Pearson Edexcel is planning to give students the option to take all GCSEs on-screen by 2030, starting with English next summer.
The exam board announced today that up to 125,000 students could choose to take GCSE English language and English literature on-screen in summer 2025. This is subject to Ofqual approval.
Schools and colleges would still have the option to offer paper-based exams.
It is the third exam board in recent months to set a timeline on moving exams on-screen.
But college leaders have claimed on-screen exams would be “logistically impossible” for college learners taking GCSE resits.
Eddie Playfair, senior policy manager at the Association of Colleges, said: “We welcome the introduction of this new on-screen assessment option. It’s important for assessment methods to keep up with the way we use technology today, and some colleges will want to pilot an on-screen approach.
“Across England, colleges enter over 100,000 candidates a year for GCSE English and entries in many colleges are counted in the thousands. This means that there simply won’t be enough technology available for all candidates to access on-screen assessment. So, while welcome, this will not be an option for the majority of candidates for the time being.”
“Logistically impossible to do this so it won’t be an option for post-16. But of course awarding bodies will know that from the full and thorough consultation they’ll have done with colleges?” said Anna Dawe, principal of Wigan and Leigh College in a tweet posted this morning.
GCSE resit numbers are on the rise in England. Over 60,000 November GCSE entries were provisionally recorded for English Language resits in 2023, a 29 per cent rise from the year prior, according to Ofqual.
Sharon Hague, managing director for Pearson Schools, said this is a “pivotal moment” and they’ve heard “loud and clear from students and teachers that they want a choice in how they take exams”.
“This absolutely isn’t the end of pen-and-paper exams. It’s about opening up more ways for all students to best show what they know and can do. By 2030, our ambition is for all GCSEs to have both paper-based and onscreen formats.”
Pearson added an on-screen component to its GCSE computer science in 2022. It has also been piloting on-screen tests in international GCSEs.
Hague added on-screen is a “better experience for students who need accessibility adjustments”.
“Students can zoom in to increase font size and choose colour filters on-screen during exams, something their schools or college would otherwise need to request in advance of their exams.
“Onscreen brings benefits for all students too. They can highlight and annotate information, cut and paste text and make easy edits to their answers.
“It’s what many students are used to doing when they work at home and in the classroom and it’s undoubtedly how they will work in their careers too.”
Ofqual to evaluate proposals ‘in detail’
In October, England’s largest exam board AQA set out its timeline to move some exams on-screen, with a large-entry subject like English going digital by 2030.
Research by the board found one of the biggest barriers to digital exams was a lack of infrastructure, such as devices in schools and colleges.
Last month, OCR said pupils sitting GCSE computer science will be able to sit digital rather than paper-based exams in 2025.
Exams regulator Ofqual is currently undertaking a feasibility study alongside the government on “what it would take” to make GCSE and A-level exams “fully digital”.
Ofqual chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said the exams regulator is “committed to supporting well-evidenced innovation in how examinations are taken”.
“We will evaluate in detail Pearson’s proposals when they are submitted for review. Our priority will be making sure the approach is fair to all students, whether they take their GCSE on screen or continue to do so on paper.”
The Department for Education’s flagship study abroad scheme should offer higher funding rates to its most disadvantaged students to widen participation, researchers have said.
An independent evaluation of the first year of the Turing scheme, the DfE’s replacement for the Erasmus scheme since 2021/22, was published today and revealed nine in 10 HE and FE participants were satisfied with their placement.
But researchers warned how several delivery issues had a “greater impact on participants from a disadvantaged background and may have created barriers to many participating”.
These included an initial lack of guarantees for funding, the amount of funding and the timing that it was delivered, which “disproportionately impact participation among disadvantaged groups,” the report said.
Researchers said that some students who could not afford the upfront costs or the risk of funding not being available further down the line meant they dropped out.
“From the participant perspective, many described receiving the funds while already on placement, or even after they had returned,” the report said.
It added that these participants acknowledged that without being “fortunate enough to have alternative funds (for example, from parents or saved up from working) to see them through, or to fall back on in case funding was not going to be available, they would not have been able to go on the placement”.
