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16 April 2026

Functional Skills reimagined: Drive success in English & Mathematics with modern qualifications.

In today’s educational landscape, supporting learners with essential English and maths skills goes beyond traditional teaching. It’s about providing access to practical, real-world knowledge and ensuring each learner is equipped to succeed both in their studies and beyond. The newly launched Ascentis Functional Skills Qualifications in English and Mathematics are designed with exactly this purpose; to meet learners where they are and to propel them toward their goals in a way that’s adaptable, accessible, and fit for the demands of today’s world. These qualifications offer digital innovation, robust support through External Quality Assurers (EQAs), and dedicated Preparation Stations—delivering comprehensive tools for both educators and learners.

CEO’s mission to make AI a force for good in classrooms

Priya Lakhani, founder of one of the world’s biggest AI EdTech companies, is at pains to express how many of her glowing achievements have been driven by a strong moral conviction to make the world a better place. This is important for her, not only because she sits on the government’s AI Council and her […]

Open University extends free functional skills offer to level 2

A scheme by The Open University to provide free online functional skills courses has been extended to level 2. Pilots offering the English and maths programmes up to level 1 got under way in February and have been accessed by 12,000 people already, according to the university. Funded by the Department for Education’s flexible learning […]

English and maths GCSE resit policy helping tens of thousands

The policy requiring students to continue studying English and maths if they fail the subjects at GCSEs at age 16 continues to bear fruit, as revealed in FE Week’s analysis of the government’s latest attainment figures. The controversial “condition of funding” policy, introduced in 2014, means that colleges must help students who narrowly failed to […]