The Resit Rethink: October update
Following the release of the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which acknowledges the urgent need to rethink how GCSE resits can better support students, we're reflecting on the insights gathered through our Resit Rethink campaign to date.
Earlier this year, we spoke with 1000 college students and 1000 college tutors to understand what’s working - and what isn’t - in GCSE English and maths resits.
The findings are clear: resits have the potential to support progress but the current model doesn’t always students up to succeed.
What do students and tutors say?
Among college students who will take a resit, or have done already:
- One in six (14%) say they feel/felt unmotivated to resit their exam(s).
- 10% say they feel/felt unconfident about passing their resit(s).
From college tutors:
- More than 1 in 10 feel that GCSE English and maths do not meet the needs of post-16 students.
- 60% believe the current pressure to pass resits in these subjects affects students’ confidence and motivation.
Building on these insights, in July, we brought together students, tutors and leaders from across the post-16 sector to ask a simple but urgent question:
What needs to change to make English and maths resits work better for every student?
We wanted to hear about what’s working, where there’s consensus and how we can start making improvements now - rather than waiting years for reform.
Together, we tackled big questions like:
- How do we break the cycle of repeated resits and support students to keep moving forwards?
- What does a fairer and more motivating definition of ‘success’ look like?
- How can we make English and maths more relevant to students' lives and futures?
- What would more inclusive assessment and teaching look like - especially for SEND students?
- How can we build on the progress and good practice already happening in post-16 settings?
What we're hearing so far...
“The longer we wait, the more learners who are disadvantaged at post-16.”
— Jonny Diamond, Luminary Education Group
The urgency of this issue has been echoed not just in our forums but across the sector, most notably in the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
Our Managing Director, Freya Thomas Monk, recently joined the team at Radio 5 Live for the ‘In My Opinion’ segment to discuss the impact of the post-16 resit cycle - how it affects students on an individual level and suggestions on what change could help to improve the system. You can listen here (1:55:53).
“The logic is there in terms of making sure young people have the skills and experience they need in English and maths and to move forward in their lives but what we find is that young people become caught up in a cycle of resits and exam fatigue, We think the system needs to change.”
— Freya Monk Thomas, Pearson
We explored the issue further in FE Week when the English and Maths teams explored why The challenge for resits runs deeper than exam volume, Our data shows that 62% of college students believe that resitting the same content makes students feel they’re going backwards, not forwards and that 65% of students have missed maths or English lessons and/or exams due to anxiety or confidence issues. Over half think the pressure to achieve a grade 4 in GCSE English or maths is too high.
“I cannot stress enough to you - I was so, so stressed about not passing my English and maths.”
— Katie, College resit student
“At the moment there’s a lot of pressure on that one exam day… if students don’t pass in November, confidence can drop sharply.”
— Caroline Hamilton, Rethink Maths
Yet despite the challenges, there was still a sense of hope and determination.
We’re hearing that progress is already being made in many colleges - through more inclusive approaches that recognise students’ strength and help them build confidence. There’s also a growing appetite for practical improvements that can be tested, tried and implemented now rather than waiting for long-term reform.
“We need to recognise the progress that’s been made over the last few years and build on that good practice rather than starting from scratch.”
— Tony Staneff, Rethink Maths
Continuing the conversation
Over the next few months, as the sector digests the details of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and the forthcoming Curriculum and Assessment Review, we’ll continue the discussion with new insights and updates to keep momentum going.
Coming soon:
- Highlights from our July forum, including discussion summaries that capture the key themes and questions raised
- Voices from the sector - we hear directly from students, teachers and community members on what they like and what they want to change in post-16 English and maths
- Exclusive updates on new developments in colleges and across post-16 English and maths resits
- Regular newsletters and blogs to keep you up to date with the latest news.
Together, these will help build a clearer picture of what needs to change and what that might look like in practice.
Stay up to date
Find out more and get involved - visit our Resit Rethink page, where, you'll find:
What college tutors and students think about the current resit system in our Resit Reports.
How college tutors and students would redesign and reimagine GCSE maths and English.
Join the conversation using #ResitRethink and let us know about the changes you want to see.