Blog Archives: 2013

English and maths qualifications are still very much the topic of discussion at the moment, with more and more employers coming forward asking for new recruits to have these basic skills before all others. Of course, this is not the first time that low levels of literacy and numeracy have been brought to the forefront of discussions, with reports in October by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showing how England’s 16 to 24 year olds are falling behind their Asian and European counterparts.

This week saw the official release of the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) education survey results. These are used by the influential Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to compare the educational outcomes of different countries. Out of the 65 countries surveyed, the UK gained two places in maths and literacy to reach 26th and 23rd and only ranked 20th in science. The UK's position is virtually unchanged from the last PISA exercise in 2009, sparking concern that students are failing to improve despite the fact that the country spends more on education than the international average.

Sport England are giving FE and sixth form colleges the chance to bid for a share of £5.8 million from their Further Education Activation Fund, an investment of the National Lottery.  The aim is to encourage participation in sport in colleges, and the fund will help colleges with the design and delivery of projects tailored to their students. This comes at a time where college students have the lowest sports participation rates of learners aged 16 and over.

Change is something we all face each and every day, whether it’s in work or our personal lives. Ironically the only constant in change itself is its continual inevitability. The secondary education sector is certainly no exception to this. Following on from the implementation of the new school headline performance measures for vocational qualifications, which came into full effect this year, the Department for Education last month published the ‘Reforming the Accountability System for Secondary Schools’ document.

Nigel Whitehead, UKCES Commissioner, has published his recommendations regarding the future of vocational qualifications. The review provides a vision and strategy, looking at how we can ensure that vocational qualifications are valued as worthwhile investments, enabling individuals to progress in their careers and employers to grow their businesses and improve their competitiveness. The review states that vocational qualifications should be relevant to individuals and employers, affordable, matched to skills needs, rigorous, and based upon a robust future-looking occupational standard.

Last month we were hoping to bring you an early Christmas present in the form of the newly published Key Stage 4 list. Once released it will provide a full list of all the qualifications approved to count in the 2016 performance tables. Sadly, at the time of going to press (11 December 2013), the Department for Education have yet to publish the list of eligible qualifications. This is disappointing for all of us and especially any of you waiting to embark on your curriculum planning for 2014/15. We’ll send you an email bulletin as soon as we have news. We’ll also tweet an update - you can follow us at @NCFE.

A new set of powerful school regulators called chancellors are to be appointed by Michael Gove in an attempt to keep a check on the growing number of free schools and academies. These chancellors will have the power to seize control of failing schools. The plan will see England split into 8 regions separate from local councils, with the free schools and academies in each region supervised by a new body known as a Headteacher Board (HTB), headed up by a chancellor. The new system echoes the model used for schools governance in the US, although the appointments are made locally.

The government has recently published an implementation plan called The Future of Apprenticeships in England which will give employers a stronger power in the design and delivery of Apprenticeships. These plans are a result of the Holt and Richard Review of Apprenticeships, which took place last year. All Apprenticeships that fall under the current framework will be replaced with new qualifications written by employers and other professional bodies. The new qualifications will have a minimum 12 month duration, with no exceptions.

MEPs have made a number of recommendations to tackle the issue of youth unemployment, advising that we’re in need of further measures to help young people move into work. ‘Youth guarantee’ schemes currently aim to ensure that young people under the age of 25 are offered a job, training, or a traineeship within 4 months of becoming unemployed. MEPs have now proposed that these schemes should be extended to include graduates under 30 years old.

As we adapt education approaches to the 21st century landscape, we’ve all started to challenge our thinking about how learning can be facilitated. With this in mind, distance and blended learning is becoming an increasingly viable option, extending opportunities for people who are looking to progress their skills in a fluid and flexible way. Learners are able to work at their own convenience and pace, taking control and fitting their learning into their lifestyle rather than having to follow a tight schedule of classroom based studying. This is particularly beneficial for those who are learning while they’re earning, trying to balance training and a job.