The researchers said the DfE should offer greater funding amounts for the most disadvantaged and bring the application window and confirmation of outcome window forward to combat this issue.
The government is planning to bring forward both dates for the academic year 24/25 application cycle compared to last year, FE Week understands.
The department should also “encourage providers to offer some funds to participants upfront (before placements have started)”, to ensure disadvantaged students have access to upfront funds for travel and to secure accommodation.
The Turing scheme was introduced in 2021 to “widen access to global opportunities” post-Brexit.
Around £110 million was committed in its first year to fund up to 35,000 placements, but various issues mainly due to Covid-19 meant only around 21,000 were run. Of the 6,800 placements planned for FE students, just two-thirds (68 per cent) went ahead.
Of the total 21,000 placements, almost two-fifths of participants were from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The scheme, first administered by the British Council and Ecorys until April 2022 when Capita took over, is now in its third year. Around 40,000 students are set to go on placements in 2023/24, 60 per cent of which are from disadvantaged background or underrepresented groups, according to government figures.
Minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education Robert Halfon said: “The Turing scheme is a real game-changer for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, empowering them with transformative opportunities abroad, a chance to experience other cultures and learn vital skills for life and work.
“It showcases our positive ambition post-Brexit, fostering a global outlook for more students who deserve every chance to thrive.”
The DfE was approached for further comment on the researchers’ call for higher funding rates for disadvantaged students.
Emma Meredith, director of skills policy and global engagement at the Association of Colleges, said colleges need clarity on student mobility funding beyond 2024/25.
“Two years down the line there are still factors within the scheme that limit mobility for colleges, including barriers to partnership development and the omission of staff mobility.
“We are also concerned about increasing demand on the scheme as legacy Erasmus+ funding has run down in addition to ongoing system issues which impact on Turing project management and payments.”
How much do FE students get to study abroad?
FE participants receive funding per day according to their destination. The funding rates have not changed for the three years the scheme has been running.
Group one destinations are deemed to have a high cost of living, such as the USA, Switzerland and Japan. Group two destinations include Finland, France and Brazil and group three entailed countries with a low cost of living such as Chile, China and Bangladesh.
For group one destinations, learners receive £109 per day for the first 14 days and £76 per day thereafter. Learners going to group two destinations receive £94 per day for the first 14 days and £66 per day thereafter. For group three destinations, learners are funded £80 per day for the first 14 days, and £56 per day thereafter.
Students in higher education are funded differently as they are likely to carry out longer placements.
HE students on four to eight weeks receive £545 per month for group one destinations and £480 per month for group two and three destinations. Those on placements lasting between nine weeks to twelve months will receive £380 per month for Group 1 destinations and £335 per month for Group 2 and 3 destinations.
The government’s researchers reported that both providers and participants said that the funding went some way in covering costs, but further funds from outside of the scheme were often needed.
Interviews found that a minority (45 per cent) of HE participants felt the funding covered at least half of their costs on placement; this compares to the vast majority (86 per cent) of FE participants. However, the researchers said the funding appears to have been more crucial for FE participants in terms of enabling them to go abroad in the first place. When asked the likelihood of going on placement in the absence of funding, only 23 per cent of FE participants said it was likely they would have, compared to 60 per cent of HE participants.
The Summit provides sessions that can be used by educators and schools as part of their professional learning or school improvement plan. The easy-to-navigate pathways provided by role and phase allow individuals to select the sessions most relevant to them. For example, they could select 10 sessions focused on leadership and use these to form the focus for the year.
Introduction:
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, staying abreast of the latest evidence-based trends and innovations is crucial for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders alike. The annual World Education Summit offers a platform for discussions, insights, and collaborations that shape the future of learning. Upon delving into the key speakers, stages, and themes of the upcoming summit, it becomes evident that this March launch event is poised to address pressing challenges and explore groundbreaking solutions.
