Schools have the “courage” to replace GCSEs, which have “had their day”, with an alternative form of assessment, a headteachers’ leader has said.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the school leaders’ union the Association of School and College Leaders, was speaking at a discussion event as part of the FED National Education Summit this morning.

He said: “GCSEs, which were designed in a different era, were ground-breaking qualifications in their day because they took away the idea that you had to be chosen for either CSE or O level by your teacher...but those have had their day. I think most people would say, particularly this year…the idea of sitting 30 separate exams is ridiculous.

GCSEs 2021: Ofqual and DfE plan ‘unworkable’, say heads

Assessment: Heads say no to ‘mandatory mini-exams’

Boris Johnson: Exams won’t happen ‘as normal’

“Why can’t we have some combination of external assessment and some kind of digital portfolio-type thing where young people can say, ‘Don’t define me by a grade - I’m a human being who can do this, this, this and this’? And I think employers and parents would say that at last we’re starting to do something that reflects the range of skills and abilities.”

‘Alternatives to GCSEs’

Trusts and schools now have the “courage” to plan to run alternatives to GCSEs, he said.

“We delude ourselves to think that the people with power are working in Sanctuary Buildings [the Department for Education offices] in Westminster. The real axis of power now, I think, lies with the schools and trusts who say, ‘We’re not going to do it like that any more,’” Mr Barton added.

“We have the courage to say, ‘The GCSE has served its day and we’re going to put in place across our schools and trusts something which is in the interests of children and young people,’ and the distinctive moment now is that I think parents would say thank you for doing that.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

“There are no plans to replace GCSEs.

“Our reformed GCSEs rigorously assess the knowledge acquired by pupils and are in line with expected standards in countries with high performing education systems.

 “They have also been reformed and strengthened based on feedback from higher and further education institutions and employers to ensure young people leave school or college prepared for the demands of the workplace and higher study.”