A CROYDON head teacher has slammed the Government's GCSE reforms, saying they could leave students with "nothing to show" for their education.
Education secretary Michael Gove has unveiled plans to be introduced in September 2015 that will see coursework and modular exams scrapped in the majority of subjects.
They will be replaced by a single exam at the end of the two-year GCSE course, with retakes only offered in maths and English.
Gordon Smith, Riddlesdown Collegiate principal, said: "The system needs to allow success at all levels and not simply leave large numbers with nothing worthwhile to show for their 12 or 14 years in education."
Other proposals announced by Mr Gove will see the current A*-G grading system changed to a numerical 1-8 classification, with 8 being the highest.
GCSEs have been accused of dumbing down and becoming too easy in recent years.
But Mr Smith hit out at critics who call the current GCSEs too easy, saying the exams offered a good marker of who was a bright student.
He added: "I think it's pretty tough to achieve an A* at GCSE already and one can be confident that a student achieving multiple A and A* grades is a very able student.
"It must be somewhat demoralising to work really hard to achieve good grades then hear commentators say that their qualifications were easier to achieve than their predecessors."
The single-exam format is reminiscent of the O-level exams, which GCSEs replaced in 1988.
Photographer Avril Jones, commenting on the Advertiser's Facebook page, said this reversal in style would make students suffer in the same way she did.
She said: "When I was at school I felt it would be better if some of your O-level marks came from coursework and observation throughout the year.
"That would help people who are very smart and work really hard but suffer badly from exam nerves.
"I don't really see why it has ever been felt essential for people to learn by rote for exam purposes when, in real life, you would have the freedom to research any challenges you face before deciding on a solution."
Labour's Stephen Twigg, the shadow education secretary, said the Government should develop proposals based on the countries that perform best in education, such as Finland and Japan.
But Ms Jones criticised politicians' quick-fix attitude towards education.
She added: "We now live in a world where politicians desperately want everything to work on a neatly computerised, 'one-size-fits-all' basis.
"But one size does not fit all and students should be taught by whatever methods work best for them."
