A number of schools have been hit by the changes in which qualifications count in the school performance tables.
This year, 330 schools fell below the required benchmark which is up from 154 in the previous year - clearly a big increase but probably not a big surprise to the schools it has impacted upon.
With the effects of the Department for Education (DfE) changes only now beginning to show, many schools have been preparing for how this would influence their school’s headline performance. Crucially, many schools feel that the removal of GCSE equivalency for many of the Level 2 portfolio-based qualifications has left some pupils with no or limited vocational options.
The good news of course is that those changes have allowed for some vocational qualifications to survive, even thrive. Technical Awards are the DfE’s name for the qualifications that have equal standing to GCSEs in the Key Stage 4 school performance tables. As many of you now know, our V Certs are a type of technical award and this year it’s really great to see so many schools choosing them as a solution to balancing back their curriculum with both academic and vocational options to suit all learning styles. With the range of V Certs growing in a broad range of interesting subject areas, it’s fantastic to see how they’re capturing the imagination of schools. The V Certs mean that you can continue to offer your pupils vocational qualifications with real value and engagement benefits, whilst also receiving performance table recognition for your school.
One thing to keep in mind though is that V Certs and other vocational qualifications with points can now also be discounted by GCSE’s and visa versa. This year is the first year that this applies so schools need to make sure that when they’re putting pupils on a vocational qualification, that the discount code does not duplicate with similar GCSE subjects. Full details of all V Cert discount codes can be found on our website.
What’s also important to remember of course is that many of the old style qualifications still carry real value in terms of both enrichment, engagement and personal and social development. Skills such as personal money management and others have real value in today’s society and help young people to leave education as well rounded individuals with the skills they need to progress in their lives. We’ve now set-up our dedicated Schools area on our website and the new pages outline exactly how the broader NCFE portfolio can continue to support value added learning and pupil engagement alongside the point-carrying V Cert qualifications.
What do you think? How have the changes impacted upon your school? Are you still intending to run qualifications which don’t carry performance points? Have you looked into any vocational GCSE equivalents? Let us know your thoughts.
