Time to lose GCSEs says union leader
THE GCSE exam is no longer fit for purpose and should be scrapped, says a teachers’ union leader.
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the powerful National Education Union, told the Sunday Mirror the pandemic proved GCSEs had done their time.
She called on the Government to end the “tsunami of exams” because they are taking a heavy mental health toll on young people.
Dr Bousted said: “I think GCSEs were a very good qualification but they’ve had their day.
HURDLE
“What the last two years have shown is the current way we assess for GCSE and A-levels doesn’t work.
“It’s far too fragile and if you can’t take the exams there’s nothing else.
“Very few other nations put this hurdle in young people’s path at 16.
“That’s not to say you can’t assess them then, but taking 30 exams in two weeks is too much. That takes up a huge chunk of time when other... learning should be going on.”