Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 24 October 2012.

The ‘Ensuring quality in apprenticeships’ report has been published by Ofsted today to look at apprenticeships in more detail.

The report also assesses the quality of subcontractors providing services for colleges and training providers.

In 2011 the Skills Funding Agency introduced a policy of minimum contract values. This meant smaller providers had two main choices – to form a consortium or set up as a subcontractor for larger providers. In many cases smaller, often good providers have been penalised by the loss of funding they can use to support apprentices because their lead contractors took too high a fee for very little work, often equating to the loss of frontline members of staff.

National Director of Learning and Skills, Matthew Coffey, said:

Following criticism of the delivery of some apprenticeship programmes earlier in the year, Ofsted commissioned a rapid response survey with particular focus on subcontracting arrangements.

This report has found the introduction of the minimum contract value has forced often very good smaller providers to either work together or become a subcontractor of a larger provider. In several cases this has diluted accountability and has placed a greater distance between the learner and those responsible for learning.

Ofsted found that resulting consortia often added value to learning programmes and benefitted learners. However the report also found some unintended consequences of the policy where smaller providers became a subcontractor of the larger organisation. The criteria to act as a lead contractor are based on the size of contract rather than a track record of delivering high quality apprenticeships. Some lead contractors lacked sufficient expertise of work-based learning to quality assure the work of their subcontractors. For example, one was unaware that the subcontractor was not carrying out reviews of learners in the workplace, a contractual obligation.

Lead contractors charge smaller providers a top-slicing fee as a percentage of the contract value in return for allowing them to access the funding and supporting them in their work. This fee varied considerably and inspectors found no clear link between the quality of support and challenge and the fees charged to subcontractors.

As part of the survey report, inspectors found some of the apprenticeship programmes too short in duration to sufficiently embed the skills being developed. There were also some examples of apprentices, particularly younger ones, being used as inexpensive labour during their training and then being discarded as employees to be replaced by new apprentices.

Many apprentices were unclear about who was ultimately responsible for their training programme. Ofsted has recommended that the government and other agencies should consider introducing an independent whistleblowing hotline, so concerns and potential problems can be picked up quickly.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 19 October 2012.

Prestigious £20,000 scholarship for top graduates to train as computer science teachers

New computer science teacher training course to replace ICT

Upskilling current teachers as experts in computer science

As part of the government’s mission to ensure Britain competes and thrives in the global race, Education Secretary Michael Gove today set out plans to boost the teaching of computer science by training up the first generation of outstanding new teachers in this vital subject.

This comes as the government announces the end of funding for the current outdated information and communications technology (ICT) teacher training courses, to make way for new computer science courses from September 2013.

Top graduates will be enticed into a career in teaching with a new prestigious £20,000 scholarship programme set up with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and supported by industry experts such as Microsoft, Facebook, BT and IBM.

Industry experts, working with education professionals, have also for the first time ever set out the requirements for the subject knowledge and attributes all new computer science teachers should have before they start their training. This includes being able to demonstrate an understanding of key computer science concepts and approaches such as algorithms, data representation and logic.

This is all part of the government’s drive to recruit and train a new cadre of teachers with the expertise and enthusiasm to drive improvement in the quality of computer science teaching in schools.

A recent Royal Society report looking at computing education in UK schools found teaching was ‘highly unsatisfactory’. It said that many pupils were not inspired by what they were being taught and gained nothing beyond basic digital literacy skills such as how to use a word-processor or a database.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

Computer science is not just a rigorous, fascinating and intellectually challenging subject. It is also vital to our success in the global race.

If we want our country to produce the next Sir Tim Berners-Lee – creator of the World Wide Web – we need the very best computer science teachers in our classrooms. They need to have the right skills and deep subject knowledge to help their pupils.

Around 50 scholarships worth £20,000 each will be available in the first year. Any graduate with a 2.1 or first class degree will be eligible to apply for the scholarship to do a computer science Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course.

