14 to 19 Education and Skills Curriculum Reform: Informing Higher Education - 20 July 2007

HE Newsletter Summer term 2007

Contents

• Introduction
• Update on changes at A level
• Extended project
• How will the Extended Project be assessed?
• Development of the new Diplomas
• Who will be doing the first 5 Diplomas - Gateway Consortia in 2008
• Will there be a Diploma in Science?
• Diplomas and Higher Education – a view from our Champions
• Other HE engagement activity, Spring and Summer 2007
• Information, advice and guidance
• Case Study
• The University of Hertfordshire response to the 14 to 19 Agenda by Kate Arter, Associate Dean (Regional Liaison)

Introduction

This is the first edition of a newsletter to help inform HE colleagues of developments regarding the 14 to 19 reforms. The 14 to 19 Education and Skills White Paper set out an ambitious ten-year reform programme including important changes to the qualifications and curriculum that all students will study in future. The reforms are designed to encourage more young people to continue learning for longer and to gain the qualifications they need to progress into further and higher education or skilled employment.

Many of the reforms will have a direct impact on HE institutions, in areas such as entry requirements, curriculum and assessment methods, and the patterns of demand for different and new HE courses. Changes to A levels and the introduction of the new Diplomas mean that from 2010, almost all students entering HE straight from full-time education will have studied something different and been assessed in a different way from current entrants.

Much progress has been made since the publication of the 14 to 19 White Paper in February 2005 and the HE sector has been closely involved – for example through participation in the detailed design of the first five Diplomas. But we are reaching a critical point in the reforms with much of the detailed content of the new qualifications about to emerge. As Professor Michael Arthur, one of our HE Champions, says in this newsletter, September will be a critical month when the full detail of the new Diplomas and the revised A level specifications will be available to look at.   

We know that what HE says can have a positive ‘pull’ effect on both students and their parents. So your engagement with these reforms is vital to their success. But there are also real benefits to you from getting involved. The Diplomas and revised A levels mean that, as HE continues its drive to widen participation, there will potentially be a much wider pool of talent emerging from our school and college system, despite the overall fall in the 18-year-old population.

The students emerging should also be much better prepared for HE – Diplomas for instance will help young people to have much more experience of in-depth, extended study, enabling them to become independent enquirers, creative thinkers, reflective learners, team-workers, self-managers and effective participators. The greater synoptic assessment required from the new A level specifications will encourage learners to make much greater links across the subjects they study.

I would urge you all to get involved in any way you can – considering the new curriculum content as it emerges and getting involved with the consortia of schools and colleges which will be offering the new Diplomas in 2008. You can find out more in the HE section of our website at www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19.

Bill Rammell, Higher Education Minister

Update on changes at A level

The 14 to 19 curriculum reforms are extremely wide-ranging, and one of the fundamentals of the reform package is changes at A level.

In brief, the changes are:

• A reduction in the number of units of assessment in an A level from 6 to 4 in most subjects. The exceptions are: music, mathematics, sciences and applied A levels, which will continue to have 6 units.
• The content of all A level specifications has been revised, and optional coursework removed. However, coursework will remain where it is essential to the assessment of that subject area.
• The incorporation of stretch and challenge to the A2 part of the A level programme, which will also include more synoptic questions.
• The introduction of an A* grade.

The new specifications are currently being accredited by QCA, which has undertaken a mammoth task to ensure that accreditation is complete in time for their publication in September 2007.  Teaching of the new A levels will begin in September 2008, and the first university entrants will be in 2010.  However, a small number of students entering in 2009 may have studied the revised specifications as an additional AS level taken wholly in Year 13 or in their final year of college.

HE colleagues involved in specifying admissions criteria and teaching first-year undergraduates may wish to take a look at the specifications, especially where some A level subjects are compulsory for entry. It will be worth checking on the changes being made, as there may be implications for the content of first-year programmes or entry requirements.

Further information will be available on the QCA and A level awarding-body websites from September.

