Only 14% passed their maths resit. The Education Secretary says the cycle has to end
What happened
On 15 October 2026, the Education Secretary, the Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, set out a series of changes to schools in England in a speech to the Confederation of School Trusts annual conference. The most eye-catching figure she used was this: only 14% of young people passed their GCSE maths resit this summer. Her response is to end what she called the cycle of repeated resits, and to introduce new foundation qualifications instead. Several other changes were announced. Speaking, listening and communicating, often called oracy, will be given equal status to reading and writing. It becomes a new strand of the English curriculum, built into the revised National Curriculum and developed with Ofqual. Technical and vocational qualifications will be put on a par with academic ones. New vocational GCSEs and pathways are planned, sitting alongside V Levels, T Levels, apprenticeships and A Levels. The curriculum review will go further than expected, with more depth and richer content, and a push to restore practical skills in practical subjects. A call for evidence on school exclusions was launched on the day of the speech. On special educational needs and disabilities, reforms will continue after the SEND consultation, with £4 billion of extra resources over three years. An "Experts at Hand" offer is being rolled out in local areas. On accountability, Ms Powell acknowledged Ofsted's role in raising standards but signalled changes to how schools are judged, calling for more weight on a school's context and on recognising inclusion, rather than relying on data alone. She cited over £2 billion of additional funding this year, and noted that one in five children are persistently absent from school.
Why this matters
Take the resit figure first, because it describes something a lot of families have lived through. In England, young people who do not achieve a grade 4 in GCSE maths or English are generally required to keep working towards it after 16. In practice that often means sitting the same exam again. If only 14% pass, then around 86% sit it, fail it, and in many cases are asked to sit it again. Whatever the intention, that is a system that tells a teenager each year that they have failed. New foundation qualifications would give a different route: something designed for them to pass, that still certifies useful maths and English. The oracy change is quieter but may reach further. Being able to explain an idea out loud, listen properly and take part in a discussion is used in almost every job and almost every medical appointment. It is also sharply divided by background. Children who grow up in homes with lots of conversation arrive at school with a head start, and schools have never had to teach the skill explicitly. Giving it equal status to reading and writing is an attempt to stop treating it as something you either absorb at home or do not. The vocational changes matter for the same reason. If roughly a third to a half of young people do not take the academic route, treating that route as the default makes the rest feel like a consolation prize. And one in five children persistently absent is a startling figure in its own right. Persistent absence usually means missing 10% or more of sessions. No curriculum reform works on a child who is not in the room.
What the evidence actually says
A speech is a statement of direction. It is worth separating the firm from the aspirational. The 14% maths resit figure is the Education Secretary's own, cited in the speech. It is a striking number and it is consistent with the long-standing pattern that GCSE resit pass rates are low. If you want the official breakdown, it sits in the Department for Education and Ofqual results statistics rather than in this speech. Oracy is confirmed as a new strand of the English curriculum, to be built into the revised National Curriculum with Ofqual. But a curriculum strand is not the same as an exam. The speech does not say how, or whether, oracy will be formally assessed. The new foundation qualifications and vocational GCSEs are announced in principle. The speech does not give the subjects, the grading, the start dates, or how they will interact with existing qualifications. The exclusions work is a call for evidence, which is the earliest stage of policy. It means ministers are gathering views, not that anything has changed. On Ofsted, the speech signals a shift in emphasis towards context and inclusion. It does not announce a new inspection framework. The funding figures are the clearest commitments: £4 billion for SEND over three years, and over £2 billion in additional funding this year. Set against that, it is fair to note that school and SEND budgets have been under sustained strain, and that extra money announced is not the same as a deficit closed. The speech also referred to PISA, the international comparison of 15-year-olds, describing England's results in English, maths and science as a national success while noting that PISA also found many students do not see the relevance of school. Both halves of that are worth keeping together. On artificial intelligence, Ms Powell acknowledged the opportunities and the problems, including homework, project work and AI-written complaints, and promised answers. A promise of answers is not an answer.
Practical advice
**If your child faces a maths or English resit, ask the school what route they are on.** Ask specifically whether a Functional Skills qualification or another alternative would suit them better than sitting the same GCSE again. That option often already exists and is not always offered. **Do not let a GCSE grade define a teenager's sense of their own ability.** Low resit pass rates are a feature of how the system is built, not a measure of your child's worth or potential. **Take vocational routes seriously when you compare options.** T Levels, apprenticeships and the newer V Levels lead to real careers. Ask about progression: what does this qualification let you do next? **Practise talking at home, out loud.** Ask for the reason behind an opinion. Let a child explain something to you properly without interruption. With oracy becoming part of the curriculum, this is useful, and it costs nothing. **If your child is missing a lot of school, talk to the school early.** Persistent absence means missing around 10% of sessions, which is roughly one day a fortnight. Schools can help with anxiety, bullying, illness and practical barriers, but only if they know. **If you are going through SEND processes, keep everything in writing.** Dates, names, what was agreed. Ask about the "Experts at Hand" offer in your area. Independent advice is available free from your local Information, Advice and Support Service. **Respond to the exclusions call for evidence if you have experience of it.** Calls for evidence are open to parents and carers, not just professionals, and the response rate from families is usually low.
What to know
The Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, has set out a broad direction for schools in England: oracy given equal status to reading and writing within the English curriculum, technical and vocational qualifications put on a par with academic ones including new vocational GCSEs, an end to repeated GCSE resits in favour of new foundation qualifications, a deeper curriculum review, a call for evidence on exclusions, continued SEND reform with £4 billion over three years, and a shift in school accountability towards context and inclusion. The statistic that anchors it is that only 14% of young people passed their GCSE maths resit this summer. She also cited one in five children being persistently absent, and over £2 billion in additional funding this year. Most of this is direction rather than detail. There are no start dates for the new qualifications, no decision on whether oracy will be assessed, no new Ofsted framework, and the exclusions work is at the evidence-gathering stage. The useful thing a parent can do today is narrower: if your child is stuck in a resit cycle, ask the school what alternatives exist, and if they are missing a lot of school, say so early. 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; GOV.UK, information on T Levels and post-16 options, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-t-levels; Department for Education, "DfE Update 14 October 2026", 14 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-update-14-october-2026 This article is for general information and is not education, legal or social care advice. For advice on your child's situation, speak to their school or your local Information, Advice and Support Service. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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