Michael Gove: Why the sums don't add up when it comes to raising school standards

3 June 2008

Yorkshire Post, Michael Gove MP, 3 June 2008

OUR living standards and quality of life are going to be profoundly affected over the next decade by three forces – first, the rise of Asia; second, the increasing importance of high technology and, third, the growing gap in education standards between the richest and poorest in our society.

While Europe has spent the last 15 years passing damaging regulations, raising taxes, and debating its internal bureaucracy, more than two billion people in Asia have become integrated into the global economy.

Many have assumed that competition from Asia threatens only relatively unskilled jobs. But in India and China they are investing vast amounts of money in educating millions in maths, science, and engineering.

China is investing in the most cutting-edge areas, including nano-technology, genetic engineering, and the next generation of computers.

Information technology is invading every sphere of human activity. Building cars is no longer a matter of old-fashioned metal-bashing. Every car has sophisticated IT embedded in its operating systems. Medicine is being transformed by IT. The resolution of medical scanners is doubling every year or so; our ability to sequence genomes is advancing exponentially, promising a revolution in personalised medicine.

However, as maths and science become more important to industry and we face greater international competition, Britain is falling behind

other countries.

Recent studies have shown Britain falling rapidly in international league tables. We have dropped from fourth to 14th among developed countries when it comes to the performance of teenagers at science. And when it comes to maths, the drop is even more profound – from eight to 24th. China is now outperforming the UK in both science and maths.

The think tank, Reform, has published a study of maths exams which shows that the syllabus for GCSE maths has become easier over the last two decades.

The number of children doing maths A-level has dropped from 85,000 in 1989, to 60,000 in 2007. The number doing A-level physics has more than halved since 1984.

Universities say that A-levels are no longer preparing children properly for university degrees in maths and science. Physics departments and chemistry labs are closing.

Employers say that our education system is not delivering the skills we need.

What makes it worse is that there is a growing gap between standards for richer families and the rest.

Just six per cent of pupils in state schools took a combination of biology, chemistry and physics GCSE, compared with 26 per cent of pupils in independent schools. In some parts of Britain, not a single state school pupil sat biology, chemistry or physics GCSE in 2005-6.

There are whole boroughs where no state school children can get the qualifications which will enable them to compete properly for jobs in medicine, science or technology.

And the divide between the richest and the rest is set to become deeper. Independent schools, worried that the current GCSE isn't rigorous enough, are moving to a different exam, the international GCSE, which is tougher and a better preparation for further study.

For the same reason, many independent schools are also moving away from the A-level to a new exam called the pre-U. The Government does not let state schools count results on these exams in league tables, so state schools, worried about their league table status, do not offer these rigorous qualifications.

There is a real danger now that our society will become less equal and less open to talent as privileged children in private schools sit the rigorous exams which universities and employers really value, while the majority of our children sit exams that don't command the confidence they should.

Unless we act quickly, we'll condemn Britain to more years of educational under-performance with jobs moving abroad and the gap between rich and poor growing deeper. That's why David Cameron has made reforming education a priority for the next Conservative Government.

Firstly, we would ensure that schools are attractive places for top professionals. So we would give teachers the tools to improve discipline and keep order, with new powers to expel the disruptive thugs that make it impossible to teach. A calm and orderly environment is the foundation for learning.

We will also give headteachers the power to pay good teachers more so they can pay bonuses to the highly qualified maths and science teachers we need.

Secondly, we would give every parent the power which currently only the rich have – the freedom to choose a school which offers rigorous qualifications and a strong curriculum instead of just having to put up with a failing local school.

We will do what they've done in Sweden and create many more new schools, run along the lines of the best independent schools. They will operate within the state sector and any parent can apply to send their children to these schools.

Thirdly, we will reform the curriculum for GCSE and A-level maths and sciences so that our children are studying courses as advanced as those in other leading countries.

And we will change the system so that all state schools can use the top exams which prepare children for the best jobs.

Michael Gove MP is the Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. Yesterday, he addressed a seminar organised by the independent political think-tank, Reform, which has published a report entitled The Value of Mathematics.