Extended project

The plan to introduce Extended Projects at A level arises from the 14 to 19 White Paper published in February 2005. It was one of the recommendations of Mike Tomlinson’s Working Group on 14 to 19 education which aimed to provide greater stretch and challenge at A level. The Extended Project, which will be in an area of the student’s choice, will have the potential to stretch all young people and test a wider range of higher-level skills. It will be compulsory for Diploma candidates, and optional for A Level candidates.

The Extended Project will be equivalent in size to half an A level and will be at A level (A2) standard. There will be the same framework for the stand-alone Extended Project qualification taken by A level students, as the Extended Project which will be part of the Diploma. There will be a small teaching element (e.g. research skills), but it will mainly be an independent project by students, guided by a mentor. As the Extended Project will be available to all students and will give them the independent and give them the independent research and study skills sought by HE institutions, HEIs are being encouraged to publicise the Extended Project in their prospectuses as part of their entry criteria.

A number of Extended Project models are currently being piloted by Edexcel and AQA. The Extended Project will first be taught in September 2008.

How will the Extended Project be assessed?

It is anticipated that all candidates will be required to meet the following assessment objectives, weighted as indicated below:

Further details can be obtained from www.edexcel.org.uk and www.aqa.org.uk

Timetable for changes to A Levels and introducing the Extended Project

• New A level – teaching begins September 2008
• First AS award 2009
• First A level award 2010
• First A* award 2010
• Extended Project – teaching begins September 2008. A small number of candidates may receive their awards in 2009 but the majority will do so in 2010
  

Development of the new Diplomas

From 2013 every 14 to 19 year-old in England will be entitled to choose from any of the 14 Diplomas – details of the lines and when they are being introduced are shown below. Diplomas will be available at levels 1 to 3 and will offer a learning route for all 14 to 19 year-olds to qualify for skilled employment and HE.

• Phase 1 (teaching begins September 2008)

Society, Health and Development www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
Construction and the Built Environment www.cbediploma.co.uk
Engineering www.engineeringdiploma.com
Information and Technology www.e-skills.com/diploma
Creative and Media www.creativeandmediadiploma.org

• Phase 2 (teaching begins September 2009)

Environmental and Land-based Studies www.diplomalbe.co.uk
Manufacturing www.manufacturingdiploma.co.uk
Hair and Beauty www.habia.org/news
Business Administration and Finance www.baf-diploma.org.uk
Hospitality and Catering www.people1st.co.uk/14-19diplomas

• Phase 3 (teaching begins September 2010)

Public Services www.government-skills.gov.uk
Sport and Leisure www.skillsactive.com/training/qualifications/14-19
Retail www.skillsmartretail.com
Travel and Tourism www.goskills.org/client/news

The development of the first five Diplomas has been proceeding apace over the last year and many HE institutions have been involved through the Diploma Development Partnerships. There are a number of key dates coming up in next few months when more detailed content will be available for the HE sector to consider.

At the start of August the specifications for Principal Learning and the Extended Project will be accredited by QCA. Then at the start of September the full Diploma catalogue will be available,including the list of existing qualifications that can be included in a Diploma as part of additional and specialist learning. This is the component that gives the Diploma the flexibility to be tailored to the interests and aspirations of young people. For example a vocational qualification can be included within additional and specialist learning for young people who want to go into employment , alternatively an A level can be included for those going onto higher education.

It is at this point that the HE sector will be able to consider the whole Diploma qualification in some detail. You may wish to look at the different options and combinations within additional and specialist learning, and consider whether you might want to specify in your entry criteria particular subjects or qualifications that you would require Diploma students to take.

You might, for example, ask a student doing an Engineering Diploma at L3 to study a particular language unit within their additional and specialist learning component. Or you might specify that someone doing a Health, Society and Development Diploma should take additional Chemistry as part of their additional and specialist learning, possibly as a separate A Level if they wanted to go on and study medicine. You will have the opportunity at this stage to make a broad statement about your policy towards Diplomas on the UCAS website, although many of you will want to take some time to consider the detail and to publish more detailed statements on your own websites and in your prospectuses.

