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On 21 August 2008, the think tank Civitas published a report (School improvement – or the ‘equivalent’) which argues that a preoccupation with the A*-C GCSE grade benchmark has led to a scenario in which pupils are being encouraged to opt out of academic courses and into less relevant 'vocational' qualifications to boost national GCSE results.
The report insists that poor quality 'vocational' or 'vocationally related' qualifications at GCSE level are locking both low-income pupils and vocational education into second class status.
Although in theory vocational qualifications are broadening the GCSE curriculum and elevating the status of vocational qualifications, the report agues that vocational qualifications at this level are used to 'occupy' weaker pupils who jeopardise A*-C GCSE targets by teaching them about work, but not the relevant skills. Essentially they are 'filler' courses before pupils can go on to genuine vocational education.
The report does not seek to undermine the value of vocational qualifications but rather to assert that such learning is too advanced to be suitable for pupils below the age of 16. It concludes that vocational qualifications should be withdrawn from the 14-16 curriculum.