35 per cent of specifications yet to be accredited, figures show

New figures from Ofqual have shown that around 35 per cent of new GCSE and A-Level qualifications, due to be taught from September have still not been approved.

In particular, most French, German and Spanish AS levels and A levels are waiting to be approved, with teachers warning that the wait for specifications ‘gets more serious and more ridiculous as each week goes by’.

Of the 70 new AS and A levels, 39 have been accredited, while 63 out of the 86 GCSE specifications have been given the go ahead.

Commenting on the delay, Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teaching union, told TES: “This government and Ofqual appear to be incapable of doing the very job they are required to do. The fact that a third are still not available [shows] this is a reform process that has been rushed.

“The situation gets more serious and more ridiculous as each week goes by. It’s indicative of complete ignorance at Ofqual about teachers and the life they lead. The later these specifications arrive, the more impossible it is for teachers to plan and get resources in place.”