Key Speakers:
The roster of speakers for The World Education Summit reads like a who’s who in the world of education. Renowned experts, influencers, and policymakers converge to share their perspectives on the current state of education and the path forward. Among the many notable speakers is Doug Lemov, a renowned educator and instructional guru, whose insights promise to ignite discussions on impactful teaching strategies in education. Other luminaries on the list include Leora Cruddas CBE an educational leader and policy influencer, (alongside other CST speakers) Dame Alison Peacock, a prominent voice for teacher empowerment and Professor Paul Miller, an advocate of anti-racism and social justice in education and leadership.
Speaking on the World Headliners stage are, Professor John Hattie, Dr Andreas Schleicher, Dr Jo Boaler, Dr Jim Knight, Professor Rose Luckin, Hywel Roberts and Dr Debra Kidd amongst many more.
Special Features:
The Summit features six special segments. ‘Living Legends: 3 Pinnacles of Educational Greatness’ explores the life’s work of our educational greats featuring Professors Viviane Robinson, Michael Fullan, John Hattie, Alma Harris, Linda Darling Hammond, Andy Hargreaves, Sugata Mitra. ‘Elephants in the School Room’ challenges common educational practices, shedding light on their historical evolution and questioning their value. The Cambridge Assessment driven segment led by Professor Tim Oates delves into the future of assessment, exploring learning theories, pedagogical strategies, and addressing gaps in educational outcomes. ‘Living Legends: Pioneers of equity and equality’ with Diana Osagie shares stories of diversity and inclusion pioneers. Lastly, ‘Women in Leadership’, hosted by Vivienne Porritt OBE, engages in global conversations with female leaders from the WomenEd movement.
Stages:
12 dynamic stages act as focal points for in-depth discussions and workshops, ensuring that participants can tailor their experience to align with their specific interests. From the ‘Brave Leaders’ stage to the ‘Passionate Practitioners’ stage, the Summit covers a spectrum of topics crucial for shaping education in 2024 and beyond. The popular ‘Training Stage’ features highly practical sessions to enhance leadership, strengthen teaching strategies, make learning visible and maximise the impact of AI in the classroom.
Conclusion:
The World Education Summit is now regarded as a phenomenon; it stands as a beacon of innovation and collaboration in the realm of education. By bringing together visionaries, educators, and policymakers, the Summit creates a space for meaningful dialogue and action. Looking ahead to the much-anticipated 2024 Summit, it is evident that the themes and discussions will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of education, ensuring that it remains dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the ever-changing world.
Ofsted inspections will not restart next week, new chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has said, as he launches an internal inquiry into how the embattled watchdog responded to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
In a wide-ranging interview with FE Week’s sister publication Schools Week, the former Outwood Grange Academy Trust boss has promised the sector a “fresh start”, with more “empathetic” inspections and a “less defensive” inspectorate that is more “of the system”.
The watchdog has faced fierce criticism after Perry’s suicide. A coroner ruled an Ofsted inspection contributed to her death, adding there is a “risk of future deaths if there is only lip service paid to learning from tragedies like this”.
Inspections were paused before Christmas. Ofsted and the Department for Education have until February 7 to tell the coroner what actions they will take over her concerns about school inspections.
Oliver told Schools Week while there was a “tremendous amount that Ofsted has already done, there’s far more that’s planned to come”.
Starting the role today, he said inspections won’t restart for a “couple of weeks”, something union leaders have called for while the watchdog responds to the coroner’s concerns and training for inspectors is rolled out.
The later start to 2024 inspections applies to further education and skills, except for joint inspections of prisons.
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) have since posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that inspections won’t commence until w/c January 15.
We understand that as part of this announcement there will be no FE, EIF inspections until w/c 15/1. So no notifications this week
Notifications will recommence Monday 8/1 for inspections due to start w/c 15/1. Those providers being inspected will receive the usual notice period https://t.co/H58KUt5Jfz
“I don’t think it’s a pause… I think it’s not starting until a couple of weeks where I’ve put in place the plans and training and met with these leaders to talk to them face to face.
“I think there’ll be updates on that quite quickly, by the end of this week, or the following week… as you can imagine, trying to do this before you’ve begun is very difficult.”
Emergency inspections will continue as they are “about ensuring that people and children are safe”, he added.
Further details published by Ofsted this morning state Oliver will lead initial training for all inspectors.
