Latest news from FE Week

The Future of Assessment

Welcome to FE Week and Schools Week’s special supplement on the future of assessment!

With the first T Level results out this year, and debates ongoing about reforming GCSEs and A-levels, it’s one of the hottest topics in education around…

Post-Covid

A plethora of organisations led the charge for change to assessment following the Ofqual algorithm debacle in 2020 – and the calls have continued into 2022.

But with staff exhausted and ministers not currently in listening mode, will the various groups and projects result in change?

Find out who the movers and shakers are, what they think a post-pandemic world of assessment might look like – and all about the digital transformation already happening.

Inclusion and equity

A critical part of the future of assessment is how to best assess students with special educational needs and disabilities, and students with varying and different strengths, identities and backgrounds.

Read through top opinion pieces on this topic to find out what some of our leading educators have to say on issues of inclusion and fair play for all in the realm of assessment.

Results all round

The beauty of this supplement is that it straddles the divide between schools and FE, bringing thinkers and activities in both sectors into one space.

For instance, find out how ‘end point assessment’ is going for apprentices, with a special in-depth report on the topic.

Also read a detailed round-up with everything you need to know on GCSE, A-level and T Level results in 2022 from our news teams – including lessons learned.

Ofsted ditches Covid disruption deferral policy

Ofsted has ditched a temporary policy allowing schools and FE providers to request inspection deferrals because of Covid disruption, a move dubbed “premature” by a sector leader.

The inspectorate has today updated multiple parts of its guidance for the new academic year.

Other updates include strengthening its inspection code of conduct and new checks that governors are “doing all they can” to limit children to online harm.

Here is a round-up of the changes…

1. Ofsted ditches Covid deferral guidance

A temporary policy brought in to help schools, colleges and training providers badly hit by Covid disruption defer their inspection has been ditched by Ofsted.

The inspectorate has removed a section of guidance about Covid-19, which had explicitly made clear providers concerned about the timing of visits “can request a deferral”.

It previously acknowledged Covid posed a “unique set of challenges”, and said every request would be judged “on its own merits, in line with this policy”.

Education providers were encouraged by ministers to request deferrals when “significantly impacted” by Covid staff absences.

But now Ofsted’s pre-Covid deferral policy has been restored, stating there are only “limited” circumstances for acceptable deferrals. An accompanying list make no references at all to Covid – though is “not exhaustive”.

While it was expecting the policy would be ended, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was “premature given that it is likely that there will be further waves of infections during the autumn and winter which will cause disruption to schools and colleges”.

He said inspections should not go ahead where there are large staff and student absences as schools “will clearly not be operating as normal” and risk worse judgements.

“Ofsted must continue to take requests for deferral seriously in these circumstances,” he added.

2. Inspection code of conduct strengthened

Ofsted says it has “strengthened” its code of conduct. Now, during an inspection or visit, inspectors will explain conduct expectations and ask schools, colleges and training providers to read them.

Education providers will be told “any concerns that the inspection team has not acted in accordance with the code” should be raised “as soon as possible”.

“This is in order to resolve issues before the inspection or visit is completed, where possible. At appropriate points, inspectors will confirm with providers that they have provided or given access to all relevant evidence.”

At the end of the inspection, the lead inspector will remind providers they must have also met conduct expectations, including being “transparent and honest and providing all relevant guidance to allow for a fair and accurate outcome.”

To do this, education providers should not be “withholding or concealing evidence or providing false, misleading, inaccurate or incomplete information.”

Education providers should also make inspectors aware of any CCTV cameras and ensure there is a “private room” without cameras available for inspectors to talk about inspection evidence and hold confidential discussions.

3. Governors should ‘limit risks’ of online harm

Previous inspector guidance said that schools and colleges should have appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place to protect children from online harms and cyber security risks.

But the update today goes a bit further, and says inspectors should consider whether governing bodies and proprietors “do all that they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to any risks from the school or college’s IT system”.

It adds: “As part of this process, governing bodies and proprietors ensure that their school or college has appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place to protect children from potentially harmful content, and regularly review their effectiveness.”

In other updates on safeguarding, Ofsted said staff should recognise that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children may be targeted by other children.

So, staff should take steps to reduce “additional barriers” these students may face in speaking out by providing a safe space or member of staff who they can share their concerns with.

