Blog Archives: July 2017

The last year has been extraordinary. There's seldom been a time of such change in policy and people, creating a great deal of uncertainty. The snap election has meant the government’s decision-making capacity has been compromised and has meant a dialling back of some of the reforms to education. However, as is usually the case in these circumstances, during the political turbulence and fall out of the past year, the Further Education (FE) sector has been ‘business as usual’, creating opportunities for learners to increase their employment and learning potential. This in itself is no mean feat, especially as the sector has faced multiple uncertainties, such as procurement for Adult Education Budgets and non-levy contracting.

We’re starting to see the relevant ministers within the Department for Education settle into their respective briefs, with some of the fog of uncertainty around some reforms beginning to lift. The now confirmed Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, Anne Milton, stated at the recent AELP conference that she was here to ‘listen and learn’, and seemed to be in favour of a period of stability to allow the current reforms to be rolled out.

At the beginning of 2017, the government released its Industrial Strategy for consultation. The responses are currently being considered and incorporated into a White Paper which is due in the autumn. Additionally, the Industrial Strategy Commission was set up in March 2017 to act as a critical friend as to the content, structure and direction of the strategy. The Commission has now published its interim report called ‘Laying the Foundations’ its final report is due in October.

The Department for Education recently published its long awaited guidance to Off-the-job (OTJ) for apprenticeships and applicable to frameworks and standards. The document is light, weighing in at a mere 14 pages, but covers what is probably one of the most anticipated, yet possibly controversial elements of apprenticeships – 20% of apprentices time must be allocated for OTJ training. Firstly, here’s the official definition:

It seems that, against all odds, in a department where everything else has changed around him, Schools Minister Nick Gibb is the Department for Education’s longest serving politician. His 3 years in post seems a lifetime, given that he’s worked under 3 different Education Secretaries in that time. Much of schools reform over the last few years can be attributed to Gibb. Changes to English and maths, the introduction of baseline testing and increased emphasis on GCSEs, have all been championed under his watch. GCSEs have been framed as the “gold standard” in qualifications.

This year, sex and relationships education (SRE) has been made mandatory for all children over the age of four in all schools in England, whereas previously, this was only an obligation for council-run schools. This is one example of the changing world we live in, influencing timetabling decisions and identifying gaps in the core curriculum which may not necessarily be equipped to arm schoolchildren with some of the ‘life lessons’, that can be lacking amongst traditional academia. SRE fits neatly in to the every growing umbrella of Personal, Social, Health and Education (PSHE) which has formed part of the National Curriculum since 2000. However, as all elements are not compulsory, the contents can be hazy and the responsibility lies with the school to decide the content of this wide ranging subject. From personal safety and first aid to money management, PSHE is the epitome of the subject that would like to be all things to all pupils and where the ‘E’ could almost stand for ‘everything else’.

The government lied in both its 2015 and 2017 manifestos. It committed to “create three million apprenticeships for young people by 2020”, when in truth ‘young people’ are not being prioritised. In reality, apprenticeship starts of all ages count towards the target, and so far this year a record 47% of starts are adults aged 25 and over. In fact, since counting towards the target began in 2015, more than 10,000 apprenticeship starts have been for people aged 60 and over. Yes, you read that right, aged 60 and over.