New Diploma Resources

Resources for everyone involved with the new diplomas

Teachers take flight from state schools

Growing numbers of teachers are quitting state schools to work in the independent sector. About one in four (12,000) of the teachers in private schools has been “poached” from the state sector, shows research by the University of Kent.
 
In the past year alone, 1,500 teachers quit, the highest number for at least two decades, which [...]

The ‘quickie’ route to qualifications

Colleges have a radical plan to increase participation: the vocational degree tailored to a specific job
The bill allowing further education colleges to award their own foundation degrees (FD) faced some turbulence as it passed through the House of Lords a couple of years ago. Some peers with university connections were clearly fearful about what they [...]

Baccalaureate plan threatens diplomas

A new career related qualification could throw the Government’s 14-19 plans into disarray.
 
A vocational version of the international baccalaureate is to be taught in schools in Britain, creating a major competitor to the Government’s 14-19 diplomas.
 
The international baccalaureate career related certificate is due to be available from 2011.  It will appeal to schools that believe [...]

Diploma in engineering will be accepted at Oxbridge

The universities of Cambridge and Oxford will accept the advanced diploma in engineering for entry to its undergraduate engineering courses.
The move by the elite universities will give the government’s flagship qualification a welcome boost after the numbers taking up diplomas this September were lower than expected.
Diploma students could apply next year to start courses at [...]

Diplomas ‘need overhaul to succeed’

Colleges should have more leeway to teach diplomas and more work needs to be done on the content, says college association head
The government’s flagship diplomas need major changes if they are to have a viable future, the nation’s college heads were warned today.
Colleges must be granted the power to teach diplomas without having to form [...]

Colleges call for Diploma changes

The Diploma qualification, introduced this autumn, will need “significant adjustments” if it is going to gain popularity, says a college leader.
David Collins, president of the Association of Colleges, has raised concerns about the “operational complexities” of Diplomas.
Until the new qualifications were “proven”, Dr Collins called for the existing A-levels to be maintained.
About [...]

Doubt cast over the new diplomas from Exams Chief

Yesterday fresh doubt was cast over the New Diploma qualification by the head of the country’s biggest exam board.
AQA head Dr Mike Cresswell stated that he did not think that the diplomas were the kind of qualification that “youngsters actually want.”
These comments where a further blow to the New Diploma programme following the decision by [...]

New Ofsted inspections attacked

The new short, sharp Ofsted inspections present a “superficial snapshot” of England’s schools and rely too much on test and exam results, a report claims.
The report by the think tank Civitas says poorly trained inspectors take a “tick-box” approach to gauging quality.
Civitas says Ofsted reports - used by many parents to judge schools - do [...]

Modular Learning for 14-19 year olds

Learners will collect credits and build up tailor-made vocational qualifications
Ministers have approved a new system to allow learners in England to study in “bite-sized chunks” and build up accredited training tailored to their needs.
The new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) should simplify the way vocational qualifications are organised.
The reforms will give learners a greater choice [...]

Underperforming schools urged to perform better

Hundreds of schools in England are being urged to improve by pushing their pupils to achieve more - even though their results are satisfactory.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls has identified what he calls “coasting schools”, where pupils should do better given their abilities when they enrol.
He is to set out a policy designed to [...]

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