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Making 90 per cent of students take the EBacc will damage futures

Performance tables Government policy Examinations & Qualifications English Baccalaureate
The government’s ambition to make the vast majority of students take the English Baccalaureate will harm the future prospects of thousands of individuals, says David Harbourne

I wasn’t in favour of the English Baccalaureate when it was launched, but then at least it was optional for students. Now, education ministers have set a target. Their ambition is for 90 per cent of 16-year-olds to take exams in all five pillars of the EBacc: English, maths, science, a foreign language and either history or geography.

This arbitrary target makes no sense either in principle or in practice.

While I accept that young people should have a solid core curriculum up to the age of 16, I have never understood why history and geography are considered to be more important than (say) religious education or why foreign languages are prized above all the arts, creative and technical subjects put together.

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