SEND college judged ‘inadequate’ over safety concerns

Safety fears have been raised at a SEND college after Ofsted found staff didn’t have enough medical training and students were exposed to potential harm from a shared building entrance with the public.

The education watchdog said that “learners do not work in a safe enough environment” at Elfrida Rathbone Camden (Leighton College), following a visit in June. It gave the college an ‘inadequate’ rating in a report published today.

The college caters for 16- to 25-year-olds with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) such as epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders, with most students on two year programmes for entry level life, employability, English, maths and independent living skills. It had 17 learners at the time of the inspection.

The college is located in the same building as a nursery with a shared public entrance, which Ofsted said exposed “the risk of possible harm that could occur to learners when members of the public access the shared building where learners attend college”.

Ofsted inspectors said that while learners said they felt safe at the college, “leaders and managers do not ensure that all staff who work with learners are suitable for their roles because they do not complete the necessary safe recruitment pre-employment checks on volunteers”.

In addition, the report said: “Leaders do not ensure that staff are suitably trained to administer emergency medication to learners with medical conditions, such as epilepsy.”

Ofsted said there were “significant” staffing issues with gaps in SEND expertise among employees, with some taking on new roles without enough training and guidance. It added that leaders did not ensure staff were experienced or qualified to teach SEND students.

The report said learners with therapeutic needs like speech and language therapy do not make good progress because they do not have access to “the full range of specialist therapy staff”.

On the curriculum, inspectors found it was “inadequately planned to meet individual learners’ needs” – including those specified in their education health and care plans – and they subsequently didn’t make enough progress to develop skills and knowledge needed to live independently.

A spokesperson from the college said it was “very disappointed” to be graded ‘inadequate’ but added: “We have an action plan in place and we have already acted on many of the recommendations.”

The college said it was pleased to be recognised by Ofsted for the respect its staff showed learners and the life skills students learned.

But it said new chief executive Nicole Francis, who started the week after the inspection was carried out, has outlined a series of measures for improvement.

Those include more effective measures to demonstrate how learners are assessed and their progress monitored, an overall review of the offer for students to ensure it meets their needs, and more training and support for staff in SEND.

More trustees with further education SEND expertise are set to be recruited, an external advisory group with SEND expertise formed and all staff will have completed training in administering medication by September 7.

The college says the landlord for its building will also have the communal front door secured by the beginning of term to prevent public access.

The college achieved a ‘good’ rating at its last inspection in March 2016, and said it is looking forward to demonstrating the progress made at its first monitoring visit in six months’ time.

Revealed: First solely apprenticeship provider granted degree awarding powers

Multiverse has become the first solely apprenticeship provider in England to be granted degree awarding powers.

The company – the brainchild of its chief executive Euan Blair, son of the former UK prime minister Tony Blair – announced the feat today following sign-off from the government’s higher education regulator the Office for Students.

It means that Multiverse can now run and award its own degree level apprenticeships. Other independent training providers can deliver degree apprenticeships but only in partnership with an established university or college that has degree awarding powers.

Multiverse was previously delivering degree apprenticeships in partnership with NCH London but can now award its own certificates up to, and including, level 6 bachelors’ degrees.

The edtech company said it will award degrees in areas such as data science and technology, and all programmes will be taught through apprenticeships with high-profile employers such as Rolls-Royce and Mastercard.

Elisabeth Barrett, Multiverse’s vice president for learning, said: “We have a vision for applied degrees that allow people to obtain a quality education – but where a salary replaces debt. A high-quality job from the start replaces the risk of being unprepared for the modern workplace by the time they graduate. And applied learning and personalised coaching replaces theoretical lectures and outdated exams.”

Jean Arnold, director of quality at the Office for Students, said applicants for degree awarding powers are tested against criteria which consider a range of factors such as academic governance, quality of the academic experience, and academic standards.

Providers who are awarded these powers can then operate them on a “probationary basis and are monitored on their progress towards meeting the degree awarding powers criteria in full by the end of their probationary award”.

The first apprentices will enrol onto Multiverse degrees in September, with applications for all 16- to 24-year-olds opening later this year.

An initial cohort of 170 apprentices will be enrolled this autumn.

The company currently works with over 8,000 apprentices, including more than 450 in degree-level qualifications.

Arnold added: “We support innovation in the sector to enhance the options and quality of courses for students. We’re pleased to grant degree awarding powers to Multiverse as a provider that delivers opportunities and choice to students.”

Multiverse was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in September 2021.

