Stop focusing on exam results, Education Secretary tells schools

Bridget Phillipson says we're 'doomed to fail' if schools focus on 'A*s alone'
Bridget Phillipson says we’re ‘doomed to fail’ if schools focus on ‘A*s alone’ - BENJAMIN CREMEL/AP

Schools must stop focusing solely on exam results and spend more time making pupils feel like they “belong”, Bridget Phillipson has said.

In her first major speech outlining her vision for schools since becoming Education Secretary, Ms Phillipson warned that schools were “doomed to fail” if they concentrated on “A*s alone”.

She accused previous governments of having “tunnel vision” around exam results and said Labour would widen its focus to include pupil wellbeing.

It comes after years of previous Conservative ministers touting improving education standards as one of the key successes of the previous government.

Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts’ annual conference in Birmingham, Ms Phillipson said: “Exam results open important doors to opportunity for young people. They show what pupils know and can do. They are and will continue to be the anchor of our education system.

“But A*s alone do not set young people up for a happy and healthy life… a sole focus on achievement is doomed to fail.”

Ms Phillipson accused previous governments of having "tunnel vision" around exam results
Ms Phillipson accused previous governments of having ‘tunnel vision’ around exam results - REUTERS

She insisted that her new approach would help tackle the absence crisis and improve life chances for children with special education needs (Send.

“If we want our young people to leave our school system, not just with A*s in their pocket, but with a sense of power and purpose, children need to feel like they belong,” she said.

“This Government will always be strong on standards, but those standards will forever be in the pursuit of what’s best for our children. Because if we fall into that trap of chasing a narrow shade of standards – structures-driven rather than child-focused – then children with Send get swept to the side and attendance crashes.”

It will be seen as a snub to former Conservative ministers, who have touted a major improvement in education standards over the past few years as one of the key successes of the previous government.

The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results showed reading and maths skills among 15-year-olds in England have increased dramatically in recent years. Pupils in England now rank 11th in the world at maths – up from 27th in 2009 – and 13th in reading – up from 25th in 2009.

But the new Government is understood to be concerned that the attainment gap has widened amid soaring pupil absence levels. One in five children are now classed as “persistently absent”, meaning they miss at least one day of school each fortnight.

Ms Phillipson reiterated her concerns on Thursday, saying the figures “should shock us all: a failure of society and state” as she warned it was quickly becoming an “absence epidemic”.

Labour is yet to spell out its plans for tackling dwindling pupil attendance levels, but insists wider pledges including free breakfast clubs for primary schools will help encourage children back to school.

The party’s manifesto committed to spending £315 million on breakfast clubs by 2028/29, using some of the money raised through its VAT raid on private schools.

Modernising the curriculum

The Government has also launched a review of the national curriculum in a bid to modernise what children are taught. The study, which will report its interim findings in “early 2025”, is intended to usher in a broader curriculum focused on music, art, sport and drama alongside academic subjects.

Addressing 1,500 trust leaders on Thursday, Ms Phillipson said schools should also roll out “inclusive spaces” to attract pupils back to the classroom.

“The absence epidemic is the canary in the coal mine for belonging in our country and the way we tackle this, the way we rip out the roots of this generational challenge, is to rebuild belonging through partnership and responsibility,” she said.

“Parents have a responsibility to send their children to school, but schools and trusts must create welcoming, engaging and inclusive spaces for pupils … If we want to tackle the epidemic of school absence, children need to feel that they belong in school.”

One in 3 pupils gets extra time in exams

It came as official figures published on Thursday showed that almost one in three pupils is now given extra time in their exams.

Children must prove they have a disability or special need to receive the bonus, but a sharp increase has sparked concerns parents are gaming the system to get top grades.

Around 420,000 children in England received 25 per cent extra time in their GCSEs and A-levels this summer – or 30 per cent of all pupils who took their exams.

It marks an increase from 370,000 last year and is nearly double the number of pupils receiving extra time in 2016.

In total, almost 625,000 special “access arrangements” were granted for this summer’s formal exams – a 12 per cent rise compared to 2023.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said it was likely due to “increasing anxiety and mental health issues… exacerbated by the number of high stakes final exams students face”.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “We are committed to high and rising standards and it’s crucial that students with disabilities, learning difficulties or temporary illness be provided with access arrangements.

“This ensures they are not unfairly disadvantaged when taking their exams compared to their peers and that all pupils get the best life chances.

“All schools, including independent schools, are required to apply for access arrangements on behalf of their students and provide evidence to awarding organisations to support their application.

“We are committed to identifying what is driving this gap and whether there are systemic barriers in place preventing state schools from accessing these arrangements, as part of wider work on Send identification in schools.”