Speaking in response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said:
“The Curriculum and Assessment Review marks a pivotal moment for education. What happens in classrooms shapes lives. We have a chance to redefine what learning means and that chance must not be wasted. University Alliance believes the school system must help every student succeed and find fulfilment.
Restoring value to creative and technical subjects and committing to a broad, balanced curriculum is welcome. The creative industries face one of the largest skills gaps in the economy – closing it must start by inspiring students in schools and showing that creative careers are viable and worthwhile for all.
Scrapping the EBacc measure and amending the false binary between academic and technical education are also key wins. It’s in this overlap that our universities thrive, and where the broadest range of skills can be developed to help young people to join the future workforce and flourish as individuals.
However, the continued reliance on high-stakes exams casts a long shadow and is in opposition to the aims of many of the other reforms and I feel was a massive opportunity lost to transform secondary education for the better in this country. It narrows learning to memorisation, stifles creativity, and drains joy from the classroom. As a parent witnessing my 15-year-old lose a year of their school life to this pressure, I feel very saddened and fearful for what the future holds now for coming generations for whom this could have been so different.
It really doesn’t have to be this way. Alliance universities are already innovating new methods of inclusive assessment that test broader skills and deeper understanding. We’ll keep campaigning for reform that reflects this best practice and supports real learning.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
University Alliance’s evidence submission ahead of the Curriculum and Assessment Review can be found here.
About University Alliance
University Alliance (UA) represents 17 of the country’s professional and technical universities. Our members specialise in working with industry and employers. Their teaching is hands-on, and designed to prepare students for careers. Their knowledge and research drive industry to innovate, thrive and meet challenges.
Our members are leading the way in innovation and business support in the green, tech, creative and healthcare industries. They educate 1 in 3 of the country’s nurses. They are leading providers of teaching in healthcare, the creative arts, degree apprenticeships and more.
We collaborate as UA to benefit our members and their communities, and to provide expertise to policy makers.
Our members are: Anglia Ruskin University, Birmingham City University, University of Brighton, Coventry University, University of Derby, University of Greenwich, University of Hertfordshire, Kingston University, Leeds Beckett University, Middlesex University, Oxford Brookes University, Robert Gordon University, University of South Wales, Teesside University, University of West London, University of Westminster, UWE Bristol.
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