatives have cut school funding to the bone. Their leadership candidates need to put their egos to one side and put our children’s futures first.
 
“Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to provide an emergency cash injection to reverse school cuts, so that teachers can invest in giving every child in their class the best possible start in life.”