English and Maths for All

Barry BrooksStrategy Adviser Tribal Group & Energy & Utility Skills

A Raft of Reforms The most relevant elements of these reforms to the education and training sector are:• The raising of the participation age of young people in education or training

from 16 to 17 years.• The introduction of study programmes for all young people irrespective of

where their learning takes place and for these study programmes to include English and Mathematics for those who have not achieved GCSE A* - C in English and/or Mathematics.

• The requirement that all young people entering the post-16 sector without GCSE English or Mathematics at A*-C Level must continue to study these subjects with a view to securing a ‘good’ grade before they exit their education or training.

• The expectation that those young people who have achieved GCSE Mathematics at A*-C will continue to study mathematics at a higher level.

• The introduction of Traineeships for those not yet ready for the full apprenticeship which included a requirement to continue studying English and mathematics to GCSE level.

The Raising of the Participation Age

From September 2013:• 17 year olds are legally required to be in college, school or some

form of job-based training. • Teenagers who failed to score at least a Grade C in English and

maths GCSEs have to continue studying these subjects. • Over 250 000 young people each year leave Year 11 without

English and maths GCSE• In 2012 there were more than a quarter of a million 19 year olds

without a C grade in English and maths. • The participation age will rise again to 18 in 2015.

More Questions Than Answers1. What impact will these policies have on English &

mathematics education pre-and post-16?”2. How prepared is the learning and skills sector to

implement these policy ambitions?3. Will these policy ambitions result in measurable and

meaningful outcomes where the next generation of young people entering the workforce possess the necessary English & mathematical capability, confidence, fluency and proficiency?  

Where Does it All Begin?

May 2013 Key Stage2 tests in reading, writing and maths: • 537 800 Year 6 pupils tested• one-quarter of 11-year-olds failed to reach the expected

level (level 4) - 139,000 pupils• almost a third of boys did not reach the expected level -

almost 85,000 pupils• while girls did better, one-fifth still did not reach level 4 -

almost 55,000 pupils

The Flow of Concern - Class of 2015

Subject 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Reading 86 83 84 87 86

Maths 79 79 80 84 85

SPG n/a n/a n/a n/a 74

Writing n/a n/a n/a 81 83

Reading, writing and maths 62 64 67 75 76

Note: From 2012, writing teacher assessment replaced writing tests

Is GCSE the Answer: Yes or No?

Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock, said that it would be up to the individual whether or not to retake the GCSE exam or take an alternative course, but a resit would be the expectation.

• Most students entering FE colleges [52% in English and 58% in maths] and Work-based Learning settings (WBL) [61% in English and 63% in maths] have not yet achieved above a D grade in GCSE English or Maths.

• Employers and the economy?• The Government and its separate Departments?• The education system and the schools, colleges

and the training providers that drive it?• The individual learners themselves: the students,

carers, parents or employees?

Who Owns the Agenda?

An Uneven Audience

• Only 26% of white working class boys achieve 5 GCSEs at A*-C at the end of Year 11.

• 46% of black working class boys achieve 5 GCSEs at A*-C at the end of Year 11.

• 63% of the Year 11 cohort achieve 5 GCSEs at A*-C at the end of Year 11.

Centre for Social Justice, October 2013

The Wolf Legacy

‘English and Maths GCSE (at grades A*-C) are fundamental to young people’s employment and education prospects. Yet less than 50% of students have both at the end of Key Stage 4 (age 15/16); and at age 18 the figure is still below 50%. Only 4% of the cohort achieve this key credential during their 16-18 education’.

Professor Alison Wolf, Review of Vocational Education, 2011

The Post-Wolf WorldWill the new solution for English and Maths eliminate the competing and conflicting demands and expectations that have bedevilled their predecessors where qualifications are required to:

• be demanding but capable of engaging the disaffected and disinterested • develop and demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding for a diverse set of

contexts and settings but be easily readily comparable and credible• be accessible and flexible but reliable and valid as national qualifications• be taught and delivered by a diverse range of teachers, trainers and supervisors yet

there remains no sustained incentive or requirement for the professionalisation of this workforce

• be easy and inexpensive to administer and deliver to a mass audience but provide rigorous and valid assessments of capability and competence.

• be valuable to candidates and valued by employers yet there remains little recognition and understanding of what capability is guaranteed by these qualifications.

Brooks FEWeek June 2012

English & Maths for AllThere are two inter-related issues that faced providers in the learning and skills sector from September 2013 in respect of mathematics education:

1. How best to ensure that they can accommodate the demand for GCSE Mathematics and Functional Mathematics from the new post-16 entry; and

2. How best to ensure that the quality of teaching supplied to meet this demand is of the highest possible calibre.

The extent to which the implementation is seen to be successful will only be truly determined when candidate performance in the GCSE 2014 summer series is known.

GCSE Mathematics Achievements Summer Series

2013GCSE Mathematics

Grade A* and A in % Grade A*-C in %

Age 15 Age 16 Post 16 Age 15 Age 16 Post 16

2013 Series 10.6 17.0 4.5 51.7 62.1 41.1

2012 Series 12.0 17.7 4.5 52.0 62.0 43.1

Source: JCQ Data Release 22nd August 2013

Alternative Mathematics Qualifications

Young People (under 18) FE and Apprenticeships 2011/12

Participation in Adult Numeracy Programmes

Total Learners Entry Level Level 1 Level 2

275 800 78 000 127 500 78 700

Source: BIS Statistical First Release, March 2012

The FE Workforce FE colleges require the largest number of additional maths and

English teachers to meet the increased demand in post-16 English and maths teaching from 2013/14.

• Approximately 1,300 additional maths teachers and 1,260 English teachers will be required from 2013/14 to teach English and maths to GCSE level. Approximately 1,100 of the total 1,300 maths teachers and 1000 of the total 1,260 number of English teachers are required in FE Colleges.

NFER Research on post-16 English and maths within FE Colleges and Work-based Learning Providers, 2012

 “Requiring colleges to continue to teach

GCSE to young people who have failed consistently to achieve academic maths is just continuing to bang their heads against the same wall for another two years...”

Martin Doel, AoC

A Reality Check

Not Just ‘Core Maths’ but ‘More Maths’

Further Maths

A Level Maths

AS level Maths

Core Maths

GCSE Maths

Functional Maths

Stepping Stone Maths

English & Maths With Everything

Study Programmes Traineeships Tech. Bac. Apprenticeships

The Post-16 Policy Landscape

The Reforms Keep on Coming• September 2014, The Apprenticeship Implementation Plan designed to re-launch

apprenticeship in line with Doug Richards’ recommendations. These reforms to will see GCSEs replace Functional Skills in 2017.

• September 2014, Core Maths introduced through early adopters in schools and colleges.

• September 2015, the raising of the participation age from 17 to 18 years of age• September 2015, the introduction of a Technical Baccalaureate which will include

Core Maths• September 2015, the planned introduction of revised GCSE English & Mathematics

Syllabuses and examination systems which includes removal of course work, modular assessment, the introduction of more challenging content and a different grading structure with a numerical system (1-9) replacing the current alphabetical report. The first exams will be in Summer 2017

• September 2015, the planned introduction of A Level reforms will see the introduction of linear assessment at the end of 2 years. The first examinations will be in summer 2017.

• September 2015, the AS will no longer be the first stage of the A level. It will be redesigned as a stand-alone qualification.