A-level results are out this morning – here’s your usual handy FE Week round up of thekey trends.
All the findings are for students in England, unless stated. Here’s what we know…
1. Overall performance in England
The proportion of A* and A grades has dropped from 35.9 per cent last year to 26.5 per cent as grading standards return to pre-pandemic standards, a fall of just over 26 per cent.
However, this is still slightly above the 25.2 per cent in 2019.
This year, 75.4 per cent of grades were C and above, down on 82.1 per cent last year and slightly below 75.5 per cent in 2019.
The number of students achieving 3 A* grades has dropped by more than half this year – from 8,570 to 3,820.
It’s still above pre-pandemic 2019 – when 2,785 pupils achieved it – but way down on the 12,975 pupils achieving 3 A*s in 2021, when teacher grades were awarded.
2. A-level grade distribution: 2019 to 2023
3. Regional attainment gap widens
While grading has mostly returned to pre-pandemic standards at a national level, the regional picture has changed, possibly signalling the impact of covid on children regionally.
In 2019, 23 per cent of grades in the north east were A and above, but this is now 22 per cent – meaning the region is now the lowest attaining in the country.
Whereas in London, 30 per cent were top grades this year compared to 26.9 per cent in 2019.
This means the gap between the regions has widened from 3.9 percentage points to 8 percentage points.
The north east and Yorkshire and Humber were the only regions to record below-2019 rates in top grades achieved.
4. Big fall in top grades for secondary moderns and FE colleges
According to data published by Ofqual today, further education establishments and secondary moderns saw the biggest fall in top grades between 2022 and 2023.
The proportion of A and A*s issued to pupils of secondary moderns, which are non-selective schools in areas with grammar schools, fell from 27.6 per cent to 19.1 per cent, (a decrease of 30.8 per cent).
Top grades in FE establishments fell by 34.9 per cent from 21.8 to 14.2 per cent, which is actually below pre-pandemic levels (16.5 per cent). The proportion of top grades issued to sixth form college students fell by 29.2 per cent, from 31.9 to 22.6 per cent.
The smallest falls were for private schools (18.3 per cent), free schools (20.9 per cent) and grammar schools (23.5 per cent).
5. Economics rise, but Auf Wiedersehen German
Across the UK, there has been no change to the top five most popular subjects. However, economics has taken geography’s spot in the top 10 most popular subjects after a 7.3 per cent rise in entries.
Computing entries grew the most of any subject – 16.7 per cent – from 15,693 in 2022, to 18,306 this year.
At the other end, German saw the largest drop in entries from 2,803 last year to 2,358 this year (15.9 per cent fall).
French and Spanish entries also both fell by just under 11 per cent.
6. Which subjects have the biggest gap between entries?
Computing continues to have far more entries from boys, who make up more than one in eight entrants.
Physics, further maths, economics, design and technology and ICT also all continue to be far more popular among boys than girls.
At the other end of the scale performing arts, English literature, sociology and art and design subjects continue to be far more popular with girls than boys.
7. England falls behind in UK grade gap
While England’s grades returned to pre-pandemic standards this year, Wales and Northern Ireland are waiting until 2024. This means their grading is more generous this year.
The proportion of top grades awarded in England is this year 7.5 percentage points behind Wales (34 per cent) and 11 percentage points behind Northern Ireland (37.5 per cent).
In 2019, we were 1.3 percentage points behind Wales and 4.2 percentage points behind Northern Ireland.
Top grades in Wales and NI are 7.5 and 8.1 percentage points respectively higher than 2019 compared to just 1.3 percentage points in England.
A third of wave two T Level students quit their course during their studies, results data suggests.
T Level results were released to 3,448 students today, a third lower than the 5,210 T Level students the government reported started the two-year course in 2021.
The figures follow a damning review of T Levels by Ofsted, published last month, which warned that “many” students left before the end of their programme.
A Department for Education spokesperson said it was “quite normal” for students to switch courses but officials “will work with providers and other partners to understand more about the reasons for students dropping out and what can be done to improve retention”.
The 33 per cent drop-out rate compares badly with other level 3 qualifications. For A-levels, the retention rate stands at 95 per cent, so 5 per cent drop out. And for other vocational and technical qualifications, like tech levels and applied general qualifications, the drop-out rate is 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.
Early 2023 data reveals 90.5 per cent, 3119 students, of those picking up their results achieved at least a pass in their T Level and 69.2 per cent achieved a merit or above.