The development of the second phase of Diplomas is also on track. QCA will be publishing detailed lines-of-learning statements for the second five Diplomas in early August. These have already been subject to considerable consultation with the HE sector and will be used by the awarding bodies to develop the detailed content for the next five Diplomas.

Work to develop the final four Diplomas is just beginning, with the establishment of four new Diploma Development Partnerships. Strong representation from HE will be sought. For HE staff this represents an opportunity to get involved in the design and development of the final Diploma qualifications, ensuring that HE concerns and needs are met and that young people have the necessary qualifications, training and skills to succeed in HE.

To find out more, contact QCA via www.qca.org.uk. To get involved in Diploma developments, get in touch with the Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs) – details above. If you have a specific question you can email diploma@qca.org.uk or ring the enquiry line 0870 000 2288. 

Who will be doing the first 5 Diplomas - Gateway Consortia in 2008

In September 2008, young people will embark on the first five Diploma lines in selected areas of the country, with this first cohort presenting themselves for admission to university in 2010.

The Diploma will be delivered in 97 Local Authorities by 145 consortia. Consortia typically consist of 6 to 12 organisations, usually including a college and several schools and often the LA, LSC, Connexions and employers. The consortia have been asked to involve local and specialist FE and HE institutions in their work. If you would like more information or wish to get involved, contact your local authority 14 to 19 contact, or email ask.gateway@dfes.gsi.gov.uk. The full list of consortia offering Diplomas in 2008 is available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19.

In total (all levels), an estimated 38,011 places have been approved across the country to offer the new Diploma from 2008, including around 10,000 Level 3 places.  Although this is a relatively small number of Level 3 learners in the first year, we expect future numbers to grow considerably. Our projections suggest that something like 50 per cent of post-16 learners may be doing Diplomas by 2013.

Will there be a Diploma in Science?

Many of you will have seen the recent press coverage around a potential fifteenth Diploma in Science. This coverage inaccurately reported that plans for a Science Diploma had been dropped. In fact the decision taken by the previous Secretary of State, Alan Johnson, was not to proceed with a Science Diploma at this stage.

This decision was taken after careful consideration, on the grounds that there are a number of qualifications reforms under way, or planned, in science, and there was no evidence that adding a diploma to the qualifications offer would add value.

Both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Science remain committed to improving participation and attainment in science, and we will continue to work with industry and HE to ensure that curriculum and qualifications meet their needs. Although we do not see the need at present for any further work on a potential science Diploma, we do see the need to ensure that the range of qualifications we are putting in place (Diplomas, reforms to Key Stages 3 and 4 and A levels, and having the right apprenticeship frameworks) have the right science content to enable young people to progress, with the skills and knowledge in science that are wanted by both science-industry employers and the HE science community. There are already changes in place to the science curriculum to engage young people in science and to increase attainment at Key Stages 3 and 4.

Diplomas and Higher Education – a view from our Champions

Professor Deian Hopkin, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, London South Bank University

It is now generally recognised that the 14 to 19 Diplomas are one element in a wider strategy for transforming the education landscape, extending from early-years education on the one hand to new HEprovision, such as Foundation Degrees, on the other. The Diplomas are important because they bring academic rigour and vocational practice into alignment, producing a curriculum which should be stimulating as well as demanding, and thus providing a new and powerful bridge on the route to employment and HE.

A key to the acceptance of the Diplomas will be the attitude of universities and colleges. My own institution may find it easier than many to endorse this new qualification because we have long been engaged with professional and vocational as well as academic programmes, arising from our foundation as one of the original Polytechnic Institutions in the late 19th century. Others may find it all more challenging because they are generally used to dealing with purely academic qualifications. However it has been very encouraging to see so many admissions tutors and course directors from right across the HE sector listening attentively to the briefings which have been held across England over the past few months. That is the measure of change which is taking place in HE as it becomes ever more responsive to the needs of our economy and society.

