SCORE response to the Education Committee's call for evidence on the English Baccalaureate

The SCORE partners' response covers: 

• The purpose and benefits of the English Baccalaureate
• The implications of the English Baccalaureate for pupils and schools.   

In summary:

• The English Baccalaureate is trying to serve dual purposes (school accountability and pupils' attainment) and runs the risk of raising the stakes of some examinations, which in the past has led to narrowing of curricula in schools and pupils being entered for inappropriate examinations. 
  
• We would therefore like to see a consultation on developing a school accountability system with aims that benefit all pupils and serve the needs of the country. 
  
• The use of the word 'baccalaureate' is misleading given that it normally refers to a passport to HE study including accreditation of project-based work and other skills-related learning. 
  
• One of the aims of the English Baccalaureate is to drive the take up of individual sciences, however the timetabling pressures introduced by the English Baccalaureate may result in fewer pupils having the opportunity to study separate sciences. Schools may also concentrate pupils efforts on the two sciences either for which they have specialist teachers or based on their results in early assessments.