Pearson faces record £1.3m fine for letting examiners remark own work

Exam board Pearson could be fined a record-breaking £1.35 million for allowing examiners to remark their own work and issuing incorrect certificates – with schools and colleges to be paid £320,000 in compensation.

Regulator Ofqual has published two notices saying it intends to fine the global company based on failures in awarding GCSE and A-levels between 2016 and 2019.

This appears to be Ofqual’s largest ever fine – following a similar breach by AQA pre-pandemic.

It comes as Pearson faces further pressure after delays to thousands of BTEC results this summer.

The first notice relates to Pearson not having enough examiners to carry out complaint marking reviews – impacting nearly 47,000 reviews over the four year period.

These reviews can be requested by schools and colleges – but a fee is attached, unless an error is found.

The failures therefore have the potential to seriously undermine public confidence in the review of marking system, and the qualifications system more generally

Ofqual says Pearson “knowingly” allocated reviews of marking to examiners with previous involvement in the original marking.

It says opportunities to remedy the problem were missed in 2018, when it was raised with Ofqual, meaning another 11,000 reviews were checked by people who had originally marked these papers.

Pearson did not retain a workforce of “appropriate size” to carry out the reviews, Ofqual added.

‘Serious breaches’ of the rules

But the regulator said there is no evidence to show students received the wrong outcomes as 99 per cent of reviews were carried out by Pearson’s most senior examiners who had received training.

However, Pearson’s actions were “serious breaches” of the conditions Ofqual sets out for exam boards.

The regulator said they “are integral to the effectiveness and purpose of the system of reviewing marking.

“The failures therefore have the potential to seriously undermine public confidence in the review of marking system, and the qualifications system more generally.”

Pearson accepted its failings and said it will compensate all schools and colleges with credit notes where reviews of marking were not undertaken by a fresh examiner. This totals £320,510 across 36,807 reviews where a fee was charged.

AQA was caught up in a similar situation in 2020 when it had to pay Ofqual £350,000 and schools and colleges compensation of £737,750 – totalling over £1 million.

But Ofqual said Pearson’s case is “more serious” as it spanned over four years and Pearson missed chances to rectify the situation, resulting in the larger £1.2 million fine.

However this would not exceed 10 per cent of Pearson’s total annual turnover.

Incorrect short course certificates

Ofqual also plans to fine Pearson £150,000 for issuing inaccurate certificates for short course GCSE results in 2017 and 2018.

In total, 8,361 certificates omitted the words ‘short course’ and instead appeared as a full GCSE.

Ofqual said there was a “substantial” delay of nearly two months before Pearson wrote to schools and colleges to recall certificates.

Pearson can now make representations to Ofqual’s enforcement committee before a final amount is decided.

It’s not the first time Pearson has been fined after another certification problem in 2016 – leaving them with a financial penalty of £85,000.

A spokesperson for the board said it accepts the notices, but said both issues were “fixed” by 2020 and Ofqual has confirmed “that no student grades were affected”.

“We will be refunding schools and colleges where re-marking was not fully compliant. We will be making representations on this notice as due process allows.”

Pearson has updated its internal systems so the issue does not happen again and recruited additional examiners to ensure they have enough to allow for fresh marking.

Chief regulator Dr Jo Saxton said she “won’t hesitate to take action that protects the interests of students and the qualifications that open doors for them.

“Ofqual has rules in place to prevent and manage errors and an enforcement system to deal with breaches of those rules. We will use our full powers to hold awarding organisations to account for serious breaches of our rules.”

She added millions of qualifications “have been awarded safely and on time over the last two weeks and students can have full confidence in their grades”.

Provider plans to quickly double apprentice numbers after securing ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating

An independent training provider for payroll and administration apprentices has achieved an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating for its first full inspection – six years after first offering apprenticeships.

Dudley-based MBKB Ltd achieved the grade one rating following a visit by inspectors in July, having first begun offering apprenticeships in January 2016, and now hopes to quickly double its learner numbers.

The firm had 555 apprentices at the time of the inspection, 200 of whom were studying a level 3 in payroll administration.

Other programmes included internal audit practitioner, operations and departmental management, early years education, business administration and human resources consultant.

In its report, the education watchdog praised MBKB for the “structured flexibility” of its curriculum, which it said “is directly responsive to the needs of employers in the workplace”.

