HC Deb 22 November 1983 vol 49 cc149-50
2. Mr. Greenway

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects records of achievement to be introduced for all school leavers; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Education and Science (Sir Keith Joseph)

It is too early to say when records of achievement will be generally available. To speed progress I am proposing a programme of pilot schemes with support from central funds. A draft statement of policy will be published within a few days and copies will placed in the Library.

Mr. Greenway

I welcome the progress by my right hon. Friend in this important matter, but will he asssure the House that these records of achievement will be an objective assessment of the child's performance and will be supplementary to, and not a replacement of, examinations?

Sir Keith Joseph

I give my hon. Friend that assurance.

Mr. Flannery

May we be assured that the Secretary of State's system of records of achievement will not be such as to make any child think that he or she is not achieving? We accept that the aim of the teaching profession and of the vast majority of people connected with education is to prove to every child that a good education means a good achievement, and that is a noble aim.

Sir Keith Joseph

For once I agree with the hon. Gentleman. The idea behind records of achievement is to give an opportunity for a child's successes to be shown. I hope that the hon. Member will read the consultative document that I shall publish next week.

Mr. Pawsey

My right hon. Friend's concern for standards is well known. To what extent does he feel that records of achievement will help to improve them?

Sir Keith Joseph

I hope that records of achievement, as they come in, will apply to children of all abilities, recording their achievements, both non-academic and academic, and that they will turn out to be particularly encouraging to those who leave school with apparently few achievements to their credit because there is no way of recording such achievements as they have.

Mr. Skinner

Is it not true that most youngsters today are more worried about getting a job when they leave school? Many of them are asking, "What is the use of five O-levels, two or three A-levels, CSE examinations or records of achievement?" When they know that more than half of them will not obtain work and others will finish up on slave labour schemes — [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] That is what the youth training scheme is. The Government should turn their attention to providing work for those youngsters and to giving them some motivation.

Sir Keith Joseph

The hon. Gentleman has not studied the subject enough to formulate an effective question about it. The idea is for records of achievement to record achievements that are not academic, including features of character and of quality, which will greatly benefit those who seek jobs. Employers naturally wish to know about a youngster's character and ability, as well as about his academic achievements. The hon. Gentleman has got it precisely wrong.