It will include training from Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, which will also lead a “rolling programme” of further mental health awareness training for inspectors.
Details of the training will be published “ensuring it is embedded throughout the professions”.
Oliver added: “I think Ofsted needs to do a thorough review. It’s already doing a review of its EIF [education inspection framework]. I think we need to look at a review, quite rightly as the coroner requested, to our response to Ruth’s tragic death.”
The scope for the internal review is yet to be determined but is expected to include looking at how Ofsted responded to Perry’s death last year.
As part of that, Oliver will meet later this week with Perry’s sister Julia Waters, who has been campaigning for Ofsted reform.
Oliver said: “First and foremost, I just want to send my deepest condolences. As a fellow headteacher, it was a shock to learn of what happened.
“It’s been a very challenging time for the system and for the inspectorate. Quite rightly, it’s a very critical coroner’s report of Ofsted.
“I’m really clear that we should accept and take on board all of those points, very seriously. I look forward to working with everyone to develop a really strong response.
“From January, it’s about having a fresh start and really focusing and doubling down on having professional, courteous, respectful, empathetic inspections.”
Oliver will run a ‘big listen’ to get the sector’s views on change. “Part of the thing that the system fears with a new chief inspector is that it’s just going to be their ideas imposed on the system, which I’m not going to do.”
He doesn’t think a new framework is required, but if the sector thinks required changes are “untenable” under the current inspection model then “nothing is off the table”.
He pledged to look at the workload impact of any changes and to consult the sector on major proposals.
However, expanding on his idea to get more leaders inspecting, saying he wants to create a “faster track” so it becomes “part of the golden thread” of teacher development.
“The chance to be an inspector quicker, it would have certainly helped me do my job. In the role of an executive in a trust, you’re judging schools: what are the areas for development? What are their strengths?
“Well, that’s Ofsted’s profession. The more we can bring the two together: that’s that sense of synthesis that I was talking about. I think that’s when Ofsted can be part of raising standards.”
Less defensive, more open
He also promised not to just release training materials used by inspectors, but also open up the watchdog’s vast database for “researchers and academics to look at Ofsted’s working performance”.
“I’m determined to meet with the media and to be more open, less defensive, to accept the criticism because I genuinely think you [the media], researchers, serving practitioners: we’re all doing this job and you’re reporting on education because you firmly believe that the power of education and Ofsted should be a significant part of that.”
When asked if he would act on proposals for a comprehensive review of the grading system, including the validity and reliability of judgments, he said: “I think we should review all of this.”
While he has “thousands of ideas, I’m trying to contain them because … a sense of ‘of the system’ means listening to people” not just for the immediate response but also to produce a “longer-term plan, which is more sustained and more considered going forward”.
But he added: “The timing of any changes and the timing of a general election: it could be that nothing changes, it could be that things change significantly, I just need to be sensible.”
He also suggested a move away from Ofsted’s role under Spielman of publishing research, such as subject reviews.
Ofsted published a review of the business curriculum in October, a first for FE having published numerous reviews of the school curriculum since April 2021.
“I don’t think it’s not Ofsted’s role. But I do think it’s Ofsted’s role to deliver the best inspections it can for the funding it’s got. My absolute and only priority is to do that. If there is then additional time and money to be spent, my next stage would be to look at how we can be even better at doing that.”
College principals, senior SEND leaders and two WorldSkills UK gold medallists are among the recipients of the 2024 new year honours for services to further education and skills.
This year’s honours list includes four CBEs, nine OBEs, eight MBEs and one British Empire Medal for sector figures, but no knighthoods or damehoods.
The leader of the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), Bill Watkin, has been made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) alongside the principal and CEO of The Sheffield College, Angela Foulkes, and the principal and CEO of Middlesbrough College, Zoe Lewis.
Bill Watkin CBE
Watkin, who has led SFCA since 2016, said it is “a privilege to accept this award on behalf of a lot of very special colleagues and friends.”
“It is hard to convey the extent to which this award reflects my extraordinarily good fortune to work with the most talented, dedicated and hard-working SFCA team in the service of the most successful, generous and warm family of sixth form college leaders,” he added.
