Curriculum and Assessment Review

Baroness Garden of Frognal Excerpts

Thursday 26th March 2026 Grand Committee

[Baroness Garden of Frognal (LD)]

My Lords, we broadly welcome this report as it shows more commitment to the arts and creative subjects, and sees the end of the EBacc, which focused so heavily on academic learning. As the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, said, it has been sad indeed to see music disappear from many schools, along with drama, dance and art, particularly as the creative industries are sources of pride and economic well-being in the country.

Students will welcome the greater choice offered. There will be challenges in ensuring that the depleted teaching workforce for these subjects is re-energised, with more teachers being recruited. Can the Minister say how teacher recruitment is going for the creative sector? We also need reform of GCSE English and maths—neither currently encourages young people to pursue these subjects—and we continue to face an acute shortage of science teachers, particularly physics teachers. Do the Government have a plan to remedy that?

We are concerned by the new V-level proposals. T-levels have not caught on as the previous Government hoped. BTECs are understood and accepted by employers, colleges and universities. It takes a while for a new qualification, particularly a vocational one, to become known and accepted. I was working for City & Guilds when NVQs, or national vocational qualifications, were introduced—remember them? It was said that they would simplify the vocational offerings and be the lasting solution to the academic/vocational divide, but where are they now?

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill) (Lab)]

My Lords, there is a Division in the House. The Committee will adjourn for 10 minutes, but these votes may be back to back, so we may adjourn for 30 minutes; we will have to see what happens with the voting.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Garden of Frognal (LD)]

My Lords, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by the votes, national qualifications were supposed to be the lasting solution—and where are they now? I remember the concerns people had that the qualifications which had shaped so many careers were to disappear. We tried to reassure them that they would be City & Guilds NVQs, which calmed some of the storms, but with City & Guilds currently in the doldrums that will not be so easy this time round.

The current creative qualifications are broadly understood and respected. Why create something new, rather than refurbish the existing? We also note that overly prescribed content will not support those SEND learners who currently thrive under a flexible, adaptable and practical-based curriculum. Will the Minister slow down the pace of reforms and retain funding for the successful creative qualifications, at least until T-levels or V-levels have proved their worth, because they certainly have not yet? It is vital to consult further education colleges and tutors, universities, schools and awarding bodies which know at first hand the value of the qualifications they deliver. The awarding bodies were not fully consulted in the development of T-levels, which meant that mistakes were made.

I associate myself most warmly with the very real concerns about modern languages. If I had more time, I would develop my arguments on those, but I must stick to the time here: just rest assured that modern languages are pretty essential to our future, too.

The futures of our young people—the future creative professionals and international ambassadors who could contribute much to the quality of our lives and to the economy—are at stake. However, I congratulate the Government on rowing back from the exclusively academic programmes of their predecessors.