More needs to be done, nonetheless, to demonstrate that Diplomas are not only a credible alternative to the traditional academic qualifications but, in some cases, a more appropriate route for progression to many kinds of degrees. Generally, we in HE need to ensure that our curriculum is sufficiently flexible and accommodating to deal with students with a wider and different skill-set.

We are entering a new period in educational policy and practice, one which arises from a sense of urgency over the skill composition of the UK and the real prospect of economic decline in this country. The economic and social landscape is changing rapidly and HE has to respond just as quickly to ensure that as many of our young people as possible are prepared for the new global economy.  

Professor Michael Arthur, Vice Chancellor, University of Leeds

Education select committee chairman Barry Shearman described the new Diplomas as ”an opportunity too good to miss”, and he is right. They address key problems for the UK – our relatively low participation in education beyond 16, and our future competitiveness – and, as such they should be embraced by us all. 

The Diplomas have stimulated a healthy debate. The first five, to be launched by September 2008, are the subject of active consultation between QCA and stakeholders, including HE.  When this is complete, in September 2007, their content will be in the public domain.

I am impressed by what I have seen so far; these are highly flexible qualifications with a combination of breadth (generic and the principal learning) and depth (specialised learning and Extended Projects). A combination of these elements comes together at Level 3 (now called the advanced Diploma); integration with A levels is also possible if candidates (and their advisors) so wish. Ideally, each Diploma candidate will have learning customised to their needs and, perhaps, their intended destination. Although they are not identical, the new Diplomas have many of the best features of those outlined in the Tomlinson report.

There are key messages for HE. Diplomas are important, and will help us all recruit and widen participation. We should keep an open mind, and take a professional look at their content as they emerge. Get involved – if the Diplomas need to be improved say so, because their development will continue after launch. I hope institutions will soon be designing their own specific entry criteria for courses for people with advanced Diplomas – including aspects of Diploma content, as well as an applicant’s performance. 

Other HE engagement activity, spring and summer 2007

The Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell, has been keen to gauge the emerging attitudes of the sector to the reforms, and has held meetings with senior HE colleagues involved in teaching and learning, or student recruitment to HE at a strategic level. The Minister is keen to ensure that everyone in HE is aware that all students entering HE in 2010 from school or college will have studied something different from those studying now. The response has been positive, with stakeholders recognising the importance of considering the detailed specifications of the qualifications in September.

The HE Engagement Project Board and our HE Champions have continued their work on raising awareness of the 14 to 19 curriculum changes through attendance at a range of events, including Higher Education Academy and UUK conferences, and individual events at HE institutions around the country.

Information, advice and guidance

We know that the information, advice and guidance (IAG) that young people receive about the new qualifications will be critical to their success. It will be even more important that young people get good and impartial advice once the range of qualifications, and choices within qualifications, becomes much wider.

A number of activities are in hand to help providers of IAG to young people accommodate the implications of the 14 to 19 reform programme. HE also has a vital role to play in giving clear information about its own entry requirements. 

Messages about the rationale for and detail of the changes are being communicated to IAG providers via relevant specialist websites and publications – e.g. www.cegnet.co.uk. These messages will be reinforced by continuing professional development support aimed at developing the skills and competences of the IAG workforce in schools and elsewhere. This includes the production of a web-based CPD resource “Improving Choices for Young People – Developing the IAG Workforce”, which can be found at www.iagworkforce.co.uk with links from the CEGNET and 14 to 19 websites. This resource will help both front-line delivery staff and leaders and managers to:

• Support the development of a collaborative approach to careers education and IAG for young people aged 11 to 19
• Promote improvements in the quality, consistency, coherence and impartiality of the careers education and IAG that young people receive

• Help local partners to develop their IAG workforce – teachers, tutors, mentors, personal advisers and others who contribute to careers education and IAG. 

