RSC welcomes learned societies' increased role in education

Dr Richard Pike, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, commented today on the education white paper:

"We warmly welcome the enhanced role learned societies will now play, with universities and other stakeholders, in helping to formulate A-level syllabuses and exams of the future. The Royal Society of Chemistry will now be sitting at the top table, rather than peering in from the window wondering what on earth is going on. Gone will be the day where chemistry-based topics are covered so superficially that not a single substantive calculation is asked for. 

"The restructuring of GCSEs and improved regulation should go some way to curbing the grade inflation that has been allowed to grow out of control. Exam results are like house prices. We all want to see them go up over time, but shoot up too far, too fast for too long and we've got a problem on our hands.

"The RSC has argued for some time now for greater involvement in the decision making process and a return to a more rigorous system of examinations, which this policy will entail. It is right that pupils should not be allowed to take multiple re-sits until they eventually get an A*, a system which actually favours better off families who can afford to pay for their children to take examinations time and again."

The RSC has been quoted a number of times in Parliament on the need to halt the slippage in standards.

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Hansard 10 November 2010: Column 117WH
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Hansard 14 January 2010: Column 827
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Hansard 7 May 2009: Column 366
RSC referred to in Parliament