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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

Applies to England

Documents

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guide is for students taking any of the following qualifications:

GCSEs

AS or A levels

other general qualifications, including International Baccalaureate, core mathematics and Pre-U

Technical Qualification (part of a T Level)

BTEC, Cambridge Technicals and other vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside GCSEs and A levels

In this guide, we refer to schools and colleges as a collective term for all schools, colleges and other exam centres.

Some students won't be studying at a school or college and will be private candidates. They are often home educated or are re-taking a qualification after leaving school or college. They may be studying with a distance learning provider, tutor, parent, or without any support. Private candidates will need to register at a school, college or other exam centre to sit their exams. More information on how to do this can be found in this guide. We make clear in this guide where information only applies to a certain type of qualification. If you are not sure exactly which qualifications you are taking, check with your school or college.

This guide talks about awarding organisations and exam boards. All organisations that offer qualifications regulated by Ofqual are called awarding organisations. The 4 awarding organisations that offer GCSEs, AS and A levels in England are also called exam boards.

This guide refers to exams officers. An exams officer is the person in a school or college that organises exams. An exams officer's duties will vary by school or college. Check with your school or college who your exams officer is and how to contact them.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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Edumentors: GCSE 2023 - Everything You Need to Know BLOG

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Edumentors: GCSE 2023 - Everything You Need to Know BLOG

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Published: 23rd March 2023

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Table of Contents:

Will There Be Changes to GCSE 2023?

Formal assessments, including GCSE 2023, will gradually return to normal as England moves on from the pandemic. It is now unlikely that schools will close or exams are cancelled, as the national return to exam-oriented learning has come. The government does not intend for exams to ever be cancelled but recognises that contingency plans are necessary in case of unexpected events.

Ofqual has confirmed that in 2023 a pre-pandemic grading scale will be reinstated for GCSE exams. However, the government has announced that it will offer support to students taking GCSEs in 2023, recognising the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Here's everything you need to know about GCSEs in 2023:

Will GCSE Students Get Advanced Information?

In 2022, the exam boards released topics for some papers in advance to help students who had been impacted by the pandemic. This practice will not feature again next year, Ofqual has confirmed that there will be no advanced information for GCSE students in 2023. The reasoning behind this conclusion is that students have experienced less disruption due to Covid-19 than in previous years.

While Ofqual has confirmed that there will be no advanced information for GCSE students in England in 2023, pupils in Northern Ireland taking GCSE, AS and A-level exams in 2023 have been given advance information for most subjects, as published by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). However, it's important to note that this decision only applies to Northern Ireland and not to other parts of the UK, such as England, Wales, or Scotland.

Will GCSE Students Get Formulae Sheets in 2023?

Yes! Formulae and equation sheets will be provided for GCSE exams in 2023. In acknowledgement of the disturbance caused by exam season, this support will be offered to students taking GCSE exams in 2023.

The subjects that formulae sheets and equation sheets are provided for this year have remained the same as those from last year:

GCSE Physics

GCSE Combined Science

GCSE Mathematics

Will GCSE Grades Fall Back to Pre-Pandemic Grades?

The pandemic caused a learning loss that is expected to lower GCSE and A-level grade boundaries in 2023. A grade boundary is a minimum mark pupil needs to get a certain qualification level. For example, if the grade boundary for 7 is 150 marks, students must get at least 150 marks to achieve that grade. In order to avoid unfairness in grading, senior examiners use various data such as previous cohorts' exam results and prior attainment to set grade thresholds every year. Experts expect that grades will be lower than 2022 this year but similar to 2019's results.

"We expect that overall results in 2023 will be much closer to pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. This decision means that results in 2023 will be lower than in 2022." - according to Jo Saxton, the chief regulator of Ofqual.

The reason for this is that it took some pupils longer than others to get back on track. Natalie Perera, chief executive of the Education Policy Institute states that she has concerns about disadvantaged students who were affected by the learning loss during the pandemic.

"Although their course of study for their qualifications may not have been affected by national closures, the years leading up to them - and providing the foundations for their courses - were significantly disrupted" - states Natalie.

Plan B for GCSE 2023

The "Plan B" guidance has been implemented by the Department for Education and Ofqual as a precautionary measure in the event that the GCSE exams are disrupted or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other unforeseen circumstances. This guidance instructs schools and colleges to collect and retain evidence that can be used for potential teacher grades for GCSEs and A-levels. While the probability of the GCSE exams being cancelled is low, this guidance aims to ensure that students have the opportunity to obtain valid and reliable qualifications in the face of any disruptions.

What is the Hardest Exam Board for GCSE 2023?

Firstly, What Exam Boards are There in the UK?

The exam boards currently in use are - AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. They develop secondary school level qualifications such as GCSEs, A-levels, AS levels and vocational qualifications. They are also responsible for marking and awarding points.

Schools have the freedom to choose their exam board, however, most schools use a mixture of some boards, because not all boards provide all subjects. The exam board the school or college chooses will affect how a student's course is taught and what kind of material they study.

If your child is being homeschooled, then you have to do some research into different exam boards and choose the one that seems most suitable for him or her.

To learn more about this topic, you can consult the exam boards' guides for private candidates. The guide can be available by calling the relevant board directly or downloading a pdf from their website.

How are Exam Boards Different?

All exam boards follow the guidelines of Ofqual to ensure parity and to regulate standards. However, the layout, and format vary. To check what differences are there in a specific subject, you can visit each exam board's website or contact them directly. However, at the end of the day, all exam boards mark students on the same skills and techniques. Even if they don't use the same books. If you don't plan to change your child's secondary school and are content with their current exam board's results, there is no need for concern. The awarding committee evaluates each exam board every year and sets grade boundaries so that no student will be treated unfairly in relation to another.

Which is the Hardest Exam Board?

Typically, the difficulty of an exam board's content depends on a student's learning style and the type of questions that they find easiest to answer. Each of the exams is designed for a different type of student. Hence, Edexcel may seem easier to one person than AQA does to another.

The grades students receive are a reflection of the grade boundaries that have been set by exam boards. These boundaries shift depending on how difficult an examination paper is. It's possible for someone to earn lower marks than your child but still be awarded a higher overall grade because they're on another board.

Students have their own favourite based on the subject. For instance, in Maths, Pearson Edexcel is the most popular. Generally, the easiest exam board for languages is considered AQA. Research each subject's requirements and overall grades throughout the years and choose based on your child's strengths and weaknesses.

GCSE 2023 exam timetables have been published:

AQA's GCSE exams start on the 15th of May and end on June 23. Contingency day is on Wednesday, 28th June.

Edexcel's GCSE exams start on the 15th of May and end on Wednesday, June 21st.

OCR's GCSE exams start on the 15th of May and end on the 20th of June.

GCSE Results Day 2023

GCSE results day is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for students across the UK. This year, GCSE results day is scheduled for Thursday, August 24th, 2023. Students can collect their results from their school or college in the morning from 8am. However, some schools may stagger this time or email out results instead.

On GCSE results day, students will find out how they performed in their exams and whether they have achieved the grades they need to progress to their next stage of education. If a student did not achieve the grades they needed, they may be able to request a review of their marking or resit their exams.

It's important for students to remember that results day is not the end of the road. If they did not achieve the grades they needed, there are still options available to them. They can speak to their school or college about alternative options, such as resitting exams or taking vocational qualifications. They can also seek advice from their teachers or careers advisors on the next steps to take.

When Should Students Start Revising for GCSE 2023?

There is no definitive answer to that question. The earlier GCSE students start their revision, the better. If you see your child struggling to start their revision, there are so many ways you can support your child during this stressful time. Here's how:

Study Plan

Help them make a study plan by writing down all the things they need to remember. Then break those things down into smaller chunks. This will help them see what they should be working on and when. This is important so they don't get overwhelmed and develop exam anxiety. Their revision schedule is going to look different depending on which subjects they're taking and when they are being taken. But, there are some general rules they can apply to all of them.

Revision Techniques

Help them find new revision techniques. Notetaking is a widely recommended way to learn. But some students don't take notes and prefer making flashcards instead. Encourage them to experiment with different ways of studying to find what works for them.

Good Physical and Mental Health

Motivate them to maintain a good sleeping routine and eat healthily. This is one of the most important things for being able to focus on their revision. Especially if they're feeling stressed out about something else going on in their lives. Read how can one maintain good mental health during the exam season. Try to help them incorporate some good habits into their lifestyle.

Revising for GCSEs can be a stressful time for both students and parents. As a parent, you can help your child by reminding them that grades are not everything. Sometimes your support is all they need. There are many alternatives to get the education they need, such as apprenticeships, university coursework, and internships. In addition, they can always retake GCSEs next year if they didn't get the desired grade.

The government provides access arrangements for students with disabilities, temporary illnesses or special needs. They may get extra time, modified papers or other aids. Check the government's website to learn more about how AA works. Knowing they'll get some extra help during exams may ease their anxiety.

GCSE Past Papers - Effective Revision for GCSE 2023
GCSE English language GCSE Chemistry GCSE Biology GCSE Physics GCSE English literature
To Sum Up

GCSE 2023 grades are predicted to be lower than pre-covid grades due to a huge learning loss, especially with disadvantaged students. In an effort to help students prepare for the new GCSE exams, the government will provide them with formulae and equation sheets in Physics, Maths and Combined Science. Unfortunately, no advanced information will be given. There will be support in modern foreign languages too. Students won't longer be tested on unfamiliar vocabulary.

It's worth mentioning that during the pandemic, GCSE exams were more spaced out during the summer. Ofqual states that it was well received by schools since it reduced the risk of students being unable to come to exams. The Council for Qualifications will consult on the topic this year too!

If you don't want to miss out on any news regarding GCSEs, there are numerous great communities you can join. You can follow GCSE 2023 on TikTok or join r/GCSE on Reddit. You can also fill out this form to receive important updates.

If you find the information in this article useful, feel free to share it with other parents. You never know how much you can help them!

If you're looking for an effective and supportive way to help your child excel at their GCSEs, check out this 1-day Crash-course! Top-talent tutors from top UK universities can provide your teen with the essential study skills they need to succeed in exams, all from memorisation tips to tricks on how to think like an examiner!

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GCSE 2023: Everything You Need to Know - Edumentors

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GCSEs are coming and parents want their children to be as ready as possible. Read this article to understand everything you need to about GCSE 2023.

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DfE: Guide to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England from 2025

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DfE: Guide to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England from 2025

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Published: 20th April 2023
Summary - Post 16 Level 3 there will be a choice of A level or T level with the option to take additional single size (1 A level equivalent) technical qualification alongside an A level if you wanted a mixed programme. The old style 2 year full time BTEC technical qualifications type programme will gradually disappear.

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An overview of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below for awarding organisations and providers.

Details

The guide provides a high-level overview of the post-16 qualifications landscape from 2025 onwards, including:

changes to the funding approval process and criteria

the subjects that will be considered for funding

the implications for the availability of qualifications for teaching in England

The separate level 2 and 3 timeline documents provide a chronology of important dates for awarding organisations.

Post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below from spring 2023 signposts awarding organisations and providers to information that is already available and which they may find helpful in preparing for the reforms at level 2 and below.

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Guide to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England

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Published: 21 March 2023
This guide for students provides information about this year’s arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

Applies to England

Documents

Request an accessible format.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@ofqual.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This guide is for students taking any of the following qualifications:

GCSEs

AS or A levels

other general qualifications, including International Baccalaureate, core mathematics and Pre-U

Technical Qualification (part of a T Level)

BTEC, Cambridge Technicals and other vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside GCSEs and A levels

In this guide, we refer to schools and colleges as a collective term for all schools, colleges and other exam centres.

Some students won't be studying at a school or college and will be private candidates. They are often home educated or are re-taking a qualification after leaving school or college. They may be studying with a distance learning provider, tutor, parent, or without any support. Private candidates will need to register at a school, college or other exam centre to sit their exams. More information on how to do this can be found in this guide. We make clear in this guide where information only applies to a certain type of qualification. If you are not sure exactly which qualifications you are taking, check with your school or college.

This guide talks about awarding organisations and exam boards. All organisations that offer qualifications regulated by Ofqual are called awarding organisations. The 4 awarding organisations that offer GCSEs, AS and A levels in England are also called exam boards.

This guide refers to exams officers. An exams officer is the person in a school or college that organises exams. An exams officer's duties will vary by school or college. Check with your school or college who your exams officer is and how to contact them.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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This guide provides you with information about this year's arrangements for qualifications regulated by Ofqual. It also explains what support is in place when taking exams and assessments.

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National Statistics: 2022 Alevel and other 16 to 18 results Breakdown

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National Statistics: 2022 Alevel and other 16 to 18 results Breakdown

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Updated: 2nd February 2023

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Last updated

Release type

National statistics ?

This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades. As part of the transition back to the summer exam series adaptations were made to the exams (including advance information) and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The 16 to 18 performance measures reported in this revised release for the 2021/22 academic year, and to be included on the Find School and College Performance Data website, have been affected by our commitment not to include results from qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 (see section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22').

Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat. Given the unprecedented change in how A level and vocational and VTQ grades were awarded in 2020 and 2021, as well as changes to the grade boundaries and methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in student performance alone.

Related information

Releases in this series

View releases (23)

Methodologies

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

A level retention

95.1%

An increase of 3.8 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for A level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their A level programme).

Applied general retention

91.7%

An increase of 5.1 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for applied general programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their applied general programme).

Tech level retention

91.1%

An increase of 3.2 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for tech level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their tech level programme).

Average Point Score (APS) per entry for all level 3 cohorts is lower compared to 2020/21: A level, -2.8 pts; applied general, -0.7 pts; tech level, - 1.1 pts. However, attainment remains higher compared to 2018/19: A level, +4.9pts; applied general, +3.1 pts; tech level +1.9 pts. [An increase of 10 points is equivalent to an increase in one full grade]. This follows Ofqual's announcement in September 2021 that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 (TAG grades) and 2019 (the last year all students sat exams).

The trend for falling average attainment across level 3 cohorts in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 was observed across institution types generally (when grouped into state-funded schools, independent schools, sixth form colleges, and 'Other FE sector colleges') with the exception of applied general attainment in sixth form colleges and independent schools which increased in 2021/22 (+ 0.2 pts and + 0.8 pts respectively).

The disadvantage gap (between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students) is at its widest level for all Level 3 cohorts (A level, tech level, and applied general) since disadvantage measures began in 2016/17.

Gender gaps in favour of female students in average attainment at A level, applied general, and tech level have narrowed in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21; average attainment had increased more for female students than males with the alternative Centre Assessment Grade (CAG) and Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) awarding processes in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared with 2018/19.

The percentage of students who completed their main or 'core' aim from their study programme, known as the Retention rate, increased across all programmes in 2021/22.

Non-disadvantaged students are more likely to be retained than disadvantaged students, across all cohorts.

Students with higher prior attainment are more likely to be retained than students with lower prior attainment, across all level 3 cohorts.

Given the unprecedented change in the way results were awarded in the summers of 2020 and 2021, as well as the changes to methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone.

The changes seen in the headline statistics likely reflect the changes in methodology for awarding grades and in calculating the measures, rather than demonstrating a difference in standards.

Explore data and files used in this release

View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

Provisional results (November 2022) for A level and other 16 to 18 results 2021-22

Transition matrices data used for visualising the progress of pupils aged 16 to 18 from key stage 4 (KS4) to key stage 5 (KS5).

Instructions to accompany the transition matrices data

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat.

A/AS and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)

In summer 2021 students were awarded A/AS grades based on an assessment by their teachers using a range of available evidence. Students were only assessed on the content they had been taught. In 2021 some VTQ grades were decided using teacher-assessed grades, others using normal assessment routes, and some through adapted assessment such as remote invigilation.

Exceptionally in autumn 2020 and 2021 an autumn series was put in place to allow students the opportunity to try to improve their A level or AS grade from the summer, if they wished to do so. Further information on the autumn 2021 series is available at this link:
https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2021/12/16/as-and-a-level-results-in-the-autumn-2021-series/
A/AS exams returned in 2022 and adaptations were made to exams (including advance information), and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The diversity of vocational qualifications meant that Ofqual did not prescribe a single approach to adaptations, so Awarding Organisations (AOs) had flexibility to choose how to adapt their assessments. However, Ofqual's regulatory framework requires AOs as far as possible to ensure VTQ learners were not disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their A level peers when setting standards.

For further information on the process to award grades in 2021 and 2022 see the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-centres-awarding-vtqs-in-2021-and-2022
Reporting of 2022 results by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Ofqual

As happens every year on A level results day (18 August for summer 2022 results) JCQ published data on A level entries for qualifications awarded in summer 2022, and for each subject the distribution of grades awarded (with data for the previous summer for reference): https://www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results/

The data published by JCQ can be expected to show the same broad patterns as the underlying data published in this statistical release 'Entries and results - A level and AS by subject and student characteristics (single academic year). However, the coverage of the data is different: JCQ data covers all A level entries in the UK by people of all ages. Data in this statistical release covers exam entries by 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges in England, and includes breakdowns by a wide range of student characteristics.

In addition, Ofqual also routinely publish data on results day: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guide-to-as-and-a-level-results-in-england-summer-2022

Data excluded from 2021/22 measures due to alternative assessment arrangements in 2020 and 2021

We have committed not to include results of qualifications achieved between January 2020 and August 2021 in school and college performance measures on Find Schools and College Performance Data website, given the alternative assessment arrangements used to award those grades.

For consistency, when calculating 16 to 18 performance measures for 2021/22 in this statistical release, data will only include entries and grades from qualifications awarded in the 2021/22 academic year, with the exception of AS and A level qualifications taken as part of the extraordinary autumn 2021 examination series which are also excluded.

However, results from qualifications routinely offered in the autumn of 2021 that would usually be approved for reporting, such as vocational and technical qualifications taken in autumn 2021, will be included even if some of the VTQ constituent unit-level grades were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 via Centre Assessment Grade, Teacher Assessed Grade, or another process.

