University technical colleges plan to switch recruitment age to 13

University technical colleges across the country are planning to recruit students a year before their standard 14 starting age, an FE Week investigation has found.

Five UTCs are consulting on taking students in from year nine, instead of year 10, in future academic years – with more expected to follow suit.

The UTC project is currently under the cosh: seven have either closed or announced their intention to do so, suffering from the requirement recruit at 14. FE Week reported two weeks ago that Leigh UTC, in Kent, was opening an 11-to-14 feeder school next door as an attempted remedy.

All five specialist technical providers looking at year 9 starts said they were considering this because of the government’s new longer and harder GCSEs, for which most traditional schools now allocate three years of preparation.

Charles Parker (pictured), chief executive of the Baker Dearing Trust, which holds responsibility for overseeing UTCs and which claims demand for learner places at 14 may be on the rise, told FE Week he “fully supports” the colleges proposing the change.

Students in year nine would still be classed as key stage four learners – the earliest stage UTCs have always been able to recruit from.

“Many schools now allocate three years to the study of GCSEs, increasing key stage four from two to three years,” Mr Parker said. “Where this is the case in the local education landscape it is sensible for UTCs to offer the same.”

Tougher English and maths GCSEs were introduced for exams this summer.

Many schools now allocate three years to the study of GCSEs … it is sensible for UTCs to offer the same

Higher-tier maths papers, for example, previously devoted 25 per cent to questions at the A and A* level. In this year’s exams, questions relevant to grades seven, eight and nine – the new equivalent to A and A* – make up half the paper.

The five UTCs consulting on changing their admissions age to 13 are Liverpool Life Sciences UTC, London Design and Engineering UTC, UTC Cambridge, Sheffield UTC, and Aston University Engineering Academy in Birmingham.

Liverpool Life Sciences, which had 528 pupils on roll as at January last year and is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, said in its consultation to the local community that a “significant number” of secondary schools in the area now put aside three years for students to prepare for GCSEs.

London Design and Engineering UTC, which only opened this academic year, said the new GCSEs introduced by the Department of Education “particularly in maths and English” place a “greater expectation on what students need to know and master in order to get a good grade”.

As a result, the college is proposing that from September 2018 it will have both a year nine and 10 intake, while from September 2019 it wants a year nine-only intake.

To accommodate the intake of 13-year-olds, it has had to reduce its published admissions number – the amount of students it can recruit – at year 12.

Meanwhile UTC Cambridge, which has 280 learners and is rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, has had to chop its PAN for year 10 students in half to accommodate for the recruitment of year 9s.

From 2018/19 the college will take in 50 students in year 9, 50 in year 10, and 100 in year 12.

Sheffield UTC, one of the more successful institutions of its kind, with 467 students on roll and a ‘good’ Ofsted rating, and Aston University Engineering Academy, which is also rated ‘good’ and has 509 learners, are also consulting on expanding their intakes to year nine from September 2018.

Daniel Locke-Wheaton, principal of Aston, told FE Week he has received an influx of comments from parents complaining that transition at age 14 is now “too late” as a result of the new GCSEs.

NSAFD U-turns on mandatory vetting of apprenticeship qualifications

In an embarrassing U-turn, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink has dropped controversial plans for mandatory vetting of apprenticeship qualifications.

The body, which leads the food and drink apprenticeship trailblazer group, recently announced that any awarding organisation wanting to develop their own versions of qualifications included in food and drink standards must submit a draft to the chair of the group for approval.

But the NSAFD was forced into a climbdown after FE Week pointed out that the policy contravened the Institute for Apprenticeships’ rules.

The announcement had sparked fears that the NSAFD, which happens to own the only awarding body offering the qualifications in three of the standards, was trying to restrict the market.

After its change in heart, NSAFD’s chief executive Justine Fosh told FE Week that there “had been a widespread understanding in what is a complex landscape, that the employers had a responsibility, to confirm that proposed mandated qualifications were in line with the industry design and therefore the criteria proposed for funding”.

She continued: “However, in dialogue with the IfA it is now clear that this can be done as a voluntary, rather than compulsory approach,” Ms Fosh said.

