The hidden political agenda behind the fall in GCSE results

Yesterday saw the first fall in GCSE results for England in a very long time. Analyst after Analyst have tried to work out why this is. The latest GCSE results show a fall in the pass rate in the top grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the first time since the exams replaced O-levels and CSEs 24 years ago. Teachers have claimed examination boards have marked pupils too harshly, especially in GCSE English. Mr Gove has denied that pressure had been put on exam boards to change grade boundaries amid criticism that exams were becoming easier every year. But its clear to me GCSE’s are not getting any easier contrary to what people tell young people every year. For me there is a clear political agenda behind the drive to force results down. If results are lowered and this in turn reflects badly on a school the government use’s official bodies such as OFSTEd to publish negative results for a school and to deem it a failing school this add’s to the pressure on the teachers, staff and head teachers alike. This is very convenient as the government is pushing the whole idea of academies and by lowering standards in many schools it can force many more schools to go down this route bringing private money into our state schools allowing schools to employ teachers who are not qualified and standards are not the same. This for me is the real reason behind the drive by Michael Gove to make exams harder and force down the amount of students getting top grades. To in affect create two tier systems in education once again. Mr Gove has spoken of his desire to restore O-levels in England in place of GCSEs, with less academic pupils taking exams similar to the old CSE. This again would divide students from those who are moor academic than others and push those who may not be but can in my view still contribute hugely to society to end up feeling like failures. Its all part of a capitalist system designed to create winners and losers in society. Where those who win win big and those who loose out loose out big time. This furthers the gap in society in my view and should be opposed.

Keep the market out of our childrens education , say no to academies

The con-dem governemnt are using the tactic to try and make out failing schools who are under performing need to change to improve and by change they suggest turning into a academy. They are using official bodies like OFSTED to convince schools to make the change to come out of local authority funding and go it alone in the tories idea of a better education for our children.

Already education secretary Michael 'Royal Yacht' Gove has had to back down: one of the schools, Downhills School, where results have improved recently, will undergo an Ofsted inspection before any decision about a change of status.

New Labour used bribery to turn schools into academies with up to £2 million promised from a business sponsor. The coalition government are now using compulsion.

The Con-Dems argue that academies are the only way to raise standards in under-performing schools. Yet recent research publicised by the Anti Academies Alliance shows that in London, on the measure of five GCSEs including English and maths, the best performing schools are NOT academies. Nationally, 20% of academies failed to improve on their GCSE results in 2010.

As socialists we stand for free comprehensive well funded education for all with no exlusion based on any background or creed. Bringing the market into our childrens education is a disaster waiting to happen. If a academy fails or runs out of money what happens to the childrens education then ?

Haringey parents are right to call academies 'privatisation'. Already bigger academy 'chains' run more schools than some local authorities.

Oasis Community Learning, for example, runs 12 high schools all over England. Nine teachers were sacked at its Media City Academy in Salford at Christmas.

And ultimately, academies can pay staff whatever they like.

Despite business involvement, eight academies recently had to be 'bailed out' by the government for nearly £11 million.

An academy at Backwell near Bristol recently failed to enter 100 pupils for GCSE science exams. A parent commented: "I feel badly let down... now the school is an academy, who is it accountable to?"

Academy plans can be defeated. At St Leonards RC School in Durham staff voted 105 to 15 against academy status and the plan was dropped. Protesting parents stopped an academy project at Varndean School in Brighton. Teachers from Lancashire to Gloucestershire, from Coventry to London, have taken strike action against academy proposals. If the NUT and NASUWT teaching unions mobilise promptly, they can kill the plans before they get underway.

For coordinated strike action across schools threatened with academy status, backed by strong community campaigns
No to academies and free schools. Bring all schools under local authority control
We need high quality local comprehensive schools, under democratic control including students, parents and education workers
Haringey Labour MP David Lammy is opposed to compulsory academies, but not to academies themselves. None of the main parties opposes Academies. Elect trade union and community candidates to the London assembly and in town halls to defend comprehensive education.
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Demonstrate against academies!
Saturday 28 January, 12noon
Assemble at Keston Road N17
(Next to Downhills School)

March to Haringey Civic Centre

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Anti-cuts campaign

Hard Times - but not for the 1