Does Britain’s education system need to move into a new gear?
Professor Michael Young Institute of Education, University of London 24 February 2003 When I thought about how one might answer the question Lord Moser chose for his lecture, I realised that the answer depended very much where one was coming from. Lets start with a few indicators that relate to what happens to 16-19 year olds in this country: • the proportion obtaining 2 or more A levels • the proportion entering higher education and at 16: • the proportion gaining 5 GCSEs at grades A-C • the proportion staying on in full time study If we step back two decades, on each of these indicators the proportions have more than doubled. More and more young people are being educated for longer to higher levels. However, let us express the current situation slightly differently: • 1 in 3 achieve 2 or more A levels • 2 in 5 enter higher education • half gain 5 or more GCSEs at grades A-C • 70% stay on in full time study after 16; this percentage that falls to little over 5% at 17 These are proport
