Yorkshire Principal calls for curriculum shake-up to bridge critical skills gaps

The Principal of an employer-led school in Yorkshire has called for changes to the curriculum so all schools can offer subjects that help bridge skills gaps to benefit the economy and the drive to net zero.

Sarah Pashley, Principal of Ron Dearing University Technical College in Hull, says the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which includes GCSEs in English Language and Literature, Maths, Science, a language and Geography or History, should be scrapped to give schools across the country the freedom to put technology and creativity at the heart of learning, alongside more traditional academic subjects.

UTCs are exempt from the EBacc and can offer their own curriculum, which, at Ron Dearing UTC, includes technical and creative qualifications. Sarah Pashley was speaking following a visit to the school by Shadow Schools Minister Catherine McKinnell.

Sarah Pashley said: “The EBacc also doesn’t include any technical or digital qualifications, which makes no sense. The Government has recognised there’s a big skills gap in STEM and they’ve tried to address this with their White Paper, which introduces more tech qualifications for 16 to 18-year-olds.

“However, their aspiration that 90 per cent of Key Stage 4 students study the EBacc is killing the technical curriculum in Years 10 and 11. The great thing about being a UTC is we’re exempt from the EBacc curriculum and we’re free to choose qualifications that industry needs and which best meet the needs of our students.

“It’s becoming increasingly urgent that more students study technical and digital qualifications as we strive to achieve net zero targets and renewable industries desperately need people with skills to develop and install technology. At Ron Dearing UTC, we’re able to put sustainability, creativity, engineering and sciences at the heart of our curriculum and focus on teaching our students industry-critical skills.”

Catherine McKinnell visited Ron Dearing UTC with Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy Emma Hardy to meet students involved in the school’s Eco Club, which is part of an extensive enrichment programme to broaden students’ horizons outside the classroom.

The students are working with Hull City Council to plant an area of Kingston Square, opposite the UTC in the city centre, with butterfly, bee and bat-friendly plants to increase biodiversity and pollination, drawing on their creative and scientific knowledge.

The shadow minister also met students involved in the F1 in Schools Challenge, the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition, which inspires engineers of the future.

Sarah Pashley said the school’s outstanding exam results, very high attendance and the exciting university courses and apprenticeships that students have gone onto after leaving the UTC all show that a non-EBacc curriculum works for young people, universities and employers. She said it raises standards of attainment and attendance – a major problem nationally since the Covid-19 pandemic.

She added: “A lot of young people become disengaged in their GCSE years because schools are being forced to drive significant numbers of pupils down the EBacc route. Many young people want to study humanities and languages in Key Stage 4 and should be able to do so. However, many others do not.”

Catherine McKinnell said: “Labour’s Curriculum and Assessment Review will focus on delivering high and rising standards in the basics of reading, writing and Maths, alongside enriching subjects like Art, Music, Sport and Drama. We need to ensure young people leave school with both knowledge and confidence with skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork to set them up to succeed.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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