MEON Valley's MP has called for a reform of school assessments and GCSEs to be scrapped.

Flick Drummond told parliament that school assessment needs reform and GCSEs should be scrapped and replaced with exams at 18.

Speaking in the House of Commons last Thursday, Ms Drummond said the pandemic has given England a chance to "reassess the system".

The MP explained reform must be seen as an opportunity to level up vocational and academic subjects and help end negative perceptions about vocational and technical education.

Ms Drummond, said: "Our educational assessment system is not helping young people who want to succeed through vocational courses. Many vocational courses, such as apprenticeships and T-levels, are not seen as being as important as academic ones.

“But if they were all put into a different assessment system, such as an all-encompassing national baccalaureate at 18 - although I hope we would call it something else - parents, teachers and young people themselves would be more likely to push for qualifications that fit the person, rather than pushing them in directions they might not be keen on.”