Only 14% passed their maths resit. The Education Secretary says that has to stop
What happened
On 15 October 2026, Education Secretary Lucy Powell gave a speech to the Confederation of School Trusts conference. Powell was appointed Education Secretary in July 2026 and is also Labour's deputy leader. It was a wide-ranging speech, and she set out her theme as connection, describing her department as a 'department of hope' and saying she would not 'just tinker at the margins'. Several concrete things came out of it. The one that will matter most to teenagers is resits. Powell said she wants to end repeated GCSE resits, and will introduce new foundation qualifications instead. She gave the reason in a single number: only 14% of young people passed GCSE maths resits this summer. On the curriculum, speaking and listening — often called oracy — will become a new strand of the English curriculum, with equal status to reading and writing. She also signalled a further curriculum review, including more practical subjects and more enrichment such as music, debating, arts and sport. On qualifications, she said technical and vocational routes will be put on a par with academic ones. That includes the new vocational GCSEs, alongside V Levels, T Levels, apprenticeships and A Levels. On money, she pointed to over £2 billion more this year, with £4 billion over the next three years attached to SEND reforms. She also launched a call for evidence on exclusions on the day, said the 'Experts at Hand' offer for SEND is rolling out in local areas, and noted that one in five children are persistently absent. On Ofsted, she said it has an important role but that she wants changes to how improvement is measured, with more weight on a school's context and less on data alone.
Why this matters
The resit announcement is the one worth slowing down on, because the current system is hard to defend once you look at it. At the moment, a young person who does not get a grade 4 in GCSE maths or English is generally required to keep working towards it after 16. The intention is good: these are the qualifications employers ask for, and giving up on a 16-year-old's maths is a poor outcome. But the result, on this summer's figures, is that 86% of those who sat a maths resit did not pass. Think about what that means for the individual. You sit an exam you have already failed, prepare for months, sit it again, and most likely fail again. Then possibly again. Each time, the message is the same, and it is about you rather than about the exam. That is the 'treadmill' Powell is describing, and the proposed alternative — new foundation qualifications — is an attempt to give those students something they can actually achieve and that means something, rather than repeated attempts at a paper designed for a different purpose. The oracy change is quieter but reaches every child. Being able to explain your thinking out loud, take part in a discussion and speak to someone you do not know is useful in almost every job and every medical appointment. It is also the thing that most obviously divides confident children from less confident ones, often along class lines. Giving it equal status to reading and writing in the English curriculum is a significant statement, though a great deal will depend on how it is assessed. And the attendance figure — one in five children persistently absent — sits underneath everything else. A curriculum reform only reaches a child who is in the room.
What the evidence actually says
A speech is a statement of intent, and it is worth separating what is decided from what is proposed. Decided or already happening: the call for evidence on exclusions launched on the day. The 'Experts at Hand' SEND offer is rolling out in local areas. The funding figures — over £2 billion more this year and £4 billion over three years for SEND reforms — are stated government commitments. Proposed or signalled: ending repeated resits and introducing new foundation qualifications. A further curriculum review. Changes to how school improvement is measured. Oracy becoming a formal strand of the English curriculum. These are directions of travel. Curriculum change in England typically takes years from announcement to classroom, and qualifications reform takes longer still, because exam boards need lead time and schools need to know what they are teaching towards. The 14% resit figure is the most load-bearing number in the speech, and it is worth understanding what it does and does not say. It tells you the pass rate among those who sat maths resits this summer. It does not tell you how many eventually pass after several attempts, and some do. Nor does it prove that foundation qualifications will work better — that depends entirely on what they contain, how they are graded and whether employers and colleges accept them. A new qualification that nobody values is not an improvement on a hard one. On Ofsted, 'more emphasis on context and less on data alone' is a genuine debate with reasonable arguments on both sides. Context matters: a school serving a deprived area faces different challenges. Critics of context-based judgement argue it risks lowering expectations for poorer children. The speech did not resolve that, and it would be surprising if it had. On AI, Powell acknowledged both opportunities and problems, including homework and complaint-writing, and said the government intends to answer the questions it raises — without specifics. That is honest, but it is not yet a policy.
Practical advice
If you are a parent, there is not much to act on yet, but a few things are worth knowing. If your child is retaking GCSE maths or English this year, nothing has changed for them. The current requirements still apply, and the proposed foundation qualifications do not exist yet. Keep supporting the resit they are actually sitting. If they are struggling, the most useful conversation is with their college or sixth form about what support is available — many offer small-group teaching or a different exam board, and some will discuss whether a functional skills qualification is a better fit alongside. If your child is in Year 9 or below, the vocational routes point is genuinely useful for planning. V Levels, T Levels, vocational GCSEs, apprenticeships and A Levels are all now being presented as parallel options rather than a ladder with academic routes at the top. Ask about all of them at options evening, not just the two you have heard of. On oracy: you do not need to wait for a curriculum. Children who are asked to explain things at home get better at it. Ask them to tell you how something works, let them order their own food, have them ring the dentist themselves when they are old enough. It costs nothing and it is the same skill. If attendance is a problem in your household, this is the moment to raise it rather than wait to be chased. Schools have far more flexibility than most parents assume, especially where absence is driven by anxiety, a health condition or an unmet SEND need. Ask for a meeting and ask specifically what support is available. If you want to respond to the exclusions call for evidence, it is open now and anyone can contribute, including parents and young people.
What to know
Education Secretary Lucy Powell told the Confederation of School Trusts conference on 15 October 2026 that she wants to end repeated GCSE resits and introduce new foundation qualifications instead, citing a 14% pass rate for GCSE maths resits this summer. Speaking and listening will become a strand of the English curriculum with equal status to reading and writing. Technical and vocational qualifications are to be put on a par with academic ones, across vocational GCSEs, V Levels, T Levels, apprenticeships and A Levels. A further curriculum review is coming, including more practical subjects and enrichment. Funding cited: over £2 billion more this year, and £4 billion over three years for SEND reforms. A call for evidence on exclusions launched on the day. One in five children are persistently absent. Powell also wants Ofsted judgements to weigh a school's context more heavily and raw data less. Most of this is direction rather than decision. Curriculum and qualification changes in England take years, so nothing changes for a student sitting a resit this year. Sources: Department for Education, 'Education Secretary speech at CST Conference 2026', 15 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/education-secretary-speech-at-cst-conference-2026; Department for Education, 'Teenagers back vocational reforms and defy outdated stigma', 9 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teenagers-back-vocational-reforms-and-defy-outdated-stigma. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from your child's school, college or local authority, or from a doctor or other qualified professional where a health or additional need is involved.
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