Working with experts in the industry and in teaching practice, BCS will award scholarships to candidates with exceptional subject knowledge, enthusiasm for the study of computer science as well as an outstanding potential to teach. BCS’s relationship with the scholars will continue into their teaching careers to develop a cadre of outstanding computer science teachers who are part of a community across schools, universities and industry.

Bill Mitchell, Director of BCS Academy of Computing, said:

The UK needs far more technology creators and entrepreneurs if we are to stay competitive in the global economy. That means students need to be taught not just how software and hardware works, but also how to create new digital technology for themselves.

The best way to do that is to have outstanding computer science teachers in as many schools as possible, which is why these new initiatives are so important.

Ian Livingstone, Life President of Eidos and Chair of Next Gen Skills, said:

Having dedicated, high-calibre computer science teachers in schools will have a powerful effect. They will inspire and enable children to be creators of technology rather than being simply passive users of it. Whether it’s making games, fighting cyber-crime or designing the next jet propulsion engine, computer science is at the heart of everything in the digital world in which we live. It is essential knowledge for the 21st century.

The BCS scholarship comes as part of the government’s teacher training strategy, Training our next generation of outstanding teachers. It follows on from the success of the physics scholarship with the Institute of Physics, a recent announcement of a new scholarship with the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The plans announced today also include:

Allowing top universities and schools to provide new computer science teacher training courses from September 2013, whilst ending government funding for the current Information and Communications Technology (ICT) courses. This follow on from the government’s announcement earlier this year freeing up the ICT curriculum to allow schools to focus more strongly on computer science.
New, tough requirements for the subject knowledge and attributes all new computer science teachers should have. This includes being able to demonstrate an understanding of key computer science concepts and approaches such as algorithms, data representation and logic. This has been designed by a panel of experts including representatives from the grassroots Computing at School Working Group along with professional associations such as the British Computer Society (BCS), Naace and the Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education (ITTE).
Training up around 500 teachers in computer science through a new ‘Network of Computer Science Teaching Excellence’. Part funded through a £150,000 government grant, over the next year existing teachers with an ICT background will be trained to better teach computer science. Around half of these will be expert teachers who will share their skills and knowledge with other teachers across the country and help support professional development for their colleagues.
The network will help forge long-term links between schools, top universities involved in computer science and employers. Around 540 schools have already registered interest in the network and top university computer science departments including those at Cambridge, Imperial and Manchester and employers such as Microsoft, BT and IBM have also signed up.

Professor Chris Bishop, Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research, said:

Microsoft is passionate about improving the way that we teach technology in schools, but also how we use technology to teach. As founding members of the Computing at School working group, we’ve been working to inspire both teachers and young people about the importance of computer science for a number of years.

Scholarships such as those announced today will be vital in ensuring that the UK maintains a healthy pipeline of computer science talent, which can only be a positive thing for this country’s future prosperity.

Simon Milner, Facebook’s Director of Public Policy for UK & Ireland, said:

Facebook welcomes the scholarship programme for teachers announced by the government today. It is a positive step to help get high quality computer science teachers in schools, and therefore ensure more young people gain the right skills to join and lead our digital industries.

We get excited by how the work of Facebook engineers and outside developers is transforming the way millions of people communicate, so we can’t wait to share our passion and expertise in this area to inspire the next generation.

Simon Peyton-Jones, Chair of the Computing at School Working Group (CAS) and Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, said:

We need to attract outstanding new computer science teachers, and we must support our existing ICT teachers as they start to teach the subject. CAS fully supports today’s announcements, which give unmistakeable government support to both these challenges. We look forward to playing our part, and working with government to make a substantial and lasting improvement to our children’s education in the vital subject.

Notes for editors
This press notice relates to England only.

Further details of the BCS scholarship in computer science, including details of how to apply, can be found on the BCS website.
For more information on becoming a teacher visit the ‘Get into Teaching’ website.

The new, tough requirements for the subject knowledge and attributes all new computer science teachers need to demonstrate is available in the Subject knowledge requirements for entry into computer science teacher training.

