The Education Select Committee has published the final report of its inquiry into the English Baccalaureate (EBac). The full report can be read here.
The Committee criticises the Government for failing to properly consult on the EBac and says that the Government should have waited until after the conclusion of the National Curriculum Review before introducing the new qualification. The report also notes that a "focus on a fairly narrow range of subjects, demanding considerable curriculum time, is likely to have negative consequences on the uptake of other subjects." However, the Committee does not make recommendations on which subjects should or should not be included in the EBac, deferring to the ongoing National Curriculum review.
The Committee also concluded that the Government must confirm how it will monitor the attainment of children on free school meals in the EBac, noting that there is little evidence to suggest that the prescribed study of certain academic subjects will improve attainment and social mobility for poorer students.
Although there are no specific references to outdoor education within the final report, the Committee does state that it received evidence to raise concerns about the absence of practical and technical subjects in the English Baccalaureate. “The Association of School and College Leaders, in its written evidence, argues that the EBac “is not a baccalaureate as understood internationally”, not least because a true baccalaureate usually assesses “achievement in both knowledge and skills” in practical as well as academic fields.”