We are also working through the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) to recruit nine regional Lead Practitioners in IAG. They will provide a regional focus for generating and sharing good practice in IAG delivery in schools in the context of the introduction of Diplomas. The practitioners will be in place in September 2007.

These activities will be underpinned by new quality standards for young people’s IAG which will be published in July following extensive consultation with external stakeholders. The standards will:

• Define the outcomes that a young person should expect from IAG provision

• Set out criteria by which it can be judged whether an organisation is providing the expected level of service.

From April 2008, local authorities (and others) will be expected to use the Standards when commissioning and managing IAG services.  Similarly IAG providers will be expected to use the Standards to assess their own performance. 

Case Study

The Environmental and Land-based Studies Diploma is one of the Phase 2 Diplomas and has been developed in collaboration with schools, colleges, employers and HE. We have been very keen to ensure that the content of the Diploma is relevant to the needs of the sector and to those of learners, to enable secure progression routes to employment and HE.

At Level 3, the purpose of the Diploma is to develop a range of practical, analytical and investigative skills in relation to:

• The social, economic and cultural value and contribution of the environmental and land-based sector to individuals and the community.
• The factors and principles influencing the design, creation, maintenance and management of environmental and land-based activities affecting the environment.
• The contribution of activities within the environmental and land-based sector to sustainability.
• The resourcing and management of business activities in the environmental and land-based sector and the challenges of sustaining these with a finite provision.
• The specific job roles, health and safety requirements, and skills associated with employment in the environmental and land-based sector.

The Diploma will comprise of three compulsory principal learning themes: managing the productive environment; managing the commercial use of animals and plants; managing and developing the environment.

Whilst some students will choose additional learning from a number of different qualifications, perhaps an A level, three specialist learning pathways have been devised specifically for this line: managing plants, land-use and recreation; working with and managing animals; food-chain technology and management.

Over 350 programmes in HE, honours and foundation degrees, have been identified as potential progression routes for holders of the Level 3 Diplomas and LANTRA, the Sector Skills Council for Environmental and Land-based Sector, looks forward to working with HE colleagues on making these progression routes a reality for students.

If you would like to find out how your institution can benefit from the Diploma or for information visit www.diplomalbe.co.uk or email info@diplomalbe.co.uk.

The University of Hertfordshire response to the 14 to 19 Agenda by Kate Arter, Associate Dean (Regional Liaison)

The University has been engaged with this emerging agenda for well over a year, initially through the nomination of a senior member of staff to serve on the County 14 to 19 Strategic Partnership Group (SPG) representing HE and Aimhigher. This continuing dialogue has enabled the University to take part in discussions on the wider implications of proposed changes to existing qualifications and the development of the new Diplomas in the County, support the Gateway process, and contribute to the drawing up the 14 to 19 Strategic Action Plan. 

At an operational level and working closely with the County’s seven local implementation consortia, known as the Strategic Area Planning Groups (SAPG), the University has now established a steering group and has made a commitment to:

• Contribute to the development of Diplomas to ensure that they provide an appropriate preparation for HE and/or adapt HE courses to match the experience of entrants with Diplomas

• Review its admissions policies, welcome Diplomas as entry qualifications, identify progression pathways and ensure that these are included in progression guides developed under Aimhigher

• Offer access to facilities and subject expertise during the development phase, supply student mentors where appropriate and provide opportunities for project work and work experience.

We hope you found this newsletter useful and informative. The HE section of the 14 to 19 website www.dfes.gov.uk/14-9/dsp_stakeholders.cfm?page_id=5   will be kept up to date with the latest information on the impact of the 14 to 19 reforms on the HE sector.

If:

• you have queries on any of the areas covered in this Newsletter
• would like more information on how to get involved in the 14 to 19 reform programme
• would like specific topics covered in future editions of the Newsletter

 please e-mail Christine.west@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk