ATL comment on government plans for all pupils to do the EBacc

Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said: “This will force young people to take subjects in which they have little interest instead of those they are good at and will marginalise creative subjects such as design, drama or music.

“It fails to recognise the reality that not all students are academic and this narrow curriculum will disenfranchise many. If the Government’s wants to ensure that more young people fail their GCSEs, then they are certainly going the right way about it.

“Young people need a broad and balanced curriculum that nurtures their skills and aptitudes and develops the skills needed for jobs in the 21st century, not a 1950s education based on testing and final exams.”