In a CBI employers’ group report entitled “Working on the Three Rs”, it appears that a massive one-third of employers have had to run lessons in basic literacy and numeracy for the recent intake of school leavers.

The new employees were described as “scruffy, grunting, and couldn’t write or add-up properly.” Their general attitude was also cited as a problem.

The Minister for schools, Jim Knight, said “Exams are not getting easier” - sorry, force of habit. He says it so often I’ve got a copy-and-paste set up.

This time he said “We are changing the way we measure performance in these basic skills and toughening up the English and maths GCSEs to ensure that young people master the three Rs.”

‘Changing the way we measure performance’ has previously meant turning the amp up to 11 (in other words, actually believing that students are getting better because more are passing, without linking it to the fact that you just lowered the percentage at which they pass the test.) Provided he means actually raising the pass mark in order to improve standards this time, that part of the statement could be a good thing. “Toughening up” the GCSEs will probably help too, but the Government is, as always, very quiet about the magic step that’s needed.

The magic step is the part where ‘grunting kids with a bad general attitude’ start caring enough to pass harder exams, so that last year’s shocking statistic of over 50% not passing five GCSEs (including maths and English) with a C or higher doesn’t get repeated.

Or maybe we’re taking this too seriously.

After all - grunting, scruffy, anti-social… yes, these kids are sixteen.

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Keywords: A Levels, Education, GCSE, Literacy