I believe the curriculum and mandatory-ness should be split up like the following.
The current replacement for GCSE, the English Baccalaureate, is still missing some key parts.
Mandatory
The current replacement for GCSE, the English Baccalaureate, is still missing some key parts.
Mandatory
- Essentials: Maths, English (Literature, Language), Science (Chemistry, Physics, Biology)
- IT (not ICT - less focus on Office apps and more on Operating Systems, Programming)
- "Food Technology" also known as Cooking!
- P.E. (need to keep our kids healthy) - should be more optional about what types can be chosen, rather than force kids into them
- Mandatory: Athletics and gymnasium sport (fitness)
- Optional: Football, rugby, hockey, basketball, tennis, rounders (aka cricket), badminton, table tennis, archery, netball, trampolining
- Sexual health
- Life skills aka common sense. Respecting others, passive/assertive/aggressiveness, government bodies - see more
- "Citizenship" also known as "Key Skills" - replace with focus on business-oriented requirements e.g. CV building, interviews, work experience, volunteering, vocational study etc.
Optional
- Creative art: Art, Dance, Drama, Music, Technology (Electronics, Design, CAD, Sewing)
- Social studies: Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Politics, Business Studies, Religious studies (should not be focused on Christianity - should cover all the philosophical points only)
- Language: French, Spanish, German etc.