She also gave her thanks to FE Week “for identifying and helping clarify the situation”.

Four standards developed by the food and drink trailblazer group and approved for delivery include mandatory qualifications.

The qualifications for level two food and drink process operator, level three food and drink advanced process operator, food and drink maintenance engineer at level three are currently only offered by Occupational Awards Limited, which the NSAFD bought in July 2016.

Terry Fennell, the chief executive of awarding body FDQ, which plans to submit a version of the diploma mandated in the level two food and drink process operator standard for approval by Ofqual in June, hit out at the NSAFD.

“A free and open market must come before self-interest,” he said, criticising it for attempting to “arbitrarily extend the remit of the food and drink-related trailblazer it supports with the intention of restricting or sanctioning qualifications that may offer competition to the version already offered by its own AO”.

Mr Fennell said the FDQ version of the food and drink process operations qualification would “comply with Ofqual general conditions of recognition and align with the IfA approved assessment plan”.

He continued: “With validity assured by the regulatory and responsible quality authorities it is for employers and providers to decide, on which qualification they wish to procure.”

The IfA was unable to comment on the controversy, due to the purdah, or period of silence, it is obliged to maintain during the run up to a general election.

Guidance published by the IfA makes it clear that trailblazer groups can’t limit which awarding bodies can offer mandatory qualifications.

Where a standard includes such a qualification, it “must name the qualification in terms which do not ascribe it to a specific awarding body so that any awarding body which is Ofqual regulated and offers that qualification can do so”.

“In the case of a regulated qualification, you should not specify a particular awarding organisation, as you could otherwise prevent another awarding organisation from developing a qualification for the standard.”

In March, FE Week reported that the UK’s food and drink apprenticeship frameworks could be switched off against the government’s wishes.

The NSAFD, which retains the powers of an issuing authority from its previous incarnation as a sector skills council, ran a consultation on whether or not to cancel the frameworks it administers.

Details of “any actions to be taken is expected in April”, according to its website – but nothing has yet been published.

Ofsted watch: Traineeships silver lining for provider stuck on grade three

Independent training provider Nottinghamshire Training Network found itself stuck at a grade three this week, with all its provision deemed to ‘require improvement’ except traineeships, which were rated ‘good’.

Problems with leadership and management were identified at the provider, such as leaders failing “to ensure that subcontractors meet the additional learning needs of all learners and apprentices” and managers collecting “inadequate information on the progression to employment, FE and training of adult learners”.

Tutors and assessors were also said to “place insufficient focus on the development of adult learners’ and apprentices’ English and mathematics skills”.

Ofsted said too many tutors at the ITP made “insufficient use of the results of assessment” to support the progress of learners, and were “insufficiently confident to reinforce effectively the dangers of radicalisation”.

Apprenticeship provision was criticised for low achievement rates and a lack of advice and guidance.

However, strengths identified included effective action “to increase the proportion of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship framework”, and the successful introduction of traineeship programmes in the current academic year.

There was also some “good use of work placements and experience” by tutors “to help trainees develop useful employment-related skills”.

Nottinghamshire Training Network was given eight points to improve on, including ensuring “newly appointed leaders and managers take swift, decisive actions to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment” and “all subcontractors are held accountable for improving all learners’ and apprentices’ outcomes”.

Staff members were also advised to “promote British values to learners and apprentices and secure their understanding of the risks of radicalisation and its potential impact on their lives and work”.

This week also saw a positive result for Bridgwater and Taunton College, which had its residential provision rated ‘outstanding’ under the social care common inspection framework.

The accommodation is situated in four lodges at a site in the local village of Cannington and with host families in Bridgwater and Taunton. 

There are 39 students under 18 at the Cannington site and 19 young people, including overseas students, staying with hosts.

The experiences and progress of these young people were found to be ‘outstanding’, taking into account how well they were helped and protected and the effectiveness of their leaders and managers.

Ofsted said the college provided “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good”, and contributed to “significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for young people”.

The grade one was based on “a culture of positivity” and “high aspirations” in an “open and inclusive environment”, with managers leading by example.