Inspectors reported that open review meetings with staff helped develop and improve the apprenticeships, while tutors used their expertise to “share new content with apprentices, using real-life examples which support apprentices to secure new learning into their long-term memory quickly”.

Elsewhere, apprentices were guided to take “additional specialist units from other standards to support their progression and career pathways at a later point,” which meant they gained additional skills to support other potential avenues of work in future.

Inspectors said that on and off-the-job training were often linked to help apprentices apply their skills in the workplace quickly, and noted that apprentices were enthusiastic and “have a considerable impact on their workplace”.

Mark Bremner, chief executive of MBKB, said: “The result is a testament to the incredible team we have got and the support of all the employers and apprentices we take on.”

Bremner said the organisation has plans to expand while maintaining the quality of teaching for the standards it offers.

“We have proven we are very successful, particularly in payroll administration and leadership, and now we want to expand that more geographically in new areas,” he said.

“The target is to hit 1,000 apprentices in the next six months – it’s growth but built on quality.”

Hull College names National Leader of Governance and former newspaper editor as new chair

A former newspaper editor and current National Leader of Governance has been appointed as the new chair of Hull College.

Rob Lawson will start in the role tomorrow, succeeding Lesley Davies following the conclusion of her 20-month term.

Lawson will lead the college alongside chief executive Debra Gray who joined in April and became the college’s sixth leader in two years. The appointments follow a troublesome period that involved FE Commissioner intervention, an investigation into spending at the college, and the closing down of the college’s Goole campus.

Over the past few years the college has appointed a raft of new governors and conducted a review of its governance led by a National Leader of Governance (NLG).

‘I’m tremendously excited to have been appointed’

Lawson is a former editor of the Sunderland Echo and Shields Gazette. In 2013 he became chair of Sunderland College where he spent the next eight years. During this time the college went through multiple mergers to form the Education Partnership North East (EPNE), operating in Sunderland, Northumberland and Hartlepool.

Lawson was named as an NLG in January 2020. NLGs are a group of experienced governance professionals who provide mentoring and peer-to-peer improvement support colleges. They are paid £350 a day.

He was also awarded an OBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List for services to FE ahead of joining the board of the RNN Group in July 2021.

Lawson said: “I’m tremendously excited to have been appointed and can’t wait to get started. I know what an inspirational leader Debra Gray is and I can see she has assembled a senior team brimming with talent and ambition.

“Lesley Davies has worked incredibly hard to get governance on track and the college has a genuinely exciting future ahead. I thank Lesley for her dedication and determination, and for giving me this amazing opportunity.”

Access to HE awarding body files for insolvency

An awarding organisation for Access to HE Diplomas has entered insolvency proceedings – just weeks after it split from the NOCN Group.

One Awards, a Teesside-based access validating agency (AVA) for the level 3 diplomas at 23 training providers and colleges, said the decision was taken because of “unforeseen circumstances” but refused to elaborate further.

It joined NOCN Group in August 2018, and, following a decision in December last year, formally severed ties to become an independent organisation once again at the end of July 2022.

But a month after the split it filed for insolvency, with its licence to award Access to HE Diplomas removed at 5pm today by the Quality Assurance Association for Higher Education (QAA).

Fabienne Bailey, managing director of the organisation which formed in 1994, said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances since demerging from the NOCN Group, the One Awards board has taken the difficult position of moving to place One Awards into insolvency.

“Other options were explored to try to avoid this position, however the trustees were unable to see a way ahead that would provide ongoing protection to the centres and learners. Having consulted closely with the QAA, it was agreed that the most appropriate course of action was for the QAA to take over the custodianship of the licence so all Access to HE provision could be picked up by the other AVAs.

“Whilst this is a devastating position for the whole team, it is deemed the right move to protect nearly 2,500 learners who study One Awards Access to HE diplomas every year.”

The news affects 14 core employees and more than 50 casual staff, the organisation said.

A statement from the board added: “This has been an extremely challenging time for the One Awards board and team who have successfully held an AVA licence for many years. One Awards have always been a well-respected AVA in the sector and it is very sad we now find ourselves in this position.”

Accounts up to July last year recorded its 2020/21 income as £1,053,000 and reported an operating surplus of £182,000.

Its pension scheme liability was a £2.6 million deficit – down from the £3.2 million deficit reported in July 2020 but above the £1.1 million deficit pre-Covid.

