NUT slams ‘nonsense’ fail-fining plan

Yet, Policy Exchange argues, there is nothing in the funding regime that recognises this extra burden on FE colleges.

The think tank said FE colleges are being “left to deal with a far greater proportion of students taking results in GCSE maths and English compared to secondary schools and sixth form colleges” – and that the fines imposed on failing schools should be re-allocated to boost funding for FE colleges.

“We should not view the introduction of a levy as a punishment for schools, as there are many reasons for learners not achieving A*-C, but see it is a potential solution for improving GCSE English and maths results”. They have been brilliantly supported by all the staff at our school, who also deserve enormous credit.

John Widdowson (pictured right), president of the Association of Colleges, said: “Policy Exchange has rightly recognised the challenge faced by colleges as they support an increasing number of young people needing to re-sit their GCSE English and maths after 11 years at school”.

As previously reported in the Bristol Post, the Government’s new rules requiring students awarded a D grade in their maths and English GCSEs to retake the subjects in their post-16 studies was placing a strain on colleges including South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College. “A resit levy would potentially worsen this situation, further reducing their capacity to put in place the very provision that would enable them to meet the challenge of enabling more pupils to achieve these grades in maths and English GCSEs”.

STUDENTS from across east London are jumping for joy after picking up their GCSE grades.

There were particular successes and improvements at Wanstead and Forest Academy who saw more than a three per cent increase on their performance from previous year. These are already low (under 40 per cent), and provisional 2015 data shows they are getting lower.

A spokesman for the DfE added: “Post-16 schools and colleges are making very good progress in ensuring all young people have this opportunity [to get at least a C grade in English and maths]”.

“The myth that the EBacc is having a negative impact on take up of creative and vocational subjects was fundamentally disproven by last week’s GCSE results which showed an increase of 3.4 per cent since 2010 in entries to art and design GCSEs”.

In terms of funding, while school budgets have been protected in cash terms for the next five years, further education colleges face growing financial problems.

That’s why our report recommends that schools are required to pay a “resit levy” to FE colleges for any student that fails to get a C in GCSE English or maths, who also hasn’t made expected levels of progress through their time at secondary school.

The only way that FE colleges are going to carry out their remedial role will be if they have additional funding.

The headteacher of a Lichfield school has praised her students for their “outstanding” GCSE results.

Paper author Natasha Porter: “Given that colleges are undertaking a large burden that is, in part, caused by the failure of some elements of the school system to have adequately ensured that 16 year old school leavers have achieved an appropriate baseline of qualifications, there is a case for a remedy”.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents more than 18,000 school, college and system leaders in the UK, said: “The idea of a resit levy on the secondary schools where these students first took their GCSEs would be an own goal”.