Thursday 30 January 2014

Stephen Metcalfe MP: Students studying core subjects in South Basildon and East Thurrock rises by 50%

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe has welcomed the news that the number of students in South Basildon and East Thurrock studying core academic subjects has risen by 50% since 2010 thanks to the Government’s English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

In 2010 only 23% of pupils in the local area studied for the EBacc, but this rose to 35% in 2013, an increase of 50%. The number of students achieving the qualification has risen accordingly and currently stands at 21%, a rise of 80%.

Pupils achieve the EBacc if they get a C or better in the core subjects of English, maths, history or geography, the sciences, and a language. These are the subjects most valued by universities and employers. This is the first year that the effects of the EBacc are fully reflected in the tables.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “Under the last Labour Government the number of students sitting exams in these crucial academic subjects halved. Thanks to this Government’s reforms, the number of young people in South Basildon and East Thurrock studying the core subjects has soared.”  

“This is part of our long-term plan to create an education system that gives young people who want to work hard the skills they need to prosper and fulfill their potential.”