Previous research by the authors of this piece hinted at the heavy workload of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) within settings in England, and their ever-mounting challenges in the context of reduced local government services and cuts in funding to schools for their children with Special Educational Needs. As a result of these…

Efforts to increase the number of young people in England studying mathematics post-16 have historically focused on participation in standalone mathematics qualifications. However, following the recent A-level reforms, many advanced level students are engaging with some form of mathematics through the mathematical content now formally embedded…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruption to education systems around the world. In England, as part of the government's response to the pandemic, schools and colleges were closed and lessons were moved partially or entirely online. Furthermore, public examinations in June 2020 were cancelled, meaning that methods had to be developed…

In England, some secondary-level qualifications comprise non-exam assessments which need to undergo moderation before grading. Currently, moderation is conducted at centre (school) level. This raises challenges for maintaining the standard across centres. Recent technological advances enable novel moderation methods that are no longer bound by…

Core Maths (CM) qualifications were introduced into the post-16 curriculum in England in 2014, with first assessments in 2016. They are a suite of qualifications aimed at students who achieve a grade 4 (originally a grade C) or higher at GCSE Maths but do not go on to take AS or A level Maths. This group comprised around 40% of all students in…

There have been repeated attempts to establish mathematics qualifications for lower attaining students aged 16 years and over on vocational pathways in England. In 2004, the Tomlinson Report proposed Functional Mathematics and this paper examines the trajectory of this qualification (later Functional Skills mathematics) through analysis of policy…

In 2010, the Department for Education in England decided to reform the vocational qualifications offered in secondary education (i.e., for 14-18 year olds) in order to increase their rigour and status. They set out new criteria that vocational qualifications needed to meet, which changed their nature in fundamental ways (e.g., content, assessment…

This article describes the origins of learning outcomes-based qualifications in England in the 1980s. It describes the design philosophy and evolution of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) which are contrasted with content-led frameworks and qualifications such as the English National Curriculum. The design flaws of the NVQ are noted and…

The UK government is proposing to replace M-level national award for special educational needs co-ordination training, mandated for SENCos in England, with an unaccredited national professional qualification. Such downgrading of their qualification level is intended to significantly increase the number of qualified SENCos; however, this is likely…

Raymond Williams was a literary critic, sociologist, novelist, and political activist but above all a teacher, with a theory of education as a societal process running through his work. He styled the UK's educational establishment of the 1960s 'Old Humanists'; guardians of a dominant elite culture who were losing their influence to the new…

The importance of embedding employability skills in English Higher Education has received increased attention since the introduction of tuition fees and employers claiming that graduates lack the necessary skills for the workforce. This paper considers how these employability skills align with students' aspirations, when there is uncertainty…

School- and college-based vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) in England are required to award successful candidates a grade rather than simple pass or fail. Ensuring the reliability and validity of these grades is considered vital, particularly in light of the high-stakes purposes for which school assessment results in England are…

During recent years there have been many changes in education and assessment. This document tracks some of the changes that have occurred to education in England between 2000 and 2010. The start date was chosen as it coincided with the start of a new curriculum and a major change to A levels. The end date corresponds to the start of the coalition…

Technical, economical, and social changes place great demands on the qualification of professional forces in all areas of the national economy. The decisive foundations for these qualifications are built in vocational education. Vocational education is an investment in the future and one of the decisive pillars of the prosperity of every state in…

This paper seeks to identify the impact of the undergraduate Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) qualification on the emerging professional identity of a group of undergraduate students. The research explored the practical and academic self-concepts of the trainee practitioners together with wider societal perspectives gained through an…