The table below shows the impact at national level of excluding these data, by comparing the number of students and headline attainment measures for each cohort.

The impact on A level student numbers is modest. It is greater for students entering vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs), who are more likely to enter qualifications over multiple years. It should be noted that students may have results from multiple years including 2021/22. In this case the student is included in this data but some of their results are excluded.

The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting in the same year as they complete the qualification.

Smaller cohorts in 2021/22, do not necessarily translate into impacts on attainment. Nationally, the impact on A level Average Point Score (APS) is minimal (1/200th of a grade) with slightly larger changes for the level 3 vocational and technical qualifications.

Impact of the change

Number of students
-2% -10% -15% -84%

APS
+0.06 +0.60 +0.72 +0.12

Other changes for the 2021/22 release

English and maths progress measures will not be published in this statistical release until these measures return to Find school and college performance data website (likely 2024/25, as set out in 16 to 18 accountability headline measures: technical guide, due to the impact of excluding CAG/TAG grades on this performance measure).

Similarly, 16 to 18 value-added measures, which would rely on KS4 prior attainment including some data from summer 2020, continue not to be published in 2021/22. Value-added measures will return as soon as possible, which will be for the 2023/24 academic year at the earliest; further details are included in the technical guide.

Breakdowns of performance measures by prior attainment, usually published in spring with the Retention update have been brought forward to the provisional release along with other breakdowns by student characteristics. Note, we distinguish between the use of prior attainment data nationally to breakdown measures by student characteristics in this statistical release and their use to calculate performance measures that will be published for individual schools and colleges on Find School and College Performance Data.

SEN Provision contains additional breakdowns by SEN types for the first time in national level data at 16 to 18.

Additional 'bivariate' data giving a breakdown of headline attainment and disadvantage status in combination with other characteristics are available for the first time.

Changes continuing from the 2020/21 release

Characteristic breakdowns usually published in the revised update have been brought forward to the provisional release. This is a permanent change.

The rules for determining when students reach the end of their 16-18 study changed in 2020/21 and students can no longer be triggered solely due to spending two years in the same school or college. The impact of this change on 2020/21 data was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. In 2021/22, student numbers returned to pre-rule change levels, as expected.

Full details of the trigger change are set out in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release' in the Quality and Methodology documentation.

Checking exercise and other amendments

This updated release is based on revised data. Since the release of provisional data in November, amendments to the data have been made. These include the addition of 'late' results from some Awarding Organisations, and changes made by schools and colleges through a 'checking exercise'.

The checking exercise takes place in the autumn term and gives schools and colleges the opportunity to amend their data. Some students are removed from a school or colleges results, for example because the student wasn't on roll or has not yet completed 16-18 study. Some students are added where they are flagged by a school or college as having completed 16-18 study despite not being triggered. Changes need to be approved to be included in revised data.

The 2021/22 academic year saw the return of the school and college checking exercise, after it was suspended in the two previous years. In this release data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 is labelled as 'final' data. This is provisional data adjusted for results from the autumn series for AS and A levels. (The autumn series gave students an opportunity to sit an exam if they were unhappy with the grade awarded to them through the alternative process). Data from 2019/20 and 2020/21 did not go through a checking exercise; schools and colleges did not have an opportunity to amend their data as described above.

The table shows the size of the change between provisional and revised/final data. Generally, the change in the numbers of students included in the data in 2021/22 is relatively small in terms of the overall cohort size, the exception being technical certificates where there are 655 more students in the revised release than the provisional (an increase of 87%). This increase is predominantly due to results being reported late by Awarding Organisations.

The size of the change between provisional and revised data is generally smaller in 2021/22 than in 2017/18 and 2018/19. Changes to the trigger rule were introduced to reduce the burden on schools and colleges. This gives an indication that the change is working as intended.

Change in the numbers of students between the provisional and revised/final data:

Cohort

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

The table below shows the size of the change in the average point score between the provisional and the revised release. The changes are minimal. A change of 0.1 pts at A level / applied general / tech level is equivalent to 1/100th of a grade.

Change in Average Point Score (APS) per entry between the provisional and revised/final data.

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Unless stated otherwise statistics reported here refer to 16 to 18 year olds in England:

who reached the end of their 16 to 18 study in 2021/22. Students typically spend either two or three years in the 16 to 18 phase. (Usually, attainment includes results from qualifications entered during all those years. However, this year, attainment excludes results from qualifications that were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021).

who entered qualifications approved for reporting in 2022 school and college performance tables, set out in the 16 to 18 qualifications, discount codes and point scores guidance.

Qualifications are grouped into A level (subset of Academic), Applied General, and Tech Level exam cohorts at level 3, and Technical Certificates at level 2. Students can be reported in more than one exam cohort.

Student numbers by cohort

Students are included in this statistical release when they reach the end of their 16 to 18 study in schools and colleges in England. As set out in the Methodology guidance, the rules for determining when that happens changed in 2020/21, and students are no longer automatically triggered for reporting after spending two years in the same school or college.

The impact of the trigger change in 2020/21 was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. As expected, student numbers have generally returned to their pre-rule change level in 2021/22, with student numbers in all level 3 cohorts being higher than in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Results for qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from the data. The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting until they turn 18, often a year or two after they complete the qualification. More detail is provided in the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22', where in particular excluding CAG and TAG grades reduced reported technical certificate student numbers by 84%.

The growth in the number of students entered for applied general and tech level qualifications in 2021/22 approved for reporting in performance measures reflects the removal of funding approval from 1 August 2020 for pre-existing qualifications which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications. Prior to that numbers had been increasing more slowly following big falls in 2017/18 when qualifications were reformed. The number of students in the A level cohort, which includes students who only enter AS levels, has increased after several years of decline. (The previous decline reflected fewer AS level entries following the now completed A level reform to decouple A and AS levels.)

The overall growth in student numbers may also be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students reported here completed their pre-16 study in 2019/20 where higher grades were awarded via Centre Assessment Grades. These higher grades resulted in greater numbers of students applying for post-16 places and may have shifted some students away from level two technical certificates and into level 3 qualifications. There were also fewer alternative options available for these students in terms of apprenticeships and other employment opportunities ( Key stage 4 destination measures showed that a smaller proportion of students who completed key stage 4 in 2019/20 progressed to sustained apprenticeship or employment outcomes in 2020/21).

Disadvantage

Disadvantaged students are all students who were in receipt of pupil premium when they were in their last year of KS4.

Disadvantage measures do not include students who were not reported at the end of KS4 - for example, because they came from overseas. Students who were known to be at independent schools in their last year of KS4 are treated as non-disadvantaged.

Disadvantage measures cover students in state-funded schools or colleges.

23.6% of state-funded students, at the end of 16 to 18 study, were recorded as having disadvantaged status in 2021/22. The percentage of students examined in level 3 vocational and technical qualifications was generally in line with this. (Applied general 23.0% and tech level 23.0%). Disadvantages students were overrepresented at technical certificate with 32.4% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status. Disadvantaged students were underrepresented at A level with 14.3% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status.

Prior attainment

Prior attainment is a measure of the average points attained per qualification at Key Stage 4. Simple discounting rules apply, with the best result in any subject used when calculating the average point score at KS4. Any GCSE resits or additional qualifications gained during 16 to 18 are ignored. For the vast majority, prior attainment is between 0-9 reflecting the range of possible grades at GCSE (where 9 is the highest grade).

[Note, whilst results from January 2020 to August 2021 are removed from calculation of performance measures, for the purposes of this statistical release they will be retained when calculating a student's prior attainment to explain outcomes in performance measures, in the same way that outcomes nationally are broken down by gender, disadvantage, etc].

In 2021/22, 18.4% of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study had the highest prior attainment (grade 7+). The large majority of students with the highest prior attainment choose to study at least one A/AS level (94.8%). High attainers now make up 36.2% of the A level cohort compared to 4.7% of the applied general and 3.7% of the tech level cohort. The proportion of students with the highest prior attainment has increased year on year for each cohort since 2019/20 (from when KS4 prior attainment has been calculated in this release).

27.5% of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2021/22 had the lowest prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4). The proportion of students with the lowest prior attainment has decreased year on year for each exam cohort since 2019/20.

This change in the distribution of prior attainment for exam cohorts, will in part reflect year on year grade increases at KS4 and in part reflect that the majority of students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and whose GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

Summary

These figures give the average points and average result that students achieved throughout their 16 to 18 study. Results awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from this data. (See the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22). While the majority of results come from the student's final year of study (in particular for A levels), a small number of results awarded prior to January 2020 are included.

Points are given to all qualifications so we can compare qualifications of different size and grading structures. A maximum of 60 points are available for A level, 50 points for applied general and tech level and 8 points for technical certificates. More information on points, APS bands and grade boundaries can be found in the technical guide for 16 to 18 accountability measures (from page 27).

In September 2021 Ofqual announced that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019. Consequently, the average results are lower in 2021/22 across all level 3 cohorts than in 2020/21.

A level programmes have seen the largest decrease (2.8 pts, compared to 0.7 pts for applied general and 1.1 pts for tech level). This is as expected due to the larger increases seen in A level grades between 2018/19 and 2020/21 relative to the vocational and technical qualifications. Technical certificates have seen a small increase (0.2 pts) in the average points score. However, interpretation of this increase is undermined by a 58% drop in cohort numbers. Given that 84% of technical certificate students have been excluded form the data (see 'Changes to the data in 2021/22'), technical certificate results will not be discussed in the breakdowns, however the data is available in the table builder tool.

For all Level 3 cohorts, the average result remains the same as in 2020/21.

At A level, the South East, London and East of England tend to do better, being on or near the top in the last 3 years. These same regions have ranked in the bottom 4 for applied general in the same time period.

The North West is in the top half of the table for both A level and applied general, although the region dipped in both exam cohorts in 2020/21 when teacher assessed grades were used.

The East Midlands is in the bottom half of the table for both A level and applied general. The region attained the lowest A level results this year.

Regional rankings are more variable for tech levels (which may be attributable to the smaller total number of tech level entries).

Average results by disadvantage status

The 2021/22 disadvantage gap has increased in comparison to last year for the A level cohort and has remained stable for applied general and tech level cohorts. For the level 3 exam cohorts, the average point score has decreased for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, however for A level students, the decrease was larger for disadvantaged students.

The disadvantage gap for Level 3 cohorts is at its widest point since the measure was introduced in 2016/17. (NB, this statistical release contains data for the last 5 years back to 2017/18, but disadvantage data was first published based on 2016/17 revised data).

To get a fuller picture on the impact of disadvantage status, this data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2020/21, 94.3% of non-disadvantaged A level students were retained and assessed compared to 88.5% of disadvantaged students. Students are only included in the average point score measure if they are entered for examination i.e. if they are retained and assessed. More information on 2020/21 retention can be found in the 2020/21 version of this statistical release. An update to this statistical release with 2021/22 retention figures will be released on 30th March 2023.

Average results by gender

For the level 3 exam cohorts, both female and male students saw a drop in average attainment in 2021/22 when compared to 2020/21. The decrease was larger for female students than male students, which has resulted in a narrowing of the gender gap compared to last year.

When compared to 2018/19, the gender gap is slightly wider for A level students, but slightly narrower for applied general students in 2021/22. For tech level students the gender gap has reversed such that in 2018/19 it was in favour of male students, but since 2020/21 it has been in favour of female students.

The gender gap for the percentage of students achieving at least 2 A levels has been continuously decreasing for the past 5 years, falling from 5.2 ppts in 2017/18 to 0.9 ppts in 2021/22 in favour of female students.

Average results by ethnicity

Of the major ethnicity groups, Black or Black British students attained the lowest average result across all level 3 cohorts in 2021/22. At A level, Black or Black British students' attainment was almost a full grade lower than that of Chinese students. The rank order of attainment by ethnicity has remained almost unchanged at A level through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to the grading processes.

Prior attainment

Typically, the higher the average KS4 prior attainment, the higher the average outcome at the end of 16 to 18 study, regardless of the programme of study.

The attainment gap between students with the highest and lowest prior attainment has remained stable throughout different grading processes since 2019/20 (when this prior attainment data is available). The attainment gap at A level is around 25 pts (or 2.5 grades) and at applied general and tech level is around 19 pts (or just under 2 grades).

Average results for other student characteristics

Breakdowns of other student characteristics, including SEN provision, first language and more, are available in the featured tables and create your own tables sections of this statistical release.

This year we have introduced a new data file to this statistical release called 'Attainment and other performance measures - student characteristics and disadvantage status'. This data file gives more detail about disadvantaged students by breaking down the disadvantaged status of students by other student characteristics. In breaking down the data in this way we hope to be able to better identify how student characteristics interact. The following sections show some illustrative analyses.

Disadvantage and prior attainment

The distribution of disadvantaged students is uneven across the prior attainment bands. At A level, 9.3% of students in state-funded institutions with the highest prior attainment (grade 7+) have disadvantaged status, while 27.8% with prior attainment from grade 0 up to grade 4 have disadvantaged status.

At A level the disadvantage gap for students with the lowest prior attainment was 1.3 pts in 2021/22 or just over 1/10th of a grade. The gap increased to 2.8 pts for A level students with prior attainment from grade 4 up to grade 7 and 3.5 pts (or just over 1/3 of a grade) for students with the highest prior attainment.

The increase in the overall A level disadvantage gap was driven by the increase in the disadvantage gap for students with the highest prior attainment. (Up 0.9 pts from 2.7 pts in 2020/21). There was a small increase for those with prior attainment of grade 4 up to grade 7 (up 0.2 pts from 2.6 pts) and the gap stayed steady for those with prior attainment of grade 0 up to grade 4.

Disadvantage and other student characteristics

Across level 3 exam cohorts, non-disadvantaged students with English as their first language obtained higher average results than students with a first language other than English. However, the reverse is true for disadvantaged students. Here students with a first language other than English achieved higher average results.

Disadvantaged Black or Black British students attained the lowest average results in 2021/22 of any ethnicity across level 3 cohorts. Non-disadvantaged Black or Black British students also attained lower average results than their non-disadvantaged peers. White students had the biggest disadvantage gaps (of students with known ethnicity) across level 3 cohorts.

The disadvantage gap remains greater for female students in all level 3 cohorts, as it has since 2019/20.

Summary

Data in this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16-18 at the start of the respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16-18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

The chart below shows the distribution of A level grades for students aged 16 to 18 for each academic year. Overall, the proportion of entries achieving top grades (between A* and B) has decreased in comparison to 2020/21 but remains higher than 2018/19.

In 2021/22, 14.8% of awarded grades were at A*. This is an increase of 6.9ppts from 2018/19, but a decrease of 4.3ppts from 2020/21. The percentage of entries achieving A*-A grades is now 36.4%, which similarly corresponds to an increase of 10.6ppts compared to 2018/19 but a decrease of 7.9ppts from 2020/21. As previously noted however, year on year comparisons cannot be interpreted as students achieving at a higher standard. Where achievement gaps alter in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared to previous years, it might reflect the different process by which grades were awarded across these years.

A level results by gender

Overall, in 2021/22 both male and female students were more likely to be awarded the higher A level grades (A*/A/B) than in 2018/19 but less likely than in 2020/21.

Across the top A* and A*-A grades the gender gap has decreased in comparison to 2020/21. Female students continue to be more likely to achieve these grades, which has been the trend for the last three years (since 2019/20) when a reversal of the gender gap was observed.

At A*-B the gap between female and male student achievement had been continuously increasing since 2017/18, however this year the gender gap has reduced from 6.9ppts in 2020/21 to 4.7ppts.

Data is this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16 to 18 at the start of respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16 to 18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

STEM subjects here are defined as: biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, and computing.

A level grades in STEM subjects

For 2021/22, the proportion of students achieving top grades (A*, A*-A, A*-B) in STEM subjects compared to 2020/21 has fallen. At A*, the largest decrease was in further maths (8.4ppts) and the smallest decrease was in physics (4.7ppts).

The STEM subjects have generally seen large increases in the proportion of students achieving top grades when compared to 2018/19. The largest increase at A* was further maths rising by 15.7ppts, and the smallest increase was in biology at 6.3ppts. The A*-A grade boundary also observed large increases in the proportion of entries achieving these grades, ranging from computer science (17.1ppts increase) to maths (6.6ppts increase).

This section replaces one that usually describes outcomes in the English and maths progress accountability measures. These are not being created in 2021/22 in Find School and College Performance Data due to the impact of excluding CAG and TAG grades on this measure (set out in more detail in the 16 to 18 accountability measures: technical guide).

These alternative data have been published as part of this statistical release since 2015/16. Coverage is all entries and outcomes in below level 3 English and maths qualifications for students aged 16 to 18 at the start of the respective year. Unlike data based on students at the end of 16-18 study, it means these data are not impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21, and not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

It also means a student here can be reported in successive years, for example at age 16 in 2019/20, at age 17 in 2020/21, and at age 18 in 2021/22 if they entered exams in each year.

The tables below focus on GCSEs, and Functional Skills qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level which make up the large majority of English and maths qualifications entered below level 3 (though outcomes for Other level 2, level 1, and Entry Level qualifications are available via the 'Explore data and files' section).

Fewer students are entering below level 3 maths and English qualifications

Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9-4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under Condition of Funding rules (CoF).

The overall fall observed in the number of below level 3 entries across both English and maths in GCSEs and Functional Skills is consistent with data published in Key Stage 4 performance showing an increasing proportion of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSE during key stage 4 ( increasing from 59.8% in 2018/19 to 67.1% in 2020/21 in provisional data) - and so not being required to study below level 3 English or maths during the 16-18 phase.

An additional factor explaining the big fall in entries at GCSE from 2019/20 to 2021/22 (-27% English, -12% maths) is the higher proportion of GCSE entries in 2019/20 and 2020/21 during the 16-18 phase that resulted in a grade 9-4 pass, when grades were awarded through the CAG and TAG processes, because once a student achieves a 9-4 GCSE pass during 16-18 they no longer have to continue studying English and/or maths the following year.

