Plan to add speaking skills to GCSEs ‘risks grade inflation’

Lucy Powell’s plan to add speaking skills to the curriculum could lead to grade inflation, the former head of Ofsted has warned. The education secretary set out her ambition to give “oracy” equal weight to reading and writing in the national curriculum in a speech to academy heads on Thursday. Most commented 1 British-made drone boats used in attack on Russian port of Sochi Defence 163 comments 2 Ukraine ‘has run out of Patriot interceptor missiles’ Russia-Ukraine war 256 comments 3 Severe drought declared in England for first time Environment 99 comments 4 Lisa Nandy ‘minded to intervene’ in Sky’s £1.6bn deal for ITV Companies & Markets 66 comments 5 Sonay Kartal trounces Jasmine Paolini to reach Wuhan Open quarter-finals Tennis 4 comments However, Baroness Spielman, the previous head of the schools regulator, Ofsted, said that speaking and listening exams were abandoned more than a decade ago after concerns that grades given by teachers were too high. Top stories 1 US inflation hotter than expected as Iran war stokes fuel costs Economics Spielman, now the shadow minister for work and pensions, said: “Lucy Powell is offering the worst of all worlds: on the one hand empty rhetoric to please her audience, as spoken language is already a strand right through the curriculum, and on the other hand a signal that she will reopen the routes by which schools used to push up pupil grades in GCSEs to make it look as though they were doing better than they really were. It is children who will be the losers.” Baroness Spielman Times Photographer Richard Pohle Powell told the annual conference of the Confederation of School Trusts in Birmingham that the ability to speak fluently and clearly would be “hardwired” into a revised national curriculum and assessed as part of GCSE exams. Advertisement She also wants to reduce the amount of academic work and assessment for pupils taking GCSE subjects such as drama, PE and music. Instead she wants to move to a greater balance of more “practical” assessments, arguing that these are more relevant to the modern world and to those subjects. The three subjects already contain some non-exam assessment. Top stories 1 Should you buy shares in Vanguard LifeStrategy? Companies & Markets Teenagers currently have to complete a spoken language assessment as part of GCSE English. It is graded pass, merit or distinction by the teacher but does not contribute to the final GCSE grade. The performance is recorded so it can be moderated if necessary. Sources close to Powell suggested that critics were applying double standards and confirmed that Ofqual, the exams regulator, would be asked to look at how oracy could be assessed robustly and fairly. A source said: “Nobody suggests debating, public speaking and presenting are soft options when they’re taught by Britain’s most successful fee-charging schools. The real question is why some people think these opportunities should remain the preserve of the privileged.” The source said that, when Lord Gove was education secretary, speaking and listening were removed from the GCSE grade because of concerns about assessment reliability, not because the skills lacked value. Advertisement The Times View: Lucy Powell must keep her focus on academic excellence Powell said: “The only thing being dumbed down here is the expectation that children from ordinary backgrounds should settle for less. “For years many of the country’s most privileged pupils have benefited from debating, public speaking and presentation skills because everyone recognises these open doors in later life. Every child deserves those opportunities [so they can] make their case and succeed in work and life.” Lucy Powell arrives for the Labour Party conference in Liverpool last month Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Head teachers said the government must cut the curriculum if it wanted to focus on speaking skills. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “Speaking and listening are important skills which are crucial in helping young people to thrive as they move through their education and into adulthood and the world of work. “We welcome the education secretary’s assurance that the new English curriculum will include a greater emphasis on integrating oracy and we are pleased she recognises the value of practical and vocational skills, as well as music, the arts and sports. Advertisement “It is crucial that the ongoing review of the curriculum reduces other content in order to genuinely create the space to embed these skills; however, teachers are already unable to cover the current curriculum in the time available.” Daily Briefing newsletter Get our top stories and exclusive analysis sent straight to your inbox every morning. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Daily Briefing newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Daily Briefing newsletter Explore our newsletters Professor Lee Elliot Major, a leading expert on social mobility, warned that oracy could become another test of social advantage . He said: “Stark attainment gaps remain a scar on our education system. We cannot claim success while so many young people are still being left behind. “In an age of artificial intelligence, the ability to communicate, collaborate and advocate for yourself will become increasingly important. We must be careful not to turn oracy into another test of social advantage.”