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Sec Ed have reported this week that the narrow focus on academia promoted by performance measures and Government policy could be ‘actively harming’ young people’s health and wellbeing. The article calls for PSHE to be made a statutory subject and for “health education” to be integrated into the wider curriculum. The academic group argues that education policy is increasingly encouraging schools to maximise academic attainment at the cost of children’s wellbeing.

With programmes of study now being developed and integrated into curriculum planning for next year, many of you are looking ahead at what substantial qualifications you can offer your learners. With this in mind, NCFE is dreaming green and has developed some substantial qualifications in Renewable Energy which are regulated and ready for delivery from September 2014. Designed to meet the funding requirements of the Study Programme, these new qualifications are a great addition to our existing 28 substantial qualifications ranging from Uniformed Services to Photography; Business and Sport. 

The use of technology in education and distance learning are the hot topics on everyone’s lips at the moment. With outcomes of the recent Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG) report insisting 10% of the content of all publically funded courses should be solely online by the 2015/16, digital methods of teaching and learning have never looked more appealing. Opinion on the delivery of qualifications via digital means is divided, however. Some have suggested that distance learning opens doors to learners who don’t have the financial means or physical ability to attend courses at educational institutions, such as Ruth Womak, a learner with physical and mental conditions that made it difficult to take on a full educational course without additional help.

Campaigners working to address the lack of diversity in children’s books have taken their fight online to help raise awareness of equality and diversity issues. The social media campaign, led by a group of authors including Ellen Oh, Aisha Saeed and Chelsea Pitcher, has been launched with a public “call to action”, encouraging people to go online to support the push for great diversity in children’s literature.

The length of summer holidays in England is at the centre of an ongoing debate, with many valid points being made both for and against the holidays being reduced. From September 2014, state schools will be given the same power as academies, voluntary-aided and free schools in England and will be able to change the length of their school year. Headteachers are amongst those who appears to be encouraging the change to the summer break to ease the pressure on teachers. The NAHT union has proposed allocating more holidays throughout the year to replace the long summer break, which is being described as “the most significant move so far towards altering school terms on a widespread scale”.

Care Minister Norman Lamb has appealed that we ‘drive up standards’ in the care profession following an independent review which has highlighted inconsistencies in training. In a new scheme set to be launched in March 2015, care workers will have to earn a training certificate within 12 weeks of starting a job and topics will include infection control, dementia care and patient dignity.

NCFE has been hard at work on our response to this important consultation which has now been submitted to the Government. So, what did we have to say?

Employability is still a hot topic in the education sector as the jobs market remains tough and competitive. Much of the focus is on how prepared learners are for job applications and interviews from school onwards. The first step in any job application is writing the perfect CV. Many young people feel they are not prepared for this due to the exclusion of employability and preparation for life and work modules in mandatory school curriculums.

Welcome back from what I hope was a great Easter for you. On 10 April, I blogged about the funding relating to NCFE’s 13 credit qualifications recently exempted by the SFA. I’ve had a query about funding relating to these qualifications for the next academic year. The issue is linked to the change in classification from full to non-full for the 13 and 14 credit qualifications that have recently been confirmed as funded in 2014/15 despite the fact they are below the 15 credit threshold for full level 2.

The wait is over, the discount (classification) codes for qualifications that will count in the 2014 Key Stage 4 Performance tables have now been published. We know from speaking with many of you that the publication of discount code information is really important to you so for ease, we’ve listed the V Cert discount codes for the next 3 years on our website. You can also find the full list of all codes for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 tables together with guidance by visiting the RAISEonline website.