There is a case for changing the post-16 curriculum in English schools. Education is devolved, but the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh governments might even be interested in considering the question jointly. If a Labour government is elected next year, and launches an expert-led review of the curriculum as promised, it should invite them to contribute. Currently, English secondary school pupils are overexamined, with two sets of qualifications rather than the single school-leaving certificate which is more typical internationally.
Over-16s in England also study a narrower range of subjects than in many other countries. The most popular A-level combinations are Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. Given this, Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that English should become compulsory until the age of 18, as part of a broad new qualification called the Advanced British Standard, could be seen as a boost to the humanities.
