Following OCR's recent announcement that AS and A Level Geology qualifications will be withdrawn from their portfolio, we met with them and a range of geoscience education stakeholders to better understand this decision and its impact.
Cambridge OCR, one of two exam boards offering advanced geology qualifications in England and Wales, recently announced that AS and A Level Geology will be withdrawn from their portfolio. We met with them, Eduqas/WJEC representatives, the Earth Science Teachers' Association (ESTA), and teachers to understand this decision, its impact, and what kind of support we can offer.
We are concerned about what this means for the geoscience pipeline, particularly equity of access to geoscience education, but are reassured by Eduqas/WJEC's commitment to continuing their advanced geology offering. We are in communication with representatives about how the Society can bolster their support for teachers through this transitionary period.
In light of this challenging announcement, we remain committed to supporting geoscience education at all levels. We are working with both exam boards, education centres, examiners, and teachers to maintain access for students. We are also working with ESTA to offer teachers peer to peer support, guidance and resources to maintain the strength and quality of geoscience education nationally.