This means those students successfully achieved each individual element that makes up a T Level. To pass, a student needs to score at least a grade E in the core component, a pass or above in their occupational specialism and met the industry placement requirements.
Students that attempted but don’t achieve all three component requirements count as a partial achievement. This year, 316 students, 9.2 per cent, only partially achieved their T Level.
This is the second year that T Level results have been awarded, but the first where students’ results are based entirely on formal assessments. The first cohort of T Level students, awarded their grades this time last year, were based partially on teacher-assessed grades.
Overall this year, 22.2 per cent of students achieved the top distinction and distinction* grades. Nearly half, 47.1 per cent, achieved a merit and 21.2 per cent scored a pass.
Source: Department for Education
Breakdowns of results by subject and component were not part of the initial data release but will be released by the Department for Education separately.
According to UCAS, 1,220 T Level students got a higher education place this year.
Added to last year’s achievers, there are now 4,071 young people with T Levels on their CVs.
Today’s results are the first for seven new T Levels that were introduced in 2021. Among them are T Levels in health, healthcare science and science. Those students found themselves at the centre of a “serious” incident last year when exams regulator Ofqual deemed their first-year assessment results invalid.
Other T Levels being awarded for the first time today include digital support services, onsite construction and building services engineering for construction.
The proportion of top A-level grades achieved by England’s students dropped by more than 26 per cent this year, as results fell to near the same level as pre-pandemic 2019.
Overall, more than 67,000 fewer A* and A grades were awarded this summer, despite an increase in entries of more than 20,000.
This year, 26.5 per cent of grades issued were at A or above, down from 35.9 per cent last year and far below the peak of 44.3 per cent in 2021.
But this is still slightly higher than the 25.2 per cent in 2019.
The proportion of A* grades fell from 14.5 per cent in 2022 to 8.6 per cent this year, still up on the 7.7 per cent in 2019.
The government had asked Ofqual and the exam boards to return to pre-pandemic grading standards this year.
Students were awarded centre-assessed grades in 2020 and teacher-assessed grades in 2021 because of Covid disruption. This year’s A-level students were in year 10 when the pandemic hit, and like last year’s cohort did not sit GCSEs.
The proportion of grades at C and above fell to 74.4 per cent from 82.1 per cent last year, and is actually lower than the 75.5 per cent seen in 2019.
The number of students receiving three A* grades fell to 3,820 pupils, down from 8,570 in 2021. In 2019, 2,785 students achieved that benchmark.
Top grades almost back to pre-pandemic levels
The drop in top grades brings the situation within 1.3 percentage points of 2019. Exams watchdog Ofqual instructed exam boards to bring grades down again, after aiming for a “midpoint” between 2019 and 2021 grades last year.
Dr Jo Saxton
However, the regulator also aimed to ensure that a student who would have secured a particular grade in 2019 would be just as likely to achieve that grade this year.
Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual’s chief regulator, said students “should be proud of their achievements”, adding they had “shown resilience and determination despite the disruption caused by the pandemic during the crucial years of their education.”
“Two years ago we set out a clear plan to return to pre-pandemic grading – a system that schools, colleges, universities and employers are all familiar with. As we said then, we expected overall A-level results would be similar to 2019, and lower than in 2022.”
She said Ofqual had been “clear about this approach with universities and other higher education providers , and I want to thank them for showing understanding and awareness of the national picture when confirming places with students.”
But the north-south gap widens
London and the south east continue to outperform other areas, but the gap is now wider than in 2019.
The proportion of A and A* grades awarded this year was 30.3 per cent in the south east and 30 per cent in London, up from 28.3 per cent and 26.9 per cent respectively in 2019.
However, the proportion of top grades remains lower this year in the north east and Yorkshire and the Humber than pre-pandemic.
According to data published by Ofqual today, further education establishments and secondary moderns saw the biggest fall in top grades between 2022 and 2023.
The proportion of A and A*s issued fell by 34.9 per cent for FE establishments, 30.8 per cent for secondary moderns and 29.2 per cent for sixth form colleges.
The smallest falls were for private schools (18.3 per cent), free schools (20.9 per cent) and grammar schools (23.5 per cent).
‘A bruising experience for students and schools’
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said all students “should be proud of what they have achieved”, saying falling grades is “not as a result of underperformance, but because the grading system has been adjusted.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, added that universities, employers and other providers “should take this into account when making decisions on places and offers.”
