DfE announces new GCSE reforms and plans to tackle bad behaviour

The achievement of a level 5 will be considered the new ‘good pass’ instead of a low B or high C under the old grading system.

New techniques will also be introduced to tackle bad behaviour by giving new teachers the training to deal with low-level disruption that stops pupils learning. Tom Bennett, school behaviour expert and Director of researchED, will draw up plans to help teachers deal with low-level disruption in classrooms. He will showcase the work of schools like St Gregory’s Catholic Science College in Harrow where the headteacher visits each class at different times each day so that teachers can highlight good work or bad behaviour.

Tom Bennett said: “Behaviour has been the elephant in the classroom for too long, and the amount of learning time lost because of disruption is a tragedy. At present training teachers to anticipate, deal with and respond to misbehaviour is far too hit and miss- great in some schools and training providers, terrible in others. Parents and children deserve safe, calm learning spaces, and teachers deserve to be equipped with sensible strategies that maximise learning, safety and flourishing. I’m delighted to lead a group which will offer advice on doing just that.”

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “As part of this government’s commitment to social justice we want every single person in the country to have access to the best opportunities Britain has to offer - starting with an excellent education. This means ensuring children study key subjects that provide them with the knowledge they need to reach their potential - while setting a higher bar at GCSE so young people, their parents and teachers can be sure that the grades they achieve will help them get on in life. And it means giving new teachers the training they need to tackle low-level bad behaviour which unfairly disrupts pupils’ learning.”

The new measures will place our education system on a par with the best-performing countries, pushing expectations and aspirations of young people and ensuring they can compete with peers across the globe to secure the government’s vision of full employment. The new 9 to 1 scale makes grading similar to the standard aimed for by pupils in top-performing countries such as Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

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