Director general John Cridland has called on the government to signal the end to GCSE examinations before the next General Election in five years’ time.
Speaking at the Festival of Education, held at Wellington College in Berkshire last week, Mr Cridland also called for young people to be given a “real choice” in their education through the creation of vocational A levels.
He urged the government to start a full review of 14 to 18 education by the end of the summer and warned ministers that they cannot focus “on reform of exams and school structures alone”.
He said: “For too long the education debate has been a battle between two opposing camps. False choices between academic achievement or vocational skill, between the right marks or the right mentality. By 2020, I want a system that doesn’t just work for some young people but all of them.
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