The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
(GCSE) results.
It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. The EBacc includes subjects which are studied in many subsequent university programmes.
In order to have an EBacc score for any student, they must take the following subjects at GCSE level:
* English Language and English Literature
* Mathematics
* Either Combined Science or three of (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Physics)
* Either a Modern or an Ancient Foreign Language
* Geography or History
The EBacc concept emerged months after the 2010 general election, and has been modified and reduced in ambitions and scope but is still in place in 2020. Its intentions then were; to ensure all age 16 students left with a set of academic qualifications, to strengthen the position of 'core subjects' in schools and to increase social mobility.
Etymology
Though the qualification contains the term
baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to:
* ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification
* Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree
* English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...
, it is not, unlike the French baccalaureate (
baccalauréat
The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
) or the
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
(
IB Diploma Program
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
), a qualification for entry into universities and tertiary education institutions. To gain access to universities in the United Kingdom and around the world, students are required to study and take exams for GCSEs and
GCE Advanced Level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
or the International Baccalaureate which has increased in popularity in recent years.
History
2011 proposal – Coalition government
The
UK Government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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introduced a new performance indicator called the English Baccalaureate, which measures the percentage of students in a school who achieve 5+ A*-C grades (now five Grades 4 to 9 since the
GCSE Reforms) in English, mathematics, two sciences, a foreign language and history or geography at GCSE level.
The reason for its introduction was to combat the perceived fall in the number of students studying foreign languages and science.
2015 revision
In their election manifesto (14 April 2015),
Cameron, the British
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
politician declared that under their office, the UK government would make the English Baccalaureate a compulsory qualification to be completed by every 16 year student in secondary schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
By the time this was put out to consultation by
Nicky Morgan
Nicola Ann Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes, (; born 10 October 1972) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities from 2014 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, ...
in November both the 100% goal and the reasons has changed:
*For the EBacc to become the "default option" for all pupils, with schools to determine the "small minority of pupils for whom taking the whole EBacc is not appropriate." (The consultation subsequently makes clear that the Government intends that "in time, at least 90% of pupils in mainstream secondary schools should be entered for the EBacc." 26 )
* That the proportion of pupils entering the EBacc will become a headline measure of mainstream secondary school performance that would be given a more prominent role in the Ofsted inspection framework. Also, the EBacc entry and attainment data for similar mainstream secondary schools will be published.
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Open Parliament License Version 3.0
© Crown copyright
Computer Science has now been included with Physics, Chemistry and Biology as an acceptable qualification.
2017 revision
On 19 July 2017, the Government published its response to the consultation on Implementing the English Baccalaureate.
*75% of year 10 pupils in state-funded mainstream schools will start to study GCSEs in the EBacc combination of subjects by September 2022 with 90% of year 10 pupils studying GCSEs in the EBacc subjects by September 2025. (Sitting the GCSEs) in 2024 and 2027 respectively.
University technical colleges, studio schools and further education colleges with key stage 4 provision will not be included in these targets.
Reaction and discussion
* Subject choice:
There is a conflict for the school, whether it spends its limited resources on incentivising the EBacc subjects to achieve the government target or on the subjects that are most suitable for the cohort of students. EBacc subjects reflect the subjects favoured for entry by the Russell Group Universities, at the expense of creative subjects such as Music, Art, Performance Arts, and vocational subjects such as Design and Technology. There is debate over the assumption that EBacc subjects actually do facilitate university entry.
* Teacher supply:
Modern foreign language teachers are in short supply, after a government decision to make languages optional in 2005. To make the change suggested would require 2000 extra teachers to teach the extra 7000 hours in each year group.
Sutton Trust briefing
The Sutton Trust examined the effects of the proposals in 300 early adopters in 2013.
The report set out the following key findings:
* the number of students attempting the full EBacc rose from 8% to 48%.
* that pupils at these schools largely benefitted from these changes. They were more likely to achieve good GCSEs in English and maths.
* those pupils were 1.7 percentage points more likely to be taking an A level or other level 3 qualification and 1.8 percentage points less likely to have dropped out of education entirely.
* Pupil premium students being more likely to do EBacc subjects benefitted most. The pupil premium gap closed a little more than in schools with similar pupil intake
* pupil premium students still do not have fair access to the EBacc curriculum subjects nationally, Sutton have identified nearly an 8% gap in languages take-up or 11,000 students.
Also there was an 11% gap in humanities, equivalent to 15,000 students missing out.
*Although evidence demonstrated that schools have successfully moved towards an EBacc aligned curriculum, the survey of headteachers confirmed that delivering the EBacc to 90% of students is beyond the reach of many schools given specialist teacher shortages. Moreover, these headteachers believe that it is not appropriate for many students.
Calculating EBacc indicators
In a guidance note issued in August 2019, the government explains the calculations and the indicators.
