The Skills Commission is asking the Government to consider whether a post-16 modular GCSE should be introduced for learners retaking English and maths GCSEs.

In its report, A spotlight on... young people with below average academic attainment and the skills sector, the Commission highlights the pathways that young people take through GCSEs, the skills and further education system.  

It focuses on ways to support these young people, particularly in the light of large numbers of young people failing to achieve benchmark English and maths GCSE grades.  In summer 2016, 26.9% of learners aged 17+ re-taking GCSE English achieved at least a C grade compared with 29.5% achieving GCSE maths.

In addition to a post-16 modular GCSE, the Commission makes a number of recommendations including:

• Government and providers should make a concerted effort to boost the recognition, reputation and esteem of Functional Skills qualifications.
• To help promote a diverse curriculum, the DfE should monitor the uptake of Technical Awards and ensure they are properly signposted to learners, parents, employers and education and training providers.
• Additional support needs to be made available to FE providers to fully meet the needs of 16-18 learners. In particular, additional financial and teaching support should be allocated to institutions working with the large numbers of young people re-taking English and maths GCSEs.  According to the Association of Colleges, 73 colleges had 1,000 or more students sitting GCSE English or maths this year.
• The DfE should consider broader performance measures for schools or include an art or tech based subject in the EBacc to ensure breadth in the curriculum and give young people opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities.