‘People go to university because they don’t know what else to do’, says Education Secretary

Mrs Keegan was comfortably perched in a chair within the huge make-up room of the London Screen Academy in north London on the day that a whole bunch of 1000’s of school-leavers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland obtained their A-level outcomes, and every week earlier than the publication of GCSE outcomes.

On her first outcomes day as Education Secretary, Ms Keegan drew flak for addressing controversy over stricter grading by saying that “in 10 years’ time no one will be looking” at this yr’s outcomes. Instead, she says, corporations “will be looking at what you have done since, how you have achieved in the workplace”.

Mrs Keegan added: “I am never asked about my results.”

The minister, who spent nearly 30 years working in manufacturing, banking and IT corporations earlier than turning into an MP in 2017, seems unfazed by the response to her feedback, with sources shut to her suggesting that Labour’s criticism of the remarks reveals that the opposition is “out of touch” with companies.

‘Blown-away success’

So what had been her examination outcomes?

Mrs Keegan says her O-level outcomes had been largely Bs, with “a couple of As” and a “couple of Cs”, together with in chemistry, which “I wasn’t expecting to get at all… I didn’t really revise for it”.

“In Knowsley at the time there wasn’t really much A-level provision because not many of the kids got O-levels,” says Mrs Keegan. “I actually got 10 O-levels so I was like the blown-away success of the school.”

Most pupils took seven O-levels. The future Cabinet minister’s achievement was partly a results of a beneficiant monetary incentive supplied by her mom who did secretarial work.

“In a bid to get me to do some work, my mom had rashly supplied £10 an O-level and, sure, I received 10.

“In 1984, £100 was a fortune for her. And she’d additionally promised to take me to Blood Brothers as effectively. So she had to do each.”

Mrs Keegan’s mom would have had to have discovered one other £10 for her daughter had it not been for a “huge scandal” in Knowsley that noticed the varsity priest elope with the spiritual training trainer – costing Ms Keegan her 11th O-level.

Fond recollections

The Knowsley complete was “definitely what you would call a failing school” and closed a number of years after Mrs Keegan’s departure, however she remembers one trainer, Mr Ashcroft, notably fondly. 

In addition to the standard choices corresponding to geography and historical past, boys had been supplied the choice of finding out for O-levels in metalwork, engineering, technical drawing, or woodwork, whereas women may select to take separate exams corresponding to dwelling economics and stitching.

“I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to do the boys’ ones,” she mentioned. “My mother went up to school and said, this is unfair.” As these topics coincided with women’ PE classes, Mr Ashcroft ended up behind after faculty to give 5.30pm classes to the then Ms Gibson and one different woman.

Just as Mrs Keegan was then suggested to embark on an apprenticeship after her O-levels, she now sees it as her mission to advise younger individuals at this time that there are a big selection of choices to enter workplaces past the extra conventional routes, together with by finding out T-levels and diplomas at faculties such because the London Screen Academy.

“This school is a great example – there are people who are doing … camera lighting, film production, and they now have the options of going into the world of work, going into higher-level apprenticeships, or going on to university.”

She added: “If you speak to a T-level student who has been on a work placement it’s like walking through a sliding door – they will talk to you much more confidently about the world of work.”

Mindset of oldsters and academics

To what extent is it the mindset of oldsters and academics that wants to shift away from the concept of A-levels and university because the preferable possibility for many younger individuals?

“Well, it’s not just parents, but I think the whole system kind of understands that path. It’s a well-worn path. The paths that we used to have, the apprenticeship paths, have kind of gone by the wayside a little which is why under this Government we really focused on rebuilding the apprenticeship system.”

Last month, The Telegraph disclosed that 1000’s of middle-class British college students confronted lacking out to international candidates for locations on the nation’s prime universities as probably the most selective establishments elevated the proportion of worldwide college students – who pay a lot increased charges – to sustain funding ranges.

But Mrs Keegan dismisses issues, insisting that abroad college students make up “a very important sector for us”. At Russell Group universities, the proportions are “about 75 per cent home [students] and 25 per cent international”. 

“If it was the other proportions then yes [I would be concerned].” 

But, she added: “I think we do seem to have the balance about right.”

Mrs Keegan has discovered herself in scorching water with some colleagues over her division’s place on long-awaited steering for faculties on trans points. The Department for Education has been accused of being too shut to Stonewall, the charity that says that each one faculties, together with single-sex establishments, “have a responsibility to support trans children or young people through a transition”.

Rishi Sunak is presently deciding on the method that the Government will take to the difficulty after a row over draft steering delayed its deliberate publication earlier than the summer time.

In June, Mrs Keegan steered that the steering would enable “social transitioning” in faculties – the method by which transgender youngsters undertake a reputation and pronouns to match their new gender id.