Calculation of an individual students average point score (EBacc APS)
GCSEs are graded with a number 1–9, 4 and above is considered a pass.
There are five academic areas (pillars):
*English: This consist of two subjects (English Language and English Literature), so take the best score of the 2
*Maths: One subject
*Science: Three possible subjects so take the best two
*Language: Only one is counted, so take the best score
*Humanities: Only one is counted, so take the best score
Added together, this gives a total maximum point score of six times nine thus 54.
An average of the five pillars is taken, that is the total point score divided by 6, which is the student's 'Average point score'.
As an indication in England this figure for girls 2018 was 4.33.
Calculation of a school’s EBacc APS (average point score)
Sum the EBacc average
point score for all pupils at the end of key stage 4 Then divide that by the number of pupils in the group.
Criticism and comment
EDSK report: ‘A Step Baccward’
Published in 2019, this report
shows that "Percentage of GCSE pupils entered for all EBacc components" flat-lined in 2014 at under 40%, and that "Percentage of GCSE pupils who pass all the EBacc components" flat-lined in 2013 at under 25%. It then comments on the Sutton Trust findings that the measure widens the achievement gap for disadvantaged children.
It notes that the original aim was to switch children towards academic subjects and this was partially achieved and schools had switched resources. There had been a drop in exam entry in other crucial subjects and a loss of teachers.
However, now schools are confused as to the purpose, particularly the claim that it will help students to get into high status university. Parents, when polled, said they didn't need more indicators about their school but were worried about the narrowing of the curriculum and its impact on non-EBacc subjects. Additionally, almost all schools were experiencing significant problems with recruiting enough teachers of EBacc subjects, especially science and mathematics.
EDSK questions the need for an EBacc indicator, as its function is duplicated by the
Progress 8/ Attainment 8 indicator, that has been in place since 2016.
The suggested English Baccalaureate Certificate qualification
The "English Baccalaureate Certificate", or EBC, was a suggested exam system to replace the GCSE in England. After analysis, following professional criticism, the concept was dropped. It was never implemented.
According to the Coalition Government spokespersons, Nick Clegg and Michael Gove, the (supposed)
dumbing down
Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, and cinema, news, video games, and culture. Originated in 1933, the term "dumbing down" was movie-business slang, used by screenplay writers, meani ...
of GCSEs was one of the motivating factors. The Government stated that it planned for the new qualifications to be more "rigorous", with exams to be taken at the end of the two-year course, rather than bi-annually as occurs under the modular GCSE system.
There was particular concern about the treatment of creative subjects such as art, drama, music, and ICT, and also sport.
Chris Keates
Christine Mary Keates (born 10 October 1951) is a British trade unionist.
Early life
Keates grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and attended Thistley Hough Girls' School, a girls' grammar school now called Thistley Hough Academy, before studying Archaeolo ...
of union
NASUWT
The NASUWT is a TUC-affiliated trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom.
The early years 1919–1976; breakaway and the formation of a new union
The origins of the NASUWT can be traced back to ...
criticised the announcement as being "entirely driven by political ideology".
Implications for Northern Ireland and Wales
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
Education Minister
John O'Dowd
John Fitzgerald O'Dowd (born 10 May 1967) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann since 2003. He was previously the Minister for Infrastructure from May to October 2022 and the Mini ...
criticised the UK Government for failing to consult the
devolved
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
administrations in Northern Ireland and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
prior to the announcement, saying that he would announce his own proposals for the qualifications in Northern Ireland in due time. Welsh Education Minister
Leighton Andrews
Leighton Andrews (born 11 August 1957) is an academic and former Welsh Labour politician. He was the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda (National Assembly for Wales constituency), Rhondda from 2003 until 2016. He was Department for Ed ...
hinted that Wales might retain the current system, with Roberto De Benedictis, divisional secretary of the Tawe Afan Nedd branch of the
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers (NUT; ) was a trade union for school teachers in Education in England, England, Education in Wales, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. In March 2017, NU ...
, praising the apparent reluctance of the Welsh government to participate in the new scheme.
Union urges measured decision on exam future
This is South Wales
The announcement does not affect students in Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, which operates a separate system of qualifications from the rest of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
See also
*Progress 8 benchmark
The Progress 8 benchmark is an accountability measure used by the government of the United Kingdom to measure the effectiveness of secondary schools in England. It bands pupils into groups based on their scores in English and mathematics during the ...
*Welsh Baccalaureate
The Welsh Baccalaureate ( cy, Bagloriaeth Cymru), or Welsh Bacc, is an educational qualification delivered in secondary schools and colleges across Wales. The Welsh Government says that it gives broader experiences than traditional learning pr ...
Footnotes
References
{{National Qualifications Framework
Secondary school qualifications
Secondary education in England
Educational qualifications in England
School examinations