The House of Lords is seeking teachers’ views on secondary education as part of an inquiry launched today.
The inquiry is set to investigate the “challenges and opportunities faced by the secondary education system in England”, particularly “the effectiveness of the current curriculum and assessment model”.
The Lords’ Education for 11- to 16-Year-Olds Committee, which is carrying out the inquiry, is calling on teachers, education providers and other interested parties to submit evidence.
Lord Johnson of Marylebone, chair of the committee, said that the country’s secondary education system is “currently at a crossroads” and is “facing several challenges and opportunities”.
Lord Johnson, a former minister for universities, science, research and innovation, added that the inquiry will “build on a number of important recent reports, looking critically at the effectiveness of the current curriculum and assessment model and exploring whether these are preparing young people for the job opportunities they will encounter in our future economy”.
Secondary school education ‘at a crossroads’
“The secondary education system in England is currently at a crossroads, facing several challenges and opportunities,” he said.
The inquiry’s call for evidence, which opens today and closes on 30 April 2023, asks for submissions on the effectiveness of the 11-16 curriculum in equipping young people with the skills they need to progress into post-16 education and employment in a future digital and green economy, as well as on the availability and attractiveness of technical and vocational options in the 11-16 phase.
The inquiry is also calling for evidence on the impact of the current system on the motivation and confidence of students of all abilities, as well as on alternative methods of assessment for measuring progress that could be considered either alongside or instead of GCSEs.
In addition, the inquiry is seeking submissions on how the 11-16 system could be adapted to improve the attractiveness of the teaching profession, and the recruitment, training and retention of teachers.