Achievement of Level 2 English and maths through GCSE and Functional Skills qualifications

Many more age 16-18 students enter GCSEs (a level 1/level 2 qualification) than are entered for Functional skills (distinct qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level).

Overall pass rates are broadly comparable at GCSE and L1 and L2 Functional skills. Given that the prior attainment distributions are similar at GCSE and level 2 functional skills (see table below), we might have expected to see a higher level 2 pass rate (grades 9-4) at GCSE. Although it is difficult to make direct comparisons due to range of grades available within the GCSE qualification.

Qualification KS4 Prior Attainment English entries in 2021/22 Proportion of English entries at prior attainment band maths entries in 2021/22 Proportion of maths entries at prior attainment band

All level 1 and level 2 qualifications have had decreases in their pass rates in 2021/22. Mathematics qualifications have seen much larger decreases than English across all qualifications.

Maths L2 functional skills decreased by 20.8 ppts to 63.6% (12.0 ppts fall in English to 81.0%). Maths L1 functional skills decreased by 10.2 ppts to 85.4% (English fall, 3.3ppts to 94.0%). For maths GCSE the overall pass rate (grade 9-1) decreased by 5.8ppts to 84.9% (English decreased by 3.7 ppts to 85.8%) and the level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) also decreased 16.7ppts to 15.3% for Maths and 13.9ppts to 25.7% for English

In contrast, at KS4 the English language GCSE level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) fell by more than maths. English language fell by 4.0 ppts and maths by 3.1ppts between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (provisional data).

Pass rates in English and maths at level 2 by institution type

GCSE entries by students at independent schools are most likely to pass at level 2, but it should be noted that Condition of Funding rules are not relevant for these schools, and these students may be resitting GCSEs to improve their KS4 grade, which could have already been at grade 4 or above. Amongst state-funded institutions, students in schools are consistently most likely to pass GCSE at level 2, then sixth form colleges and other FE sector colleges in both English and maths in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Level 2 Functional Skills entries: within state-funded institutions sixth form colleges and 'Other FE sector' colleges are consistently more likely to pass than schools. Most entries in L2 Functional Skills are in 'Other FE sector' colleges.

Applied general, tech level, and technical certificate qualifications approved for reporting in this statistical release (and institution level performance data) are updated annually and published on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/performance-tables-technical-and-vocational-qualifications
The concept of qualifications approved for reporting has been applied since 2015/16 following Professor Alison Wolf's Review of Vocational Education. From 2017/18 at level 3 and from 2018/19 for technical certificates, the quality threshold for vocational and technical qualifications to be included in performance measures further increased. The later reforms include criteria relating to the size, content, and assessment, including a requirement that a proportion of a qualification's content is subject to external assessment. From 1 August 2020 the ESFA removed funding approval for pre-existing applied general and tech level qualifications (which had been approved in 2015/16 and 2016/17) which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications.

The measures presented in this section show the students entering these approved qualifications as a proportion of students entering a wider set of vocational qualifications that had been approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for funding during 16 to 18 study.

Proportions entering approved tech level and applied general qualifications continue to increase following a large fall in 2017/18 (when both lists of approved qualifications changed substantially), with a jump in students entering reformed versions of qualifications in 21/22 (in part attributable to the defunding of unreformed pre-existing qualifications).

The coverage of the measure for technical certificates is strongly impacted by the removal of CAG and TAG data from 2021/22 accountability data (as coverage is students at the end of 16-18 study, and level 2 vocational qualifications are more often entered during a student's first year of 16-18 study and so are excluded from the calculation).

The following table shows that there is variation in whether different institution types enter students for qualifications approved for reporting in performance tables versus the wider set of qualifications that were approved for funding.

Overall students in state-funded schools continue to be most likely to enter reformed versions of vocational and technical qualifications at level 3 (reformed in 2017/18), but 2021/22 saw a marked increase in the proportion of students entering approved/reformed applied general and tech levels across all broad institution types.

Introduction to retention measures

The Retention measure shows the percentage of students who are retained to the end of the 'core aim' (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college.

Students are counted as retained if they are recorded as having "completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim" by their institution. This information is collected in the school census or for students that attended sixth form or FE colleges, the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Retention measures are not calculated for independent schools or special schools (both independent and maintained) as learning aims data is not available for these schools.

The Retention measure is calculated by dividing the total number of students retained by the total number of students with a core aim, in each of the five programmes approved for reporting in performance tables: academic, A level, applied general, tech level, and at level 2, technical certificate programmes.

Since academic programmes comprise largely of A levels, only data for A level core aims are described here; overall data for academic programmes can be found in the 'create your own tables' section and in the underlying data available to download.

Alongside the headline Retention measure there are two supporting retention measures:

Retained and Assessed: The percentage of students who are retained to the end of their course and are assessed.

Returned and Retained for a second year: The percentage of level 3 students who return to the same provider and complete their programme of study in their second year. (The main difference when compared to Retention is for students who complete their core aim in one year.)

A fuller description of the methodology underlying retention measures can be found in the 16-18 technical guide (from page 41).

Retention measures and the impact of the trigger change in 2020/21

The impact of the trigger rule change, meaning that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study, was to reduce the reported number of students in scope for retention measures across all exam cohorts in 2020/21, with the biggest impact on vocational and technical cohorts (VTQs).

For retention measures, this meant that Retention rates were slightly increased in 2020/21 for level 3 cohorts (A level, applied general, tech level) than would have been seen otherwise. However, the impact on the level 2 technical certificate cohort was a large decrease in Retention rates (and in cohort size).

Fuller analysis on the impact on 2020/21 retention data can be found in the methodology document, in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release', under the heading 'Impact of the trigger change on headline retention rates'.

Students whose reporting was delayed for one year due to the 2020/21 trigger change are reported in 2021/22. In other words, the impact of the trigger change was one-off discontinuity in retention data for 2020/21. For this reason, when looking at trends, data for 2021/22 is better compared to data for 2019/20 and earlier years.

All level 3 study programmes show increases in Retention rates in 2021/22 (A level +0.1 pts to 95.1%; applied general +1.8 pts to 91.7%; tech level +0.5 ppts to 91.1%). This continues a trend of increasing Retention rates since 2018/19. A level programmes continue to have the highest Retention rate as has been the case since the measure was introduced in 2015/16, but for the first time applied general programmes have a higher Retention rate than tech levels programmes.

Technical certificates have had lower Retention rates than Level 3 cohorts since being added to performance measures in 2016/17. However, they have seen an increase in Retention rate this year (+4.5 ppts to 86.6%), recovering from the impact of the trigger change that was seen last year and returning to previously-seen levels.

For the A level and applied general cohorts, rates for the Retained and Assessed measure have increasingly followed the same general trend as the Retention rate in recent years. Similarly, the Returned and Retained measure now also follows the same trend. This is most notable for the A level cohort where the phased decoupling of AS and A levels predominantly between 2017 and 2019 has resulted in a much smaller proportion of the A level cohort taking AS levels only and not then returning for a second year of study.

The tech level cohort shows a slightly different pattern this year whereby the Retained and Assessed rate has dropped slightly despite increases in both the Retained rate (retention to the end of the course) and the Returned and Retained rate (retention specifically over two years of a course). This means that within this cohort there was an increase in the proportion of students not being assessed at the end of their course .

The much smaller technical certificate cohort (Level 2) was heavily impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21 and shows less stable trends. In addition, the low cohort numbers mean that breakdowns of the technical certificate data, by student characteristics become increasingly unreliable, and therefore this cohort isn't discussed further.

Due to the similarity in the trends shown by the three retention measures, in particular for the two largest cohorts (A level and applied general), our further narrative will focus on the Retained and Assessed measure. Further breakdowns of the Retention measure and the Returned and Retained measure across all qualification cohorts are available in underlying data and through the table builder.

The Retained and Assessed rate is higher for non-disadvantaged students across all level 3 cohorts. Disadvantaged tech level students are least likely to be Retained and Assessed at 79.1%, which is 7.1 ppts lower than their non-disadvantaged peers. The Retained and Assessed disadvantage gap is smaller for A level and applied general (5.6 ppts and 5.3 ppts respectively).

The disadvantage gap has been narrowing for the A level cohort since 2018/19 (from 8.4 ppts to 5.6 ppts). Similarly, the applied general cohort has, overall, seen a substantial decrease in the gap in that time (from 7.9 ppts to 5.6 ppts). In contrast, the tech level cohort did not consolidate an initial decrease in the gap in 2019/20 and is now only slightly smaller than in 2018/19 (from 7.6 ppts to 7.1 ppts).

Changes to the distribution of prior attainment at A level between 2017/18 and 2021/22

The coverage of the retention measures is different to the attainment measures, and is described above in 'Retention: introduction and changes to the data in 2021/22'. The largest difference is that independent schools are excluded from the data, and this impacts the distribution of the prior attainment groups as students from independent schools have higher prior attainment on average.

The distribution of prior attainment has changed over time for all cohorts. The proportion of A level students with low prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4) has decreased from 8.1% of the cohort in 2017/18 to 1.9% in 2021/22. High prior attaining students (average grade 7 or more) have increased their proportion of the cohort from 16.1% in 2017/18 to 35.3% in 2021/22.

This increase in the proportion of KS4 students achieving grades averaging 7 or more, in part reflects year on year grade increases at KS4, and in part reflects that most A level students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and so their GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

However, in the vocational and technical cohorts, a larger proportion of students are being reported after three years in 16-18, hence prior attainment for these cohorts is less affected by CAGs. This is following delay in their reporting last year due to the change in the rule in 2020/21 triggering students for reporting.

Overall, students with the highest average prior attainment (grade 7+) are most likely to be Retained and Assessed in their main programme of study and students with the lowest prior attainment (grade 0 up to grade 4) the least likely to be Retained and Assessed. The highest Retained and Assessed rate is for high prior attaining A level students at 98.7%. The lowest Retained and Assessed rate is also for A level students. Low prior attaining A level students have a Retained and Assessed rate of 66.0%.

The Retained and Assessed rate for low prior attaining A level students has fallen and is now close to the 2018/19 rate, whereas the rate remains higher for other level 3 cohorts.

A full breakdown of all three retention measures by a range of other student characteristics is available through the table builder. Here, we draw attention to small number of breakdowns that may be of interest.

English Language

Across all level 3 cohorts, students with English as their first language have lower Retained and Assessed rates than students who do not. The difference is driven by poor rates for disadvantaged students with English as their first language.

The applied general cohort similarly has an increase in the Retained and Assessed rate since last year for all major (known) ethnicity groups and shows many of the same trends between groups. The Chinese ethnic group has the highest Retained and Assessed rates since 2018/19 (now at 95.8%) and the Black or Black British ethnic group and the Mixed Dual background ethnic group have made the biggest improvements in Retained and Assessed rates over recent years (+9.9 ppts to 89.1%, +9.9 ppts to 87.0% respectively). Again, the White ethnic group shows the largest disadvantage gap and White disadvantaged students have the lowest rates for Retained and Assessed.

The tech level cohort and the technical certificate cohort have very low numbers in some ethnic groups, and show less distinct patterns over recent years.

For the A level cohort, state-funded mainstream schools and Sixth form colleges have seen an increase in rates for Retained and Assessed this year (+1.5 ppts to 95.4% and +0.5 ppts to 92.3% respectively). In contrast, 'Other FE sector colleges' have seen a decrease (-2.3 ppts to 88.2%). However, the decrease for 'Other FE sector colleges' follows very large increases last year; the relative rates of the three major institution types have returned to levels seen before the change to the trigger rule.

There have also been decreases in the Retained and Assessed rate for 'Other FE sector colleges' in the applied general and tech level cohorts, following larger increases in the previous two years. All state-funded mainstream schools continue to have the lowest Retained and Assessed rates for applied general and tech level qualifications. This has been the case since 2018/19.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - APS per entry by institution type'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: APS per entry and average result' brings up the dashboard with attainment data in terms of APS per entry.

Data including the applied general and tech level cohorts starts in 2015/16 (when these cohorts were first defined in this statistical release, and school and college data). Data for the A level cohort starts in 2012/13.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - A level subject entries and grade by gender'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: A level entries and grade distribution' brings up the dashboard with A level entries data by subject, and A level grades by subject.

These data cover A level entries by students aged 16 to 18 within each academic year from 1995/96.

We have moved our Transition Matrices tool into a web based app for easier use. It is available at the following link:
16-18 Transition Matrices
Transition matrices (TM) are a useful tool to help visualise the progression from different groups of attainment at key stage 4 (KS4) to outcomes achieved during 16 to 18 for a range of different subjects.

Note that the 16 to 18 outcomes here will also be impacted by the different process to award grades in 2022, which is likely to impact the relationship between outcomes and KS4 prior attainment in 2021/22 for subjects.

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Methodology

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A level and other 16 to 18 results, Academic year 2021/22

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This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades.

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Published: 19th January 2023
"We expect that overall results in summer 2023 will be much closer to the pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. In other words, we expect that overall, nationally, results in 2023 will be lower than they were in 2022."

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Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be with you this afternoon as Chair of Ofqual. Unfortunately, the Chief Regulator is unable to be with us today, which I know she very much regrets. She spoke to your winter conference last year in remote format, but it's obviously much better to be here face to face and talk in person.

And what a difference a year makes. Last year saw the very welcome return of a normal series of examinations and formal assessments, or nearly normal. Thank you for everything you did to enable those to run smoothly in your colleges. I know it wasn't always easy but we had a really good outcome for young people, nonetheless.

I will be saying something later on exams this summer, but I wanted to start with what is happening on the review of level 3 qualifications, including, for example, courses like BTECs at level 3, but also the whole range of alternative academic and technical qualifications at level 3.

I know that there are questions and potentially some concerns about what is happening, including the approval process for continued funding, and why all this is happening, so I thought it might be helpful for me to offer a brief overview.

Aside from a small number of exceptions, all level 3 alternative academic and technical qualifications (qualifications at level 3 which are not T Levels or A levels, like for example level 3 BTECS, alongside many others) are being required to re-apply for funding as part of a government-led streamlining programme for these qualifications.

The government's aim for this exercise is in essence threefold:

firstly, to simplify the landscape, including addressing what is seen as in some cases unnecessary duplication where that exists

to drive up the quality of qualifications and the assessment that underpins them

and to ensure that appropriate priority is given to T Levels and their place in the landscape

These alternative and technical qualifications constitute a large and complex area in comparison, say, with A levels and T Levels. For example, there are more than 60 awarding organisations offering the qualifications that are in scope, and several thousand different level 3 qualifications in the alternative academic and technical space.

Some of these are large entry and well known to you in your colleges, and some, of course, are very small in terms of entry, and not likely to be on your radar as college leaders.

Last week the government published details of their new qualifications funding approval process for qualifications at level 3. Talking to your colleagues, I know that that is under scrutiny by your representatives and I am sure debate will continue. What the document sets out to do is bring clarity on what type of L3 qualifications are likely to be publicly funded alongside A levels and T Levels, and bring clarity on the timescales.

I recommend that you take a look at this for more detailed information. I believe the Department for Education will be running some webinars to look at some of this in more detail, which may be useful for colleagues here as well.

As part of the process that awarding organisations are going through, re-applying for funding, we, Ofqual, are contributing by providing qualitative feedback to the DfE on each qualification where funding is being reapplied for, as well as on the awarding organisation itself.

This means that these qualifications are coming under much greater individual regulatory scrutiny than has been the case up to now. Ofqual has put in place a range of higher expectations relating to quality that we expect awarding organisations to meet in their reapplications. It is against those expectations that we provide our qualitative feedback to the DfE and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

As the process plays out, the DfE is taking decisions on funding for the reapplications it receives taking into consideration the quality-based advice Ofqual provides, as well as the contribution of IfATE, that represents the employer voice.

It is probably important to flag that the government absolutely recognises that, alongside the aim of simplifying the landscape, there will, in the future, still need to be a range of qualifications at L3 available alongside A levels and T Levels.

For many students these qualifications are important, not only as vehicles for their continued education and engagement in education, but also because they provide important routes for further study or employment. So there will likely be many decisions to approve applications for funding, alongside decisions not to continue to fund.

You might be wondering what this means for you as a college leader.

In short, unless you are a college which offers only A levels and GCSEs, or T Levels, it is almost certain you will be offering some of these qualifications, maybe for example level 3 BTECs or equivalent.

It is also at least possible that the government will determine that some of those qualifications do not meet the criteria for continued funding, which may mean you will need to take decisions about changing the portfolio of courses you provide in the interests of your students to reflect what is available and funded in the future. So following this process, including through your representatives in this association, to make sure that you are up to speed with decisions being taken is critically important. I am sure you will also continue to make your views heard.

Grading in 2023

Moving on now, I will now say something about arrangements for grading GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2023. We published our plans back in September so that higher education institutions could factor in decisions that were being made about grading before they embarked on their offer-making, and of course because some of you will have been arriving at UCAS predictions for students. We felt it was important you had as much information as possible before you started that process. Our plans for 2023 take us a step further on the road to normality, building on what happened in 2022, while also recognising the impact of the pandemic.

You will recall that in summer 2022, we aimed for a staging post on the way back to more normal grading. In 2023, we will return to pre-pandemic grading, but with some protection in place for your students, a soft landing, if you like.

Students in the 2023 cohort have not, during their exam courses, experienced the level of national school or college closures experienced by students in the 2 years before them. But I know, from listening to teachers, college leaders and students themselves, that many have certainly experienced some level of disruption.

So, to achieve that extra bit of protection, Ofqual will put in place the same sort of safeguards used for the first students taking reformed GCSEs and A levels from 2017 onwards.

Back in the reform context, that meant not disadvantaging students in the first cohorts if overall they performed less well because they were the first to sit the new exams.

So how will it work this summer? In practice, as in any year, grade boundaries for every specification will be set by senior examiners after they have reviewed the work produced by students in their exams.

But those senior examiners will be guided in their decisions about where to set grade boundaries by information about the grades achieved in pre-pandemic years, along with prior attainment data for the cohort.

