Blog Archives: July 2016

This month saw the publication of both Lord Sainsbury’s Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education and the accompanying Post-16 Skills Plan. The report and plan will have a significant impact on the awarding sector, and especially on the choice of qualifications available for learners aged 16 and above.  The report states that at 16, learners should be "presented with two choices: the academic or the technical option" in the form of 15 broad occupational routes covering "college-based and employment-based (apprenticeship) education" from Levels 2 to 5.

The Education and Endowment Foundation (EEF) is launching a £5 million fund aimed at helping learners who don’t hold an English or maths GCSE at grade C or above. The EEF fund, in partnership with JP Morgan, will be used to support up to 8 research projects that are aimed at improving English and maths GCSE grades for Key Stage 4 learners.

Learners from Burton and South Derbyshire College recently protested over the potential removal of courses including performing arts, painting and decorating, animal care and brickwork. A number of the protesting learners had just finished their first year in performing arts, and were expecting to continue into the second year of their courses after the summer break. Abbie Wilson, a drama student, said of the news: “I am devastated as we have just been told our target grade and all got onto the course for our second year. When I was told, I just cried – we all have the hope of going to drama school but that might not happen now.”

Adult education could “disappear by 2020”, according to a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Adult Education. The report follows figures published last month that showed the number of adult learners had dropped by more than 300,000 between the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 sessions.

As we all know, the announcement that the UK had decided to leave the European Union has had a huge impact, with so much happening in the 4 weeks since the news was revealed. We now have a new Prime Minister, brought in due to the lack of other viable candidates remaining in the standing for the role. We have a new Cabinet, and a somewhat revolving door Shadow Cabinet, as well as an ongoing leadership challenge within the Labour party, reflecting the political and economic turbulence that took hold in the days following the referendum result.

It’s all change in the government. Theresa May has been sworn in as our new Prime Minister, and there is wholesale change across the political Cabinet.  In education and skills, there are several ministerial changes, and responsibility for skills, along with Higher Education, has returned to the Department for Education (DfE). We look forward to seeing how bringing education, universities, FE and Apprenticeships under one minister’s remit will ensure joined up decision making for the benefit of learners.

Today, Lord Sainsbury’s Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education and the accompanying Post-16 Skills Plan have both been published. The report has been long-awaited and will have a significant impact on the awarding sector, and especially on the development of post-16 qualifications.