Safeguarding was said to be “robust and effective”, creating a feeling of “well-being and security” for residential students.

They were found to be “making excellent progress in vocational and personal skills”, giving them the “knowledge and confidence to succeed in their chosen vocation”.

Care for residential student was described as “highly individualised” and “exceptionally supportive” by the education watchdog, meaning they had “respect for others, leadership and team work” as well as being “very proud of their college”.

Areas for development included the suggestion to review “the arrangements for the oversight and monitoring of the host family provision in Taunton and Bridgwater”, particularly ensuring information and contact numbers were up to date.

 

GFE Colleges Inspected Published  Grade Previous grade
Bridgwater and Taunton College (social care inspection report) 09/05/2017 02/06/2017 1 1
         
Independent Learning Providers Inspected Published  Grade Previous grade
Nottinghamshire Training Network 09/05/2017 31/05/2017 3 3

Labour pledge could cause teacher supply crisis

Labour manifesto pledge: Set a target that all FE teaching staff have a teaching qualification within five years

Malcolm Trobe argues AGAINST

Labour’s pledge “for all FE teaching staff to have a teaching qualification within five years” is lacking in detail. Does it mean that people must have a teaching qualification within five years of starting, or that all FE teachers must be qualified by 2022?

If they mean the former, this already happens widely across the sector. If it means the latter, to maintain a system of universal qualification, it would be necessary to require FE colleges to accept only teachers who had already attained a teaching qualification, meaning the end of in-service training and potentially a teacher supply crisis.

READ MORE: Sally Hunt argues FOR the pledge

Many college teachers come from industry backgrounds because they have technical skills and experience. They are often in their 30s, 40s and 50s and few are in a position or have the inclination, to pay for full-time teacher training courses.

In order to avoid a collapse in the teacher supply line, the government would have to introduce grants, loans or both, to fund course fees and maintenance costs. Perhaps this is what Labour means in its manifesto when it says that its commitment would be “backed up by funding”.

However, even if this pledge is unclear, the general direction of Labour’s manifesto on post-16 education is welcome. It promises to “correct historic neglect of the FE sector” and says it would bring funding for 16- to 18-year-olds in line with key stage 4 baselines as well as committing to a range of other measures. We are sure that the last thing it intends is to accidentally precipitate a teacher supply crisis in a sector it wants to boost.

 

Malcom Trobe is deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders

Further education teaching must be valued

Labour manifesto pledge: Set a target that all FE teaching staff have a teaching qualification within five years

Sally Hunt argues FOR

The teacher shortage problem isn’t limited to schools – FE colleges are also feeling the pinch.

As well as addressing problems of low pay, endemic casualisation and mounting workloads, a key challenge for the next government will be to boost the status of further education teaching.

The government’s decision in 2013 to scrap the requirement for FE teachers to gain a formal teaching qualification was deeply disappointing.

 

READ MORE: Labour’s pledge could cause a supply crisis

The Labour party plans to reverse this if it comes to power. This move makes a lot of sense.

First, it recognises that teachers are dual professionals – as well as being subject specialists, they must be able to support different types of students with their learning.

Second, a renewed requirement for formal teaching qualifications would send a clear message about the importance of quality in FE delivery.

Third, it would keep FE in step with wider moves to ensure that teaching professionals are well qualified. Internationally, excellent education systems like Finland’s are supported by highly qualified vocational teaching workforces.

Crucially, Labour says its proposal will be backed up by additional funding. In a sector where staff have seen their pay decline by over 20 per cent in real terms since 2009, any new requirement for formal qualifications needs to be backed up with extra investment and mustn’t place any additional cost burden on individual teachers.

Labour’s commitment is a good start, then. But the next government’s approach to professionalism in FE shouldn’t stop with a formal qualification. In a fast-changing skills landscape, it’s vital that teachers are supported to refresh their skills and share knowledge throughout their careers, so they can remain at the cutting edge of both industrial innovation and pedagogical developments.

