Our warmest congratulations to the young people who have received their GCSE results yesterday and well done on your hard work.

Congratulations to the schools and teachers who have once again done such a fantastic job in preparing their pupils for these important examinations.

Today’s results come against a national backdrop of a decline in overall UK outcomes with the A*-C rate down by 2.1 percentage points, including a drop of 1.3 percentage points for 16 year olds.

Traditional academic subjects don’t suit all 

It appears that there are two major factors responsible. The first is the introduction of performance measures by the government which drive GCSE entries towards traditional academic subjects. It is absolutely vital that young people have access to a broad and balanced curriculum in which these subjects are of course hugely important. However, it is not necessarily the case that they suit all young people at GCSE. What we seem to be seeing is some young people struggling with these subjects and a decline in outcomes as a result.

One has to question whether this is the right approach by the government. Is it better for pupils to achieve a higher grade in a subject which suits their interests or a lower grade in a subject the government prioritises? For the individual, in terms of their future education and career options, the answer would seem to be the former rather than the latter.

EBacc is too narrow 

The other potential impact of this policy approach is to narrow the curriculum. This year’s results show a decline in the number of entries for creative and technology subjects. Design and technology has, in particular, suffered a sharp drop in take-up, not just this year, but over the course of the past six years. Our concern is that this emerging pattern will become more pronounced as the government seeks to increase the uptake of the English Baccalaureate.

We agree with the principle that everybody should have access to the EBacc subjects. Our concerns are that this combination of subjects does not always suit the interests and aptitudes of every student, and that the EBacc suite of options is simply too narrow. There are other equally valid and rigorous choices out there. However, if a large part of the timetable is filled up with EBacc there is consequently less room for other subjects.

Creative and technology options fire the imagination and enthusiasm of many young people, and our country needs these skills to support industries which play a vital role in the UK economy. We need to ensure that these subjects are not squeezed out of the curriculum - both in the interests of students and the future of the country.

Depressing resit results

The other factor behind the decline in outcomes is because the government now requires 17-year-olds who have not achieved at least a grade C in GCSE English and maths to re-take these subjects. Unsurprisingly, this policy results in a relatively large proportion of these young people not achieving grade C or above in the re-take, thus depressing overall results.

The government’s intention here is understandable, but it is a bit of a blunt instrument. English and maths are vitally important and ministers want to give young people every chance to achieve these GCSE qualifications. Certainly, for those who are on the C/D borderline a second chance is a good thing.

However, surely this is not the right approach for every 17-year-old. For some young people it would perhaps be better to provide them with different English and maths post-16 courses which focus more on practical application. There is no point in making them re-take academic exams only for them to end up feeling as though they have failed again.

What today’s results demonstrate is that young people have varied interests and needs and that education policy should match the reality of this complex picture rather than trying to steer everybody down the same route. In the light of these results, the government should introduce more flexibility into EBacc and reconsider its approach over post-16 English and maths resits.

For full access to all our A-level coverage, click here, and for our GCSE coverage, click here.

Malcolm Trobe is interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook