Creative and technical education experts give evidence to Lords inquiry into secondary education system

The session can be followed live on Parliament TV or in person in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster on Thursday 11 May from 11am to 1pm.

Giving evidence at 11am will be:

• Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, Independent Society of Musicians
• Dr Geoffrey Readman, Chair, National Drama
• Tony Ryan MIET FRSA, Chief Executive, Design and Technology Association

Questions the committee are likely to ask include:

• Do the 11-16 curriculum and the qualifications available in this phase sufficiently value your subject and effectively balance knowledge acquisition and practical application?
• Are the current GCSEs an appropriate way of assessing knowledge and skills in your subject, and if not, what other assessment methods would you recommend?
• What changes could be made to the current curriculum and assessment system to increase opportunities for young people to develop their creativity or use new technology?
• To what extent is your subject affected by challenges in teacher recruitment and retention, and what could be done to address these issues?

Giving evidence at 12noon will be:

• David Gallagher, Chief Executive, NCFE
• Olly Newton, Executive Director, Edge Foundation

Questions the committee are likely to ask include:

• Do the 11-16 curriculum and the qualifications available in this phase sufficiently prepare students for post-16 qualifications and courses, including apprenticeships?
• What are the barriers to more students taking Technical Awards at 14-16 and how can these be overcome?
• Does technical and practical learning need to be enhanced at Key Stage 3 (11-14), and if so, how could this be achieved?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the assessment methods used in technical qualifications? Should there be more consistency between how Technical Awards and GCSEs are assessed?