Barton added “whatever the rationale…it will feel like a bruising experience for many students, as well as schools and colleges which will have seen a sharp dip in top grades compared to the past three years”.
There were fears over falling grades resulting in more students missing offers for university or college.
But UCAS data shows 79 per cent of 18-year-olds in the UK secured their first choice plan, compared to 81 per cent last year and 74 per cent in 2019.
Nine per cent did not get their first or insurance choice, meaning they are now in clearing, which compares to 12 per cent in 2019, and 7 per cent in 2022.
‘Widening participation challenges persist’
However for every disadvantaged student that got a place, 2.3 advantaged students progressed – compared to 2.29 last year.
UCAS boss Clare Marchant said “challenges in widening participation to the most disadvantaged students still persist.
“This demonstrates that we all need to continue the efforts to ensure the most disadvantaged individuals in society are able to benefit from life-changing opportunities in higher education and training, particularly as the 18-year-old population grows.”
A leadership and management apprenticeship provider has been judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted after it was found apprentices enrolled just to accredit their existing knowledge and skills.
We Are Momentum, established in late 2020 and based in Knutsford, Cheshire, was slammed by the watchdog in its first full inspection, undertaken in late June and published today.
The provider trains almost 100 apprentices across levels 3, 4 and 5 in team leading, associate project management and operations management.
Ofsted reported that too few apprentices complete their apprenticeship on time, too many leave early, and too many took breaks-in-learning or fell behind.
Inspectors also found that too many apprentices – especially its level 4 and 5 learners who already have significant leadership and management experience – do not gain “substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours” and are instead simply enrolling to get accreditation for knowledge and skills they already have.
A spokesperson from We Are Momentum told FE Week that the report was “disappointing and concerning” and the provider is in the process of conducting a “comprehensive” internal review and liaising with external experts over its curriculum.
“We believe in the principle of continuous learning,” the spokesperson said. “Some apprentices come to us with a certain foundation; our goal is to help them build upon that. We are revisiting our curriculum and liaising with external experts to ensure that our programmes are both challenging and rewarding, enriching the skillset of every apprentice who joins us.”
Inspectors also found that the provider’s leaders do not assess the English and mathematics capabilities at the beginning of the apprenticeship, and development coaches do not monitor those skills, causing learners to fall behind.
“In too many instances, apprentices who require English and mathematics qualifications are not informed of this until late in their apprenticeship. This causes apprentices distress and hinders their progress,” the report said.
Regarding development coaches, who are said to be subject matter experts in the report, the watchdog said that they do not have teaching qualifications nor benefit from training activities to keep their sector knowledge up to date.
“As a result, too many apprentices cannot remember and recall what they have learned,” the report said.
Ofsted did however report that most apprentices who stay on programme “enjoy their apprenticeships and display a good attitude to learning”.
Development coaches also ensure that apprentices benefit from a “culture where everyone values and appreciates each other, fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere”.
We Are Momentum’s spokesperson said it was “premature” to speculate on any decision from the ESFA.
“We respect the insights provided by the Ofsted report and take them very seriously. While the report is a setback, it’s also an opportunity for us to introspect, evolve, and elevate our training programs,” the spokesperson said.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our stakeholders as we work through these challenges. Our commitment to providing exceptional apprenticeship experiences remains unwavering, and we are confident in our ability to bounce back stronger from this.”
Degree apprentices are less impressed with the quality of their courses than full-time university students, according to data from the Office for Students.
FE Week analysis of National Student Survey results found that degree apprentices at colleges and universities were more critical of their courses in 2022/23 – particularly when it comes to organisation and management.
It is the first time the survey included degree apprenticeships since the survey was launched in 2005. Around 9,600 of the 339,000 respondents to this year’s survey were doing a degree apprenticeship.
Biggest gap in satisfaction is for course organisation
The survey revealed a gap between the overall satisfaction of degree apprentices and full-time students, which Simon Ashworth, director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), attributed to degree apprenticeships being “significantly more intensive” than a standard undergraduate degree, as they are primarily a job with a substantial programme of structured learning attached.
Each of the 27 questions in the survey had four options, ranging from the most positive to the most negative and covered seven themes: teaching, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, and student voice.
FE Week’s analysis found that a higher proportion of full-time students answered positively on 18 of the questions compared to apprentices.