In January 2012, a Royal Society report looking at computing education in UK schools found teaching was highly unsatisfactory. It said that many pupils are not inspired by what they are taught and gain nothing beyond basic digital literacy skills such as how to use a word-processor or a database. The full report Shut down or restart? The way forward for computing in UK schools can be found on the Royal Society’s website.

The government’s announcement on changes to the ICT curriculum can be found on the news section.

A new revised, less prescriptive programme of study for the subject will be announced in due course. It will come into effect from September 2014.

Further details on the Network of Computer Science Teaching Excellence can be found on the BCS website.

The government’s Initial Teacher Training Strategy – Training our next generation of outstanding teachers – and implementation plan is available.

In January 2012, Education Secretary Michael Gove spoke about ICT teaching in schools. The full speech is available.

 

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 11 October 2012.

The Ofsted report, published today, explores the impact virtual schools have on tackling the educational progress of these children.

Virtual schools are established by many local authorities and work with children looked after across their catchment as if they were in one school, liaising with the schools they attend, tracking the progress they make and supporting them to achieve as well as possible.

‘The impact of virtual schools on the educational progress of looked after children’ report explores the impact of virtual schools in 9 local authorities, examining cases and looking at the effectiveness of education support for children in care.

In the local authorities visited, virtual schools have raised the profile of educational attainment for children in care, promoted much better communication between professionals, increased the involvement of carers in children’s education, and helped to improve attendance and reduce exclusions.

However, there was little evidence that they were yet able to reduce the attainment gap between children looked after and their peers. Progress between key stages 3 and 4 was generally slower than during earlier key stages, and improving the percentage of those attaining 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and maths, remained a challenge for most authorities.

Budget constraints have also led to a significant reduction in the capacity of virtual schools in some local authorities. Although most of the local authorities were able to protect existing resources, nearly all expressed concerns about the future.

Deputy Chief Inspector for Ofsted, John Goldup said:

There is much that is hugely positive in this report, and some of the examples of the difference that the virtual school has made to the lives of individual children are truly inspiring. These successes need to be celebrated and built on. However, the life chances of too many children in care are still blighted by poor educational outcomes. While some planning and target setting is very good, expectations are too often too low, particularly for children who have the capacity for high attainment.

The role of councillors is crucial. Local authorities are parents to these children. Virtual schools are at their most effective where corporate parenting is strong and challenges and supports the virtual school effectively.

In every local authority visited, the virtual school took the lead in ensuring that education was central to planning and reviewing children’s care. For example, in Hampshire a literacy scheme for children in care was set up which increased the average reading age by 11 months through a 16-week programme, while in Cornwall the systematic use of data to track and action educational progress had reduced the attainment gap between children in care and their peers, particularly at GCSE level.

The impact of virtual schools was mostly positive. They were often very effective in influencing schools to take more account of the needs and circumstances of looked after children, supporting designated teachers, supporting and training foster carers and residential care staff, and in working with social workers who often felt a lack of confidence and expertise in relation to children’s education – to quote one, ‘I am hopeless with school stuff’.

However, the report found that several virtual schools had not established clear eligibility criteria, which meant that services were not always effectively targeted for those children who most needed additional support. And while there were good examples of personal education plans (PEP), too many were not sufficiently focused on academic achievements. PEPs were more likely to effectively address the needs of children who were performing below expectations. They were generally less effective for children who were meeting expectations but could do even better.

There was also a lack of clarity and knowledge among professionals about the appropriate use of the Pupil Premium. This sometimes hindered the ability of authorities to question and challenge schools about how a particular child was benefiting from the funding and whether the school was meeting the child’s needs.

The report makes a number of recommendations to local authorities to assist them in ensuring that a virtual school has maximum impact on improving educational outcomes for children in care. It also recommends that government should consider whether there should be a statutory duty on authorities to establish and maintain robust virtual school arrangements.