Exam reforms will cause meltdown in schools, say heads

They forecast impending chaos next year when five flagship initiatives are all being implemented at the same time.

Moves to make A-levels harder, changes to GCSEs, a new range of job-related diplomas, extra tests in basic maths and English and a new secondary curriculum are all due to be introduced in 2008.

Members of the National Association of Head Teachers attacked the "ludicrous speed" at which the reforms were being brought in.

They warned pupils' grades would suffer since staff would be forced away from the classroom to attend meetings and conferences preparing for the changes.

Mike Stewart, head of Westlands School in Torbay, Devon said: "I do think the quality of that lesson is going to be affected significantly."

He warned that results would "go down", adding: "Standards will drop. Headline figures will drop and perceived standards will fall."

Schools would be forced to divert cash to cover teacher absences due to preparation meetings for the reforms as well as stress brought on by the "helter skelter timetable".

"Students will lose out as a result of that," he told the NAHT's annual conference in Bournemouth.

Eric Fisk, chair of the NAHT secondary education committee, said: "It is no exaggeration to say that we are in 'the eye of the storm'

"There is much to be anxious about.

"The situation typifies what has become 'the English way of doing things in education' - rushing at ludicrous speed to implement reforms that have not been adequately piloted, evaluated, resourced and accredited, and within impossible time scales.

"Each reform looked at in isolation may appear managable - it's the cumulative implications of implementing all in 2008 that create the conditions for the 'storm' that could lead to curriculum meltdown in our schools."

The initiatives include the introduction of an A* grade at A-level as well as new syllabuses, tougher questions and an extended project or dissertation. Meanwhile new tests in "functional" English, maths and computing will be introduced to ensure 16-year-olds grasp the basics.

Under changes to GCSEs, pupils will not gain a C in their GCSEs in those subjects unless they pass the functional skills papers.

Meanwhile the first five in a new range of 14 practical diplomas will be introduced in pilot areas.

The qualifications are intended to combine work experience and academic study while also giving teenagers a grounding in the three Rs.

At the same time, schools will have to contend with a new curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds.

Delegates at the conference passed a motion urging a review of the "rushed" timetable.

"Unless the Government takes on board the real concerns of its school leaders across the country, then we will arrive not merely at curriculum overload but at curriculum meltdown where things will just not happen."

Mick Waters, curriculum director for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said: "No-one underestimates the task ahead, but it's reasonable to think it will take shape for the introduction in 2008."

But he added: "Serious consideration is being given to the concerns being expressed."