Headteacher's comment: Kyle Jonathan, Swanmore College '“ Pupils bear the brunt of increasing pressure

In 2017, pupils sat the new GCSEs in English and Mathematics for the first time. These were assessed through a one off examination. The majority of other subjects followed suit in 2018. These GCSEs are quite different to before, as they are harder, more knowledge is required and there are more examination papers to sit.
Kyle Jonathan, headteacher at Swanmore CollegeKyle Jonathan, headteacher at Swanmore College
Kyle Jonathan, headteacher at Swanmore College

For instance, in Mathematics, the curriculum has changed to include content that was previously taught at '˜A' level!

In addition, the amount of examination time has increased by approximately 30%, to reflect the increased and more difficult content - however, the number of lessons in a day has remained the same.

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Mirror this across all other subjects and then ask yourself 'how can we expect pupils to cope'?

As educators, we must look at the bigger picture. You cannot keep expecting pupils to learn more information, in the same time period, to achieve the high grades that are required for the colleges and universities without either reducing the curriculum or watching them spread themselves too thinly.

What is more important? Do you give pupils the time to devote to fewer subjects, which have more examinations and more content, or do you continue to make them study a larger number of subjects in the interests of providing a broad and balanced curriculum?

This is the kind of pressure which schools now face when designing their curriculum. It is an enormous responsibility. Whatever we decide, it is our pupils who will feel it most. It is imperative that we consider the issue carefully and make the right decision for our children's future.