Oral Answers to Questions

Karl Turner Excerpts

Monday 21st January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Toby Perkins (Chesterfield) (Lab)]

6. What recent representations he has received on his proposed changes to GCSEs; and if he will make a statement.

[Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)]

12. What recent representations he has received on his proposed changes to GCSEs; and if he will make a statement.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove)]

We have received almost 5,500 written responses to our consultation, and we are currently reviewing them, along with all the views that we have heard in meetings with interested organisations. We will report on the findings from the consultation once we have had a chance to consider them in full.

[Michael Gove]

I am always grateful for the thought that the hon. Gentleman is toying with the question of whether to call me a genius or a saint. I shall merely say that what we have managed to do so far is put the case for reform after the years when, sadly, the Labour party was in power, and confidence in our examination system received a shock from which the coalition Government are at last rescuing it.

[Karl Turner]

The Secretary of State may not see anything wrong with a 19th-century education system that places no value on practical, vocational or creative training, but employers are very concerned, and so is the CBI. Why is the Secretary of State not as worried as they are?

[Michael Gove]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question, because it gives me another opportunity to remind the House of the changes that we have made to, for example, the teaching of computer science. We replaced an out-of-date information and communications technology curriculum, which had not changed under the last Government, with a fit-for-purpose computer science curriculum that was endorsed by the industry. The hon. Gentleman’s question also gives me an opportunity to point out that, through both the Wolf review of vocational qualifications and the Richard review of apprenticeships, we have managed to unite all those who take vocational education seriously in acclaiming the reforming steps that we have taken.