This Paper Provides a Brief and Very Unofficial Bullet Point Summary of the Main Education

This Paper provides a brief and very unofficial bullet point summary of the main education happenings that occurred between July – December 2006. It can just be squeezed into 12 pages but if it’s all too much, this first page provides a simple listing of the main features.

Academies: new target of 400 by 2010
A levels: reform package taking shape as the Pre U and IB surface
ALI: a final Report before joining Ofsted in April 2007
Comp Spending Review: the key funding and policy setting point of 2007
Conservatives: completing policy reviews prior to summer announcements
Coursework: new rules laid out in QCA Report
Diplomas: first 5 taking shape, next 5 being scoped out
Ed and Inspections Act: enacts Trust schools and 14 – 19 entitlement
FE: facing an FE Bill and Leitch defined demand led system
Field trips: back in but with heavy guidance
Foundation degrees: possible opening up of degree awarding powers
Functional skills: trialling from Jan 07, piloting Sept 07, growing importance
Gateway: rush to get bids in by Dec 06, initial results due Feb/March 07
GCSE: consultation on iGCSE closes 22 Feb 2007
HE: proposals out on employer engagement and HE in FE
IB: reaching into each English Local Authority by 2010
Key stage tests: upward trend but targets missed, testing under review
Learning Accounts: endorsed by Leitch
LSC: given new defined responsibilities by Leitch and the FE Bill
Leitch: setting the conditions for retooling the country
Local Gov: White Paper out, Lyons (funding) Review completing
MFL: Dearing called in to fix haemorrhaging
Ofsted: new Board, new Chief inspector, new responsibilities
Personalisation: consultation out for FE, vision coming for schools
Schools: Ofsted report ‘4 out of 10’ not good enough’
Science: importance confirmed in speeches by the PM and Chancellor
Skills: Select Committee launch detailed Inquiry
Skills Academies: further 3 launched, 4 more bids accepted
Train to Gain: completes national roll out, future demand mechanism

A levels

55 years old and creaking? Depends who you ask
According to some headlines, the independent sector is losing interest and threats from the Pre U and the IB are getting stronger
Yet record entries for the 2006 summer exam series and the Government moving to strengthen the ‘gold standard’ from 2008
Mixed blessings in the summer series; overall pass rate up for 24th year by 0.4% to 24.1%, record 1.3% rise in the number of A grades to 24.1% notable increases in some key subjects such as Maths and Chemistry
Little time for quiet satisfaction; as the results published, IPPR call for their abolition, the CBI and BCC question their value, others pin their hopes on the 2008 review but Mike Tomlinson puts his finger on it, “we can’t agree on the purpose of A levels”
For the present A levels to sit alongside 14 – 19 reforms but with some significant nips and tucks
Tucks include reductions in coursework and number of assessment modules,nips include possible introduction of ‘harder’ questions, an Extended Project, an A* grade, faster release of results
Outside the main body,the Pre U prepares for launch in Sept 2008 and the IB for expansion in England in 2010
“Don’t misunderstand me” said the Prime Minister in his SSAT speech in Nov, “the majority of students will continue to do A levels and GCSEs but diplomas and, for some the IB, offer new options.” Some understood only too well

Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI)

A mix of emotions as ALI issues its final Report in Dec before preparing to pack up and join the Ofsted empire from April 2007
Much delight that standards in adult learning rising, “this year we can celebrate phenomenal improvement,” but tinged with sorrow at departing and some anxiety about the future, “who will offer the detailed, independent judgement?”
2 particular concerns in the Chief Inspector’s eyes; loss of rigour in light touch inspection and holding on to quality in a market driven system
ALI with a proud track record since its inception in 2000, Talisman, Excalibur, fearless inspecting, innovative reporting
Impact perhaps evident in this final Report which sees 50% of work based providers now good or better, 78% of adult and community learning satisfactory or better, success rates in colleges up to 76% and big improvements in prison learning and Skills for Life learning
On the flipside, just 51% average Apprenticeship completion rate in England, too much teaching to the test and too much ill informed change
“You don’t keep pulling a plant out to check it’s growing” sighs the Chief Inspector wiping his boots for the last time

