New SFCA report on English and maths resits: Making the Grade

A new report published today highlights the approach taken by the sixth form colleges and 16 to 19 academies where students make most progress in maths and English resits. 

The report, Making the grade: 10 recommendations to help students make progress in GCSE maths and English resits, is based on the approach taken by 11 institutions in England where post-16 students perform very strongly in these subjects.  

The report was compiled by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and officially launched at the Association’s annual Curriculum Conference at the University of Warwick today.

Sixth formers in England are required to continue studying maths and English if they did not achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in these subjects at age 16.  As the report sets out, this is controversial policy that is often unpopular with students and can be difficult for institutions to deliver at scale. 

However, the 11 colleges that feature in the report all have a substantial cohort of resit students and high GCSE maths and English progress scores – a government measure that shows the distance travelled between performance at the end of Key Stage 4 and the end of post-16 study.

Today’s report sets out 10 recommendations that all schools and colleges can use to inform the development of their resit offer. These include prioritising the induction process, investing in specialist maths and English teachers, focusing on exam technique and majoring on one-to-one student support. 

The final recommendation is for college staff to be relentlessly positive – the common thread that ran through all 11 colleges that featured in the report. 

Commenting on today’s report:

Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:

“Today’s report captures some truly outstanding practice in GCSE English and maths resits and we hope our recommendations are useful to post-16 institutions in developing their resit offer”. 

Dr Rebecca Fisher, Chief Executive of The English Association, said:
“The English Association recommends this report. We specifically commend it to Sixth Form Colleges keen to support their GCSE English and maths resit students progressing into academic routes. Combining these excellent best practice recommendations will be crucial for all, and will be of particular relevance to resitters with stronger grade profiles”.

Charlie Stripp, Chief Executive of Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), said:

“This report provides valuable insight into what helps young people make progress in GCSE maths. Its findings reinforce the importance of specialist teaching, sustained investment in teachers’ professional development and creating opportunities for every learner to succeed. Whatever their starting point or educational setting, young people deserve a positive experience of learning maths that builds confidence, develops understanding and opens doors to their future.”

Notes:

1. Making the grade: 10 recommendations to help students make progress in GCSE maths and English resits can be found on the SFCA website here.
2. The English Association is the leading cross-sector subject association for people passionate about English language, literature, and creative writing. 
3. MEI is a national charity dedicated to improving maths education across the UK.
4. For more information, please contact James Kewin.