The Sheffield College principal and CEO Angela Foulkes took the helm in 2017 when the college, recently graded ‘good’, was rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted.
She said: “I joined the college when it was facing some challenges. Working with staff, governors, students and other stakeholders, we have got the college back on track so that it is now a highly valued part of the social fabric of our wonderful city.
“This CBE is a recognition of our collective effort, the distance that we have travelled together and the hard work of hundreds of people. I am incredibly proud to have been awarded it.”
Lewis, who has been principal and CEO of Middlesbrough College for ten years, told FE Week she was “touched and humbled” on being made a CBE. “It is truly a privilege to work alongside so many amazing colleagues who make such a positive difference to students and our wider communities every day,” she said.
Awarding and SEND leaders made OBEs
Heather Akehurst OBE
Among the newly titled Officers of the British Empire (OBEs) is Heather Akehurst, chief executive of Open Awards, Virginia Barrett, principal and chief executive of Farnborough College of Technology and Anthony Bravo, principal of Basingstoke College of Technology.
Akehurst was made an OBE for services for further education in Merseyside. She has been chief executive of Open Awards, based in Liverpool, for ten years and is a board member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Freeport and Liverpool John Moores University Students’ Union.
“It was a wonderful surprise to hear that I was receiving an OBE,” Akehurst told FE Week. “None of what we do is possible without our amazing providers across a broad spectrum from colleges to schools to specialist provision to independent training providers, employers and the voluntary sector – it is their hard work that continues to inspire me and all of us at Open Awards,” she said.
Also being made an OBE is Elaine Dale, director of SEND support at City College Norwich. Dale joined the college in 2011 and leads its SEND centre of excellence.
“Education wasn’t easy for me with being neurodiverse. At school, I was told that I wouldn’t achieve and I was written off. I could never have imagined my life would turn out the way it has. It’s amazing to have achieved this unbelievable award,” she said.
Joining the ranks of this year’s OBEs is Samantha Mayhew, assistant principal for SEND at Weston College, Darrell Desouza, the former principal and chief executive of Harrow and Uxbridge Colleges and Brian Palmer, the founder and chief executive of Tharsus Group for services to manufacturing and skills.
Gongs for WorldSkills UK medallists
A Nelson and Colne College governor has been awarded an MBE.
Ewan Payne MBE
Christine Kenyon, a former deputy principal of The Manchester College, began her career in FE in 1989 as a part-time lecturer at Blackpool and The Fylde College.
“Further education is a door that is always open to everybody regardless of their starting point. My career started with a course at my local further education college and I am a testament to the positive impact that a further education can have on your career aspirations,” Kenyon said.
Two UK gold medal winners from WorldSkills 2022 have been awarded MBEs for services to further education.
James Boyes, who won gold in cabinet-making and Ewan Payne, gold medallist in aircraft maintenance, have been described as “brilliant role models for young people” by WorldSkills UK chief executive Ben Blackledge.
“Their gold medal success on the world stage, in front of a global audience, sends a strong message that the UK has the raw potential and skills system to succeed in a global market,” Blackledge said.
James Boyes MBE
Also landing an MBE is Youth Employment UK chief executive Laura-Jane Rawlings. The campaigning social enterprise boss said she was “delighted” to have been recognised but told FE Week her organisation’s work was “more important than ever as the youth employment challenges continue to grow.”
And a member of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s construction route panel, Ruth Devine, has also been made an MBE for services to further education and apprenticeships. Devine is also a member of the Construction Leadership Council and chair of the Electrotechnical Skills Partnership.
Devine said: “It’s incredible to receive this award. I’m proud to work with so many amazing people across the industry, further education and government, all dedicated to improving apprenticeships, technical education and careers advice.”
