Minister David Laws announces new GCSE ‘best 8’ performance measure which includes GCSE Citizenship Studies
In a statement in Parliament yesterday, the Minster of State for Schools, David Laws MP launched a new measure of attainment by which school performance will be judged. The new ‘Best 8’ measure of pupil performance at GCSE contains a wider range of subjects covering Citizenship Studies alongside art, music, drama and engineering.
The Minister confirmed,
“From now on, there will be 4 key measures which must be published:
- learners’ progress across 8 subjects. So, a parent will see whether pupils at a school typically achieve 1 grade more than expected, or 1 grade less
- the average grade a pupil achieves in these same ‘best 8’ subjects. This will demonstrate, for instance, that learners in a specific school average a high B grade or a low D grade in their GCSEs
- the percentage of learners achieving a C grade in English and maths
- the proportion of learners gaining the EBacc, which will continue in its current form.”
The purpose of the new ‘Best 8’ measure is to remove the “perverse incentives for schools to act in a approach which is not in the best interests of learners”. The Minister hopes more pupils will get the teaching they require and will obtain the valuable qualifications they need and that this will have a positive effect on the education system.
Read the full Government response to the consultation on school accountability here.
The GCSE in Citizenship Studies was initial developed in 2001 following the introduction of the area of study as a National Curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4. Since then more than half a million learners have gained the qualification.
For more details about the full course GCSE specifications on offer visit the awarding body websites: For further guidance, see the relevant UK information.
www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/citizenship
www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/citizenship-studies
www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-citizenship-studies
