With recent reports showing that just 16% of private schools offer vocational qualifications, we explore the important role of both academic and vocational qualifications within the school curriculum.
Andrew Fleck, Headmaster at Sedbergh School in Cumbria said: “There seems to be little consensus in the nation’s debate about anything relating to education, with one exception. The country needs more high-quality vocational education.
“I have never met anyone who disagrees but it appears that the contribution of Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) schools is particularly poor in this regard, with only 44 [out of 276] schools recorded as offering non- A-level vocational programmes.”
This is quite a challenge but one which many of the public will not be surprised about. After all, if you’re going to private school then shouldn’t you be studying the best qualifications? That assumption is just the problem. Who said academic qualifications were the best or that they would necessarily get you the best jobs?
It seems the low take-up of vocational qualifications in private schools is simply a reflection of how our society views vocational qualifications. They’re often seen as either a soft option or the alternative for those pupils who can’t achieve academically. Yet it’s great to see that like us others are challenging this perspective. Indeed, industry continuously calls out for employees with a much broader mix of skills and a pupil who can attain qualifications in both academic and vocational comes away with a more rounded education.
The Department for Education (DfE) also recognises this and, with the increasing rigour in vocational qualifications, they have also allowed up to 3 vocational qualifications to be included within the new Progress 8 measure which all secondary schools must adopt from September 2016.
As a vocational qualification specialist provider, we also believe that this is good thing and highlights the key role that vocational study has in Year 9 education and beyond.
We believe that vocational qualifications can and do provide a valuable alternative learning style to academic subjects which help pupils leave school with a balanced and broad range of qualifications and learning experiences.
Pupils with skills gained from both both academic and vocational qualifications can contribute towards an improved economy as those new employees arrive with a much broader skill and mindset. The fact is that vocational qualifications simply reflect a different style of learning to academic.
However, why do some schools (both private and state run) chose to avoid vocational qualifications? As Mr Fleck comments, "heads and teachers have been successful in academia and we gravitate towards that which we are familiar and comfortable.
“Second, we are afraid that if our schools embrace vocational education we will be perceived to be ‘dumbing down’”.
So perhaps the real challenge for us all as advocates of vocational learning is in fact to educate others of their worth to learners.