Full list of FE and skills honours
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Angela Foulkes, principal and chief executive of The Sheffield College, for services to further education
Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive, Middlesbrough College, for services to further education
Bill Watkin, chief executive, Sixth Form Colleges Association, for services to further education
Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, for services to international trade and skills development
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Heather Akehurst, chief executive of Open Awards, for services to further education in Merseyside
Virginia Barrett, principal and chief executive of Farnborough College of Technology, for services to further education
Anthony Bravo, principal of Basingstoke College of Technology, for services to further education
Jayne Clarke, executive principal of Pinnacle Learning Trust, for services to further education
Elaine Dale, director of SEND support at City College Norwich, for services to further education
Darrell Desouza, former principal and chief executive of Harrow College and Uxbridge College, for services to further education
Samantha Mayhew, assistant principal (SEND) of Weston College, for services to further education
Brian Palmer, founder and chief executive of Tharsus Group, for services to manufacturing and skills
John Traynor, former managing director of Go-Ahead London, for services to skills and education in London
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
James Boyes, Team UK gold medal winner, WorldSkills UK, for services to further education
Ruth Devine, route panel member, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, for services to further education and apprenticeships
Elizabeth Gorb, director of apprenticeships, Manchester Metropolitan University, for services to education and skills
Christine Kenyon, former deputy principal, The Manchester College, for services to further education
Kathryn Marshall, senior manager at Lloyds Banking Group, for services to further education and skills
Ewan Payne, Team UK gold medal winner, WorldSkills UK, for services to further education
Laura-Jane Rawlings, chief executive of Youth Employment UK, for services to young people
Maureen Vevers, chair of governors at Askham Bryan College, for services to further education
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire
Anita Davenport-Brooke, group HR manager at Lander Automotive, for services to further education and skills
The government will launch a £10 million procurement to deliver apprenticeships for civil servants within the Department for Education as early as spring next year, FE Week has learned.
According to the DfE’s estimated commercial pipeline for next year, it is looking for one or more suppliers to deliver 33 apprenticeship standards for staff within DfE and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
The contract, titled “apprenticeships for DfE colleagues 2024-2027,” is expected to have a value of £10 million and will divide into 18 lots.
FE Week has learned nine standards at level 3 and eight standards at level 4 will be on the table, including level 3 content creator, level 3 team leader or supervisor, level 4 data analyst, and level 4 project manager.
One level 2 apprenticeship in customer service will be available and a handful of standards in human resources at levels 5 and 7 are also set to be part of the procurement.
DfE will also be looking for a supplier for level 6 integrated degrees in data science, and project management.
The apprenticeships will be based inside the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency. IfATE and other agencies are not understood to be part of the scope.
While the procurement has not yet appeared on the government’s contracting portal, DfE had expected to start the hunt for a training providers from November 13 this year. The contract is due to begin from April 1, 2024.
FE Week understands that DfE could start the procurement process next spring.
The civil service currently offers higher and degree apprenticeships at levels 4 to 7 and some government departments offer level 2 and 3 apprenticeships.
But this new procurement could be a fresh commitment to public sector apprenticeships, especially as training providers enrolling civil service apprentices have been in hot water in the past.
This also comes after the government scrapped its 2.3 per cent public sector apprenticeships target last year after consistently failing to hit the numbers.
In 2018, the government removed Premier Partnership from the list of apprenticeship providers list as it was found to have “unsafe” recruitment practices. The provider delivered apprenticeship training to government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Visas and Immigration service.
Then in 2020, Ofsted slapped an ‘inadequate’ rating to KMPG for its poor apprenticeship programme. The accounting firm trained nearly 1,000 apprentices in the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.
Here’s the list of apprenticeship standards expected in DfE’s upcoming procurement:
The boss of a 16-year-old independent training provider for vulnerable 14-19-year-olds has said he has no choice but to close the business due to a contract termination following a contested ‘inadequate’ Ofsted outcome.
Derby Skillbuild, an ITP providing vocational training and English and maths to vulnerable learners, lodged numerous complaints with the watchdog over the way its October inspection was conducted.
The provider was downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ in a report published this morning.
This is despite, the provider claims, an Ofsted internal review following several complaints about the inspection process.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) told the provider this morning that it intends to terminate its contract.
Tim Kerry, chief executive of Derby Skillbuild, told FE Week he anticipates the organisation will have to shut down due to costly legal proceedings and the ESFA withdrawing funding.
