Andy Burnham defends education plan after government called it ‘unequal’

Photo: Parliamentlive.TV.

Andy Burnham. House Of Lords Education for 11–16 Year Olds Committee. June 15, 2023

Andy Burnham has hit back at the government after criticism of his education plans which were branded as ‘unequal’ and ‘narrow’. The Greater Manchester mayor wants to create a ‘clear path’ at school for young people who do not want to go to university and has proposed using a new devolution deal to make it happen.

It comes as almost two-thirds of teenagers in the city-region leave school without GCSEs in English, maths, science, humanities and a language. But rather than pushing them to study the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and pursue the path to university, the mayor wants to create an alternative, calling for an end to the ‘snobbery’ around education.

Working with the Department for Education (DfE) through a new joint board set up as part of the ‘trailblazer’ deal which gives him more influence over education, Mr Burnham wants to roll out the Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) by September 2024. The ‘flexible’ qualification is aimed at offering students an alternative route to certain jobs when they choose their GCSEs.

English and maths would still be a requirement of the MBacc – as it is within the English Baccalaureate – but so would computer science or ICT. Other options would include engineering, art, drama and music, and the sciences.

But last week, the government described the proposal – which already has the backing of some education bosses and business leaders – as ‘unequal’. In a statement to Mancunian Matters, the Department for Education (DfE) said the new alternative route would ‘narrow opportunities available to young people’.

However, in the House of Lords on Thursday (16 June), Mr Burnham defended his proposal as he was asked questions by a committee led by Boris Johnson’s brother. Chaired by Jo Johnson, the Education for 11–16 Year Olds Committee questioned the Greater Manchester mayor about how the MBacc would work.

Mr Burnham told the committee that the government’s response to the proposal during the trailblazer talks which started last year was ‘positive’. Responding to the recent DfE comments though, he said the criticism was ‘misplaced’.

He said: “I don’t think they’re understanding what we’re saying. We are actually talking about making the policies the government is trying to achieve work in a regional context.”

He added: “I would just ask them, just because it wasn’t invented there – i.e. in your building – don’t assume it’s bad. There are lots of people who support what we are trying to do here. We are not perfect, we accept this can be approved, but the proposal that we’ve got here, the core prospectus that we’re putting forward, is supported by businesses, parents, students and schools.”

The Labour mayor explained that, although the latest devolution deal was agreed on the basis that there would be no additional funding, he hopes to discuss financial support from the government for the MBacc proposal. Nevertheless, the DfE has said that it would be up to individual schools to decide if they want to adopt this new approach by offering the MBacc.

Mr Burnham also argued that the idea could be rolled out across the country with changes to what is offered based on the skills the local economy needs. The proposals were praised by several members of the Lords committee.

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporting Service