Petition · past parliament
Scrap GCSEs - they are obsolete and detrimental to young people’s mental health
Rejected
12 signatures
What the petition asks
With the age for leaving full-time education in England at 18, the only point of exams at 16 is to provide statistics for the league table. “Nine in 10 heads say tougher new GCSEs have harmed pupils' mental health, triggering panic attacks, sleepless nights, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.” (TES)
Even high-achieving, capable children who should enjoy learning, can end up dreading school and feeling inadequate as a result of constant GCSE-related pressure, right from the start in Year 7. We cannot carry on putting our youngsters’ mental health at risk for something that does not serve their education – and which takes all opportunities for creativity from their teachers who have to spend all their time in class preparing students to pass these fact-regurgitating tests.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 15 May 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 13 Jun 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
12
Status
Rejected
Rejected
13 Jun 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.