Our policy and education teams recently responded to a Department for Education consultation on the proposed subject content for the new qualification.
The Department for Education has developed the proposed subject content for a new GCSE in natural history. The proposal is designed to become a regulatory document that sets out in technical language the knowledge, understanding and skills needed for the GCSE. It provides the framework for awarding organisations to create detailed specifications, which set out in more detail what students will study.
The new GCSE is intended to allow students to engage with and study specific organisms, including plants or animals and the contexts in which they live, and their complex interactions and dependencies. It also aims to develop students’ skills of observation, description, recording and analysis, through sustained and structured field study.
Responding to the consultation
The Geological Society has prepared a response to this consultation on behalf of the geoscience community, highlighting concerns shared by many, including the British Geological Survey, the Geologists Association, the Earth Science Teachers Association, University Geoscience UK and Natural England about the lack of geological and palaeontological content represented in the proposal. To prepare our response, we surveyed the geoscience community, conducted interviews, and collected evidence from committee meetings and dedicated focus groups.
A separate consultation on the GCSE’s assessment arrangement will be run by Ofqual, the independent regulator. The Department for Education expects to publish its consultation findings following the conclusion of both opportunities to feedback. We will make our response available to the community after this time.
Contact the policy team
Contact us at policy@geolsoc.org.uk to share your views or to contribute to future work on similar themes.