Changes to the National Curriculum

I'm a critic of coursework myself. It has a place in some subjects such as art or music or design & technology but other subjects are better suited to being all exam. I celebrated the day when it was announced that coursework was dropped from the mathematics GCSE.

Some parents think that kids with AS often struggle with coursework because it requires organisational and presentation skills whereas exams are quick and simple affairs. Other parents say that kids with AS often freak out in exams but would benefit from continual assessment in a more relaxed environment.

I'm not too sure about the boys and girls preference to exams or coursework, but I am informed that parents of south Asian origin tend to be more critical of coursework and in favour of exams than indigenous British parents are. I'm not sure whether is has anything to do with the exam system (IGCSEs) taken in the Indian subcontinent or not which doesn't have coursework for most subjects. There is some evidence that children who don't speak English as their first language tend to have problems with coursework and do better under an all exam system. 

Parents have defended ICT because they think it is a useful life skill whereas computer science is a technical subject that is above and beyond everyday life and could be too difficulty for all but the highest ability children.

I find it a bit strange how ICT is the most prominent life skill taught in secondary school but it's one that most children easily learn in their own time. Why don't schools, outside of Northern Ireland, teach anything to do with driving?

The reason that ICT teachers are against the changes is because their knowledge of computers is limited. It's not uncommon to find ICT teachers who are actually English or history teachers with no formal education in computers apart from very basic courses in things like Microsoft Office. Computer science requires teachers who have at least a level 3 qualification in the subject.

I'm a critic of coursework myself. It has a place in some subjects such as art or music or design & technology but other subjects are better suited to being all exam. I celebrated the day when it was announced that coursework was dropped from the mathematics GCSE.

Some parents think that kids with AS often struggle with coursework because it requires organisational and presentation skills whereas exams are quick and simple affairs. Other parents say that kids with AS often freak out in exams but would benefit from continual assessment in a more relaxed environment.

I'm not too sure about the boys and girls preference to exams or coursework, but I am informed that parents of south Asian origin tend to be more critical of coursework and in favour of exams than indigenous British parents are. I'm not sure whether is has anything to do with the exam system (IGCSEs) taken in the Indian subcontinent or not which doesn't have coursework for most subjects. There is some evidence that children who don't speak English as their first language tend to have problems with coursework and do better under an all exam system. 

Parents have defended ICT because they think it is a useful life skill whereas computer science is a technical subject that is above and beyond everyday life and could be too difficulty for all but the highest ability children.

I find it a bit strange how ICT is the most prominent life skill taught in secondary school but it's one that most children easily learn in their own time. Why don't schools, outside of Northern Ireland, teach anything to do with driving?

The reason that ICT teachers are against the changes is because their knowledge of computers is limited. It's not uncommon to find ICT teachers who are actually English or history teachers with no formal education in computers apart from very basic courses in things like Microsoft Office. Computer science requires teachers who have at least a level 3 qualification in the subject.