Budget/Pre Budget Report 2006

Lights now on for the all important runway into the summer 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, seen by many as the key moment of the year both politically and economically
Pre Budget Report in December offers Reports, analysis and Reviews by the shed load, plenty of excess baggage
Key Reports include Stern on The Economics of Climate Change, Eddington on Transport, Barker on Land Use and Planning and Leitch on Skills; some scary scenarios being scoped out and feeding into the priorities being set under the Spending Review
Some Reports not completed yet; Lyons Review of Local Gov given more time to factor in implications from the other Reports and now due as part of Budget 2007
Behind the headline Reports sit a number of cross cutting reviews covering areas like children and young people, sub national economic development and the third sector
And keeping the radar focused are Ministerial Working Groups on economic dynamism, environment and energy, public services, security, crime and justice, the role of the state and Britain and the World
As the Chancellor prepares to don the cloak and save the world, some central themes emerge
Main one is how much the world has changed since the last major Review 10 years ago
5 new challenges now setting the lines for future national policy; demographic and socio economic change, radical transformation of the global economy, rapid innovation and technological diffusion, global uncertainty, and pressures on natural resources and the climate
The challenges alluded to in the Chancellor’s Dec Pre Budget statement which, perhaps surprisingly, finds him putting education and schools centre stage as bulwarks for the future
Cheerfully announcing the same money again, capital budget for education set to rise by 4.1% but had been 11.1%, £36bn set for big refurbishing classrooms project, £16m over 2 years to support school reading and literacy and the familiar, but larger, annual direct grants
For FE there was a commitment to support the Leitch targets with special references to increases in Train to Gain and apprenticeships while HE gain the go ahead for a revised RAE from 2008
‘The clunking fist’ as the Conservatives characterise the Chancellor’s delivery still therefore firmly delivering

Conservatives and education

The year ends with YouGov reporting an upturn in Conservative fortunes as the female vote, or Worcester woman, as she’s known, turns to Cameron
Like the Government, the Cons are carrying out wide ranging policy reviews at present with policy announcements due summer 2007
Cameron describes the process at the September Party Conference as like building a house, “first you prepare the ground, then you lay the foundations and then finally brick by brick you build your home”
At present he’s at the foundation stage though the house notably softer and greener than in the past
Early signs of the brickwork for education can be seen in The Wellbeing of the Nation, the Interim Report from the Policy Group looking at public sector reform
Various themes emerging; some old as in a ‘focus on standards in core subjects’ with history and MFL compulsory up to 16, some new as in ‘fewer targets, less testing,’ some borrowed as in ‘support for academy and trust schools’ and some blue as in ‘scraping AS and getting back to basics’ with traditional exams and assessment
We should know by the summer whether Worcester woman consents

Curious sounds in the House as MPs pronounce F and E for the first time in ages
Following the 2005 Foster Review and the 2006 White Paper, a Further Education and Training Bill is included in the Queen’s Speech
A small, 4 Part Bill enacting much of the White Paper notably the restructuring of the LSC but a kick in clause 19
This opens up the prospect of some colleges being granted foundation degree awarding powers
Intention is to recharge the FD momentum but comes as a welcome surprise to many
Wind rather taken out of the Bill’s launch with a broadside on the same day from the CBI about ‘the dysfunctional skills system’ and citing lack of employer engagement with colleges as part of the problem
CBI remain keen to open up the provider market, something that Leitch’s model might ultimately do
Select Committee Report in Sept provides an excellent overview of the state of FE; claims that “despite broad support for skills and employability as a central focus, agreement about what that actually might mean in practice is some way off”
The Report which is based on evidence gathered in the first half of 2006 should be compulsory reading for those MPs still in the chamber when the FET Bill chugs through

GCSE

After another quietly successful summer series, overall pass rate up 1.2% to 62.4%, three issues continue deep into the autumn
The first is a long standing one and is how to crack Eng and maths performance; small 0.8% rise in numbers getting A* - C this year but at 45.1% still under 50% and a continuing weakness highlighted by the OECD
Anxieties mount as late autumn sees NEET numbers mount and horror headlines emerge about a uneducated underclass cut off from adult life
Hopes being pinned on functional skills which move into Phase 2 trials from Jan 07 and pilots from Sept 07
Some complex issues still about the nature of relationship with GCSE, assessment and staff training, Ministerial Report due in March
The second issue is coursework
An important opportunity for independent research and creative work for some, plagiarism and pulse rising for others
Media colours clear as 4 out 5 headlines couple coursework with cheating
Issue bubbles up at Party conferences in Sept and QCA Report shortly after lays down the rules for the future
Maths coursework to be removed from criteria in Sept 07, other changes to come in from 2009
Art, Home Ec, D/T, PE, Music to continue with coursework but with ‘stronger safeguards,’ most other subjects to have ‘controlled assessments’ and Eng and ICT to await functional skill developments
The thirds issue frothing around GCSE in the autumn is that of the iGCSE
Taken by some 100 independent English schools and perceived by many as a more substantive exam, Lord Adonis announces consultation on the fit with the Nat Curriculum
Initial QCA Report suggests inevitably little fit but then different horses; further consultation under way

