John Leech
Main Page: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)Department Debates - View all John Leech's debates with the Department for Education
(12 years, 4 months ago)
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Mr John Leech (Manchester, Withington) (LD)
I welcome any changes to qualifications that will better prepare young people for the transition to A-levels, because the gulf between GCSEs and O-levels is too great. However, may I caution the Secretary of State to bear in mind that there is also a huge gulf between O-levels and A-levels, so any changes must take us forward and better prepare us for transition rather than just be a return to the past?
Michael Gove
The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. Exactly as he points out, one of the real problems with the GCSE course is that teachers say that it is poor preparation for A-levels. In some cases, GCSE English and maths is poor preparation for the workplace as well. I entirely agree with him, and I hope that over the course of the next few months we can work to ensure that that chasm is closed.