Record numbers of pupils in England are being forced to resit their GCSEs. This deeply troubling trend begs the question, what is wrong with the current educational system that’s working? This year, a record 23.4% of students 17 and older took resits. Yet statistics demonstrate that thousands of young people failing to pass their Maths and English GCSEs fall into a damaging cycle of repeat attempts. Education specialists have previously cautioned that this would create a great risk of a looming “resit crisis.”
Jill Duffy, chief exec of the OCR, explained the dire consequences of this trend. She argued that students who do not pass their GCSEs are usually missing out on core basic skills. She emphasized the need for “fundamental reform to Maths and English secondary education,” particularly at Key Stage 3, where foundational knowledge is critical. The government mandates that pupils who do not pass these key subjects must continue studying and retaking exams concurrently with their next courses, further complicating their educational journey.
Education expert Catherine Sezen identifies a highly concerning trend. Too many students are already on the path to failure by the time they get to secondary school. She noted that the government aims for 75% of children to be ready for school by the age of four or five. Unfortunately, the reality is a large segment of the workforce continues to live below this threshold. This should worry everyone as inequities have lingering effects on long term educational attainment.
The figures from this year’s resits paint a pretty bleak picture. Only 20.9% of English entries and 17.1% of Maths entries for pupils aged 17 or older achieved a passing grade of 4 or higher. This harsh truth is at the heart of the reality that critically limits anyone who tries to change course following a first failure. Students such as James Bonning illustrate the challenges that most students endure in this unfair system. He only passed his grade 4 in Maths on his third attempt.
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