The Civitas research into how academies report their GCSE results (“Call for FoI to be extended to academiesâ€, May 21), prompts wider concern about the availability of examination courses across the school system. Research shows that, while geography continues to prosper in many parts of the country, fewer than 20 per cent of pupils in some “poorer†local authorities study a GCSE in geography. If, as reported, some academies are de-prioritising “subjects†in favour of vocational courses, this trend will be exacerbated. To deny poorer pupils the chance to study geography will limit pupils’ understanding of the world and of the key challenges our society faces, be it climate change, globalisation or migration.
Steve Brace, Head of education, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
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