Its going concern statement in the same set of accounts said: “One Awards will make a surplus in 2021/22 and retain sufficient cash reserves into 2022/23 to cover all liabilities as they fall due as a standalone charity in its own right.”

NOCN Group said it had no prior knowledge or involvement in One Awards’ decision to enter insolvency arrangements, and confirmed there were no ongoing service or trading agreements.

It said that an offer to extend trading relationships for a further three years from the point of independence was declined.

Graham Hasting-Evans, chief executive of NOCN Group, said: “Whilst the outcome of the process of insolvency under consideration by One Awards is yet to emerge, it is always sad to see any organisation fail.”

He added that management of the pension scheme “is and always has been a matter for its [One Awards’] trustees”.

The QAA confirmed it had assumed temporary responsibility for the diplomas issued by One Awards, but will transfer over to other AVAs selected by individual providers.

One Awards has 23 providers registered with it, incorporating around 2,500 students per year in total.

The QAA said the changeover to different AVAs will not impact on the delivery or content of the diploma, and confirmed that previous Access to HE Diplomas issued by One Awards will continue to be recognised.

Julie Mizon, QAA’s access manager added: “We have taken swift action to avoid uncertainty for providers and students and ensure that alternative awarding body arrangements can be put in place.

“Our priority is ensuring that all students continuing, or due to commence an Access to HE Diploma in the 2022/23 academic year will receive a high-quality academic learning experience.”

It leaves just 10 other AVAs in the sector for Access to HE Diplomas – level 3 courses designed for those without traditional qualifications to progress to university.

East Midlands area secures adult education budget powers in first of a kind county devolution deal

The first county deal devolution arrangement has been secured for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire today that will see the adult education budget and skills powers transfer to local leaders.

In February the government announced plans for nine “county deal” devolution negotiations, as part of its levelling up agenda.

Derby and Derbyshire and Nottingham (pictured above) and Nottinghamshire had been listed as two of the nine, but the pair have been negotiating as a combined East Midlands deal.

This afternoon the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities confirmed they will form the first Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA). The aim is for the first mayoral election to be held in May 2024.

The deal will see the area get a directly elected mayor and £1.14 billion over the next 30 years. That includes a fully devolved adult education budget (AEB) from 2025/26 and “involvement” with local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) in line with the other mayoral combined authorities.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Nottinghamshire County (Ben Bradley), Nottingham City (David Mellen), Derbyshire County (Barry Lewis) and Derby City (Chris Poulter) councils said: “As leaders, we have all fought for a fairer share for our cities and counties, and a bigger voice for our area, to give us the clout and the influence we deserve, and to help us live up to our full potential.

“This deal would help make that a reality, creating more and better jobs through greater investment in our area, with increased economic growth, better transport, housing, skills training, and an enhanced greener environment, as we move towards being carbon neutral.”

Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen, Derbyshire County Council leader Barry Lewis, Levelling Up secretary Greg Clark, Derby City Council leader Chris Poulter, Nottinghamshire County Council leader Ben Bradley. Credit: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

According to the proposed agreement, the number of people in the East Midlands qualified to levels 2 and 3 are above the England average, but those with qualifications of level 4 and above are below the national average.

It said that there are “significant place-based variations in skills and productivity across the East Midlands districts”.

The report said that over the next 10 to 15 years a slower growth in the working age population coupled with technology advances will mean re-skilling opportunities will be needed.

The AEB is set to be fully devolved from 2025/26 academic year, subject to parliamentary approval, although that does not cover apprenticeships or traineeships. The size of the AEB has not yet been confirmed.

Upon devolution of AEB, East Midlands MCCA will be responsible for making allocations to providers and the outcomes to be achieved. The government said it will “not seek to second guess these decisions, but it will set proportionate requirements about outcome information to be collected in order to allow students to make informed choices”.

Levelling Up secretary Greg Clark said: “The East Midlands is renowned for its economic dynamism and it has the potential to lead Britain’s economy of the future.

“For a long time I have believed that the East Midlands should have the powers and devolved budgets that other areas in Britain have been benefitting from and I am thrilled to be able to bring that about in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”

It follows the confirmation earlier in the summer that York and North Yorkshire will get an elected mayor and devolved skills and adult education powers.

Meanwhile work is continuing on the other county deal areas, expected to be confirmed before the end of the year.

Those are: Cornwall; Devon, Plymouth and Tobay; Durham; Hull and East Yorkshire; Leicestershire; Norfolk; and Suffolk.