UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to reform A levels into a “British baccalaureate” would be supported by many within higher education, according to academics – but they warn it is very unlikely to happen.
The proposed reforms would make English and maths compulsory for all students up to the age of 18, alongside a requirement that children study a wider range of subjects in post-16 education, according to reports.
Most academics agree that students specialise too much, too soon after taking their GCSEs, and the International Baccalaureate is an obvious and easily adoptable model to replicate, said Stuart Wilks-Heeg, professor of politics at the University of Liverpool.
But he said it was very unlikely to happen, would be very difficult to implement in practice and would also pose challenges for university admissions and add to the volatility seen at that end of the process in recent years.
