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23 January 2013
The NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, has today published the results of an online survey of over 2,500 teachers on the impact of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) on educational provision.
The results of the survey, together with the findings of a recent NASUWT survey of 2,500 parents on the cost of education, is further damning evidence that the educational entitlement of children and young people is being stripped away by the Coalition Government's education policies.
The EBacc survey shows that subject choices for young people are being restricted as timetabled time for non-EBacc subjects such as art, music, RE, PE, design and technology and ICT is reduced and specialist teachers are leaving and not being replaced, being made redundant or having their hours cut.
The survey found:
- a reduction in the level of provision in non-EBacc areas. The key subject areas to see declines were: art (16%), design and technology (16%), ICT (15%), PSHE (14%), citizenship (14%), music (14%) and religious education (13%);
- four out of ten teachers (42%) said the introduction of the EBacc has had a negative impact on perceptions of their school's effectiveness among parents, pupils and the community;
- almost one in ten respondents confirmed that teaching posts in non-EBacc subject areas had been removed from their staffing structure;
- 15% reported that vacant posts in non-EBacc subject areas had been left unfilled;
- a further 15% reported that teachers of non-EBacc subjects have had their teaching hours cut;
- around 7% stated that staff in their schools had been made redundant as a result of the introduction of the EBacc. Where redundancies were made, almost half of instances involved two or three teachers. In a few schools more than ten teachers were made redundant.
A recent NASUWT survey of 2,500 parents revealed even more restrictions on pupils' access to educational provision.
As a result of the Coalition Government allowing schools to charge for so called 'optional extras' more than one in ten parents can no longer afford to allow their children to participate in educational visits.
Parents also reported having to pay for educational field trips that are compulsory elements of a course and which should therefore be free of charge. Add to this charges for expensive uniform, books and equipment, specialist clothing for certain subjects and for after-school lessons and clubs, and it is clear that access to education is now being governed by parents' ability to pay.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“This survey is further damning evidence that educational entitlements for our children and young people are being stripped away.
“The Secretary of State is ploughing on regardless with his ideological agenda, despite the fact that young people are being denied access to important subjects and their learning opportunities are being restricted by this and their parents' ability to pay.
“Add to this that children are no longer entitled to be taught by a qualified teacher, cannot access funding to support their participation in further education, and with vocational subjects downgraded, it is clear that children from ordinary families are being denied access to a broad and balanced education to which they were entitled before the Coalition Government came into office.”