So that means students in 2023 will be protected in grading terms if their examination performance in 2023 is a little lower than it might have been had the pandemic not taken place. That is what I mean by a soft landing.

What that means is, a typical student who would have achieved an A grade in their A level geography before the pandemic will be just as likely to get an A in summer 2023, even if their performance in the assessments is a little weaker in 2023 than it might have been before the pandemic.

We expect that overall results in summer 2023 will be much closer to the pre-pandemic years than results since 2020. In other words, we expect that overall, nationally, results in 2023 will be lower than they were in 2022.

Individual providers, including colleges and schools, should be prepared for this. I know, as a school leader myself, it's worrying if you look at figures that are lower than the previous year.

It's important that we don't compare the results in 2022 with any other year. Lower results in 2023 compared with 2022 will not mean, by itself, that your college's performance has fallen. It will be much more likely to reflect the return nationally to normal grading standards.

It is important to note that, while we aim to return pretty much to normal grading in 2023, this does not mean there is any nationally pre-determined 'quota' of grades. Every set of grade boundaries, qualification by qualification, is determined by human, senior examiners, taking account of all the information they have available, including actual student performance.

I did want to sound one note of caution: if you are using summer or autumn 2022 papers as mock or trial exams, the grade boundaries set for those papers are likely to be more generous, reflecting the approach we took in 2022, both summer and autumn. Do bear that in mind if you are using the results from mocks to give indicative grades for students being examined this year.

For vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) taken alongside or instead of GCSEs and A levels, awarding organisations are expected to take account of the grading approach being used in GCSEs and A levels. So for VTQ qualifications certificating in 2023, this also means a return to normal grading arrangements.

And a word about universities and higher education: decisions about grading by themselves have no effect on the number of higher education places available. That is determined by other factors and has got nothing to do with grading decisions.

Universities themselves will take account of how exams will be graded when they make their offers, including any differences between the 4 nations of the UK (which already exist). Universities are well-experienced in factoring those in to their offering arrangements.

UCAS wrote out to all schools just after Ofqual announced our grading decision, to explain how offers will be made this year, and to confirm that universities would take our grading decision into account. The Chief Regulator also wrote to admissions officers just before Christmas.

Formulae/equation sheets, MFL and resilience

Further points on 2023: there are one or two changes to support students taking GCSEs. Students will be given formulae sheets for GCSE maths and revised equation sheets for GCSE physics and combined science, which we did in 2022 for those GCSEs. This will give some additional reassurance to GCSE students in the exam itself.

And for modern foreign languages GCSEs, Ofqual's changed requirements mean that exams do not have to test unfamiliar vocabulary. That's to make it feel a bit more accessible for students this year.

Delivering exams

Turning now to resilience, the arrangements in place should the unthinkable happen in summer 2023. Clearly the closer we get to the summer, the less likely that becomes, but we've all learned to be cautious in how we predict the future. In November, Ofqual and the DfE jointly published guidance on resilience, in the very unlikely event that exams are not able to go ahead as planned. Some colleges may be running mock exams now and I know this is a big operation, particularly in colleges such as yours with large cohorts of students. You are also, simultaneously, preparing students to take their end of year exams. Ofqual was conscious of this when we published the guidance.

The thrust of that guidance, designed to minimise the burden on you and your students, is that any assessment opportunities you plan should be in line with your normal approaches, as far as possible.

As well as all the work you do to prepare your students to take their assessments through your teaching and learning, we know that the administration and delivery of exams is something you take seriously. We take our hats off to people in colleges leading the examinations operation.

It is enormously complex, but there is training and support available, and I encourage you to make sure those who are charged with doing this work get access to the range of training available for them so they can benefit from it and deliver as well as possible on behalf of students.

If you've looked at the GCSE and A level exam timetables for next year, you'll see there are some changes from 2022.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) listened to feedback about the spacing between exams in the same subject in summer 2022. They have taken this on board for 2023.

They will largely be preserving those gaps, to reduce the risk of students missing all exams in a subject, but the spacing between some papers is slightly less next summer.

I did just want to draw your attention to the contingency days that they have built in. Both the 8 and 15 June will be 'contingency afternoons' and the 28 June will be a contingency day in case there is national or local disruption that would mean exams had to be re-scheduled.

Do please let your students know about this and remind them that they might have to be available on those dates. It's particularly important for them to be aware if they are planning holidays.

There are more details on the JCQ website, and a quick plug for Ofqual's resources as well: every year we provide a guide for students and a guide for schools and colleges. These will be published in the spring, and always live somewhere central on our website. I hope you'll be able to point your students to them.

Vocational and technical qualification results in 2023

And finally, just as Ofqual regulates in the interests of students of all ages and apprentices, we are also convinced of the need for parity of treatment for students across the different sorts of qualifications your colleges provide, whether vocational or academic.

So I wanted to reassure you that we have in train a series of actions to prevent a repeat of the delayed results in vocational and technical qualifications that we saw last August. I know this affected some of you and your students.

We were shocked by what became apparent in August. Not only that around 20,000 students from 1,550 centres had delayed results, but that for some time, there hadn't been a single date by which VTQ students could expect results - even when they were used for progression. That is not acceptable and Ofqual will work with the sector to fix this, not just for this summer, but for the long term and in the interests of being fair to students taking these qualifications.

Our investigation of the awarding organisations involved continues, as does our review of the extent of the problem. We will consider whether enforcement action is appropriate after that concludes.

In December, we published the 5 key actions that Ofqual, working with you and others in the sector, will deliver.

These actions cover a range of areas, and there isn't time to cover them in detail here. They include putting in place clear deadlines, improving data sharing, introducing check-ins for colleges and awarding organisations, improving information accessibility about these qualifications, improving communications from awarding organisations to centres, improving training for staff running exams, and monitoring the implementation of all this via a joint taskforce from around the sector chaired by the Chief Regulator.

We are certain that taken together these actions will to a very significant extent address the issues we saw playing out this summer (and which to a greater or lesser extent have been endemic in the system).

Thank you very much for your attention - I think we still have a few moments for any questions.

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Sir Ian Bauckham CBE at the Sixth Form Colleges Association winter conference

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Ofqual's Chair looks ahead to assessment and examination results in 2023.

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub: Spring Newsletter

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Inspiration Teaching School Hub: Spring Newsletter

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For schools in Mid, South and East Norfolk

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN LEADING TEACHING

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN LEADING TEACHING

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February 2023 Start

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQ IN SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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February 2023 Start

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Ofqual: Letter to Heads and Principals - arrangements for exams and assessments in 2023

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Ofqual: Letter to Heads and Principals - arrangements for exams and assessments in 2023

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Published: 9th December 2022

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Thank you to you and your colleagues for the vital part you played in the successful return to exams and formal assessments earlier this year. Over one million students received more than 5 million qualifications despite the disruption caused by the pandemic. From talking to teachers and students wh…

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National Statistics: 2021/22 16 to 18 Results and Performance Measures 

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National Statistics: 2021/22 16 to 18 Results and Performance Measures 

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Published: 10th November

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Last updated

Release type

National statistics ?

This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades. As part of the transition back to the summer exam series adaptations were made to the exams (including advance information) and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The 16 to 18 performance measures reported in this revised release for the 2021/22 academic year, and to be included on the Find School and College Performance Data website, have been affected by our commitment not to include results from qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 (see section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22').

Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat. Given the unprecedented change in how A level and vocational and VTQ grades were awarded in 2020 and 2021, as well as changes to the grade boundaries and methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in student performance alone.

Related information

Releases in this series

View releases (23)

Methodologies

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

A level retention

95.1%

An increase of 3.8 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for A level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their A level programme).

Applied general retention

91.7%

An increase of 5.1 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for applied general programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their applied general programme).

Tech level retention

91.1%

An increase of 3.2 ppts from 2018/19

What is this?

This is the headline retention rate for tech level programmes. (The percentage of students who completed their tech level programme).

Average Point Score (APS) per entry for all level 3 cohorts is lower compared to 2020/21: A level, -2.8 pts; applied general, -0.7 pts; tech level, - 1.1 pts. However, attainment remains higher compared to 2018/19: A level, +4.9pts; applied general, +3.1 pts; tech level +1.9 pts. [An increase of 10 points is equivalent to an increase in one full grade]. This follows Ofqual's announcement in September 2021 that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 (TAG grades) and 2019 (the last year all students sat exams).

The trend for falling average attainment across level 3 cohorts in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 was observed across institution types generally (when grouped into state-funded schools, independent schools, sixth form colleges, and 'Other FE sector colleges') with the exception of applied general attainment in sixth form colleges and independent schools which increased in 2021/22 (+ 0.2 pts and + 0.8 pts respectively).

The disadvantage gap (between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students) is at its widest level for all Level 3 cohorts (A level, tech level, and applied general) since disadvantage measures began in 2016/17.

Gender gaps in favour of female students in average attainment at A level, applied general, and tech level have narrowed in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21; average attainment had increased more for female students than males with the alternative Centre Assessment Grade (CAG) and Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) awarding processes in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared with 2018/19.

The percentage of students who completed their main or 'core' aim from their study programme, known as the Retention rate, increased across all programmes in 2021/22.

Non-disadvantaged students are more likely to be retained than disadvantaged students, across all cohorts.

Students with higher prior attainment are more likely to be retained than students with lower prior attainment, across all level 3 cohorts.

Given the unprecedented change in the way results were awarded in the summers of 2020 and 2021, as well as the changes to methods of assessment for 2021/22, users need to exercise caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone.

The changes seen in the headline statistics likely reflect the changes in methodology for awarding grades and in calculating the measures, rather than demonstrating a difference in standards.

Explore data and files used in this release

View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

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Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

Provisional results (November 2022) for A level and other 16 to 18 results 2021-22

Transition matrices data used for visualising the progress of pupils aged 16 to 18 from key stage 4 (KS4) to key stage 5 (KS5).

Instructions to accompany the transition matrices data

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. Throughout this release, comparisons are made with both 2021, the most recent year, and 2019, because it is most meaningful to compare to the last year summer exams were sat.

A/AS and vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs)

In summer 2021 students were awarded A/AS grades based on an assessment by their teachers using a range of available evidence. Students were only assessed on the content they had been taught. In 2021 some VTQ grades were decided using teacher-assessed grades, others using normal assessment routes, and some through adapted assessment such as remote invigilation.

Exceptionally in autumn 2020 and 2021 an autumn series was put in place to allow students the opportunity to try to improve their A level or AS grade from the summer, if they wished to do so. Further information on the autumn 2021 series is available at this link:
https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2021/12/16/as-and-a-level-results-in-the-autumn-2021-series/
A/AS exams returned in 2022 and adaptations were made to exams (including advance information), and the approach to grading for 2022 exams broadly reflected a midpoint between results in 2019 and 2021.

The diversity of vocational qualifications meant that Ofqual did not prescribe a single approach to adaptations, so Awarding Organisations (AOs) had flexibility to choose how to adapt their assessments. However, Ofqual's regulatory framework requires AOs as far as possible to ensure VTQ learners were not disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their A level peers when setting standards.

For further information on the process to award grades in 2021 and 2022 see the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021/awarding-qualifications-in-summer-2021 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-centres-awarding-vtqs-in-2021-and-2022
Reporting of 2022 results by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and Ofqual

As happens every year on A level results day (18 August for summer 2022 results) JCQ published data on A level entries for qualifications awarded in summer 2022, and for each subject the distribution of grades awarded (with data for the previous summer for reference): https://www.jcq.org.uk/examination-results/

The data published by JCQ can be expected to show the same broad patterns as the underlying data published in this statistical release 'Entries and results - A level and AS by subject and student characteristics (single academic year). However, the coverage of the data is different: JCQ data covers all A level entries in the UK by people of all ages. Data in this statistical release covers exam entries by 16 to 18 year olds in schools and colleges in England, and includes breakdowns by a wide range of student characteristics.

In addition, Ofqual also routinely publish data on results day: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/guide-to-as-and-a-level-results-in-england-summer-2022

Data excluded from 2021/22 measures due to alternative assessment arrangements in 2020 and 2021

We have committed not to include results of qualifications achieved between January 2020 and August 2021 in school and college performance measures on Find Schools and College Performance Data website, given the alternative assessment arrangements used to award those grades.

For consistency, when calculating 16 to 18 performance measures for 2021/22 in this statistical release, data will only include entries and grades from qualifications awarded in the 2021/22 academic year, with the exception of AS and A level qualifications taken as part of the extraordinary autumn 2021 examination series which are also excluded.

However, results from qualifications routinely offered in the autumn of 2021 that would usually be approved for reporting, such as vocational and technical qualifications taken in autumn 2021, will be included even if some of the VTQ constituent unit-level grades were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 via Centre Assessment Grade, Teacher Assessed Grade, or another process.

The table below shows the impact at national level of excluding these data, by comparing the number of students and headline attainment measures for each cohort.

The impact on A level student numbers is modest. It is greater for students entering vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs), who are more likely to enter qualifications over multiple years. It should be noted that students may have results from multiple years including 2021/22. In this case the student is included in this data but some of their results are excluded.

The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting in the same year as they complete the qualification.

Smaller cohorts in 2021/22, do not necessarily translate into impacts on attainment. Nationally, the impact on A level Average Point Score (APS) is minimal (1/200th of a grade) with slightly larger changes for the level 3 vocational and technical qualifications.

Impact of the change

Number of students
-2% -10% -15% -84%

APS
+0.06 +0.60 +0.72 +0.12

Other changes for the 2021/22 release

English and maths progress measures will not be published in this statistical release until these measures return to Find school and college performance data website (likely 2024/25, as set out in 16 to 18 accountability headline measures: technical guide, due to the impact of excluding CAG/TAG grades on this performance measure).

Similarly, 16 to 18 value-added measures, which would rely on KS4 prior attainment including some data from summer 2020, continue not to be published in 2021/22. Value-added measures will return as soon as possible, which will be for the 2023/24 academic year at the earliest; further details are included in the technical guide.

Breakdowns of performance measures by prior attainment, usually published in spring with the Retention update have been brought forward to the provisional release along with other breakdowns by student characteristics. Note, we distinguish between the use of prior attainment data nationally to breakdown measures by student characteristics in this statistical release and their use to calculate performance measures that will be published for individual schools and colleges on Find School and College Performance Data.

SEN Provision contains additional breakdowns by SEN types for the first time in national level data at 16 to 18.

Additional 'bivariate' data giving a breakdown of headline attainment and disadvantage status in combination with other characteristics are available for the first time.

Changes continuing from the 2020/21 release

Characteristic breakdowns usually published in the revised update have been brought forward to the provisional release. This is a permanent change.

The rules for determining when students reach the end of their 16-18 study changed in 2020/21 and students can no longer be triggered solely due to spending two years in the same school or college. The impact of this change on 2020/21 data was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. In 2021/22, student numbers returned to pre-rule change levels, as expected.

Full details of the trigger change are set out in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release' in the Quality and Methodology documentation.

Checking exercise and other amendments

This updated release is based on revised data. Since the release of provisional data in November, amendments to the data have been made. These include the addition of 'late' results from some Awarding Organisations, and changes made by schools and colleges through a 'checking exercise'.

The checking exercise takes place in the autumn term and gives schools and colleges the opportunity to amend their data. Some students are removed from a school or colleges results, for example because the student wasn't on roll or has not yet completed 16-18 study. Some students are added where they are flagged by a school or college as having completed 16-18 study despite not being triggered. Changes need to be approved to be included in revised data.

The 2021/22 academic year saw the return of the school and college checking exercise, after it was suspended in the two previous years. In this release data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 is labelled as 'final' data. This is provisional data adjusted for results from the autumn series for AS and A levels. (The autumn series gave students an opportunity to sit an exam if they were unhappy with the grade awarded to them through the alternative process). Data from 2019/20 and 2020/21 did not go through a checking exercise; schools and colleges did not have an opportunity to amend their data as described above.

The table shows the size of the change between provisional and revised/final data. Generally, the change in the numbers of students included in the data in 2021/22 is relatively small in terms of the overall cohort size, the exception being technical certificates where there are 655 more students in the revised release than the provisional (an increase of 87%). This increase is predominantly due to results being reported late by Awarding Organisations.

The size of the change between provisional and revised data is generally smaller in 2021/22 than in 2017/18 and 2018/19. Changes to the trigger rule were introduced to reduce the burden on schools and colleges. This gives an indication that the change is working as intended.

Change in the numbers of students between the provisional and revised/final data:

Cohort

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

The table below shows the size of the change in the average point score between the provisional and the revised release. The changes are minimal. A change of 0.1 pts at A level / applied general / tech level is equivalent to 1/100th of a grade.

Change in Average Point Score (APS) per entry between the provisional and revised/final data.

Report year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Unless stated otherwise statistics reported here refer to 16 to 18 year olds in England:

who reached the end of their 16 to 18 study in 2021/22. Students typically spend either two or three years in the 16 to 18 phase. (Usually, attainment includes results from qualifications entered during all those years. However, this year, attainment excludes results from qualifications that were awarded between January 2020 and August 2021).

who entered qualifications approved for reporting in 2022 school and college performance tables, set out in the 16 to 18 qualifications, discount codes and point scores guidance.

Qualifications are grouped into A level (subset of Academic), Applied General, and Tech Level exam cohorts at level 3, and Technical Certificates at level 2. Students can be reported in more than one exam cohort.

Student numbers by cohort

Students are included in this statistical release when they reach the end of their 16 to 18 study in schools and colleges in England. As set out in the Methodology guidance, the rules for determining when that happens changed in 2020/21, and students are no longer automatically triggered for reporting after spending two years in the same school or college.

The impact of the trigger change in 2020/21 was to reduce the number of students in each cohort, with vocational and technical qualifications impacted most. As expected, student numbers have generally returned to their pre-rule change level in 2021/22, with student numbers in all level 3 cohorts being higher than in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Results for qualifications awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from the data. The technical certificate cohort has been substantially impacted by this change, as students are often not triggered for reporting until they turn 18, often a year or two after they complete the qualification. More detail is provided in the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22', where in particular excluding CAG and TAG grades reduced reported technical certificate student numbers by 84%.

