Prior Park College launches new GCSE curriculum
14 Feb 2025
Prior Park College launches new GCSE curriculum
Rethinking GCSEs
In recent years, the landscape of GCSE education has changed dramatically. Since the reforms of the early 2010s, the volume of content in most GCSE subjects has increased significantly—by as much as 30% in some cases. This has created an environment where students are racing through syllabuses, often at the expense of truly understanding and enjoying the material.
Prior Park College launches new GCSE curriculum
At the same time, the structure of GCSE choices in many schools remains rigid, with a fixed number of subjects remaining compulsory. Most students only have meaningful input into around 40% of their curriculum, leaving them little opportunity to focus on subjects that match their strengths or passions. Combined with the rising exam load, it’s little wonder that students often feel overwhelmed and disengaged.
A growing number of educators and schools are beginning to challenge this model, asking if it truly serves students’ best interests. Do young people need to study ten GCSEs—or more? Could fewer exams, combined with greater freedom to choose subjects, allow students to explore their interests more deeply and perform better overall?
This September, Prior Park College will introduce a bold new approach: a personalised curriculum built around nine GCSEs, where nearly 70% of subjects are chosen by the student. English (Language and Literature) and Mathematics remain core essential subjects, however students are now able to select six optional subjects from themed blocks. This model allows Prior Park students considerably more choice about what they study than most schools, and aims to create happier, more fulfilled learners who can achieve their best while engaging more deeply with their studies. Students can find out what matters to them and who they want to be; they are happy and successful, in that order.