The Royal Society welcomes the government’s commitment to reviewing education as an early priority in its programme, but the initial call for evidence lacked the ambition required to make the changes the education system needs to support the success of students and teachers alike.
Our key recommendations are:
- for the Government to commit to a systemic and longer-term review extending beyond the current parliamentary term
- for the Review Group to include in their recommendations to Government the principles of the Mathematical Futures Programme report A new approach to mathematical and data education
- for the Review Group to advocate an urgent need to replace GCSE resits in mathematics with an alternative curriculum and assessment model
- the creation of a taskforce, led by the Royal Society working across the science education community, drawing on scientific expertise and the teaching profession to advise on a new science curriculum and to unify the science pathway in all schools
- recouple AS and A levels to restore AS levels to their previous status, which would help to reverse the decline in breadth post-16 and could positively contribute to the destination choices of the most disadvantaged students