AoC responds to the Curriculum and Assessment Review

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges said:

"This report has the tough job of making recommendations to improve the education system while not overloading it with change, which will distract teachers and lecturers from helping children and young people to succeed.

"We all want to see every child make a successful transition to adulthood and active citizenship and ultimately to become adults with a love for and a confidence in learning, because the world they are entering is fast-changing and will require people to train and re-train across their lives. To achieve that, we need a curriculum and assessment system that motivates, inspires and engages children and young people and helps them learn relevant skills, knowledge and abilities for the modern world.

"I welcome the ambition to raise standards and broaden opportunity, particularly the renewed focus on oracy, reading, writing and maths. These are the foundations that underpin success in education, life and work, and too many young people still arrive at college at the age of 16 without the basics they need to fulfil their potential, the confidence to learn and the motivation to engage.

"The new Year 8 reading test and strengthened writing assessments are promising steps, but they must be part of a wider effort to support those who fall behind, not simply identify them. We know that the “lost years” at the start of secondary school are critical, especially for working-class young people, and we must ensure that interventions are timely, targeted and effective. Schools also need to be incentivised and resourced to help children catch up, rather than being sidelined.

"I am pleased to see the recognition of the value of enrichment and extra-curricular activity. Every young person deserves access to sport, arts, civic engagement, social action and life skills and we want to see that entitlement properly funded and embedded in 16-19 study programmes. Colleges already do a great deal in this space, often with limited resources, and this commitment must be matched by investment.

"The report has important recommendations for the government, schools and colleges. We must now all work together to improve the system and the experience for children and young people.

"Ultimately, the only real test for the report is how quickly and how far it closes the unacceptable and unfair attainment and outcome gaps between those children from lesser and better-off backgrounds. Those gaps have been persistent and consistent at every stage of learning, and we must find ways to close them."