The growth in the number of students entered for applied general and tech level qualifications in 2021/22 approved for reporting in performance measures reflects the removal of funding approval from 1 August 2020 for pre-existing qualifications which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications. Prior to that numbers had been increasing more slowly following big falls in 2017/18 when qualifications were reformed. The number of students in the A level cohort, which includes students who only enter AS levels, has increased after several years of decline. (The previous decline reflected fewer AS level entries following the now completed A level reform to decouple A and AS levels.)

The overall growth in student numbers may also be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students reported here completed their pre-16 study in 2019/20 where higher grades were awarded via Centre Assessment Grades. These higher grades resulted in greater numbers of students applying for post-16 places and may have shifted some students away from level two technical certificates and into level 3 qualifications. There were also fewer alternative options available for these students in terms of apprenticeships and other employment opportunities ( Key stage 4 destination measures showed that a smaller proportion of students who completed key stage 4 in 2019/20 progressed to sustained apprenticeship or employment outcomes in 2020/21).

Disadvantage

Disadvantaged students are all students who were in receipt of pupil premium when they were in their last year of KS4.

Disadvantage measures do not include students who were not reported at the end of KS4 - for example, because they came from overseas. Students who were known to be at independent schools in their last year of KS4 are treated as non-disadvantaged.

Disadvantage measures cover students in state-funded schools or colleges.

23.6% of state-funded students, at the end of 16 to 18 study, were recorded as having disadvantaged status in 2021/22. The percentage of students examined in level 3 vocational and technical qualifications was generally in line with this. (Applied general 23.0% and tech level 23.0%). Disadvantages students were overrepresented at technical certificate with 32.4% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status. Disadvantaged students were underrepresented at A level with 14.3% of the cohort identified as having disadvantaged status.

Prior attainment

Prior attainment is a measure of the average points attained per qualification at Key Stage 4. Simple discounting rules apply, with the best result in any subject used when calculating the average point score at KS4. Any GCSE resits or additional qualifications gained during 16 to 18 are ignored. For the vast majority, prior attainment is between 0-9 reflecting the range of possible grades at GCSE (where 9 is the highest grade).

[Note, whilst results from January 2020 to August 2021 are removed from calculation of performance measures, for the purposes of this statistical release they will be retained when calculating a student's prior attainment to explain outcomes in performance measures, in the same way that outcomes nationally are broken down by gender, disadvantage, etc].

In 2021/22, 18.4% of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study had the highest prior attainment (grade 7+). The large majority of students with the highest prior attainment choose to study at least one A/AS level (94.8%). High attainers now make up 36.2% of the A level cohort compared to 4.7% of the applied general and 3.7% of the tech level cohort. The proportion of students with the highest prior attainment has increased year on year for each cohort since 2019/20 (from when KS4 prior attainment has been calculated in this release).

27.5% of students at the end of 16 to 18 study in 2021/22 had the lowest prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4). The proportion of students with the lowest prior attainment has decreased year on year for each exam cohort since 2019/20.

This change in the distribution of prior attainment for exam cohorts, will in part reflect year on year grade increases at KS4 and in part reflect that the majority of students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and whose GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

Summary

These figures give the average points and average result that students achieved throughout their 16 to 18 study. Results awarded between January 2020 and August 2021 have been excluded from this data. (See the section 'Changes to the data in 2021/22). While the majority of results come from the student's final year of study (in particular for A levels), a small number of results awarded prior to January 2020 are included.

Points are given to all qualifications so we can compare qualifications of different size and grading structures. A maximum of 60 points are available for A level, 50 points for applied general and tech level and 8 points for technical certificates. More information on points, APS bands and grade boundaries can be found in the technical guide for 16 to 18 accountability measures (from page 27).

In September 2021 Ofqual announced that 2022 will be a transition year where the aim was for exam results to broadly reflect a midway point between 2021 and 2019. Consequently, the average results are lower in 2021/22 across all level 3 cohorts than in 2020/21.

A level programmes have seen the largest decrease (2.8 pts, compared to 0.7 pts for applied general and 1.1 pts for tech level). This is as expected due to the larger increases seen in A level grades between 2018/19 and 2020/21 relative to the vocational and technical qualifications. Technical certificates have seen a small increase (0.2 pts) in the average points score. However, interpretation of this increase is undermined by a 58% drop in cohort numbers. Given that 84% of technical certificate students have been excluded form the data (see 'Changes to the data in 2021/22'), technical certificate results will not be discussed in the breakdowns, however the data is available in the table builder tool.

For all Level 3 cohorts, the average result remains the same as in 2020/21.

At A level, the South East, London and East of England tend to do better, being on or near the top in the last 3 years. These same regions have ranked in the bottom 4 for applied general in the same time period.

The North West is in the top half of the table for both A level and applied general, although the region dipped in both exam cohorts in 2020/21 when teacher assessed grades were used.

The East Midlands is in the bottom half of the table for both A level and applied general. The region attained the lowest A level results this year.

Regional rankings are more variable for tech levels (which may be attributable to the smaller total number of tech level entries).

Average results by disadvantage status

The 2021/22 disadvantage gap has increased in comparison to last year for the A level cohort and has remained stable for applied general and tech level cohorts. For the level 3 exam cohorts, the average point score has decreased for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, however for A level students, the decrease was larger for disadvantaged students.

The disadvantage gap for Level 3 cohorts is at its widest point since the measure was introduced in 2016/17. (NB, this statistical release contains data for the last 5 years back to 2017/18, but disadvantage data was first published based on 2016/17 revised data).

To get a fuller picture on the impact of disadvantage status, this data should be looked at in conjunction with data on retention rates (the percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider). In 2020/21, 94.3% of non-disadvantaged A level students were retained and assessed compared to 88.5% of disadvantaged students. Students are only included in the average point score measure if they are entered for examination i.e. if they are retained and assessed. More information on 2020/21 retention can be found in the 2020/21 version of this statistical release. An update to this statistical release with 2021/22 retention figures will be released on 30th March 2023.

Average results by gender

For the level 3 exam cohorts, both female and male students saw a drop in average attainment in 2021/22 when compared to 2020/21. The decrease was larger for female students than male students, which has resulted in a narrowing of the gender gap compared to last year.

When compared to 2018/19, the gender gap is slightly wider for A level students, but slightly narrower for applied general students in 2021/22. For tech level students the gender gap has reversed such that in 2018/19 it was in favour of male students, but since 2020/21 it has been in favour of female students.

The gender gap for the percentage of students achieving at least 2 A levels has been continuously decreasing for the past 5 years, falling from 5.2 ppts in 2017/18 to 0.9 ppts in 2021/22 in favour of female students.

Average results by ethnicity

Of the major ethnicity groups, Black or Black British students attained the lowest average result across all level 3 cohorts in 2021/22. At A level, Black or Black British students' attainment was almost a full grade lower than that of Chinese students. The rank order of attainment by ethnicity has remained almost unchanged at A level through the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to the grading processes.

Prior attainment

Typically, the higher the average KS4 prior attainment, the higher the average outcome at the end of 16 to 18 study, regardless of the programme of study.

The attainment gap between students with the highest and lowest prior attainment has remained stable throughout different grading processes since 2019/20 (when this prior attainment data is available). The attainment gap at A level is around 25 pts (or 2.5 grades) and at applied general and tech level is around 19 pts (or just under 2 grades).

Average results for other student characteristics

Breakdowns of other student characteristics, including SEN provision, first language and more, are available in the featured tables and create your own tables sections of this statistical release.

This year we have introduced a new data file to this statistical release called 'Attainment and other performance measures - student characteristics and disadvantage status'. This data file gives more detail about disadvantaged students by breaking down the disadvantaged status of students by other student characteristics. In breaking down the data in this way we hope to be able to better identify how student characteristics interact. The following sections show some illustrative analyses.

Disadvantage and prior attainment

The distribution of disadvantaged students is uneven across the prior attainment bands. At A level, 9.3% of students in state-funded institutions with the highest prior attainment (grade 7+) have disadvantaged status, while 27.8% with prior attainment from grade 0 up to grade 4 have disadvantaged status.

At A level the disadvantage gap for students with the lowest prior attainment was 1.3 pts in 2021/22 or just over 1/10th of a grade. The gap increased to 2.8 pts for A level students with prior attainment from grade 4 up to grade 7 and 3.5 pts (or just over 1/3 of a grade) for students with the highest prior attainment.

The increase in the overall A level disadvantage gap was driven by the increase in the disadvantage gap for students with the highest prior attainment. (Up 0.9 pts from 2.7 pts in 2020/21). There was a small increase for those with prior attainment of grade 4 up to grade 7 (up 0.2 pts from 2.6 pts) and the gap stayed steady for those with prior attainment of grade 0 up to grade 4.

Disadvantage and other student characteristics

Across level 3 exam cohorts, non-disadvantaged students with English as their first language obtained higher average results than students with a first language other than English. However, the reverse is true for disadvantaged students. Here students with a first language other than English achieved higher average results.

Disadvantaged Black or Black British students attained the lowest average results in 2021/22 of any ethnicity across level 3 cohorts. Non-disadvantaged Black or Black British students also attained lower average results than their non-disadvantaged peers. White students had the biggest disadvantage gaps (of students with known ethnicity) across level 3 cohorts.

The disadvantage gap remains greater for female students in all level 3 cohorts, as it has since 2019/20.

Summary

Data in this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16-18 at the start of the respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16-18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

The chart below shows the distribution of A level grades for students aged 16 to 18 for each academic year. Overall, the proportion of entries achieving top grades (between A* and B) has decreased in comparison to 2020/21 but remains higher than 2018/19.

In 2021/22, 14.8% of awarded grades were at A*. This is an increase of 6.9ppts from 2018/19, but a decrease of 4.3ppts from 2020/21. The percentage of entries achieving A*-A grades is now 36.4%, which similarly corresponds to an increase of 10.6ppts compared to 2018/19 but a decrease of 7.9ppts from 2020/21. As previously noted however, year on year comparisons cannot be interpreted as students achieving at a higher standard. Where achievement gaps alter in 2019/20 and 2020/21 compared to previous years, it might reflect the different process by which grades were awarded across these years.

A level results by gender

Overall, in 2021/22 both male and female students were more likely to be awarded the higher A level grades (A*/A/B) than in 2018/19 but less likely than in 2020/21.

Across the top A* and A*-A grades the gender gap has decreased in comparison to 2020/21. Female students continue to be more likely to achieve these grades, which has been the trend for the last three years (since 2019/20) when a reversal of the gender gap was observed.

At A*-B the gap between female and male student achievement had been continuously increasing since 2017/18, however this year the gender gap has reduced from 6.9ppts in 2020/21 to 4.7ppts.

Data is this section covers A level entries and results for all students aged 16 to 18 at the start of respective year. Students don't need to be triggered for inclusion in this data, so it is not impacted by the change in the 'trigger' rules, introduced in 2020/21, that determined when a student had reached the end of 16 to 18 study. It is also not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

STEM subjects here are defined as: biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, and computing.

A level grades in STEM subjects

For 2021/22, the proportion of students achieving top grades (A*, A*-A, A*-B) in STEM subjects compared to 2020/21 has fallen. At A*, the largest decrease was in further maths (8.4ppts) and the smallest decrease was in physics (4.7ppts).

The STEM subjects have generally seen large increases in the proportion of students achieving top grades when compared to 2018/19. The largest increase at A* was further maths rising by 15.7ppts, and the smallest increase was in biology at 6.3ppts. The A*-A grade boundary also observed large increases in the proportion of entries achieving these grades, ranging from computer science (17.1ppts increase) to maths (6.6ppts increase).

This section replaces one that usually describes outcomes in the English and maths progress accountability measures. These are not being created in 2021/22 in Find School and College Performance Data due to the impact of excluding CAG and TAG grades on this measure (set out in more detail in the 16 to 18 accountability measures: technical guide).

These alternative data have been published as part of this statistical release since 2015/16. Coverage is all entries and outcomes in below level 3 English and maths qualifications for students aged 16 to 18 at the start of the respective year. Unlike data based on students at the end of 16-18 study, it means these data are not impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21, and not impacted by removing CAG and TAG grades from data for 2021/22.

It also means a student here can be reported in successive years, for example at age 16 in 2019/20, at age 17 in 2020/21, and at age 18 in 2021/22 if they entered exams in each year.

The tables below focus on GCSEs, and Functional Skills qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level which make up the large majority of English and maths qualifications entered below level 3 (though outcomes for Other level 2, level 1, and Entry Level qualifications are available via the 'Explore data and files' section).

Fewer students are entering below level 3 maths and English qualifications

Most students aged 16 to 18 enter below level 3 English and maths qualifications because they did not achieve a GCSE pass at grade 9-4 or equivalent during key stage 4, and so are required to continue to study those subjects under Condition of Funding rules (CoF).

The overall fall observed in the number of below level 3 entries across both English and maths in GCSEs and Functional Skills is consistent with data published in Key Stage 4 performance showing an increasing proportion of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSE during key stage 4 ( increasing from 59.8% in 2018/19 to 67.1% in 2020/21 in provisional data) - and so not being required to study below level 3 English or maths during the 16-18 phase.

An additional factor explaining the big fall in entries at GCSE from 2019/20 to 2021/22 (-27% English, -12% maths) is the higher proportion of GCSE entries in 2019/20 and 2020/21 during the 16-18 phase that resulted in a grade 9-4 pass, when grades were awarded through the CAG and TAG processes, because once a student achieves a 9-4 GCSE pass during 16-18 they no longer have to continue studying English and/or maths the following year.

Achievement of Level 2 English and maths through GCSE and Functional Skills qualifications

Many more age 16-18 students enter GCSEs (a level 1/level 2 qualification) than are entered for Functional skills (distinct qualifications at level 2, level 1 and Entry level).

Overall pass rates are broadly comparable at GCSE and L1 and L2 Functional skills. Given that the prior attainment distributions are similar at GCSE and level 2 functional skills (see table below), we might have expected to see a higher level 2 pass rate (grades 9-4) at GCSE. Although it is difficult to make direct comparisons due to range of grades available within the GCSE qualification.

Qualification KS4 Prior Attainment English entries in 2021/22 Proportion of English entries at prior attainment band maths entries in 2021/22 Proportion of maths entries at prior attainment band

All level 1 and level 2 qualifications have had decreases in their pass rates in 2021/22. Mathematics qualifications have seen much larger decreases than English across all qualifications.

Maths L2 functional skills decreased by 20.8 ppts to 63.6% (12.0 ppts fall in English to 81.0%). Maths L1 functional skills decreased by 10.2 ppts to 85.4% (English fall, 3.3ppts to 94.0%). For maths GCSE the overall pass rate (grade 9-1) decreased by 5.8ppts to 84.9% (English decreased by 3.7 ppts to 85.8%) and the level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) also decreased 16.7ppts to 15.3% for Maths and 13.9ppts to 25.7% for English

In contrast, at KS4 the English language GCSE level 2 pass rate (grade 9-4) fell by more than maths. English language fell by 4.0 ppts and maths by 3.1ppts between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (provisional data).

Pass rates in English and maths at level 2 by institution type

GCSE entries by students at independent schools are most likely to pass at level 2, but it should be noted that Condition of Funding rules are not relevant for these schools, and these students may be resitting GCSEs to improve their KS4 grade, which could have already been at grade 4 or above. Amongst state-funded institutions, students in schools are consistently most likely to pass GCSE at level 2, then sixth form colleges and other FE sector colleges in both English and maths in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Level 2 Functional Skills entries: within state-funded institutions sixth form colleges and 'Other FE sector' colleges are consistently more likely to pass than schools. Most entries in L2 Functional Skills are in 'Other FE sector' colleges.

Applied general, tech level, and technical certificate qualifications approved for reporting in this statistical release (and institution level performance data) are updated annually and published on gov.uk:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/performance-tables-technical-and-vocational-qualifications
The concept of qualifications approved for reporting has been applied since 2015/16 following Professor Alison Wolf's Review of Vocational Education. From 2017/18 at level 3 and from 2018/19 for technical certificates, the quality threshold for vocational and technical qualifications to be included in performance measures further increased. The later reforms include criteria relating to the size, content, and assessment, including a requirement that a proportion of a qualification's content is subject to external assessment. From 1 August 2020 the ESFA removed funding approval for pre-existing applied general and tech level qualifications (which had been approved in 2015/16 and 2016/17) which were running in parallel with newer redeveloped qualifications.

The measures presented in this section show the students entering these approved qualifications as a proportion of students entering a wider set of vocational qualifications that had been approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for funding during 16 to 18 study.

Proportions entering approved tech level and applied general qualifications continue to increase following a large fall in 2017/18 (when both lists of approved qualifications changed substantially), with a jump in students entering reformed versions of qualifications in 21/22 (in part attributable to the defunding of unreformed pre-existing qualifications).

The coverage of the measure for technical certificates is strongly impacted by the removal of CAG and TAG data from 2021/22 accountability data (as coverage is students at the end of 16-18 study, and level 2 vocational qualifications are more often entered during a student's first year of 16-18 study and so are excluded from the calculation).

The following table shows that there is variation in whether different institution types enter students for qualifications approved for reporting in performance tables versus the wider set of qualifications that were approved for funding.

Overall students in state-funded schools continue to be most likely to enter reformed versions of vocational and technical qualifications at level 3 (reformed in 2017/18), but 2021/22 saw a marked increase in the proportion of students entering approved/reformed applied general and tech levels across all broad institution types.

Introduction to retention measures

The Retention measure shows the percentage of students who are retained to the end of the 'core aim' (or main learning aim) of their study programme at a school or college.

Students are counted as retained if they are recorded as having "completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim" by their institution. This information is collected in the school census or for students that attended sixth form or FE colleges, the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Retention measures are not calculated for independent schools or special schools (both independent and maintained) as learning aims data is not available for these schools.

