New data from education software specialist Access Education has revealed that Bedfordshire has the third-worst knowledge gap in the UK for GCSE subjects.
The 2023 Knowledge Gap Report analysed Ofqual data from 2022 and found that 28% of students in Bedfordshire failed to achieve grade three or higher in the top 15 most common GCSE subjects last year.
This included a core subject, English Literature, which 25% of Bedfordshire students would need to resit.
The biggest knowledge gap in English Language was found in East Riding of Yorkshire, whereas the biggest English Literature gap was found in South Yorkshire.
Combined science had the biggest knowledge gap nationwide, with the percentage of students across the UK achieving a grade three or below ranging from 20% (Rutland) to 49% (Merseyside).
Bedfordshire’s ranking prompted a response from Bedford Borough Council, which said that the progress made by pupils at the Borough’s secondary schools is “considerably above the national average”.
The council says they are also working to make sure that outcomes for pupils at every key stage improve.
This includes the creation of a new Education Improvement Governance Group, chaired by the portfolio holder for Children’s Service and Education with representatives from maintained schools, academies, free schools, and governors.
Which a council spokesperson said will “explore underlying reasons for low attainment and how to address this using the latest research and evidence”.
Student loans at risk
New Department for Education proposals also mean that pupils who fail GCSE English and maths could be banned from taking out student loans in the future, raising the stakes for pupils.
The report’s author, Emma Slater, Senior Content Product Manager at Access Education, highlights that using a digital learning platform for GCSE revision content could help schools.
“Even with the highest standards of teaching, there are numerous other factors that could affect a student’s grades, including economic background – and as our research has shown, there are big disparities within regions and subjects,” said Emma.
“Using a digital learning platform for GCSE revision content can help schools to monitor where pupils are excelling or where they need extra support and can tailor their teaching accordingly, helping to close the gaps.”
Ex-Headteacher and examiner Lesley Moule also commented on the research.
“It’s important to note that COVID and economic factors will have almost certainly played a role in these findings. Sociologists tell us the importance of economic factors in education and not all schools are as well-resourced as others,” she said.
“In some areas, it is difficult to recruit and retain teachers. Math teachers, in particular, are very hard to find and students in a catch-up situation are not always taught by specialists which is far from the ideal.
“Students had a very disrupted couple of years. For some, reintegration has been difficult and there are students that have not returned to school, preferring home education.
“But similarly, not every student’s experience of working from home was as successful. In short, the results, albeit worrying, were not unexpected but the regional disparities give cause for concern,” Lesley added.
