As compulsory GCSE resits for English and maths become more common, colleges in England are struggling to cope. With an additional 60,000 students expected to resit in the near future, many facilities must hire exam halls and increase class sizes. The Association of Colleges (AoC) has reported that some colleges are rehiring former teachers in response to the increasing demand. Many students have only a couple of weeks to prepare for resits, and may need additional help to achieve a pass grade.
Government changes to grading led to a higher percentage of students failing this year. Students in England who do not earn at least a grade 4 must retake GCSE English and maths as under-18s. Around a third of the resit students at Leeds City College have additional needs, which may mean they must take exams in smaller rooms or require extra time. As a result, some colleges must use staff rooms as makeshift exam halls.
According to the AoC, 88 out of 98 colleges that responded to a survey had seen an increase in resit numbers over the past year. The membership body has warned that a lack of specialist English and maths teachers means the compulsory resit policy is unsustainable. Despite government funding boosts, many colleges lack the funding or staffing levels necessary to cope. Catherine Sezen, director of education policy at the AoC, remarked that some colleges were hiring retired teachers or relying on non-specialist staff to cope.
Resit pass rates are low, with pass rates of 16.4% for people aged 17 and over taking maths GCSE resits, compared to 25.9% of those taking English. This policy was introduced in 2014, and most resit students enrol on courses at further education colleges. Disadvantaged students are more likely to need to resit. The Department for Education has invested more funds in colleges as a response, although critics claim this is insufficient
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More