Education secretary pulls plug on Michael Gove’s exam reforms
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Version 0 of 1. Education secretary Nicky Morgan has pulled the plug on a key part of her predecessor Michael Gove’s efforts to reform exams in England, by cutting off funds to a body that gave universities a role in overseeing A-levels. Gove established the A-levels Content Advisory Board (Alcab) in 2013 with much fanfare, giving leading UK universities and academics a say in the process of exam reforms – concentrating on specific subjects – and becoming a permanent check on the quality of of A-level course content But on the advice of Department for Education (DfE) officials Morgan has abruptly terminated the group’s funding, over the objections of Alcab’s board including its chair Sir Nigel Thrift, vice chancellor of Warwick University. The decision was attacked by Dominic Cummings, Gove’s former special adviser, who described the move as “almost a Jedi-level operation from DfE officials” who had never liked Alcab’s involvement. “The DfE hated giving away control, obviously, and hated Alcab. The very point of the process – a sword of Damocles in the form of eminent professors saying ‘crap questions’ each year – was supposed to force the DfE, exam boards and Ofqual to raise their game,” Cummings said, blaming officials rather than Morgan’s advisors. “I very much doubt that Nicky Morgan realises what she has done. It was probably a letter buried deep in her box weeks ago that she had no reason to suspect meant she was being used to subvert reform and entrench Whitehall’s power,” he said. Although Morgan took the decision last year, the news only emerged after Alcab posted a blunt notice on its website: “Alcab to close down for the time being”. It also posted letters from Thrift asking Morgan for continued funding, and Morgan’s reply turning down the request. Thrift’s letter says that DfE officials had informed Alcab it would become dormant. He argued that Alcab had “reversed a regrettable trend in recent decades which have seen historic links broken” between universities and exam bodies. “The Alcab management board has concluded that it would send the wrong messages if they were to close down Alcab,” Thrift wrote to Morgan, asking for minimal funds to keep the organisation going. “In most of the subjects which we have reviewed the new A-level content will be significantly different from that of the current qualification and it will only be after the first syllabuses and prototype assessments are developed and reviewed that we shall be able to be confident that our intentions have been realised,” he wrote. Morgan replied: “I do not consider that the department should continue to provide grant funding to sustain that position.” Gove’s announcement suggested Alcab was to have a long-term role in evaluating A-levels in core subjects such as English and maths. DfE briefing notes at the time said Alcab “will revise subject content each year to make sure they have the level of demand and rigour needed”. In response, a DfE spokesperson said: “Alcab was appointed to provide specific advice on subject content for maths and further maths, foreign languages and geography A-levels. This work has now been completed and was enormously successful. We remain fully committed to universities playing the crucial role in reforming A level and restoring public trust. Our position has not changed in any way. “But the reality is that there is now no clear role for Alcab until 2017. In these circumstances, we think it is best that taxpayers’ money is spent on more immediate priorities.” In a statement Thrift said: “Universities were pleased to have the opportunity to help with the curriculum of A-levels, and were pleased with the impact this work has had, particularly in a subject area such as mathematics. Following on from Alcab’s work it is vital is that higher education continues to be involved as the qualifications themselves are developed by the exam boards.” |