Blog posts for tag:Vocational

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GCSE results – what’s the scores on the doors?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 26 August 2014

Lindsay Plumpton

This year saw a transition for GCSE Level qualifications, with a focus on end point examination, (removing the earlier ‘January series’ re-sit & modular examinations). Last week, thousands of teens received their all-important results and overall, the 2014 results show a 98.5% pass rate, down 0.3 percentage points (but with a rise in students receiving A*s). While some subjects, such as ICT, Computing and Business Studies recorded significant growth, the number of English entries dropped by more than 215,000. Among 15-year-olds, the number of maths entries dropped by 76 per cent, from 170,357 down to 39,292.

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Results Day – more young people consider apprenticeships

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 14 August 2014

Lindsay Plumpton

So the big day has arrived and the result is…. that the overall pass rate is down for the first time in 30 years.  However, the percentage of A* grades awarded has risen from 7.6% to 8.2%. Despite this, there are a record number of university places available and students could still get places at their chosen university, even if they have not achieved the required grades.

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Let’s get Technical

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Thursday 31 July 2014

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

In amongst the range of announcements made over the past month was a major ‘launch’ from the Department for Education, who finalised their technical guidance for Vocational Qualifications which would contribute to performance tables at Key Stage 4. Rather confusingly, qualifications that meet these requirements will be known as ‘Technical Awards’, different to already-announced ‘Technical Levels’, (which are vocational qualifications that contribute to performance tables for 16-18 year old learners).

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Policy Corner - 28 July 2014

By Andrew Gladstone-Heighton, Policy Leader, Tuesday 29 July 2014

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

It’s all change at the top. Time for a fresh start? (p7) – its ‘all change’ in Education and Skills world, with new Ministers Nicky Morgan and Nick Boles replacing Michael Gove and Matthew Hancock. The TES article looks at the legacy Nicky is set to inherit at the Department for Education, where ‘she faces the tough task of making her predecessors reforms work on the ground.

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Apprenticeships and Traineeships to go under the spotlight

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 24 July 2014

Lindsay Plumpton

MPs are set to take a closer look at the effectiveness of Apprenticeships and Traineeships for 16 to 19 year olds, it has been reported. The House of Commons Education Select Committee has called for written evidence for the inquiry; particularly looking at whether Apprenticeships and Traineeships meet employers’ needs and prepare learners for work.

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V Certs pilot feedback

By Kevin Gill, Marketing Projects Leader, Wednesday 11 June 2014

Kev Blog

For the past few months we’ve continued to keep you posted on our V Cert qualification developments. Throughout January to April participating schools have continued to work with us to review the content of our new V Cert qualifications and, where possible, deliver a selection of sample units to their pupils. Once again, we really wanted to give schools the opportunity to explore what we’d developed to help ensure that the qualifications continue to engage pupils.  The V Cert subjects covered in this year’s pilot were Computing, Business & Enterprise and Creative Craft and as with last year, the pilot project has been an invaluable source of information for NCFE and the schools that have taken part. Some of the schools completed their pilot as a single unit, some trialled the whole qualification and some used it as an opportunity to teach the Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications together to see how they aligned in mixed ability classes.

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VQ Day 2014

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Wednesday 04 June 2014

David Grailey

Today is the 7th annual VQ day celebrating vocational achievement and the benefits of practical, technical and vocational learning. Vocational qualifications have never been more important to the economy and to individuals. They help to equip the trained, talented employees businesses are crying out for and ensure young people have the skills needed to succeed in education and work. The government is also investing in vocational routes and acknowledging their value. Vocational Qualifications are being recognised as they can really enhance a learners life and their chance of getting into work.

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Non-academic courses are still valuable to learners

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Thursday 29 May 2014

David Grailey

In March this year it was announced that around 5,000 adult vocational courses would be cut in order to "simplify and streamline" the adult skills system in England. Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock also took to Twitter to announce that the Government will be binning ‘low-value’ courses such as self-tanning, balloon artistry and instructing pole fitness in order to focus on qualifications that employers value. Read my original statement on the subject.

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The march of Progress

By David Grailey, Chief Executive, Monday 17 March 2014

David Grailey

The Department for Education (DfE) has recently made some significant changes to the way that secondary school performance is measured, having an impact on schools up and down the country. The aim is to reform the way that schools and colleges are assessed so that all pupils, regardless of background, can make progress and find success across a broad choice of subjects and study programmes. The government’s vision was to reward schools that set high expectations for the attainment and progress of all their pupils, provide high value qualifications, and teach a wide variety of subjects across a balanced curriculum. The focus was to ensure that accountability became “the servant, not the master, of excellent teaching”. In other words, the accountability system should work with and not against teachers’ main objective – to help their pupils gain the skills and qualifications they need to succeed in their future.

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Guest blog by Christina Doubleday

By Christina Doubleday, Deputy Executive Director, 157 Group, Wednesday 19 February 2014

Christine Doubleday Blog

Recent research carried out by FE Week indicates that, of the 611 members of LEPs, only 38 have either current or past experience in Further Education. LEPs are often referred to as ‘the new kids on the block’. They are usually quoted as part of an inventory of such bodies – hinting that, they too, will soon be consigned to history and we will have a new three letter acronym to come to terms with. As though we need not take them very seriously.

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