Our ref:
October2011
To:SQA Co-ordinator
FE colleges
Action by recipient / Contact name —Graeme FindlayDirect line —0845 213 5492
E-mail —
Response required
Note and pass on
None — update/information only
Dear Colleague
Higher National Qualifications Update —Fashion and Textiles
This update, whichprovides information and advice to centres in relation to Higher National (HN) Qualifications Courses in Fashion and Textilesat all levels, should be forwarded to members of staff responsible for these subjects.
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and Romana Howells. We now have responsibility for the HN suite of Fashion and Textile Courses and look forward to working with you. Our contact details can be found above/at the end of this letter.
General issues
Communication
We appreciate that it’s important to share best practice but, in the current economic climate, it’s not always easy to attend meetings/meet in person. We’re looking for your thoughts on ways in which we could create a community that would be beneficial to your work yet not impinge on your time. Is it a virtual network or simply sharing contact details? Do you have exemplars we could publish and share with other centres? Please send your ideas to Romanain the first instance.
Curriculum for Excellence
Draft Course Specifications for National 4 and National 5 Practical Fashion and Textiles have been published. The Course Specifications outline the subject skills, knowledge and understanding that a learner will cover in the Course and which will be assessed at the end of the Course.
Please visit the Curriculum for Excellence website to view and comment on the documents. Draft documents are being published at each stage of the development process and you can leave feedback via the Have Your Say facility.
Fashion: Design and Production with Retail G8PT 15/ G8PT 16
Assessment exemplars are now available for the following Units in the Group Award framework:
Financial Accounting Statements: An Introduction (F93K 34)
Using Financial Accounting Statements (F93H 34)
We would like to highlight that the mark allocations for Graded Unit 1 F2EJ 34 have now been added to the Unit specification - 20% of marks are allocated for planning, 60% for developing and 20% for evaluating.
Fashion Technology and Manufacture with Design Graded Unit 1 F293 34
On the advice of the Clothing and Textiles Qualifications Support Team, the allocation of marks in the Fashion Technology and Manufacture with Design: Graded Unit 1 F293 34 have been amended to 30% planning, 50% development and 20% evaluation.
Fashion and Textiles gallery
We would like to create an online fashion and textiles gallery showcasing work by HN students. If you would like your students’ work to be considered for this feature, please get in touch with Romana.
Internal Assessment Report
The Clothing and Textiles 2011 Internal Assessment Report is now available on our subject webpages. This document contains detailed information relating to the Graded Units and is an excellent toolfor preparing future candidates.
New Group Award Structure – National Certificate in Fashion, Design and Manufacture (SCQF Level 6)
The qualification structure for the National Certificate in Fashion, Design and Manufacture (SCQF Level 6) has now been validated.The qualification consists of 12 (3 mandatory and 9 optional)Unitsandis designed to provide progression to further study or employment. The focus of the mandatory Units is fashion design and garment manufacture, the optional Units offer the choice to explore fashion forecasting, merchandising, drawing skills, marketing and communication.
SOLAR
Through its sector leading SOLAR e-Assessment system, SQA has developed a range of formative questions to support Fashion and Textiles including millinery and pattern construction. These assessments are focused on topics and are designed to be used by learners to support their learning. As part of our continuous focus on quality, we would like to undertake a review of these questions to ensure they remain current and appropriate to the needs of our centres and learners. If you are interested in being involved in this review (maximum of 2 days in Glasgow) then please contact for more information.
All SOLAR formative e-assessments are available through the OpenAssess portal on the SOLAR website
Web pages
The information for our courses can now be accessed on the website via the heading ‘Fashion and Textiles’ in the HN sector area(this was previously to be found under the Creative Industries heading).
Should you require any further information regarding the content of this letter, or any other matter relating to Fashion and Textile subjects, please contact either Romana or myself using the details listed below:
Romana Howells — Qualifications Officer
0845 213 5480 or
Graeme Findlay — Qualifications Manager
0845 213 5492 or
Yours faithfully
Graeme Findlay
Qualifications Manager
People and Services
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