The Retention measure is calculated by dividing the total number of students retained by the total number of students with a core aim, in each of the five programmes approved for reporting in performance tables: academic, A level, applied general, tech level, and at level 2, technical certificate programmes.

Since academic programmes comprise largely of A levels, only data for A level core aims are described here; overall data for academic programmes can be found in the 'create your own tables' section and in the underlying data available to download.

Alongside the headline Retention measure there are two supporting retention measures:

Retained and Assessed: The percentage of students who are retained to the end of their course and are assessed.

Returned and Retained for a second year: The percentage of level 3 students who return to the same provider and complete their programme of study in their second year. (The main difference when compared to Retention is for students who complete their core aim in one year.)

A fuller description of the methodology underlying retention measures can be found in the 16-18 technical guide (from page 41).

Retention measures and the impact of the trigger change in 2020/21

The impact of the trigger rule change, meaning that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study, was to reduce the reported number of students in scope for retention measures across all exam cohorts in 2020/21, with the biggest impact on vocational and technical cohorts (VTQs).

For retention measures, this meant that Retention rates were slightly increased in 2020/21 for level 3 cohorts (A level, applied general, tech level) than would have been seen otherwise. However, the impact on the level 2 technical certificate cohort was a large decrease in Retention rates (and in cohort size).

Fuller analysis on the impact on 2020/21 retention data can be found in the methodology document, in the section 'Changes introduced in the 2020/21 release', under the heading 'Impact of the trigger change on headline retention rates'.

Students whose reporting was delayed for one year due to the 2020/21 trigger change are reported in 2021/22. In other words, the impact of the trigger change was one-off discontinuity in retention data for 2020/21. For this reason, when looking at trends, data for 2021/22 is better compared to data for 2019/20 and earlier years.

All level 3 study programmes show increases in Retention rates in 2021/22 (A level +0.1 pts to 95.1%; applied general +1.8 pts to 91.7%; tech level +0.5 ppts to 91.1%). This continues a trend of increasing Retention rates since 2018/19. A level programmes continue to have the highest Retention rate as has been the case since the measure was introduced in 2015/16, but for the first time applied general programmes have a higher Retention rate than tech levels programmes.

Technical certificates have had lower Retention rates than Level 3 cohorts since being added to performance measures in 2016/17. However, they have seen an increase in Retention rate this year (+4.5 ppts to 86.6%), recovering from the impact of the trigger change that was seen last year and returning to previously-seen levels.

For the A level and applied general cohorts, rates for the Retained and Assessed measure have increasingly followed the same general trend as the Retention rate in recent years. Similarly, the Returned and Retained measure now also follows the same trend. This is most notable for the A level cohort where the phased decoupling of AS and A levels predominantly between 2017 and 2019 has resulted in a much smaller proportion of the A level cohort taking AS levels only and not then returning for a second year of study.

The tech level cohort shows a slightly different pattern this year whereby the Retained and Assessed rate has dropped slightly despite increases in both the Retained rate (retention to the end of the course) and the Returned and Retained rate (retention specifically over two years of a course). This means that within this cohort there was an increase in the proportion of students not being assessed at the end of their course .

The much smaller technical certificate cohort (Level 2) was heavily impacted by the trigger change in 2020/21 and shows less stable trends. In addition, the low cohort numbers mean that breakdowns of the technical certificate data, by student characteristics become increasingly unreliable, and therefore this cohort isn't discussed further.

Due to the similarity in the trends shown by the three retention measures, in particular for the two largest cohorts (A level and applied general), our further narrative will focus on the Retained and Assessed measure. Further breakdowns of the Retention measure and the Returned and Retained measure across all qualification cohorts are available in underlying data and through the table builder.

The Retained and Assessed rate is higher for non-disadvantaged students across all level 3 cohorts. Disadvantaged tech level students are least likely to be Retained and Assessed at 79.1%, which is 7.1 ppts lower than their non-disadvantaged peers. The Retained and Assessed disadvantage gap is smaller for A level and applied general (5.6 ppts and 5.3 ppts respectively).

The disadvantage gap has been narrowing for the A level cohort since 2018/19 (from 8.4 ppts to 5.6 ppts). Similarly, the applied general cohort has, overall, seen a substantial decrease in the gap in that time (from 7.9 ppts to 5.6 ppts). In contrast, the tech level cohort did not consolidate an initial decrease in the gap in 2019/20 and is now only slightly smaller than in 2018/19 (from 7.6 ppts to 7.1 ppts).

Changes to the distribution of prior attainment at A level between 2017/18 and 2021/22

The coverage of the retention measures is different to the attainment measures, and is described above in 'Retention: introduction and changes to the data in 2021/22'. The largest difference is that independent schools are excluded from the data, and this impacts the distribution of the prior attainment groups as students from independent schools have higher prior attainment on average.

The distribution of prior attainment has changed over time for all cohorts. The proportion of A level students with low prior attainment (from grade 0 up to grade 4) has decreased from 8.1% of the cohort in 2017/18 to 1.9% in 2021/22. High prior attaining students (average grade 7 or more) have increased their proportion of the cohort from 16.1% in 2017/18 to 35.3% in 2021/22.

This increase in the proportion of KS4 students achieving grades averaging 7 or more, in part reflects year on year grade increases at KS4, and in part reflects that most A level students at the end of 16-18 study in 2021/22 will have completed KS4 in 2019/20, and so their GCSE prior attainment will include Centre Assessment Grades (CAG).

However, in the vocational and technical cohorts, a larger proportion of students are being reported after three years in 16-18, hence prior attainment for these cohorts is less affected by CAGs. This is following delay in their reporting last year due to the change in the rule in 2020/21 triggering students for reporting.

Overall, students with the highest average prior attainment (grade 7+) are most likely to be Retained and Assessed in their main programme of study and students with the lowest prior attainment (grade 0 up to grade 4) the least likely to be Retained and Assessed. The highest Retained and Assessed rate is for high prior attaining A level students at 98.7%. The lowest Retained and Assessed rate is also for A level students. Low prior attaining A level students have a Retained and Assessed rate of 66.0%.

The Retained and Assessed rate for low prior attaining A level students has fallen and is now close to the 2018/19 rate, whereas the rate remains higher for other level 3 cohorts.

A full breakdown of all three retention measures by a range of other student characteristics is available through the table builder. Here, we draw attention to small number of breakdowns that may be of interest.

English Language

Across all level 3 cohorts, students with English as their first language have lower Retained and Assessed rates than students who do not. The difference is driven by poor rates for disadvantaged students with English as their first language.

The applied general cohort similarly has an increase in the Retained and Assessed rate since last year for all major (known) ethnicity groups and shows many of the same trends between groups. The Chinese ethnic group has the highest Retained and Assessed rates since 2018/19 (now at 95.8%) and the Black or Black British ethnic group and the Mixed Dual background ethnic group have made the biggest improvements in Retained and Assessed rates over recent years (+9.9 ppts to 89.1%, +9.9 ppts to 87.0% respectively). Again, the White ethnic group shows the largest disadvantage gap and White disadvantaged students have the lowest rates for Retained and Assessed.

The tech level cohort and the technical certificate cohort have very low numbers in some ethnic groups, and show less distinct patterns over recent years.

For the A level cohort, state-funded mainstream schools and Sixth form colleges have seen an increase in rates for Retained and Assessed this year (+1.5 ppts to 95.4% and +0.5 ppts to 92.3% respectively). In contrast, 'Other FE sector colleges' have seen a decrease (-2.3 ppts to 88.2%). However, the decrease for 'Other FE sector colleges' follows very large increases last year; the relative rates of the three major institution types have returned to levels seen before the change to the trigger rule.

There have also been decreases in the Retained and Assessed rate for 'Other FE sector colleges' in the applied general and tech level cohorts, following larger increases in the previous two years. All state-funded mainstream schools continue to have the lowest Retained and Assessed rates for applied general and tech level qualifications. This has been the case since 2018/19.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - APS per entry by institution type'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: APS per entry and average result' brings up the dashboard with attainment data in terms of APS per entry.

Data including the applied general and tech level cohorts starts in 2015/16 (when these cohorts were first defined in this statistical release, and school and college data). Data for the A level cohort starts in 2012/13.

This data is available through the 'Explore data and files' section in the file called 'Time series - A level subject entries and grade by gender'.

In addition it is accessible through the dashboard linked below. The dashboard combines data from this statistical release (covering the last 5 years) with selected older data compiled from previous versions of the 'A level and other 16 to 18 results' statistical release:
16-18 Time-series attainment and single year entries
On the left-hand side, clicking on the link ' Attainment: A level entries and grade distribution' brings up the dashboard with A level entries data by subject, and A level grades by subject.

These data cover A level entries by students aged 16 to 18 within each academic year from 1995/96.

We have moved our Transition Matrices tool into a web based app for easier use. It is available at the following link:
16-18 Transition Matrices
Transition matrices (TM) are a useful tool to help visualise the progression from different groups of attainment at key stage 4 (KS4) to outcomes achieved during 16 to 18 for a range of different subjects.

Note that the 16 to 18 outcomes here will also be impacted by the different process to award grades in 2022, which is likely to impact the relationship between outcomes and KS4 prior attainment in 2021/22 for subjects.

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Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

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managed impartially and objectively in the public interest

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Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

If you have a specific enquiry about A level and other 16 to 18 results statistics and data:

Attainment statistics team

Email: Attainment.STATISTICS@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Michael Greer

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Telephone: 037 0000 2288

Opening times:
Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)

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A level and other 16 to 18 results, Academic year 2021/22

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This academic year saw the return of the summer exam series, after they had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where alternative processes were set up to award grades.

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London
23rd & 24th February 2023

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Music & Drama Education Expo | London is Europe's largest conference and exhibition for anyone involved in music & drama education, and it takes place on 24 & 25 September 2021! Benefit from free-to-attend CPD sessions and a variety of brands from the creative field to speak to.

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JCQ: Key dates in the examination cycle document - June 2023

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JCQ: Key dates in the examination cycle document - June 2023

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Published: 8th November 2022
Contingency days update: Timetabled for the afternoons of the 8 and 15 June and all day of 28 June 2023. To be used in the event of national or significant local disruption to examinations

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Ofqual & DfE: Consultation on Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Ofqual & DfE: Consultation on Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Published: 29th September 2022
Deadline: 20th October 2022

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Detail of outcome

As outlined in our consultation document, both the DfE and Ofqual have responsibilities in this area, and so we consulted jointly.

The DfE is responsible for its policy for qualifications (including whether the government considers that exams can go ahead safely and fairly as planned) and the subject content that is taught and assessed. Ofqual is responsible for assessment arrangements and is therefore responsible for setting rules to implement alternative arrangements, if required.

As outlined in the consultation, the DfE considers that, if it becomes necessary to cancel exams this should apply to all students and a TAG approach should be implemented nationally. This would only happen due to an event like the pandemic which has such severe and catastrophic consequences for a significant number of students. The DfE has also confirmed that TAGs would not be used to award a grade when exams take place.

In line with our respective responsibilities, Ofqual and the DfE have decided to implement the proposals set out in the consultation about the provision of guidance for teachers on how they should collect evidence of student performance. The DfE has decided that the provision of guidance for schools and colleges is appropriate, given its responsibilities in this area. Ofqual has decided that the proposed guidance would support schools and colleges in gathering evidence of student performance that could be used to determine a TAG should exams not be able to go ahead as planned. Ofqual has revised the guidance consulted on, in response to feedback, with a view to minimise further the burden on students, schools and colleges. Ofqual has taken a decision to publish the final guidance, in line with its responsibilities for qualifications and assessments, including in the unlikely case that exams cannot go ahead.

The government is firmly committed to exams taking place. Schools and colleges are, therefore, not asked to determine TAGs and should not seek to do so. Guidance on how to determine a TAG, and on any quality assurance and appeal processes, will be provided only in the unlikely event that exams are not able to go ahead safely or fairly. These arrangements would depend on the nature and timing of any decision that exams cannot take place.

In this decisions document and the accompanying analysis, we have not sought to discuss every point made by those who responded to our consultation. In taking our respective decisions and finalising the guidance we have, however, considered all the points made in response to the consultation.

Detail of feedback received

The Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual welcomed the return of exams and other formal assessments in summer 2022, for the first time since 2019. Exams and other formal assessments are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do. That's why it was so important that students were able to take exams in 2022 and can continue to take them in 2023 and in the future.

The national cancellation of exams - and the need for alternative assessment arrangements - is now very unlikely. The government does not expect to ever be in the situation again where exams do not go ahead, but good public policy means having contingency, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.

A consultation, prepared jointly by the DfE and Ofqual, invited views on guidance to schools and colleges about gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in the unlikely event it is necessary to use that evidence to inform Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). The proposed guidance was designed to allow schools and colleges to decide how to gather evidence of student performance in assessments in ways that align with their normal arrangements for preparing students for exams. The consultation asked for the views of relevant people and institutions, such as students, teachers, exam boards, schools and colleges and their representatives on the proposed guidance. In particular, it sought their views on whether it supported the gathering of evidence to build resilience in the system whilst minimising any additional burden on teachers and students.

Responses to the consultation have informed the arrangements for gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in 2023 that we have now put in place. The decisions taken on the final form of the guidance are set out in a decisions document, and the final guidance itself can be found here . The consultation was available online for 21 days and received 213 responses.

Original consultation

Summary

Consultation proposals for gathering evidence of student performance in GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications to support qualification system resilience in 2023.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

We welcomed the return of exams and other formal assessments in summer 2022, for the first time since 2019. Exams and other formal assessments are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do. That's why it was so important that we got back to students taking them in 2022, and that this continues next year.

The national closure of schools or cancellation of exams - necessitating the use of alternative assessment arrangements - is now very unlikely. The government does not expect to ever be in the situation again where exams do not go ahead, but good public policy means having contingency, even for extremely unlikely scenarios.

It is important to learn lessons from the past 3 years. We have taken into account feedback received on the arrangements in place in 2022 and we propose to put in place arrangements which will build resilience in the exam system next year. We know that most schools and colleges have robust and effective assessment activities in place to monitor students' progress and prepare them for exams, such as mock exams, and these are well established.

This document, prepared jointly by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual, invites views on guidance to schools and colleges about gathering assessment evidence to support resilience in the exams system in the unlikely event it is necessary to use that evidence to inform Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs). It is designed to allow schools and colleges to determine arrangements to gather evidence that align with their normal arrangements for preparing students for exams.

The proposals in this consultation apply to GCSEs, AS, A levels, Project Qualifications and the Advanced Extension Award (AEA) in mathematics.

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Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system in 2023: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Consultation proposals for gathering evidence of student performance in GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications to support qualification system resilience in 2023.

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NATRE: Spirited Arts & Poetry Competition

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NATRE: Spirited Arts & Poetry Competition

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Deadline: Monday 31 July 2023

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Get involved in the 2023 competition!

Join hundreds of schools from around the world taking part in this year's Spirited Arts competition! We welcome entries in (almost!) any art form your pupils can think of, including:

Winning entries will provide a good response to one of the 5 themes, and judges will be asking 'Is it original?' 'Is it well-crafted?' And (most importantly!) 'Is it excellent RE?'

Pupils can enter individually, in pairs or groups, or as whole class, year, or school entries. We have also been pleased to receive entries from whole community groups in previous years.

The annual competition starts at the beginning of every school year and runs through the spring and summer terms. All entries must be received before Monday 31 July 2023.

Many schools host their own Spirited Arts competition and send their 10 winning entries into our international competition. What a great way to engage all your teachers and pupils and raise the profile of RE in your school! To enable teachers to incorporate the art competition into their RE lessons, many schools have a 'Spirited Arts' unit of work or a special learning RE/arts week.

Many schools have a 'Spirited Arts' unit of work or a special learning RE/arts week.
Use our classroom-ready PowerPoints to inspire your pupils
Don't forget to check out our supporting resources & ideas section below - including a FREE webinar for both Primary and Secondary teachers.
Ready to enter your pupils' work? Complete the online submission form here.
Themes - Now with 6 themes to choose from!

We have some exciting new themes for you and your pupils for the 2023 competition! We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Jo Cox Foundation for our "We have far more in common with each other than that which divides us." theme.

1. "We have far more in common with each other than that which divides us."

The quote from Jo Cox MP introduces this theme. Are we all one human race, despite our differences and divisions? We are all different, and all religions are different - but are we all the same too? Can we all be united? What holds humanity together? Is it faith? Hope? Love? Music? Sport? What threatens to tear us apart - racism, sexism, hatred, bigotry? How can we conquer the forces of division? You should use specific religious ideas and quotes. Make a work of art that shows what unites us, brings us together, joins humans as one people and expresses our harmony. Use the disciplines of theology, but also of psychology and sociology to question + create your responses.

2. Green faith, green future? ('God's good earth')

Many religions thank God for nature, from Aardvarks to Zebras, via cats, elephants and rabbits. But the climate crisis deepens. Are we spoiling God's good earth? Can we save it - and ourselves - in time from the threats of climate change? In this theme, learners are invited to explore ideas and beliefs about the natural world, animals and the environment, human responsibility for the earth and ways of praying about climate justice. Great work will show some originality: the globe in God's hands won't win! Challenge pupils to use scripture quotations thoughtfully, but also the methods of scientific enquiry and moral study to develop deep answers and good writing to go with stunning images.

3. Where is God today?

Pupils who are atheists, agnostics and believers in God can all respond to this theme. Express your ideas about the search for God. Where's God? In your heart? In prayer? In the temple or the universe? Or is she hiding? Is he not there at all? Unreal? Imaginary? A cruel joke? Looking for God, searching for him or her, matters to many, but how are we doing in finding God? Would you search with google or a 'god-detector'? Is God on Instagram, TikTok or whatsapp? Can God be found by prayer or by looking among the world's suffering people? This popular 'Art in Heaven' theme produces great work where pupils use ideas from religions clearly: The Jewish Psalms 42 and 43 are where it starts - there are parallels in many scriptures. Use theological reflection as well as philosophical argument to make great work.