Autumn term arrives and the first tuition fee paying students are dropped off
No obvious doomsday scenario, 3.7% expected drop in numbers but UCAS able to point to long term trend still being up
Interesting HEA commissioned research, however, suggests that the ‘economics of student life’ may change, more p/t working, less campus activity, more living at home, less partying, all going well till the last point
Fee paying the norm in many countries and much watching of the dynamics here of relationship between fee payer and provider, degree type and employability, student and campus
Little change expected in advance of fee review in 2009
For the present, ‘employer driven’ the phrase blowing through many ivory towers
UUK issue an interesting Report in Nov highlighting the importance to the economy of some less traditional degree courses, from brewing to surf science, each helps the local economy somewhere
At the same time HEFCE release 2 important positional Papers, one on HE in FE, the other sketching out a strategy for employer engagement
The HE in FE Paper builds on the ‘distinctive’ role for FE identified in the earlier FE White Paper, “there should be a presumption that HE in FE should have a strong occupational and employment purpose”
It profiles a typical HE in FE learner, 25+, p/t, from a non traditional background and taking a voc course
The Paper sets out a clearer skills driven, plan led strategy and asks for comments by 20 Feb 2007
Expansion of HE into other quarters seen with the extension of FD awarding powers,3 higher level T2G pathfinders and the interest by Kaplan International in gaining degree awarding powers in the UK
The other HEFCE Paper sets out a 2 phase strategy for employer engagement; phase 1 testing out various models, phase 2 developing the strategy around 5 themes: responsiveness,engagement, co funding, embedding and work related
But the big unknown is just how great employer interest and demand really is, some more sure than others
With changes building,UUK submit a claim to the 2007 Spending Review for an extra £1.3bn, some for infrastructure refresh, some for increasing student numbers and some for research and development
The Russell Group of top research universities allows in one more member, Queens Belfast becoming the 20th member
SCOP rebrands to become GuildHE with a focus on small specialist institutions but risk losing some members on the way
The Minister uses a Nov Symposium to launch further measures designed to boost widening participation; 10 new partnerships, more Earn to Learn but stories surface of a 7.4% drop in the number of students from poor backgrounds starting uni this year
OECD summary figures confirm rate of growth in UK universities slowing compared with other OECD countries
A 20% rise in UK enrolments between 1995 and 2003 but against average 30% in other OECD countries though rates of return, completion rates and graduate premium all high
Heavy UK reliance on overseas students, UK share down 1% but at 11% is still second only to the USA
Support for strategic subjects still an issue though HEFCE announce an £18m boost for STEM subjects
HEFCE also launching evaluation of Centres of Ex in T/L as further wave due for 2008 and FE encouraged to adopt
Will PQA ever happen? Interim changes due 2008, full blown system set for 2012 but apathy mounting
Latest Student Satisfaction Survey positive, 86% think staff are good at explaining things though 53% think feedback has been slow or unhelpful
But chattering classes concerned by HEPI research indicating great variety in amount of taught hours out there; medicine and dentistry courses typically on 29 – 45 hours a week but history 17 – 32 and some courses down to an average of 13.7 hours a week, flood of applications expected

14 – 19 developments

14 – 19 developments continue to challenge the emotions, up one day, down the next, a Herculean agenda of hugely significant strands
Pushing the learning age up to 18 and raising functional skill levels moving rapidly up the agenda
But little time to reflect as pace of change picks up all around
Trust schools, the IB, coursework changes, Local Gov and LSC reform, an FE Bill all unleashed in the autumn, some leaving waters muddier some just less clear
2 themes dominate the autumn; the Gateway and the Diplomas
Gateway criteria confirmed in October, 5 big boxes to complete on collaboration, facilities, workforce development, info and guidance and employer engagement but one pointed word – ‘robust’
Steering Groups and local co ordinators swing into action to get forms completed by early December, nobody wants to be left out
Bids to be considered by Regional Panels in spring 2007, 3 possible options, ready to pass through, nearly ready with a bit more help, try again next year
Extra capital funds and support being put in but tissues may need to be ready as signs grow that few might get through to the first pilot, even then second awarding body approval process necessary later in the year
As for the Diplomas, draft Learning Outcomes for the first 5 lines announced in late summer leaving early autumn to tidy up the technical details and regulatory criteria
Some difficult discussions ensue notably around the volume of external assessment, grading mechanisms, the nature of Learning Outcomes, position of PLTS, LI tasters and endorsement of titles
Most technical details resolved by the time the clocks go back and by the time they go forward again in the spring, qualification designers hoping to emerge with nearly finished product
First Diplomas need to be ready for accreditation by end of April 2007 ready so that pilot centres can begin planning from Sept 2007
2 interesting pointers emerge from this technical stage; one is the increase in external assessment at L3 now 120 – 180 gh, the other the increasingly generic nature of the qual; early days but perceptions drawn
Other parts of the Diploma taking shape; FS and Ext Project both trialling and piloting in 2007, 6 PLTs being embedded in Principal Learning
Funding not expected to be clear until after summer Spending Review; for the present £150m available through the DSC, £70m through IFP, £30m through flexible funding while for those who pass muster through the Gateway £50m is set aside for staff dev and £40m for capital funding
Interesting LSN commissioned research casts light on possible real costs, finds a ‘typical voc courses offered by a college on one day a week for a year would cost £2300 per pupil’
Many courses already subsidised by colleges or through ESF but some tough shouts awaiting future consortia
The year ends with Ofsted praising the Young Apprenticeship programme, Wales preparing to ditch A levels and go for the Welsh Bac, the PM opening the door to the IB, the DfES setting up a Diploma QD Project Board, the Ed Secretary announcing 4 Diploma champions and the Diploma considering a new ‘integrated’ name – apart from that it’s been pretty quiet on the 14 – 19 front

Key Stages 1,2,3