A study found that fewer students in England combine humanities like music or history with science or maths.
Following the previous government’s changes to A-levels a decade ago, A-level students in England have increasingly dropped arts and humanities subjects in favor of a narrower variety of science-based subjects.
The changes, supported by former education secretary Michael Gove, separated A-level courses from AS-level exams. According to a new report from the British Academy and the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER), this has resulted in fewer students combining humanities such as English or music with science or maths.
Molly Morgan Jones, the head of policy at the British Academy, stated, “Failure to address this decline will have knock-on effects, not only for these subjects in UK universities but also on the skills young people take into the workforce and the wider world.
“Higher education and research are under strain, and the humanities and arts are bearing the brunt of many departmental closures. Breadth and balance should be at the heart of any future post-16 curriculum and should not be negatively impacted by any future reforms.”
Before 2015-2016, many students pursued four A-level subjects and sat AS-level exams midway through their course after the first year. Gove’s changes eliminated the AS-level component, replacing it with a single set of A-level exams registered after two years.
According to the British Academy report, the trend coincided with students choosing fewer courses and being less likely to integrate arts or humanities with science, technology, math (STEM), or social science.
Until 2015-2016, more than half of all students consistently took at least one humanities course. But by 2021-2022, only 38% of the students had taken at least one humanities course. The decline began sooner in arts topics such as music, design, and media studies, with a drop to 24% in 2021-2022.
The report also mentions that two decades ago, just a small percentage of sixth-formers exclusively studied subjects within the same major categories. However, following the 2015-2016 changes, the percentage of students studying only STEM courses increased. From 2014 to 2015, 7% of students pursued STEM courses. By 2021-2022, the figure had doubled to 14%, while the percentage studying humanities alone remained unchanged at 4%.
The NFER’s senior economist and the report’s lead author, Michael Scott, stated, “The curriculum and assessment review will bring together leading education experts, leaders, and staff to transform the outdated curriculum and assessment system.
“The renewed curriculum will ensure young people get the opportunity to access a broad and balanced curriculum, as well as crucial work and life skills, providing the foundation to succeed in both the workplace and throughout their lives.”
Sixth-formers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will receive their A-level and BTEC results on Thursday. Jo Saxton, the head of Ucas university admission services, stated that “every kind of course under the sun” was open to late applicants.
Bridget Philipson, the education secretary, told PA that she had informed universities of applicants whose studies had been delayed by the closure of the school buildings made of reinforced autoclaved concrete (Racc) that were in danger of collapsing.
According to the Liberal Democrats, 9,700 sixth-form students were enrolled in Racc-affected schools, and many were taught in portable cabins or temporary sites.
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats’ education spokesman, stated, “The previous Conservative government abandoned children and parents, leaving a legacy of crumbling classrooms. The new government must now ensure pupils and parents impacted by these years of chaos are given the support they need.”