The biggest gap was for organisation of the course, with 57 per cent of degree apprentices saying their course was well organised compared to 72.4 per cent of full-time students – a 15.4 percentage point difference.
Degree apprentices were also much more critical on how course changes were communicated, with 65.2 per cent saying they were well communicated in comparison to 74.5 per cent of full-time university students.
A smaller proportion of degree apprentices said their course was regularly intellectually stimulating – 78.2 per cent compared to 84 per cent of full-time students.
Degree apprentices were also less convinced they had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth. While 77.4 per cent of degree apprentices said they did, 82.6 per cent of full-time students felt they were able to do that.
And a smaller proportion of degree apprentices felt their own course feedback was acted on – which came in at 56.8 per cent in comparison to 61.8 per cent of full-time students.
Apprentices full of praise for assessment
But apprentices were more complimentary than full-time students when it came to receiving assessment feedback on time, with a 5-percentage point gap between their rating of 84.6 per cent and the 79.6 per cent registered by full-time students.
Degree apprentices were also more satisfied than their full-time counterparts with marking and assessment; 83.5 per cent of degree apprentices said marking and assessment of their course was “fair” compared to 79.8 per cent of full-time students.
FE Week’s analysis found degree apprentices studying at Leeds Trinity University were the most critical in England around teaching quality and learning opportunities, as 50.4 per cent and 55 per cent of the university’s learners reported positive experiences in those themes respectively.
The university also runs degree apprenticeships for CP Training Services, a ‘good’ rated training provider based in Upminster, which got the lowest results in organisation and management.
A spokesperson for the university said it was “working hard to provide an excellent student experience” for degree apprentices.
“The results in a small number of our apprenticeship subjects are disappointing, so we will be applying this feedback and reviewing good practice in better-performing areas as we continue to strive to enhance our offer,” the spokesperson added.
Degree apprentices at Ravensbourne University London, meanwhile, were the most critical when it came to assessment and feedback, academic support and learning resources – with 44.5 per cent, 45.5 per cent, 43.3 per cent of the university’s degree apprentices reporting a positive experience respectively.
Andy Rees, the dean of Ravensbourne University London said he was “pleased” to receive an overall improvement of more than 7 per cent in the NSS, but that “improvement is still needed on the degree apprenticeship course and we are now applying the same rigour and learnings to them as we have our under graduate degrees”.
Degree apprentices were much more complimentary at Truro and Penwith College, which scored the highest proportion of positive experiences in learning opportunities and student voice. Apprentices at University Centre Quayside in Newcastle rated it best for teaching, assessment and feedback, and academic support.
Ashworth said degree apprenticeships represent “a high standard of qualification while also being an important route into many careers”, and referenced stats from earlier this year which found level 6 solicitor apprenticeships scored on average 8 per cent higher in exams than those on the traditional academic route.
“This highlights the overall benefits of apprenticeships, especially the on-the-job aspect that doesn’t always get enough recognition,” he added.
A spokesperson for Universities UK said the data shows “the vast majority” of degree apprentices leave with “positive experiences”.
“Despite universities’ best efforts, it is inevitable that there will be some instances when students may be dissatisfied with their experience.
“If there are pockets where things could be improved, this should involve collaboration between both university and employer, as degree apprenticeships are based on a partnership between the two.”
Schools, colleges and students are eagerly awaiting A-level results on Thursday – the second series of summer exams since the pandemic.
The government and Ofqual have been clear since last year that grades issued will be much closer to pre-pandemic levels.
But as results days near, concerns are emerging about the impact of such a plunge in results on students.
So here’s our explainer on what you need to know about this year’s results …
1. 2023 cohort will bear brunt of grade deflation …
The rolling back of the grade inflation did start last year. Ofqual promised 2022’s results would be a “midway” point between the pandemic highs and the pre-pandemic norms.
However, as FE Week’s sister title Schools Week revealed at the time, there was just a 30 per cent drop in top GCSE grades issued last year, a way off the 50 per cent fall that would have constituted the “midway” point.
<a href=httpsffteducationdatalaborguk202208a level results 2022 the main trends in grades and entries title=>Credit FFT Datalab<a>
While last year’s top A-level grades did fall further, analysis by Education Datalab showed almost all subjects were above this midpoint.
It means this year’s cohort has been left facing the biggest whack in grade deflation.
