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‘ofqual’

Ofqual considers special treatment for new AOs

New apprenticeship exam bodies are next in line for special treatment, after Ofqual hinted that it’s considering a lighter regulatory touch for those that fall under its remit. But established awarding organisations groaning under the weight of increased regulation have begun to complain about double standards. The exams regulator is about to take charge of […]

News

Rotherham AO investigated by regulators twice in two years

An awarding organisation is under investigation by regulators for the second time in two years after an anonymous tip-off. Ofqual was alerted in May to irregularities at Focus Awards, an AO based in Rotherham, and official inquiries began on September 11. In a statement, it said it was “currently investigating allegations made to us in […]

News

Is Gibb to blame for functional skills reform?

The government, apparently under the influence of the schools minster Nick Gibb, is ploughing ahead with reforms to functional skills in English that run contrary to the advice it has received. The public consultation on reforming the English and numeracy qualifications, which are set to be introduced in September 2019, opened earlier this week, but […]

News

Education select committee to investigate subcontracting

The Commons education select committee will investigate subcontracting, and Learndirect is expected to feature prominently. The committee, now chaired by former apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon, met for the first time since the recent general election on September 12. Mr Halfon confirmed that it will place heavy scrutiny on FE. “We have agreed to […]

News

English and Maths GCSE resit results 2017

Here are the results for all candidates aged 17 and over in the UK who sat GCSE Maths, English language and English literature in summer 2017. These are the results for the old-style “legacy” GCSEs using the A*-G grading system. Next year, everyone (resits included) will have to sit the reformed Maths and English GCSEs, which […]

News

Explaining new GCSE grades and what this means for post-16 resits

By this time on results day, we’re all now aware of the new style of numerical GCSE grading. But if you’re still getting your head around whether a 1 or a 9 is the best grade, or wondering what this means for students starting post-16 courses this September and who will be subject to the […]

Opinion

Institute for Apprenticeships remains the favourite option for EQA

The Institute for Apprenticeships continues to be the dominant external quality assurance (EQA) provider of choice for most Trailblazer groups – even though it describes itself as the “option of last resort”. As a result, concerns are deepening across the sector that the government’s own EQA regulator is regulating itself, a situation that Graham Hasting-Evans, managing […]

News

DfE call for £600-a-day assessment consultants branded ‘recipe for failure’

The Department for Education is on the hunt for £600-a-day consultants to advise on the “suitability of proposed assessment plans” – despite that being the Institute for Apprenticeships’ role. And with the IfA and Ofqual also seeking experts for similar roles, the situation has been branded a “waste of public money” and a “recipe for […]

News

IfA appoints small exam board as apprenticeship ‘External Quality Assurance’ delivery partner

A small awarding organisation that appears to have little experience in the apprenticeships market will deliver external quality assurance of end-point-assessment on behalf of the Institute for Apprenticeships next year. The tender for the EQA contract was finally launched by the institute in May – three months after it was originally supposed to go live. […]

News