A recent Conversative Party survey has found that only 3% of pupils are getting good GCSE pass in key subjects in some areas. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said last year that it was "a scandal that four-fifths of our 16-year-olds did not take the core academic GCSEs that universities and employers demand, when far more are capable of doing so". Ministers are echoing concerns that so few teenagers are getting at least a C in the ‘English baccalaureate’ of six core subjects: English, maths, two sciences, a language and history or geography.
A spokeswoman from Tower Hamlets Council said that while "relatively high" numbers of pupils were taking English, Maths and science, "fewer pupils have historically opted to study history/geography or languages". Stephen Twigg, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said the figures reflected the broad choice of subjects that children were able to choose from.
More information from The Guardian.