2. … as ‘50k students set to miss out on top grades’
While grades will fall this year, there are still what have been called “soft-landing” protections in place.
Essentially, senior examiners will make allowances to ensure that national performance in subjects is not lower than before the pandemic.
For example: a student who would have achieved a B in A-level geography before the pandemic will be just as likely to achieve this, even if their exam performance is a little weaker.
Exam aids such as formulae and equation sheets were also allowed in some subjects, as recognition that this year’s cohort have also had their schooling disrupted by the pandemic.
But the University of Buckingham predicts nearly 100,000 fewer A and A*s will be dished out, with up to 50,000 students missing out on top grades that they would likely have achieved last summer.
3. And it could be poorer pupils worst hit
The widest disadvantage gap at A-level since records began was recorded last year. This gap actually narrowed slightly during the pandemic – suggesting that poorer pupils saw their grades rise the most during the teacher grade process.
But as that inflation is wound back, it’s likely those pupils will now be the worst hit.
Credit Department for Education
Michelle Meadows, former deputy Ofqual chief and now education assessment professor at the University of Oxford, warned the disadvantage gap will be larger than before the pandemic which is a “serious concern”.
But she said it can’t be “remedied by any approach to grading – schools and colleges need the right level of resourcing to provide targeted support to those students who most need it”.
A survey of students by the Social Mobility Foundation found that those from disadvantaged or low-incoming backgrounds in England were less likely to have received the help they needed to restore the learning lost during the pandemic.
4. Ofqual says standards must go back for fairness
Ofqual has previously said it’s important we get back to normal so grades “set young people up for college, university or employment in the best way possible”.
The Sunday Timesreported that 30 per cent of young people dropped out of some university courses over the two years of pandemic grading – citing it as a reason for the return to “normal” grading.
A quote from an unnamed source added it was “not in young people’s interests to have grading arrangements that do not appropriately support their progression”.
However, Clare Marchant, UCAS chief executive, said this morning she was “struggling to understand” where the data came from.
Johnny Rich, a higher education specialist, also added “it’s very early” to state Covid drop-out rates, as data is yet to be published. Some courses prior to covid already had drop-out rates of 30 per cent, he added.
He believed a “lack of funding and miserable study conditions during the pandemic are far more realistic explanations” for dropouts rather than A-level grading being over generous.
5. High predicted grades could cause a problem …
Analysis by consultancy DataHE suggests nearly 60,000 university hopefuls predicted AAB and above could miss these grades on Thursday.
UCAS doesn’t publish predicted grades data until later in the year. But researcher Mark Corver estimated 113,088 students are predicted AAB and above this year by teachers (while awarded grades have “jumped around” over the years, predicated grades from teachers have been “much more stable” so are easier to estimate, he said).
However, his analysis found the actual number of top grades issued could be just 53,718.
Credit DataHE
“If this happens it will certainly be a big shock for these students, who had the strongest ever GCSE results,” Corver told the Guardian. This year’s A-level cohort would have been awarded higher-than-usual GCSEs during the 2021 teacher grades process.
When asked about the analysis, Ofqual pointed out that only 21 per cent of accepted applicants to university in 2019 achieved or exceeded their predicted grades.
Yet 86 per cent of UK UCAS applicants aged 18 took up a university place.
In September, the regulator recommended that teachers use the familiar pre-pandemic standard as the basis for predicting grades this year. It expected predicted grades this summer to be “much closer” to pre-pandemic years.
6. … but universities say they’ve accounted for it
As Corver points out, grade distribution should not in theory make any difference to getting a university place.
“People are not becoming more or less able; it is just the ruler is being changed,” he said.
However, he did warn “in practice both universities and applicants probably find it hard to completely shake off the grade equivalent of the ‘money illusion’, where you focus on the nominal value”.
Universities also don’t receive a nationwide grading picture until results day.
The Russell Group, which represents 24 leading UK universities, said during Covid there had been “uncertainty around grade boundaries” so universities were “more cautious with offer making”.
But this year, the organisation said it can model offer-making with greater certainty and factored in predicted grades being higher.
Clare Marchant
Even if more students don’t hit their predicted grades and miss their offers, universities can adapt and show “leniency” during the offer route, or go into clearing to find students.
Asked about the predicted grades gap, Marchant said she wasn’t “particularly concerned” as offers are made in context.