“We’ve made several complaints about it following the Ofsted process. It was grossly unfair,” he said.
Kerry said the provider “doesn’t have any choice” but to progress to a judicial review, depending on the proceedings the ESFA intend to take.
“At the end of the day, people will suffer because we will close. I can’t see any other outcome. Unless there’s an epiphany moment within Ofsted, then nothing will change and we will close,” Kerry said.
The provider, established in 2007, was inspected in October and had 70 full-time learners studying level 1 to 3 courses mostly in construction and health and social care. Around half of the learners were aged under 16.
Inspectors have ‘no experience’
Derby Skillbuild was downgraded from ‘good’ at its last inspection in 2017 to ‘inadequate’ overall. It was rated ‘inadequate’ across all categories apart from personal development, where it was judged ‘requires improvement’.
Kerry told FE Week that he complained that the inspectors had no experience in the subject content that it taught, such as construction, and its land-based courses.
Kerry’s second complaint was that inspectors did not consider what they were contracted to deliver by the ESFA.
“You cannot inspect an independent learning provider without having regard to their contract, which is exactly what it is that we’re supposed to provide in return for being paid,” he said.
“I’m a bit surprised that they’ve decided to publish the report prior to the internal review that they’re going through on the basis of our request,” he added.
Ofsted’s published complaints procedure says it will withhold publication of contested inspection reports if a formal complaint is lodged within its deadlines.
In the report, inspectors said that learners do not benefit from a “sufficiently ambitious curriculum” and have “poor attitudes” to learning.
“When they talk about the curriculum, we don’t have a curriculum, we have a course that we deliver to a specification. That’s what’s in our contract,” Kerry said. “The entire organisation of Ofsted does not make any provision for the difference between an independent learning provider and a school.”
“If any normal reasonable person came down here and looked at the type of English ability, maths ability that these kids come to us with, they would be astonished,” Kerry added. “I mean, it’s five-to-six-year-old ability.”
Around 80 per cent of learners have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or have an education, health and care plan.
Ofsted classroom comments ‘pure fiction’
Ofsted praised the providers’ oversight of learners with special educational needs but said that teachers are not consistent with using information in learners’ support plans across all courses.
“It’s not easy, especially with the behaviours because they are from impoverished areas and are not used to any kind of rules or regulations. That’s why they’re not at school,” Kerry explained.
The watchdog also criticised the provider’s lack of sufficient careers education and advice, which Kerry also took issue with, as Derby Skillbuild schedules this for its learners later in the academic year.
“The problem that I have with that is that although we do it, we don’t do it at the beginning of the term,” he added. “We do it once we’ve got the preparation for the January exams out of the way.”
The report also found that staff do not have the relevant training to address behavioural issues with learners, and not enough time in lessons is spent on teaching.
Inspectors praised leaders’ knowledge of students’ backgrounds and the challenges they face, but criticised them for not placing high enough expectations on learners.
“Too often, for example, they accept learners’ lack of motivation as a reason to not complete assignments. As a result, too few learners pass their vocational courses,” the report said.
Ofsted also said that the provider’s learning environment was “poor” and that classrooms were “unkempt and uninspiring”.
In the construction course, inspectors found insufficient numbers of workbenches for group sizes, and “uneven flooring”, making practical work difficult.
Kerry said he didn’t “acknowledge it at all”. “It’s pure fiction,” he said.
He explained that in construction, this year’s intake was larger than normal, so it built an external shelter area with a concrete floor for students to conduct brickwork.
“It’s a very strange thing to pick up on,” he said.
Disadvantaged students are now three and a half grades behind their peers by the end of the 16-19 phase. This should be a hugely worrying statistic for policy makers and is not a problem we can expect to correct itself; change is needed if we want to see this gap narrow.
This week’s Education Policy Institute publication is the fourth time we’ve published an update on our 16-19 disadvantage measure, but this is not just a routine update. In fact, our new analysis plugs an important gap in our narrative to date.
We’ve previously noted with concern how the 16-19 disadvantage gap widened throughout the pandemic. Disadvantaged students being less likely to enter A levels, for which grades increased the most, was one of the reasons the overall disadvantage gap widened under centre- and teacher-assessed grades (CAGs and TAGs) in 2020 and 2021. What we were unable to disentangle was the extent to which other factors such as learning loss were at play.
