BY JACK WELCH

RESEARCH undertaken by Cambridge University in 2008 revealed that England had the highest proportion of pupils in primary schools who were regularly tested, compared to other countries across Europe.

Skipping ahead almost eight years, the debate on methods of assessing pupil performance continues to rage and measures announced by the Department of Education are set to heighten pressure on schools.

There are demands that 90 percent of GCSE students will now have to adopt core academic subjects, including English, maths and double science, up from the current rate of 39 percent.

Within Dorset, quality of education is very impressive, as the results of Thomas Hardye School and Budmouth College illustrate.

However, as Ofsted head Sir Michael Wilshaw, commented this week, a ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work.

A balance between academic and vocational needs to be struck.

Building essential life skills is one factor and options around apprenticeships and work entry schemes need equal, if not more priority, than driving expectations of university study.

While I may have taken an academic route, the benefit of having coursework as a way of assessment took out the extreme pressure of exams.

These days, falling back on coursework is not available in many subjects In most studies and reports produced, those pupils with only GCSEs or poor qualifications were more likely to be unemployed.

Core qualifications in English and maths are vital, but ignoring different skills beyond academic qualities, when exams fail for some, may be a serious misjudgement.