But she said there is a “broader issue” with predicted grades, adding: “We need to keep an eye on it. It’s very easy I think to overpredict but we need to be giving data to schools and colleges to get as accurate as possible around that.”
Another potential issue is that grades in both Wales and Northern Ireland will not return to pre-pandemic standards until next year, meaning results will be higher than for English students. Scotland also took a “sensitive approach” to grading.
The Russell Group said admission teams are used to accounting for variation in outcomes annually.
7. Clearing warning: Be ‘quick off mark’ and have Plan B
However, Marchant warned last week that students need to be “quick off the mark” on results day if they want to study at a top university, as competition in clearing will be tougher this summer.
Analysis by the PA news agency found fewer courses available in clearing this year among the Russell Group universities.
But Marchant said this was down to more 18-year-olds and international students competing for places, not an issue with grades.
The number of UK 18-year-old university applicants was down two per cent this year compared to last year, but still above 2021 figures by 2.8 per cent.
However, the offer rate for this group is higher at 76.2 per cent, compared to 73.9 per cent last year.
Marchant added they expected the vast majority of students will receive their first choice on Thursday.
But she advised students to research their options and prepare for a plan B.
A former Ofsted boss is set to take over as chair of charity the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
Dame Christine Gilbert, who was chief inspector between 2006 and 2011, will replace philanthropist Sir Peter Lampl in the new year.
FE Week’s sister title Schools Weekrevealed in April that the outgoing chair – who also helped found the EEF – was stepping down after a “successful longstanding tenure”.
The organisation was launched 12 years ago by social mobility charity Sutton Trust, formed by Lampl, after it was backed by a £125 million government grant.
The EEF – which received a £137 million injection last year from ministers – aims to break the link between family income and education achievement by supporting schools and colleges through the better use of evidence.
Speaking today, Lampl said the charity “has set new standards for educational research” and been an “invaluable resource” for teachers, sector leaders and policy makers.
Sir Peter Lampl
“Its recent re-endowment reflects the strong value and recognition of its work across the sector.
“I am delighted Dame Christine will succeed me when my term comes to an end. I look forward to continuing my association with the EEF through my emeritus chair role.”
Gilbert has been an EEF trustee since the beginning of this year. She also led the National Tutoring Foundation, which was set up by the EEF in 2021 to run the government’s flagship National Tutoring Programme.
However it was dissolved after Randstad was awarded the contract in 2021-22.
Gilbert is also the joint chair of the Education Partnership Association and has been a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education for more than a decade.
Following the announcement of her new role, she said: “Over the past decade, the EEF has become a much-respected part of the English education landscape.
“I’ve got to know their work in great depth during my time as Trustee, during which time I’ve been grateful for Sir Peter’s leadership.”
Shelagh Legrave’s term as FE Commissioner has been extended by six months until the end of March, the Department for Education announced today.
The former chief executive of Chichester College Group will serve her new term as FE Commissioner from October 1, 2023 until the end of March 2024.
Legrave has been in the post since October 2021, when she took over from Richard Atkins, following the announcement that she would take up a two-year term earlier that year.
Legrave said: “I am delighted to continue to serve as the Further Education Commissioner and to support all colleges in a sector which changes lives through learning.”
The Department confirmed that Legrave’s salary will remain unchanged for the extended term. She will be remunerated £135,000 per annum and will work up to 4 days per week in the role.
She has published four formal intervention reports on struggling colleges so far in her tenure, as part of her ambition to reduce the number of colleges facing intervention, as told to FE Week.
On taking office, Legrave spoke about wanting to change the perception of the FE Commissioner’s role from one of fear to one of support. In her first interview as Commissioner, she told FE Week “The FE Commissioner is there to support the sector. Yes, it has an intervention role, but support is my focus.”
On her watch, the Commissioner’s team of deputies, advisers and national leaders have prioritised delivering programmes of “active support” including diagnostic visits and health checks, for colleges on request rather than just working with those already in trouble.
Throughout her tenure as FE Commissioner so far, Legrave has commented publicly on the finanicial struggles facing colleges and the risks this poses to delivering the government’s skills agenda.
At the Skills and Education Group’s annual conference this year, Legrave honed in on staff recruitment and retention difficulties, saying “There is a real danger that the sector will not be able to deliver the reforms that the government is looking for in further education because you can’t find the staff to teach the qualifications.
