Survey results - early findings

With almost 100 completed responses already, early results are promising. More than 70% of you value this newsletter and as a good or excellent source of news which is very gratifying. More importantly early results from the survey also show:

• More than 50% of you think that mandatory GCSE re-sits are a “terrible idea”, whereas 65% think schools should offer Functional Skills from year 10 for learners with vocational ambitions.
• A surprising 90% are confident that Functional Skills level 2 is a rigorous qualification, only 70% think the same about GCSE. Almost 60% report that learners enjoy Functional Skills, the equivalent GCSE number is 40%.
• NCFE will be pleased that the top requests for additional services from Awarding Organisations are “free initial assessment and diagnostic tools” and “faster results turnaround”.

Some great quotes too:

• “I am seeing more and more 16-19 year olds who can ‘perform’ maths skills but cannot apply them to everyday situations – how is this preparing them for working life?”
• “Expecting the FE to upgrade students to at least a C in one year of teaching (when schools have not succeeded in 5) is creating lots of barriers to learning”
• “The choice of Functional Skills or GCSE should be appropriate for the learner, not dictated by funding”
• “Recent Government changes to grade boundaries at GCSE have made the qualification worthless to employers”
• “End this GCSE re-sit madness – it’s destroying the confidence of students”

The link is here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mathsandenglish2015 please take 10 minutes and add your thoughts and opinions - they do count and they are important.