4. Faith in action, Values in action

Faith without work is dead, it is said. Hypocrites say one thing and do the opposite. If you really believe what you claim, you might be willing to die for it - or live for it. Pupils can consider religious exemplars of faith from Guru Nanak, the Muslim prophets, Jewish patriarchs and Biblical 'action figures'. They can also think about their own values and dearest beliefs: how do these values and beliefs make a difference? Start with this sentence: 'My beliefs and values make a difference because...' Use quotes from wisdom sources in your work! This is a great theme for examination students, who are always asked: 'what is the impact of this belief?' How would they like to answer?

5. Sacred Space and Holy Buildings

Mosque and Mandir, Church and Chapel, Gurdwara and Synagogue: spaces for wonder and awe, for ritual and symbol, for believers and visitors. This theme could be a space for photography, collage, group work or reflections on class trips to places of worship. But then some people's sacred space is on the beach, in the mountains, by the riverside. And for others, it is in the city, among the people who carry heavy loads, even in war-torn space - can God be experienced there? This theme will be popular with primary class groups who have been on a trip, but 14-19s with a sacred space of their own can win too. Can your work on key texts from religious studies in your explanations? So much the better.

6. NEW! "All God's Creatures?"
This additional theme has been kindly sponsored by Animal Interfaith Alliance and Veganism in Education (VinE)
Do animals belong to God? Are they part of a divine plan? Do animals have souls? The beauty and sheer awesomeness of non-human animals with whom we share planet Earth is celebrated in many of the world's religions. Some worldviews see all living beings as interconnected, yet others emphasise the separateness and superiority of humans over other animals. Animals play a huge part in all our lives, whether we realise or not. How humans interact with other animals and the natural world impacts on all living beings and the planet. This theme invites exploration of ideas and beliefs about non-human animals. Great work will show originality and flare coming from deep consideration of the issues. Challenge learners to engage thoughtfully with scripture, philosophy, and scientific enquiry to write an inspiring passage to accompany stunning images. We are delighted to partner with the Animals Interfaith Alliance (AIA) and Veganism in Education (VinE) to bring you this theme.
All themes are suited to both primary and secondary pupils: teachers are advised to share them with RE classes in age appropriate ways, and make sure that pupils can respond at their own level, whether they are 4 or 14, 8 or 18. Click here to download the list of themes and full competition details.
Who can enter?

We welcome entries from pupils of all abilities and any school type, from age 3 right up to age 19. We can only accept 10 entries per school - so be sure to whittle them down to your 10 best.

Pupils can create entries individually, in pairs or groups, or as whole class, year or school entries. We have also been pleased to receive entries from whole community groups on previous years.

Prizes & judging

Judging by RE Today Advisers and students, takes place in August and winners are announced in the new academic year.

We aim to award 5 prizes for each theme (25 in total) but may award more if we have very strong entries for some themes. Entries are split into Key Stages for judging, and we hope to have at least one winner per key stage where possible.

£25 prizes will be awarded to a selection of winners. Exceptional work from 14-19 students may win a prize of up to £100. Sometimes we are able to make a slightly larger award for a class or group entry.

Prizes are typically:

Individual pupil winners - £20 Amazon voucher

Paired winners - £10 Amazon voucher each

Group/Class/Year/School winners - Prizes decided on a case by case basis, but are often a £50-£100 voucher or cheque for the school to choose appropriate prizes.

All schools whose pupil(s) produce winning work will also receive a prize (usually a voucher to spend with RE Today, NATRE, or a copy of a best-selling publication from RE Today).

How to enter

There are lots of ways to run the competition in your school (see the supporting resources and ideas section for inspiration!). You need to select your 10 best entries to send in. You can choose a single theme for pupils to work on, or allow them to respond to any of the 5 themes. Your 10 entries do not all need to be from the same theme.

Entries should consist of a piece of art, be it physical, literal or using technology (almost all mediums are welcome) and a corresponding write up of no more than 400 words. The write up should support the main piece in responding to the theme and showcase the brilliant RE your pupils are doing. The commentary is a large element of judging, and authentic commentaries demonstrating pupil knowledge and interpretation always rank highly. All entries being sent to us need to be registered through our online submission form. This builds a list of all the school and pupil information we need to run the competition smoothly and send out prizes and certificates.

If your pupils have produced a piece or work larger than A3 (including sculptures) please send us some high-quality photographs of the work, as we are unable to accommodate large entries at our office.

Musical, dance and drama entries can be sent via email, or sent on a USB or CD.
You can send your entries by:
Post

When you complete the online submission form, an address label including your unique reference will be available to print.
Please send your entries to:
Spirited Arts

NATRE

5-6 Imperial Court

12 Sovereign Road

Birmingham

B30 3FH
Please make sure your reference number is on the envelope and all pieces of artwork and the supporting commentaries.
Write ups should be attached to the corresponding artwork (ideally stapled or glued to the reverse) as it is very difficult for us to match them up ourselves.

Each piece of work MUST be labelled with the pupil name, age, theme and school details.

Email

Entries can be sent digitally to competition@natre.org.uk - this is particularly useful for digital work such as videos or pieces of music.

Please ensure all file names have the pupil name, age and theme they are entering. For example:

John Smith - age 7 - Where is God

As we receive 1000's of entries it is very difficult to work with files that are not named with these details.

Click here to download full competition details, including an entry checklist.

Supporting resources & ideas

Ideas for running the competition in your school:

· Many schools build the competition into a scheme/unit of work, allowing time to develop knowledge and ideas around a theme before completing the unit by creating their entries

· Other schools have run a RE week or day in their school that concludes with creating work for the competition

· The competition can be used as a fun end of term activity, or homework project

· Use the competition as a great way to raise the profile of RE in your school! Make displays of your pupil's work, and consider asking other members of teaching staff, SLT or your head teacher to help do the preliminary judging when choosing your best 10 entries to send in

· Some schools run exhibitions of all their pupils work and open them to parents and the wider community. Some even have attendees select the best 10 entries

FREE webinar & classroom ready PPTs:

Now in its 18th year, Spirited Arts has attracted over 450,000 participants (averaging 25,000 per year!) since 2004, with 3,000 entries being sent in to NATRE each year for judging. Hundreds of UK schools get involved, and we get entries coming from as far a-field as Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand and Bahrain.

We hope you're excited to be involved this year! We are looking forward to another year of wonderful, inspirational and unique work from your pupils.

Please get in contact if you have further questions by emailing competition@natre.org.uk.

Have you entered before? We'd love to hear from you.
As we approach the 20th year of the competition in 2023, we want to evaluate and assess the impact the competition has had and continues to have in classroom in the UK and around the world. This survey will take approx. 5 minutes to complete, and your input will be invaluable to us as we look to the future.
Complete the short evaluation here.

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Enter Spirited Arts 2023 | NATRE competition

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Join hundreds of schools from around the world taking part in this year's Spirited Arts competition! We welcome entries in (almost!) any art form your pupils can think of, including: Winning entries will provide a good response to one of the 5 themes, and judges will be asking 'Is it original?'

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Deadline: 14th October 2022

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Published: August 2021

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Birmingham City University: A-level music decline and disadvantage attainment gaps

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Birmingham City University: A-level music decline and disadvantage attainment gaps

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Classic FM: A-level music entries rise by 4 percent, in first uplift in over a decade

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Classic FM: A-level music entries rise by 4 percent, in first uplift in over a decade

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Published: 19th August 2022

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A-level music entries rise in 2022 for the first time in over a decade. Picture: Getty

New figures show a hopeful increase, after music student numbers have fallen alarmingly since 2008.

Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) show that 5,916 students took music at A-level in 2022 - an increase on 5,686 in 2021.

The uplift, revealed in a report released on 18 August, follows a net 14-year decline in A-level music entries since 2008, when nearly 10,000 students were enrolled.

The rapid decline in figures for music education has been a source of much concern in recent years. In 2018, The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) warned that A-levels in music, French, and German were at risk of disappearing from state education after funding cuts of up to 39 per cent.
Read more: 'Funding crisis' poses serious threat to A-level music and languages

Good news: A-level entries in drama and music see slight increases in 2022, after years of concerning decline. Picture: PA

Entries for A-level music fell by 43 percent between 2011 and 2020. At the time, Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) called the results "extremely concerning".

Numbers levelled off slightly in 2021, despite research from Birmingham City University revealing that access to A-level music for students in state education was in rapid decline.

The research showed that some parts of the country had no, or very limited access to institutions that offered A-level music, with only one percent of students in the Midlands studying the subject due to a sheer lack of schools and colleges offering it.
Read more: A-level music in schools could 'disappear' in little more than a decade
By contrast, independent schools had far higher proportions of students enrolled in music, in further evidence that the stark decline in numbers was not necessarily reflective of a lack of interest.

This uptick in A-level music entries for 2022 has been welcomed by UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who has urged the government to take action off the back of the new figures, by implementing the £90 million arts premium pledged in their 2019 manifesto.

In 2021, nearly 14,000 people called on the government to ensure the premium is delivered to schools, after former schools minister Nick Gibb confirmed it would not be provided for secondary schools that year.

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A-level music entries rise by 4 percent, in first uplift in over a decade

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New figures show a hopeful increase, after music student numbers have fallen alarmingly since 2008. Figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) show that 5,916 students took music at A-level in 2022 - an increase on 5,686 in 2021.

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NCM: Free tickets for world class concerts on your doorstep

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NCM: Free tickets for world class concerts on your doorstep

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A limited number of free tickets for the under 25’s are available to each concert of Norwich Chamber Music’s new season.
Which kicks off at 3:30pm on 25th September at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, with a recital by Sir Stephen Hough. Further details are available on the website

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Norwich Chamber Music (NCM) has been presenting chamber music of the highest international standard for over 70 years. Whether you are a seasoned listener or attending a chamber music concert for the very first time, we are delighted to welcome you.

NCM is committed to bringing world-class performers to music lovers in Norwich and all of East Anglia, selected by our Artistic Director Misha Donat, writer, lecturer and former senior music producer for BBC Radio 3.

All our concerts are held at the John Innes Centre (JIC) Conference Centre in Norwich Research Park, a modern, spacious, airy auditorium with superb acoustics and unobstructed sight lines.

As a registered charity, Norwich Chamber Music also supports educational projects with professional musicians for schoolchildren and young adults in Norfolk and Norwich as part of its Next Generation programme. We are especially grateful to our volunteers, members and donors for their time and generous support.

Concerts 2022-2023

We have a wonderful array of world-class performers joining us in Norwich for our 2022-2023 season, including the Dudok Quartet, pianist Sir Stephen Hough, cellist Alban Gerhardt and baritone James Newby. See ourpage for full details of all next season's concerts.

Season tickets and Membership 2022-2023

NCM Season ticket holders and Members enjoy priority booking and free or discounted tickets* to all our concerts and events.

Please see Join for more information and to buy your Season ticket or Membership online.

*Excluding any presented as part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival.

The Annual General Meeting will take place at the John Innes Centre at 1.30pm on Sunday 25 September, prior to the concert by Sir Stephen Hough. All NCM Season ticket holders and Members are encouraged to attend and will receive further details in September.

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Welcome to Norwich Chamber Music | Norwich Chamber Music

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Norwich Chamber Music (NCM) has been presenting chamber music of the highest international standard for over 70 years. Whether you are a seasoned listener or attending a chamber music concert for the very first time, we are delighted to welcome you.

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Ofqual: Arrangements for 2022 to 2023 NEAs and Exams

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Ofqual: Arrangements for 2022 to 2023 NEAs and Exams

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- Ofqual confirms the usual arrangements for NEA, fieldwork and practical science are in place for 2023.
- Ofqual will ask exam boards to look carefully at the design of the exam timetable for next year, to see if the increased spacing between subjects in the exam timetable should be retained.

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Applies to England

In 2021 and 2022, Ofqual made a range of adjustments to the arrangements for NEA and fieldwork and practical science requirements in some GCSE, AS and A level subjects to respond to public health measures. Given that they are no longer in force, for the 2023 cohort Ofqual confirms that, as planned, the usual arrangements for NEA, fieldwork and practical science are now in place.

For the 2022 cohort, the Department for Education determined that there should be a choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history and ancient history and a choice of content in GCSE geography as part of a range of adaptations to GCSE, AS and A levels for this year. For 2023, the Department for Education confirms the return to full subject content coverage for those GCSE subjects.

For other qualifications, including vocational and technical qualifications taught alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, a range of adaptations were permitted in academic year 2021 to 2022. Awarding organisations decided which adaptations were appropriate for their qualifications in accordance with Ofqual's Vocational and Technical Qualifications Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF). Some adaptations were in response to public health restrictions. Given that public health restrictions are no longer in place, these adaptations are no longer necessary for the academic year 2022 to 2023 onwards.

This means that schools and colleges have the information they need to plan their teaching of the required content and to provide non-exam assessments. The Department for Education and Ofqual will continue to monitor the path and impact of the pandemic and evaluate the delivery of arrangements this year, including the provision of exam aids, such as formulae sheets, and advance information to support students' revision, before finalising 2023 arrangements. Our intention is to return to the carefully designed and well-established pre-pandemic assessment arrangements as quickly as possible, given they are the best and fairest way of assessing what students know and can do.

For GCSEs, AS and A levels, Ofqual will, as planned, consider the approach to grading for 2023 in light of outcomes in 2022. Ofqual will also ask exam boards to look carefully at the design of the exam timetable for next year in the light of experience this year, to see if the increased spacing between subjects in the exam timetable should be retained.

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Subject content and assessment arrangements in the academic year 2022 to 2023

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12-16th September 2022
Deadline for bookings: 30th June 2022

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In response to the request of schools for the return of Live Music Week we have scheduled this in for the start of the academic year between 12-16th September 2022.

Book a performance to inspire and motivate your pupils to take up an instrument, or perhaps as a precursor to a Whole Class Ensemble Teaching programme.

You can choose from the following genres: World Music, Rock & Pop, Classical, Jazz and Musical Theatre.

Charges: £150 per performance.
Please note this opportunity is for Norfolk schools and students only.
Book your performance
Booking closed Data protection
The data you provide on this form will be used by data processors contracted by Norfolk County Council and stored within internal servers in the UK. If the media includes images of a child or young person it will not be used two years after the date the image was taken. Data requests should be referred in the first instance to Alison Bell who can be contacted at alison.bell@norfolk.gov.uk.
Click here to read our Data Protection Policy

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Live Music Week 2022 - Norfolk Music Hub

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In response to the request of schools for the return of Live Music Week we have scheduled this in for the start of the academic year between 12-16th September 2022. Book a performance to inspire and motivate your pupils to take up an instrument, or perhaps as a precursor to a Whole Class Ensemble Teaching programme.

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Royal Opera House: Create and Sing Hansel and Gretel CPD

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Royal Opera House: Create and Sing Hansel and Gretel CPD

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Part 1 (of 2): 27th September 16:00-17:30

Part 2 (of2): 5th October, 13:00-16:00
Online

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Our free programme of training and resources

Join the Royal Opera House for part one of two CPD training events exploring our Create and Sing Hansel & Gretel scheme of work (KS1-KS3). Our specialist drama and music practitioners will introduce the programme, pedagogy and resources before guiding you through effective approaches to supporting students' creative learning by exploring opera.

Create and Sing is an innovative drama and singing programme supporting young people's creative learning and giving voice to their creativity. Our nationally and freely available teacher training and resources engage schools in a creative process leading towards creating opera in the classroom.

Teachers are not required to have specialist music training as our free certified training and unique online resources help guide them through the programme every step of the way.

CPD training

Our creative and interactive training sessions invite teachers to collaborate and explore the Create and Sing programme together. There is an emphasis on play, discovery and participation and we therefore ask attendees to bring a a "give it a go" attitude.
Please note this is a 2 part training course and attendees need to register for both parts separately on Eventbrite.
To ensure the required number of attendees we ask all teachers to sign up with a deputy who will step in for you, should you not be able to attend. Both you and your deputy may attend, just let us know if this is likely to be the case.

Details about the digital platforms that will be used in the session will be emailed to attendees in advance, along with some familiarisation information to help guide you through using them. If you have any special accessibility requirements please get in touch via createandsing@roh.org.uk.

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roh create and sing hansel and gretel cpd part 1 (of 2)- national

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roh create and sing hansel and gretel cpd part 1 (of 2)- national tickets

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ROH Create and Sing Hansel and Gretel CPD Part 1 (of 2)- National

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Join the Royal Opera House for part one of two CPD training events exploring our Create and Sing Hansel & Gretel scheme of work (KS1-KS3). Our specialist drama and music practitioners will introduce the programme, pedagogy and resources before guiding you through effective approaches to supporting students' creative learning by exploring opera.

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NMH: Come and join us at Norwich School on Thursday 20th October for a morning with renowned conductor Alice Farnham. 

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NMH: Come and join us at Norwich School on Thursday 20th October for a morning with renowned conductor Alice Farnham. 

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Alice will be leading us through the basics of conducting technique and how it can be beneficial for our leadership skills and general musicianship.  Pupils learning any instrument, voice or composition in Years 11, 12 and 13 should send through emails of interest to cspeca@norwich-school.org

Timetable -

Register at Norwich School 8.45am

Session 1 starts 9.00am

Break 10.15am

Session 2 starts 10.40am

Lunch 12.05pm

Option to leave at lunchtime or attend recital in Cathedral at 1.10pm

Recital ends 2pm

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30th June -10th July 2022

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1-10 JULY 2022

1-10 JULY 2022

Welcome to the Young Norfolk Arts Festival 2022!

With 10 days of performance, theatre, writing, dance, visual arts and creative workshops, by and for young people across Norfolk.

FESTIVAL CALENDAR

THUR 30 JUNE

YNAF 2022 LAUNCH

6-7pm

Norwich Arts Centre

Join us live as we launch this year’s Festival! With music, poetry and dance, curated by our YNA Collective.

Find out more

FRI 1 JULY

PRIMARY POETRY SLAM

11am-12.30pm

Norwich Arts Centre

Budding young poets from 4 Norfolk schools will compete to be crowned the best.

