SECONDARY schools in England are being hit by an overloaded curriculum and too many exams, a House of Lords committee has stated.

The criticism came in a report from the Lords cross-party education for 11 to 16-year-olds committee, which said that the problems meant young people had fewer opportunities to study creative and technical subjects.

Committee chairman Jo Johnson called its evidence “compelling” and said change to the education system for 11-16-year olds is urgently needed.

The committee advised reforming the curriculum by reducing the dominance of remote learning, significantly reduce the number of exams and introduce more non-exam assessments, and revise school performance measures by scrapping the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “This report is comprehensive in assessing the problems but also in offering solutions.

“What this cross-party committee has found chimes with what NEU members see at the chalkface.

“The current curriculum is not fit for the challenges and realities of our times. 

“The way our current curriculum is assessed does not support students to demonstrate all that they’re capable of and the crude league table measures push out the arts and technical subjects. All this must change. 

“The consensus for change is clear and undeniable. Any current or future government must take note of calls like this one, from across the sector, for curriculum and assessment modernisation. 

“The future success and well-being of young people, and the nation, depends on it. 

“However, without addressing real terms school funding cuts and tackling the intense workload of staff, which drives our serious teacher recruitment and retention challenge, the changes needed have little chance of materialising.”

The Department for Education was contacted for comment.