Today our blog looks at the consultation on post-16 options as well as a story on school funding.
Post-16 Consultation
Today, Wednesday 12 June, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Online covered the closure of the first consultation on Level 3 qualifications.
The consultation was launched because there are currently around 12,000 different qualifications available at post-16, which can leave employers and learners confused and make it difficult to identify what qualification best suits them.
The consultation is part of an ongoing process aiming to ensure that all qualifications are effective and high-quality.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:
We have made huge progress to boost the quality of education and training on offer for young people. From 2020 we will start to roll out new T Levels which will offer young people high-quality technical courses alongside our world class A Levels. These will be the gold standard choice for young people after they take their GCSEs.
But we also want to make sure that all options available to students are high-quality and give them the skills they need to get a great job, go on to further education or training, and employers can be confident they can access the workforce they need for the future.
We can’t legislate for parity of esteem between academic and technical routes post 16. But we can improve the quality of the options out there and by raising quality, more students and parents will trust these routes.
School Funding
Today, the Guardian published an article about Downshall primary school in Illford. The article says that the school is appealing to charities for help with funding.
Under the national funding formula, Downshall Primary School has attracted 2.5% more funding per pupil this year, compared to 2017-18. This is equivalent to an extra £101 per pupil.
Since 2010, the overall core schools budget for 5 to 16 year olds has been protected in real terms. School funding in England is at its highest ever level, rising from almost £41bn in 2017-18 to £43.5bn by 2019-20. IFS analysis has shown that real terms per pupil funding for 5-16 year olds will be more than 50% higher in 2020 than it was in 2000.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
While we recognise that schools have faced budgeting challenges, school funding in England is at its highest ever level and since 2017 we have given every local authority in England more money for every pupil in every school.
The Education Secretary has set out his determination to work with the sector to help schools ensure that every pound is spent as effectively as possible to give children a great education.
He has also made clear that as we approach the next spending review, he will back head teachers to have the resources they need to deliver a world class education.
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