Call to scrap GCSEs at 16

GCSE exams should be scrapped, according to the chairman of the Education Select Committee.

Former Education Minister Robert Halfon is calling for the exams at 16 to be replaced by a baccalaureate at 18 that combines academic and technical skills.

He says pupils need more than academic skills to thrive in the digital age.

In a speech today he will say: “It is essential we are developing our next generation of engineers, entrepreneurs and designers.”