Every college I’ve been to has not been able to honour some qualifications because they can’t find the expertise to teach it.”
And in her latest annual report, Legrave warned colleges not to drop the ball on oversight of subcontracting, cyber-security and long-serving governors getting “too comfortable”.
The National Extension College (NEC) has pioneered distance and second-chance education for six decades this August, and its founding mission is more relevant than ever, writes Sir Alan Tuckett
Organisations focusing on second-chance education for adults have had a tough time these last twenty years, as more than four million publicly funded places for adults in further education have been cut since 2010 as a result of funding changes.
In the open and distance learning field there has been a litany of failed government initiatives to create a sub-degree equivalent of the Open University – among them the Open Tech, the Open College, the University for Industry and the NHS University.
All short-lived, all suffering from the sudden shifts that have characterised post-school lifelong learning policy in recent decades.
Yet as the Covid pandemic highlighted, distance learning is of key importance for people unable to leave home for whatever reason.
For that reason alone, it is worth celebrating the sixtieth birthday this month of the National Extension College (NEC), and to use the occasion to argue for an overhaul of policy thinking on the field, to recognise its place in addressing social disadvantage, and in levelling up education opportunities in Britain.
The NEC is small, innovative, independent of government funding, yet committed to the public good. It was the brainchild of the social entrepreneur Michael Young, and his colleague Brian Jackson, who became the college’s first director.
Michael Young
Pioneering distance learning
Young recognised that many people who had missed out on much of their education the first time around because of the second world war and passages of ill health, and those with work or family commitments, would welcome a second chance to learn and to gain qualifications.
He believed there needed to be an opportunity to enable them to learn in their own time, and at their own pace. Young argued, “We were searching for education without institution, learning while earning, courses which people of all ages could take in their own time, at their own pace.”
NEC’s start was modest. Supported by a grant of £16,000 from the Gulbenkian Foundation and £1,000 from The Guardian, its initial range of programmes in 1963 included O level mathematics and English, university courses, mounted in partnership with the University of London’s external course programme, and a range of vocational programmes.
An early media partnership with Anglia Television introduced new approaches to learning maths and English, just as later the NEC partnered with the BBC in offering early computer literacy courses. Its early experiences shaped the Open University which opened to students in 1971.
Among the college’s alumni was Eddie the Eagle (Michael Edwards), immortalised in film for his exploits on the ski slopes at the 1988 Winter Olympics. In the 1990s Eddie took a range of O and A level courses through the NEC before going on to a degree at De Montfort University. The comedian Russell Kane studied A level sociology at the NEC and now sponsors student scholarships.
By 1988 the College had provided comparable course opportunities to more than 250,000 people – a figure more than tripled now.
Betty Boothroyd and Russell Kane
Saved from disaster
Growing demand saw a steady growth in staff support to some 70 people in 2002, and through the 1990s and the first decade of this century, NEC managed the transition from a paper and post service to online delivery.
Ros Morpeth. Photo by Mark Allan
But in the years leading up to 2010, it suffered several years of financial losses which prompted its board of trustees to seek a merger.
They opted to join with the Learning and Skills Network (LSN), which sold off NEC’s prime location in Cambridge for £6 million. But in a matter of weeks, the LSN itself went into administration in 2011.
The original NEC charity had been dissolved at the time of the merger, but, convinced of the critically important role the college played in its students’ lives, Ros Morpeth set about resuscitating it.
Morpeth led NEC from 1988 to 2003 and maintained an active engagement thereafter. With colleagues she found a dormant charity, the Open School Trust (another of Michael Young’s creations), and put a successful bid to the administrators, PwC, to take the National Extension College out of administration, with support from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the Open University.
Morpeth’s success in re-establishing the NEC, which she ran again for several years without remuneration, was recognised when she was voted FE leader of the year in the 2016 TES FE awards.
As the college celebrates its birthday in robust health under the leadership of Esther Chesterman, and prepares for its next sixty years, it looks to engage artificial intelligence for its potential benefits to personalise the learning process, while being aware of the risks it brings.
There is no doubt that its original remit – to offer second chances to learners in our educationally divided country – is as relevant as ever. And any lifelong learning policy worth having must surely find an effective way of supporting institutions and provision dedicated to those ends.
(L) Holly Brown, marketing executive, & (R) Esther Chesterman, CEOBrooklands Avenue, Cambridge, NECs home from the late 1970s until 2000