The return to exams in 2022 allowed us to understand if the gap was wider than it was pre-pandemic, without the complication of CAGs and TAGs. The answer, to be blunt, is yes.
Grading distributions in 2022 were a halfway house between those of 2019 and those of 2021, so it’s not true that the impact of CAGs and TAGs on the disadvantage gap have been completely stripped out. However, the effect will be diminished. The gap that remains will be more reflective of how school closures, learning loss and the totality of disruption over the past few years may have affected those from different backgrounds unequally. Or in other words, it has become easier to start focusing on important differences in students’ learning and ability again, rather than how the government has been awarding grades.
By comparison to our findings, it is alarming how much of the big picture official measures of attainment gaps miss by not publishing a measure for 16-19 year olds that includes all qualifications. In our analysis, we demonstrate how disadvantaged students are less likely to take A levels, and how rapid the increased take-up of applied general qualifications has been in recent years.
The upshot of this is that the official A level gap measure does not include most disadvantaged students, and changes in the official applied general gap measure largely reflect changes in entry patterns between students from different backgrounds. As such, neither provides a consistent measure of how disadvantaged students’ grades compare to their peers.
Our report also provides an update on gaps between geographic areas. The areas with the narrowest gaps are primarily London boroughs, as has been the case consistently in recent years. In Southwark for example, disadvantaged students were actually 2 grades ahead of the average non-disadvantaged student nationally.
Conversely, there are certain local authorities where the 16-19 disadvantage gap has widened substantially. For example, in Doncaster, Herefordshire and Sunderland the gap was a little over three grades in 2019, widening to around five grades or more by 2022. We don’t yet know what is driving these falls: changes in the characteristics of students, the unequal impact of the pandemic, or changes in provision are all possibilities.
When we published our first report measuring the 16-19 disadvantage gap back in 2019, we called for a student premium fund, in keeping with the focus on disadvantage for school-age students. At the time, this was to tackle a stubbornly wide but nonetheless stable gap. Several years on, and with the gap widening, the challenge feels starker. There is no doubt that more support is needed in this phase, and EPI are one of many organisations calling for a student premium. EPI will be undertaking further work to scope out how such a premium might work in practice.
If we are to see these trends reverse, then serious action will be needed. Whichever government is in power by this time next year, the burgeoning gap in attainment for students in the final stage of their compulsory education can no longer be ignored.
The exams regulator has appointed its deputy chair to lead its board while a permanent chair is found.
Frances Wadsworth, a former teacher and college principal, will become Ofqual’s interim chair on January 1. She will be in post for “up to 12 months” while a successor to Sir Ian Bauckham is found.
Last month it was announced that Bauckham will move from the Ofqual chair role to interim chief regulator, replacing Jo Saxton who becomes chief executive of UCAS next month.
This leaves the permanent roles of both chair and chief regulator at Ofqual vacant.
Wadsworth said she was “delighted to have been invited to serve as the interim chair of Ofqual, particularly at such an important time for the organisation and for the sector.”
“I know from my experience in education how important qualifications, supported by regulation, are and the impact they can have on individuals, employers and organisations,” she added.
Wadsworth joined the board of Ofqual in April 2017. In addition to being its deputy chair, she also chairs the regulator’s audit committee.
According to the Ofqual board’s register of interests, Wadsworth is also a lay advisor to the Thames Valley Magistracy and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
She was appointed a deputy further education commissioner in 2018 following a seven-year stint and principal and CEO of Croydon College. When the then FE commissioner, Richard Atkins, stood down in 2021, Wadsworth served as interim FE commissioner for six months until Shelagh Legrave took over.
She was made a CBE for services to education in the Queen’s 2022 birthday honours.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Ofqual plays an important role in ensuring our current and future qualifications work effectively, especially as we develop the new Advanced British Standard.
“Frances brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in advancing education and I look forward to working alongside her to ensure students taking qualifications and assessments in 2024 have the best possible chance to succeed.”
