Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ending the national curriculum at the age of 14.

Nick Gibb

The Government believes that the majority of pupils should study a core academic curriculum up to the age of 16. The core academic curriculum refers to the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The Government’s ambition is for 90% of pupils to enter the EBacc subjects at GCSE. The national curriculum serves an important role in setting out the sort of knowledge-based, ambitious, academically rigorous education which every child should experience. It enables pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for their self-fulfilment and development as active and responsible citizens.