Rishi Sunak proposes the Advanced British Standard

I'm just waiting until one of Sunak's own kids fails GCSE Maths.

I think that whatever Sunak has said, it will not help his intentions succeed. Reforming the education system can be hugely helpful, but this new 'british standard' system is just a way for Sunak to feel he has caught up with the education systems around the world. Forcing people to take english and maths for higher study, whether they like it or not will make students' lives very difficult - especially if they lost their will to do it at gcse.
It also completely takes away the 'choice' students have after gcse to go for either a levels, t levels or apprenticeships to name a few, and merging a levels and t levels will take away what students really want from their education. Some people are more academically inclined and some people prefer practical-based learning.

Secondly, every student has their own will to do what they want to do in life. For some people who want to study at university, having to do english + maths and 3 other subjects can take away from what they want to study in the future. For some people who want to go straight into employment, they will be left with fewer options that gives them that experience that employers are looking for.

Also, rather than trying to muddle up the education system that has already been formed, the government should focus on improving the teachers' workload/salaries, improving quality of lessons for students and helping students with special needs/learning disabilities succeed rather than struggle in their learning.
On top of that, there are a lot of things that need to be done outside of the education system, like manage the economic state of the country and help people who are financially struggling because of it - like the nhs may not have enough resources or staff and similarly there are train strikes and teacher strikes going on too.

If Sunak's attention was focused on what the country really needs to improve, then it would be a lot better situation.

This post was really deep. I think we should wait to see the details before having an existential crisis. Making students study Maths and English for two additional years is not the end of the world. The overreaction that I have seen on TSR and IRL shows some symptoms of a weak generation who must be mollycoddled and wrapped in cotton wool.

If we are so gung-ho about student choice, why don't we scrap the entire system and force some students down the practical vocational route by Year 9. Some teachers and specialists would say that one’s abilities and interests are formed way before they get to Sixth Form. So what’s the point in teaching them past Y7? Once it is clear that schooling is not for them, you send them down the mines or factories and wish them well.

Why do we as a nation love to criticise or talk down almost everything. When it comes to housebuilding, it is NIMBY. When it comes to education, it is “it wont work”. When it comes to returning to national service (1 year programme after school), it triggers alarm bells etc. I read stories of how the proposed HS2 was fought against for years with loads of reasons why it wont work. Now, there are fights why the Government should not scrap a bloated and poorly-managed scheme.

I am not a teacher or an educator but I agree with your excellent points that additional focus should be on the poor state of the current education system e.g. high attrition, poor teacher satisfaction, RAAC-infested classrooms, low investment in education etc.

I think Sunak’s proposals probably come from a good place even though some academics have criticised it. It seeks to level up T-levels as well as to improve the numeracy and english skills of the next generation.

Students, based on my understanding, would still have the choice to pick their subjects in addition to maths and english. We need to pause this aggressive desire to have absolute freedom in everything. I hated Chemistry in school and still completed it to study Engineering. The world did not end then and it wont end now for students studying two years of maths and english.

Sunak, himself, has done things that he was vehemently against. He was allegedly against the furlough scheme as Chancellor because of its inflationary impact. He lost the argument and released about £400B to the nation (though some were stolen in fraud and ‘contracts for mates’). Years later, he is being blamed for not sorting out the economy. How??? Make it make sense.

I think we should give this proposal a try. When Labour comes into office next year, it can be reviewed and improved rather than simply trashed.

I can see your points and they are quite true. There is a limit to how much freedom of choice we can give students, especially as education is hugely important for society to move forward.

However, if maths and english until 18 is proposed then the methods of learning of those two subjects should be improved earlier on so that students will be able to study and engage in the subjects effectively. Like I said earlier, some students with learning difficulties or some students who aren't able to concentrate enough should be given a bit more help - although in order for that to happen, there needs to be a sufficient teaching staff who are getting the right resources to teach and getting a good salary.

I just think that it's slightly far-fetched that instead of sorting out issues in education that are becoming increasingly difficult to manage, he is thinking of changing the a level system and qualifications. Perhaps if gcse students were guided better and had a good foundation in both maths and english (which means being able to achieve higher grades, not just scraping a pass), they'd be able to perform better at a level (if the advanced british system were to go ahead).

I'm just waiting until one of Sunak's own kids fails GCSE Maths.

When it comes to returning to national service (1 year programme after school)

And rightfully so. Whatever the scheme would end up being, it would be forcing a bunch of young people somewhere they don't want to be with probably very little to show for it, which doesn't help anyone.

And rightfully so. Whatever the scheme would end up being, it would be forcing a bunch of young people somewhere they don't want to be with probably very little to show for it, which doesn't help anyone.

It would help young people. I think national service would create structure and discipline that are needed in many young people’s lives. Countries like Israel and Korea have national service and it is working fine imho.

They can get structure and discipline without national service.

What would your version of national service include?

From where? Are you seeing what is happening to young people? Youth violence, mental health struggles, poor educational outcomes, sexual violence etc.

My version of national service is two part, which would be done before students go to uni or after they complete uni. Minimum age of 18.

Part 1 - Combined Development training: All participants must complete military training that could involve basic combat and self-defence, military principles, warfare and weapon handling, counter-terrorism training etc.

Those who are physically unable to participate in certain activities would receive waivers and those activities replaced by other activities. For example the combat training could be replaced by medical training on how to treat the wounded.

Part 2: Community Service. This would be for 6 months where participants would go out into their communities to support in whichever way they can from volunteering to paid employment e.g. teaching, working in care homes, charity shops, cleaning the streets, working for the NHS, working in the police etc.

Those who don't complete their national service would have no recourse to public funds i.e. no benefits, no free anything and basically be cut off by the state. If they are in trouble overseas, they would be on their own. They let down their country and the country would let them down at their point of need.

Obviously the final plan would require consultation from military and civilian leaders as well as community support.

So the military has to train a bunch of teenagers random military skills that they don't need and don't want. Can't see that being a massive waste of everyone's time.

And we all know the community service would end up just exploiting teenagers for free to cover jobs the government can't be bothered to fund anymore.

If they didn't want to do this, then no, they wouldn't have let down their country. They would have instead seen through an exploitative programme with very few benefits for anyone apart from the government who get a free workforce for 6 months.

Absolutely terrible idea. Much worse than Rishi's Advanced British Standard.

I disagree. National Service is successful in some countries and we need to bring it to the UK.

Military skills are not random and are needed for self-defence and physical training.

Community service is needed and people would understand the value of giving back to their communities.

I'm just waiting until one of Sunak's own kids fails GCSE Maths.

Self-defense can be taught in schools. I was taught it in 6th form.

Community service would not do that. It would create resentment and cause issues with the workforce, with people having to come out of their normal jobs to train a bunch of people who don't want to be there for 6 months, plus those undertaking the community service wouldn't be able to join the workforce for 6 months, creating issues with the economy.

Look up why it was stopped in the first place and you'll see why it just wouldn't work.

This is welcomed. T-levels and A-levels can be aligned. There are some students studying 4 subjects already. 5 should not be that deep.

In an ever-changing world, i have been of the opinion that forcing students to make life choices at 16 or 17 was wrong. There are many students who limited their chances by being too focused at A levels and University only to end up without jobs, then blamed the Government for not providing the jobs.

I admit that i am not an educator to understand the intricacies of different qualifications. However, i think a more diverse set of subjects should be the aim.

Brutal. I doubt that this’ll happen but still.