Andy Burnham has hit back at the government after criticism of his education plans which were branded as 'unequal' and 'narrow'. The Greater Manchester mayor wants to create a 'clear path' at school for young people who do not go to university and has proposed using a new devolution deal to make it happen.
It comes as almost two-thirds of teenagers in the city-region leave school without GCSEs in English, maths, science, humanities and a language. But rather than pushing them to study the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and pursue the path to university, the mayor wants to create an alternative, calling for an end to the 'snobbery' around education.
Working with the Department for Education (DfE) through a new joint board set up as part of the 'trailblazer' deal which gives him more influence over education, Mr Burnham wants to roll out the Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) by September 2024. The 'flexible' qualification is aimed at offering students an alternative route to certain jobs when they choose their GCSEs.
