The School Curriculum Ten Years Hence - UCET: Universities ...

The recent Audit Commission paper Missing out notes that every
day:
• around 400,000 pupils are not in school in England and Wales
• at least 40,000 are absent without school permission
• 3000 pupils are on short fixed-term exclusion
• about 6000 have been or are being permanently excluded
Not surprisingly, persistently absent and excluded pupils:
• have low self esteem
• have underdeveloped basic and key skills
• tend to do poorly in examinations
• are less likely to secure a good job
• are more likely to become teenage parents
Wales has the highest level of teenage pregnancy in Western
Europe. Throughout the developed world, teenage pregnancy is
more common amongst young people who have been
disadvantaged in childhood and have poor expectations of education
or the job market. In turn, early parenthood is associated with
poverty, and poor outcomes for the children.
Persistently absent and excluded pupils often become involved in
crime. A study of 100 juveniles aged 15 to 17 who were sent to
custody found that 55% had been permanently excluded from
school and 42% had been regular truants.
Another UK study of 500 offenders aged 17 to 20 found that 21%
could not write their names and address without error, half had
difficulty in telling the time and putting the days of the week in the
right order and less than a third could fill in an application form
satisfactorily.
The lack of basic and key skills has been identified as a key factor in
disaffection. If young people cannot read, they cannot access the
traditional curriculum. They quickly fall behind, frequently give up
trying and are also more likely to become socially disadvantaged.
By the time they reach the age of 16, young people should have
spent at least 11 years in compulsory schooling. There has been
undoubted progress in recent years in schools in Wales. Yet, large
numbers of young people still leave our schools unable to read and
write well, unable to use number confidently and solve problems
effectively. There are still too many who achieve few or no
qualifications and have little idea of what they will do for a living. In
a small minority of our secondary schools, up to a fifth often do not
attend school at all.