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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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The past couple of months have seen the initial education and skills battle lines being drawn for the 2015 General Election: The most surprising announcement was July’s Cabinet reshuffle in which Michael Gove was replaced as Secretary of State for Education by the relatively unknown former Treasury minister and Minister for Women Nicky Morgan (view her political background and voting record here).

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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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Last week saw the launch of two very important consultations from Ofqual. One is focused around withdrawing the regulatory arrangements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and the other is looking at Guided Learning Hours (GLH). Ofqual has concerns about the QCF in terms of its ‘unitised’ style of learning and the worry that it is not supporting unit and credit transfer or synoptic assessment.

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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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This week has seen a flurry of ministerial movements across government and Prime Minister David Cameron has commented that he is proud to lead "a fresh team with the idea, the energy and the ability to take this country forward." The reshuffle shows a real move to the Right policy wise, possibly as a reaction to losing Conservative voters to UKIP in the recent European elections.

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Recent studies show that teachers in Britain are faced with longer working hours outside the classroom than the majority of teachers around the world. On average they work 46 hours a week, but only 20 of them are spent in the classroom (according to the latest ‘Teacher and Learning International Survey). It’s clear that although teachers love their profession, the workload is unmanageable and the accountability systems cause unnecessary pressure and they are underpaid for the work they do. Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers

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Blog Archives: July 2014

Let’s get Technical

General Election: 9 months to go…

Policy Corner - 28 July 2014

Ofqual consultations

Apprenticeships and Traineeships to go under the spotlight

Cabinet reshuffle – what does this mean?

Teachers in England work longer hours than the rest of the world...

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

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Archive

Blog Archives: July 2014

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Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

David Grailey

Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Esme Winch

Michael Lemin

Categories

Archive