The latest reports about children’s performance in schools (GCSE grades gap for disadvantaged pupils in England widest in a decade, 20 October) is another indictment of the quality of education in England today. That it is not to diminish the achievements of students who gain high grades; those who are well supported at home and in school are fortunate. But the measurement of what needs to be done for others is not a simple matter nor is it susceptible to the crude metrics of “progress scores”. There is clearly a large socio-economically defined group of children and young people who are currently disenfranchised from education in mainstream schools. Attendance data and the proportion of this group who are deemed to have special educational needs seem to indicate that the educational curriculum has little value, attraction or meaning for them.
It is good that Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, recognises the need for a recovery plan. But before we embark on planning, or simply putting more money into education, it would be wise to consider what the underlying purpose of education might be. It seems to me that the aim of helping children achieve higher scores in tests is not appropriate or valid and, as current evidence demonstrates, using it as the goal does not do much for most children living in poverty.
This data is a further symptom of a need for a fundamental debate about the purposes of education so that we can, in due course, transform it. Teachers, children and young people (the citizens of tomorrow), as well as large sections of society, deserve more from education than the results of tests. The quality of education and how it could help us all learn more about each other and help us grow as citizens is worth further thought.
Simon Gibbs
Emeritus professor of inclusive educational psychology and philosophy, Newcastle University
