Responding to a new report by exam board OCR, chaired by former education secretary Charles Clarke, which warns that the current volume and intensity of GCSE exams is too high, Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Previous reforms to GCSEs have led to a qualification system which emphasises short-term knowledge retention and high-stakes final exams, and which does not meet the needs of all students or all subjects.

“The potentially harmful impact on student wellbeing of this approach must also be addressed. The number of exams students face in Year 11 must be reduced and a more balanced and varied approach to assessment developed, with more opportunities for non-exam assessment and modular exams so that every student has the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in order to achieve their qualifications.

“NAHT has been clear that the curriculum and qualification specifications contain too much content and this must also be reduced.  We hope the government’s curriculum and assessment review will recommend ways to do this, taking a coherent and collective view of the whole curriculum, and creating the space and time needed for schools to make content relevant to their students, improving engagement and fostering a real love of learning.”