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‘Earn or Learn’ for 18 to 21 year olds: new age group, new policies

By , Thursday 21 April 2016

In this pamphlet published by NCFE and the Campaign for Learning, Mark Corney analyses the Government's expectation that all 18 to 21 year olds should be 'earning or learning'. Mark looks at the policy reasons for treating 18 to 21 year olds as a new and distinct age group. He also considers how 'earning or learning' can be fully realised for all young people given existing and proposed policies, such as the removal of the cap on student numbers in higher education, the introduction of the Youth Obligation and the proposed abolition of the automatic entitlement to Housing Benefit.

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Can we improve careers advice?

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

Careers advice has once again been a hot topic in the news, as many in and outside of the sector have emphasised its importance, and some have criticised the current resources available to school learners and leavers. Gatsby has carried out a survey on the current state of careers advice in the UK and made recommendations to improve the guidance young people receive going forward. In the foreword of the report, Lord Sainsbury argues that, while many reports in the past have been critical of the careers advice available to learners, the situation hasn’t improved. He cites persistent youth unemployment and the widening skills gap facing UK employers as evidence of this.

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Keeping creativity on the agenda

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

A petition to include more creative subjects in the EBacc will be discussed in parliament after gaining over 100,000 signatures. The petition states: “The English Baccalaureate, or Ebacc, is a standard which maintains that English, maths, science, a language and a humanity [subject] define a good education. The exclusion of art, music, drama and other expressive subjects is limiting, short sighted and cruel. Creativity must be at the heart of our schools.” Many believe the EBacc’s focus on more traditionally academic subjects may push creative qualifications to the side, which will result in pupils being discouraged from taking them. Malcolm Trobe, Interim General Secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) argues this could lead to arts becoming a “preserve of the elite”.

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Vocational achievement on the rise

By , Wednesday 20 April 2016

More learners than ever are achieving Level 3 vocational qualifications, while the number of learners taking A Levels has fallen. The number of learners earning Level 3 vocational qualifications by the age of 19 rose by 0.8% in 2015 to 18.4%, representing an increase of more than 15% over the previous 10 years. In contrast, the number of learners studying A Levels has fallen by 0.3%; this is the first time the number has fallen since 2008.

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What will the National Funding Formula bring?

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 18 April 2016

David Grailey

In March the Department for Education (DfE) published the long anticipated ‘stage one’ consultation into the National Funding Formula (NFF) for schools. The DfE believe a change to the way schools are funded will create a“fair, transparent funding system where the amount of funding children attract for their schools is based on need and is consistent across the country”. The consultation essentially proposes a transition so that by 2019-2020 “a pupil would attract the same amount of funding to his or her school no matter where they are in the country”. As the amount each pupil at a school would attract is determined on a national level, there would be less of a role for Local Authorities under these proposals.

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