By Gary Eason Education editor, BBC News website

Online skills tests are an alternative way of assessing the basics

The government is issuing contradictory signals about its new GCSE league table targets for England, councils say.

The new benchmark will be five good grades including English and maths - which the Department for Education and Skills has said means actual GCSEs.

But its guidance says such things as online literacy and numeracy tests designed for adults might be used.

"I think they are confused," said Sir Mike Tomlinson, whose report into 14 to 19 education prompted the change.

One education authority has set out ways to use the adult skills tests and make up "five good GCSEs" with qualifications such as "preparation for working life", music technology and horse care.

It says its priority has to be what is best for its youngsters.

Functional skills

The Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly, announced the tougher GCSE-level target as part of her response to the Tomlinson Report on 14 to 19 education in England.

That report, commissioned by the government, lamented the lack of functional literacy and numeracy.

Ms Kelly told MPs her proposals for a "GCSE diploma" would have English and maths at their heart.

So from 2006 the school league tables will have a new benchmark: The proportion of students achieving the equivalent of at least five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and maths.

But what will count towards the English and maths element is not clear.

In response to enquiries, the DfES says: "The commitment is to show five A*-C GCSEs including English and maths at GCSE".

Combinations

A paper prepared by City of Nottingham education authority 's 14-19 Team contains a series of combinations to meet or exceed the benchmark.

Final decisions on the indicators to be included in the 2006 tables will be taken after consultation with schools Department for Education and Skills Secondary School Achievement and Attainment Tables proposals

The first is indeed GCSE maths and English, each worth 20% of the total, and three other GCSEs, worth 60%.

Another is "adult online tests in literacy and numeracy", making up 10% each, plus four other GCSEs, worth 80%.

Wider key skills in improving own learning, problem solving and working with others are worth 15% each.

Alternatively the online tests in literacy, numeracy and ICT (information and communication technology) are combined with other qualifications.

These include career planning, community volunteering, vehicle parts operations and food processing and cooking.

Consultation

The head of Nottingham's 14-19 Team, Judith Mulhearn, said it had consulted the performance tables proposals on the website of the Department for Education and Skills.

GCSEs do not demonstrate functional skills, Tomlinson report said

"What more legitimate website could you go to?" she said.

That says the department will be "trialling a range of indicators which might, from 2006, be used to recognise achievements in English and maths".

It adds: "Final decisions on the indicators to be included in the 2006 tables will be taken after consultation with schools".

The Teachernet website, a repository of official guidance for schools, says: "We are trialling two options for the new 5+ A*-C including English and maths".

One "including English and maths GCSEs", the other "including functional English and maths at Level 2".

Using the second indicator, Level 2 Key Skills in communication and application of number, and Basic Skills, would be counted as well as GCSEs.

Targets

A document sent to education authorities by the DfES has to do with the targets schools should set.

In a covering letter, Andrew McCully, director of the department's school standards group, wrote: "We do not want to pre-empt decisions on the exact indicator to be reported ...".

So schools should set a target for English and maths using either GCSEs or other Key Skills and Basic Skills qualifications "regarded as functional equivalents".

"The picture appears to be contradictory in some ways," Ms Mulhearn said.

"What do you do? You come back to what's best for the young people and there's nothing preventing us from encouraging the schools to take the 'belt and braces' approach."

In other words, all pupils take GCSE maths and English anyway, and some would get the required grade C or above.

'Challenging'

But many might not - in which case they would have the adult literacy and numeracy tests as a fallback, demonstrating "functional" skills at Level 2.

"If it's good enough for part of the driving test and you let them on the road, it's hardly a dangerous qualification," she added.

Liverpool City Council's assistant education director Margaret Gill said: "There seems to be some confusion at national level."

Sir Mike proposed "core skills" tests in literacy, maths and ICT

If the target were to be English and maths GCSEs it would be "challenging for some of our schools".

Ms Gill said all schools in areas of social deprivation were likely to have problems, and such a target would not be fair.

The message was "aim as high as you can" - but tests of functional skills "would be more suitable".

"One of the problems for us here in Liverpool is engaging young people in education.

"For many of those, the formality of an English and maths GCSE curriculum isn't necessarily going to engage them.

"Whereas if we can, through work-based learning, engage them in ways of pursuing English and maths I think they will see the routes as being much more purposeful."

'Confusion'

The Learning Trust which runs schools in Hackney is also not clear about what is expected.

Its chair is Sir Mike Tomlinson himself.

"I think there is confusion, first of all, and I'm not sure that's been resolved fully by the guidance," he said.

His report on 14 to 19 education was not against the use of skills tests, and he said some schools in Hackney were thinking of using the adult tests.

Indeed, one of the report's points was that even students with good GCSE maths and English grades might not have the required functional skills.

Sir Mike said his working party had wanted the functional elements to be a "subset" of the GCSE.

The government is changing GCSEs to take account of this - but results from the new ones will not appear until the turn of the decade.

Its White Paper had referred to Level 2 skills - but it would be wrong to regard existing GCSEs as "equivalent" to those, Sir Mike said.

"I think they are confused," he added.