 

Sally Hunt is the general secretary of the UCU

Human books share their stories with students

Creative and media students at Sunderland College invited a diverse range of guests to tell their life stories as part of a project aimed at challenging stereotypes.

A nun, a transgender woman, an alternative healer, a sufferer of bipolar disorder and a police officer with lupus were amongst the guests who visited the college and shared their experiences with students as part of the People’s Pages project.

The project encourages guests to become human books, and was started by TV and radio presenter Gilly Hope, who lectures on the creative and media course at the college.

One of the contributors was 41-year-old Leo Berry, an army veteran who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Bosnia and Northern Ireland. He now runs an organisation offering counselling and therapy for people with mental health conditions.

Daniel Clarke, 18, said: “I really enjoyed the project. It was a good way for students to meet people they wouldn’t necessarily meet in their everyday lives, and it was interesting to hear so many diverse stories. It’s nice to think we’ve helped to influence people’s perceptions of others for the better.”

“It’s quite nerve-wracking approaching members of the public and asking them to speak about personal issues, but it’s something that has to be done on a regular basis if you work in TV or radio,” added Ms Hope.

 

Pictured: Some of the project’s participants

College offers certified employability course for stroke survivors

The Heart of Worcestershire College has teamed up with the Stroke Association to deliver its first certified course for stroke survivors.

The 10-week employability course is designed to help those who have suffered from the disease get back into work, through confidence building, and learning the best ways of searching and applying for jobs.

The course – which is free to anyone over 19 and claiming JSA, ESA, universal credit or other main benefit – was led by the college’s learning skills and development officer Carl Whitehouse, at the Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Centre in Bromsgrove.

“The emphasis of the course is ensuring people feel able to start mixing within the group, as being out of work or experiencing a health condition such as a stroke can lead to isolation,” he said.

“It also helps people develop their functional skills, to help with maths, English and IT.”

Having successfully completed the course, the survivors who took part are now actively looking for, or have already found work.

Christy Weatherby, a coordinator at the Life After Stroke Centre, added: “Around a quarter of strokes happen in people of working age. Stroke survivors looking to return back to work face specific challenges, which can be hard to overcome alone. We’re thrilled with the outcome of the course and the impact in made on stroke survivors’ lives.”

There are plans to run the course again later this year. Those interested can contact ILfutures@howcollege.ac.uk or call 01905 743 595.

Team of students help Yorkshire town with their Britain in Bloom entry

A team of 25 students from Goole College have created a ship-shaped plant pot for a small Yorkshire town’s entry into the Britain in Bloom contest.

The welding and fabrication students were commissioned to make the ship and its accompanying crane by Associated British Ports, for Immingham town council’s entry into the national horticulture competition.

The ship will house flowers and hanging displays, and represents Associated British Ports’ contribution to the local economy.

William John Woods, 16, said: “I began working on the bow and the stern of the boat and it’s been great to see it expand from there. It is a good feeling to know that this will be a permanent fixture in the town.”

Launched in 1963, the Britain in Bloom competition encourages communities to work together to transform communal spaces in their local area, and attracts around 3,000 groups of applicants each year.

Goole College Welding tutor Mick Grundy added: “From start to finish – including the drawings – the project has taken around 120 hours of work.

The challenge was to ensure that every student involved was given an important task.”

Racoon dog pups make history at college

Bishop Burton College is celebrating the first-ever litter of racoon dogs to be born at the campus.

Resident racoon dogs Ralph and Lauren welcomed the arrival of quintuplets – three female and two male pups – the first time a litter of the canid species has been born at the college.

Proud dad Ralph

Originally from East Asia, racoon dogs mate for life, and Ralph and Lauren have now been together for just over three years.

The pair first joined the college in August last year, after being donated by East Park animal unit courtesy of Hull City Council.

“While this is not Ralph and Lauren’s first litter, it is the first time they’ve given birth while living on campus. They are very friendly animals but have been incredibly protective over their pups since they were born a little over three weeks ago,” said Clare Reed, an animal curator at the college,

“In the last week, mum and dad have felt comfortable enough for us to meet them and check them out. We’re pleased to report all five pups are healthy and growing well – we now just need to name them.”