Ofsted focus on English and maths

Ofsted focus on maths and English

FE carry some very interesting data this week about the focus on maths and English applied by Ofsted in their FE inspections and how this is affecting "grades".

The number of inspections since September is up 25% to 51, with data researched by FE Week showing that almost 20% of Colleges have been given Grade 4 - inadequate.

And the major cause in many cases is maths and English. The full article makes an interesting read.

We also noticed a piece on the BBC Education website which raised a smile. I'm not certain how relevant it is the majority of law abiding hard working people in the UK, but the underlying message is very clear. We won't say more, except click here. 

Traineeships and the digital economy

Traineeships and the digital economy

It's generally accepted that Traineeships haven't had the impact that we all thought they would.

Less than 10% of 19-24 year olds who completed a traineeship then went onto to an apprenticeship, a figure that certainly shocked me.

This week, FE Week carries an analysis of research into some of the key reasons why.

Traineeships may be missing the point, on a similar theme; a BBC report about the digital economy also indicates issues.

Whilst 90% of all jobs require "digital skills to some degree", 12.6 million adults lack basic skills and 5.8 million have never used the internet at all.

"Digital exclusion has no place in 21st Century Britain," the Commons Science and Technology Committee said. "While the government is to be commended for the actions taken so far... stubborn digital exclusion and systemic problems with digital education and training need to be addressed as a matter of urgency in the government's forthcoming digital strategy," it continued.

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News

Where are traineeships heading? News that less than 10% of 19-24 year olds who complete a traineeship, subsequently progress to an apprenticeship is putting the programme under threat with calls for a review of the programme.

After three years of reform, says Baroness Wolf in her evidence to the Commons committee on education & skills. She suggested that the focus on numbers was holding back reform of the process.

Students aged 16-18 with a grade D GCSE on study programmes will have two more chances to re-sit their "old style" GCSE in 2016/17 after the SFA confirmed an additional re-sit window for June 2017. Students who are genuinely on courses to progress their skills will continue to be funded, but those simply re-sitting exams will not.

The impact of the levy will affect SMEs too. The government is introducing a new Apprenticeship Levy from April 2017, which will affect larger businesses and require smaller firms to make upfront cash payments for training. Under government proposals, any smaller company with around 110 or fewer staff, who don’t pay the levy, will find themselves having to pay thousands of pounds up front for each apprentice they take on to cover the cost of accredited training.

Schools are worried too about the new maths GCSE. Half way through the teaching programme for the new cohort, Professor Anne Watson has said "that while the eventual plan is for a “more numerate population” her “expectation is that first of all there is likely to be a mess due to the scale and pace of the imposed change.”

Support materials for ForSkills customers

Support materials from ForSkills

These are all available to everyone, old customers, new customers and non-customers alike.

Paper based initial assessment booklets for maths, English and ICT costing £1 each.

Paper based screeners for maths, English and ICT costing 30p each.

A3 learner journey posters that are available free of charge on request.

Report of the results of the 2016 maths and English survey, free on request.

Published research report - The positive effects of using e-learning resources on the success rates and progression of learners, free on request.

A wide range of free videos accessed via the ForSkills YouTube channel.

Get in touch. If there's anything you'd like.