Independent Schools

Pearson UK president Rod Bristow had this to say about the government proposals to reform vocational qualifications for 16-19 year olds in England.

Rod said:

“At a time when the demands of higher education and the needs of employers are changing rapidly, it is right that we should be reviewing vocational qualifications, just as we are academic qualifications. Young people deserve assurance that the qualifications they take in school or at college will give them the knowledge and skills they need to go on and meet their ambitions, and will not close off opportunities.

“There is clear evidence that those who achieve high-quality vocational qualifications go on to excel in higher education as well as in work. We should be aiming to build on that success.

Nearly one hundred thousand young people progress to university study with a BTEC every year, and the data demonstrates that vocational qualifications lead to educational progress, greater employability and higher earnings.”
“Our goal is to create world class vocational qualifications which empower young people to progress and to compete with their peers globally, in higher education and in work.”

Pearson UK president Rod Bristow has commented on the judgment from the High Court in relation to the 2012 GCSE English results.

He said:

“We understand this has been a time of uncertainty for students, teachers and parents. We are pleased that the courts have investigated the evidence thoroughly and found that our awarding processes were rigorous and fair.

“Yet there is much to be learned from the events of this summer. We will now focus on working even more closely with the regulator, government, higher education and employers to secure the confidence of students, parents and teachers in the values and standards of our exam system.”

Following Michael Gove’s speech on curriculum, exam and accountability reform for GCSEs, Pearson UK president Rod Bristow added to the debate.

Rod said:

"We must encourage all young people to have high educational aspirations, and raise the standards bar to match and exceed the best in the world. At Pearson we have been working hard on developing new World Class Qualifications which deliver these standards and we will press on with this work in order to make a contribution to the new GCSEs outlined by Michael Gove today.

"We also look forward to contributing to the debate on future accountability measures. For too long, accountability measures have risked capping our young people's aspirations and we look forward to the opportunity to help shape a better system."