Find out more

SAT 2 JULY

LOST RIVER STAGE

12.30-3pm & 4.30-6.30pm

Westlegate, Norwich

Showcasing up and coming musicians, bands, dancers, poets and performers from across Norfolk. Part of the Lord Mayor’s Celebration.

Find out more

THE DANCE WE MADE

All day

Norwich City Centre Help the TWDM dancers create some new moves and watch the performance come together before your very eyes…

Find out more

SUN 3 JULY

NATURE IS OUR HOME WORKSHOP

11.30am-1pm

Sainsbury Centre

Join the YNA Collective for a family friendly workshop inspired by nature and home.

Find out more

YOUNG NORFOLK WRITING COMPETITION SHOWCASE

5-6pm

National Centre for Writing

We’ll be announcing the winners of this year’s competition in this very special showcase.

Find out more

TUE 5 JULY

FLINT

2.30pm & 7.30pm

The Garage, Norwich

The Garage Theatre Company presents a new play about fifteen year old Lydia who has become obsessed with the work of fellow fifteen year old Greta Thunberg. Leaving her home in a trek spanning nations, Lydia attempts to put right what other generations have done wrong.

Find out more

SONGWRITING WORKSHOP WITH JESS MORGAN

4-5pm

Norwich Arts Centre

Develop new song ideas through writing exercises and experiment with the ways that music can support and complement lyrics.

Find out more

THUR 7 JULY

SONGWRITING WORKSHOP WITH JESS MORGAN

4-5pm

Norwich Arts Centre

Develop new song ideas through writing exercises and experiment with the ways that music can support and complement lyrics.

Find out more

FRI 8 JULY

SONGWRITING WORKSHOP WITH JESS MORGAN

4-5pm

Norwich Arts Centre

Develop new song ideas through writing exercises and experiment with the ways that music can support and complement lyrics.

Find out more

SAT 9 JULY

YOUNG VISIONARIES SHOWCASE

3-6pm

Norwich Arts Centre

A showcase of music, art, poetry and spoken word curated and performed by members of Young Visionaries.

Find out more

NATURE. CRISIS. DRAMA SYMPOSIUM

10am-7pm

UEA Enterprise Centre

Song of the Reeds: Re-wilding Drama

Part of a two-day symposium exploring the role of the arts in addressing conservation and the climate crisis. Featuring creative contributions from our YNA Collective

Find out more

SUN 10 JULY

NATURE. CRISIS. DRAMA SYMPOSIUM

10am-5pm

Norwich Arts Centre

DODO, PHOENIX, BUTTERFLY: Dramatising the Climate Crisis

Part of a two-day symposium exploring the role of the arts in addressing conservation and the climate crisis.

Find out more

THE FLOWIN AND GLOWIN FESTIVAL

10.30am-4pm

The Garage, Norwich

The Taverham Community Ambassadors in partnership with The Garage presents a day of celebration to support refugees living with period poverty. Including yoga, comedy, music, refreshments and more!

Find out more

THROUGHOUT THE FESTIVAL

POSTCARD POEMS

Launches Fri 1 July across Norwich and online

School students across Norfolk and Norwich have been invited to celebrate Norwich using bite size poetry. You will be able to find the poems exhibited in windows across the city. Coordinated by the Norwich 2040 Local Cultural Education Partnership.

Find out more

YNA COLLECTIVE NEST PODCAST

Launching online from 26 June

What does it take to pursue a creative path? The Young Norfolk Arts Collective Nest is a mini-series podcast hosted by Collective member Amelia Long, her creative (and curious…) chats will capture the lives of each guest and how they got to where they are now.

Find out more

GROWTH

Screening as part of Nature. Crisis. Drama and online

Growth is an experimental dance film exploring the cycles nature goes through and how they intertwine with rural and urban environments. Involving choreography and editing from the collective, with sound design and conceptual art from local young creatives, the piece aims to take a fresh look on nature and how we experience it in our everyday lives.

Find out more

FESTIVAL MAP

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

FESTIVAL FRINGE

Supported by

SUPPORT US

Young Norfolk Arts Trust is a charity which uses all its income to provide life changing opportunities for young people across Norfolk. Every project and activity is offered to children and young people for free, including our yearly festival programme. Support us by donating what you can…

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Growth is an experimental dance film exploring the cycles nature goes through and how they intertwine with rural and urban environments. Involving choreography and editing from the collective, with sound design and conceptual art from local young creatives, the piece aims to take a fresh look on nature and how we experience it in our everyday lives.

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Ofqual: Post 16 qualifications that sit alongside A and T levels - Second Consultation launched

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Ofqual: Post 16 qualifications that sit alongside A and T levels - Second Consultation launched

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Published: 30th June 2022
Consultation Deadline: 10th August 2022

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Ofqual seeks views on its detailed proposals for regulating a range of academic and technical level 3 qualifications.

Ofqual has today confirmed how it will make sure there is quality and fairness for students who take level 3 qualifications that sit alongside A levels and T Levels. These decisions are informed by the views of students, employers, awarding organisations, and others who recognise the importance of these qualifications which enable progression into higher education and employment.

Alongside these decisions, in a second consultation Ofqual is seeking views on:

titles of qualifications

grading of alternative academic qualifications

details of the proposed draft regulations

Ofqual's proposals focus on providing students with good quality, fair assessments, supported by meaningful grading scales and titles which make it clear, to all, what these level 3 qualifications represent.

For alternative academic qualifications, Ofqual is requiring that awarding organisations should set and mark at least 40% of the assessment to be undertaken by all students, at the same time. For these alternative academic qualifications, Ofqual is also proposing putting in place guidance regarding grading scales and is considering a move to a smaller number of common grading scales in the future.

Dr Jo Saxton, Ofqual Chief Regulator, said:

It is important that students have access to high-quality qualifications that will help them to build a meaningful career. Qualifications lead to better opportunities in life.

It is also important that students and employers can easily identify which qualifications are relevant to them and understand what the grades awarded represent.

Ofqual has drawn up its proposals for regulating alternative level 3 qualifications to make sure students best interests are met.

These proposals all contribute to making sure that qualifications approved for use alongside A levels and T Levels are of high quality and relevant, an ambition the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed in July 2021 in i ts plans to reform post-16 qualifications.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is currently consulting on proposals for its approval of level 3 alternative technical qualifications.

Ofqual, IfATE and DfE are working together to provide awarding organisations with a streamlined approval process for all level 3 qualifications, with no duplication of, or tension between, requirements. Awarding bodies will only be required to submit one set of documents for approval.

The aim is to have one single source of information once Ofqual's and IfATE's consultations are complete.

Ofqual's consultation opens today Thursday, 30 June 2022 and runs for six weeks, closing on Wednesday 10 August 2022.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Post 16 qualifications that sit alongside A and T levels

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Westminster Education Forum: Next steps for the Music Curriculum in England and implementation of the new National Plan

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Westminster Education Forum: Next steps for the Music Curriculum in England and implementation of the new National Plan

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Online
09:00-13;00
27th September 2022

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We are continuing to organise full-scale virtual conferences which retain all the features of physical seminars, including full programmes, presentations with slides, panel discussions and live delegate questions and comments sessions, person-to-person and group networking, and a permanent record provided to all delegates afterwards. New events are coming on to our conference programme all the time, so there are plenty of opportunities to join us if you haven't already, from wherever you are.
For booking-related queries or information on speaking please email us at info@forumsupport.co.uk, or contact us: +44 (0)1344 864796.

If you're already booked on, joining instructions can be accessed from five working days before your conference via the booking dashboard. Need help? You can contact our Delegate Relations team at delegate.relations@forumsupport.co.uk or by calling the above number.

Next steps for the Music Curriculum in England and implementation of the new National Plan

Morning, Tuesday, 27th September 2022
Book Your Place

This conference will examine the next steps for the music curriculum in England.

Stakeholders and policymakers will discuss priorities following Ofsted's review of music education - and with the expected publication of the new National Plan for Music Education later this year.

They will assess how some schools have adapted to the new model curriculum, its impact so far on curriculum design, and areas for improvement.

Sessions also look at implementation of the National Plan, how to boost uptake at GCSE and A-Level, the position of music within the school timetable, catch-up following the pandemic, and workforce skills and resources.

Further areas for discussion include:

improving standards - the role of regulation in instilling quality in the curriculum - widening the offer of extracurricular activities

improving accessibility and diversity

developing joined-up approaches - considering the role of Music Education Hubs, and cross-sector collaboration - assessing the local offer of music education across England

future pathways - progression for music students - the wider impact of music education on young people

We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with Bridget Whyte, Chief Executive Officer, Music Mark, who is a member of the expert advisory panel designing the new National Plan; and Dr Steven Berryman, Director of Arts, Culture and Community, Odyssey Trust for Education; and Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The conference will be an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who are due to attend from DCMS; Creative Wales; and the Welsh Government.

Keynote Speaker

Bridget Whyte

Chief Executive Officer, Music Mark

Keynote Speakers

Dr Steven Berryman

Director of Arts, Culture and Community, Odyssey Trust for Education; and Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London and Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Bridget Whyte

Chief Executive Officer, Music Mark

Speakers

Professor Adam Ockelford

Director of the Applied Music Research Centre, University of Roehampton; and Founder, The Amber Trust

Dr Louise Lansdown

Head of Strings, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University

Matt Sheldon

Principal, East London Arts and Music

Phil Castang

Chair, Music Education Council; and CEO, Music for Youth

James Manwaring

Director of Music, The Windsor Boys' School

Deborah Kermode

Chief Executive & Artistic Director, Midlands Art Centre - Mac Makes Music

Simon Toyne

Executive Director of Music, David Ross Education Trust

Ian Burton

CEO, Nottingham Music Hub

Yogesh Dattani

EDI Lead, Music Mark; Head of Ealing Music Service, Ealing Council

Ben Stevens

Director of Music, Hertfordshire Music Service

Don Gillthorpe

Assistant Principal and Director of Music, Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy, Lancaster

Tom Redmond

Director of Music & Joint Principal, Chetham's School of Music

Professor Nicholas McKay

Director, London College of Music, University of West London

Deborah Annetts

Chief Executive, Incorporated Society of Musicians

Liz Gleed

Subject Leader for Music, Bristol Cathedral Choir School

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We are continuing to organise full-scale virtual conferences which retain all the features of physical seminars, including full programmes, presentations with slides, panel discussions and live delegate questions and comments sessions, person-to-person and group networking, and a permanent record provided to all delegates afterwards.

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JCQ: An introduction to becoming an examiner or marker

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JCQ: An introduction to becoming an examiner or marker

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Exam boards are offering an opportunity to join examiner teams in several subjects for this summer’s exam season. Examining gives you a chance to network with other subject experts, gain insight into the latest approaches to how your subject is assessed and earn extra income for approximately three weeks of work.

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Join all the other teachers who help students receive recognition for their learning, and also enable them to progress to the next stage of their development, by becoming an examiner. You'll gain a better understanding of the subject specification and how the examination system works.

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MM: What does the refreshed National Plan for Music Education in England mean for you? Webinar

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MM: What does the refreshed National Plan for Music Education in England mean for you? Webinar

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10:00-15:00
29th June 2022
Online

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On Wednesday 29th June, Music Mark hosts two webinars to present the refreshed National Plan for Music Education (subject to its publication).

From 10am to 11.30am:

The DfE and DCMS (who are the co-authors of this plan) will present

Arts Council England will also present on how the plan fits with their Let’s Create strategy

The presentations will be followed by some time for facilitated Q&A

From 1.30 to 3pm:

We will hear how the plan relates to different areas of the music education sector

There’ll be presentations from members of the ‘Expert Panel’ including Sarah Alexander, Catherine Barker, Carolyn Baxendale, Phil Castang and YolanDa Brown

There will be some time for facilitated Q&A

After each webinar, Music Mark and MEC will co-host a one-hour ‘Big Meet’, open to members of both organisations.

To book your place, please click here.

Please note that Music Mark does not have any privileged information about the Plan’s release and these events will be postponed if it is not published by 29th June.

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What does the refreshed National Plan for Music Education in England mean for you? | Music Mark

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What does the refreshed National Plan for Music Education in England mean for you?

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NMH: Leading An Ensemble in a Secondary Setting

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NMH: Leading An Ensemble in a Secondary Setting

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16:00-17:00
19th May 2022

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This session will look at the challenges associated with mixed-ability ensemble music-making in secondary schools. We'll explore rhythm games and exercises that develop ensemble skills which can be used as warm-ups or focussing activities both with and without instruments.

We'll also think about using improvisation and playing by ear as a skill-building exercise and a way of generating performance material.

There will be time for attendees to share questions about their own specific settings.

Led by James Redwood

James Redwood is a music leader and composer with over 20 years of experience making music with groups. He regularly works as a composer and facilitator with orchestras and music hubs bringing together professional and non-professional musicians to create original music.

He has been a leader on Spitalfields' Skills Lab for many years and regularly delivers CPD and training for music leaders and teachers. During Lockdown he was the Artistic Director of Share Sound, a virtual composition project working in Norfolk and 5 other Hubs.
Digital delivery.
Register to attend
(Login required)

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Leading An Ensemble in a Secondary Setting (CPD) - Norfolk Music Hub

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This session will look at the challenges associated with mixed-ability ensemble music-making in secondary schools. We'll explore rhythm games and exercises that develop ensemble skills which can be used as warm-ups or focussing activities both with and without instruments. We'll also think about using improvisation and playing by ear as a skill-building exercise and a way of generating performance material.

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQLT 2022/23

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Julian Teaching School Hub: NPQLT 2022/23

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Currys & Digital Poverty Alliance: Free technology to children who need it.

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Currys & Digital Poverty Alliance: Free technology to children who need it.

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Priority Area:  Norfolk Coast (Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth local authorities)

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Not as a loan or rental. It’s for your family, for good. Connecting disadvantaged families to devices and connectivity across the UK. Apply now!

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Ofqual: Podcast on Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Ofqual: Podcast on Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Published: 13th May 2022

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Ofqual Podcast: Marking and grading in summer 2022

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Universal Music UK Sound Foundation: Funding available for Musical Instruments and Teacher Professional Development

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Universal Music UK Sound Foundation: Funding available for Musical Instruments and Teacher Professional Development

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Next Deadline: 10th August 2022

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Individuals who are in full time education at the time of our Trustees meeting and are either having regular music lessons from a qualified teacher, or studying music at school/college are able to apply for funding towards the cost of musical instruments/equipment to further their music education.

Regrettably we are unable to accept applications to fund music lessons, tuition fees or maintenance costs.

For more information and to download an application form click here.

UMUKSF School Awards

Schools can apply for funding towards the cost of musical resources. Please note, we do not fund staffing costs to cover teaching of the national curriculum or peripatetic music lessons and regrettably we cannot accept applications from Music Services.

For more information and to download an application form click here.

UMUKSF Teacher Awards

School music teachers delivering the national curriculum can apply for funding towards one off music training courses (e.g CPD) up to £1500 (please note, we cannot fund university/conservatoire tuition fees/private tutors/Peri teachers).

For more information click here.

UMUKSF Bursary Colleges

The Foundation has bursaries at 11 colleges/organisations to support students with their tuition fees. Applications are handled by the colleges themselves and this is the only way students can receive support with tuition; we do not accept direct applications and regrettably we cannot offer support with tuition fees for any other establishments.

Please click here to see a list of colleges and their contact details.

Decca Bursary

The Decca Bursary is a restricted fund of the Universal Music UK Sound Foundation. Funding is available to eligible individuals towards music lesson costs, instrument/equipment hire and purchase and music courses within the classical genre. Schools may also apply for classical instrument purchase to support peripatetic lessons.

Please only apply for the Decca Bursary if you are looking for support in the classical genre and if you have any questions please email umuksfdeccabursary@umusic.com.

For more information and to download an application form click here.

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Individuals who are in full time education at the time of our Trustees meeting and are either having regular music lessons from a qualified teacher, or studying music at school/college are able to apply for funding towards the cost of musical instruments/equipment to further their music education.

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JCQ: Guidance for centres managing exams - June 2022 Series

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JCQ: Guidance for centres managing exams - June 2022 Series

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Published: 29th April 2022

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Ofqual: Updated with additional information for teachers on collecting evidence for use in contingency arrangements

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Ofqual: Updated with additional information for teachers on collecting evidence for use in contingency arrangements

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Updated: 25th March 2022

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Recent updates regarding regulated qualifications.

Delivery of vocational and technical qualification results for 2024 and beyond

Ofqual has announced arrangements to ensure the timely delivery of results for students taking vocational and technical qualifications in 2024 and beyond.

Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator, has also written to all schools and colleges in England to explain the arrangements in more detail, and how they differ from those implemented in 2023.

GCSE, Level 1, Level 1/2 and Level 2 vocational and technical qualifications results, summer 2023

Ofqual has published 2 guides to today's (24 August 2023) exam results:

These guides summarise the headline figures across England and reflect Ofqual's decision to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer.

You can explore the results in more depth - including breakdowns by centre type, subject and region - using Ofqual's interactive visualisations.

Ofqual has also summarised the key data in infographics for GCSE and Level 1, Level 1/2 and Level 2 VTQ.

AS, A level and Level 3 vocational and technical qualifications results, summer 2023

Ofqual has published 2 guides to today's (17 August 2023) exam results:

These guides summarise the headline figures across England and reflect Ofqual's decision to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer.

You can explore the results in more depth - including breakdowns by centre type, subject and region - using Ofqual's interactive visualisations.

Ofqual has also summarised the key data in infographics for AS and A level and Level 3 VTQ.

Industrial action

The Department for Education has issued guidance that recommends that schools should prioritise the running of examinations and assessments on any strike days, and should review their contingency plans to enable this to happen.

Schools, colleges and other exam centres should speak to the relevant awarding organisations if they are expecting any disruption that might affect the sitting of exams and assessments.

Replacement certificates

Ofqual does not hold copies of your certificates - we can't tell you your grade or provide replacements. Certificates are held by the exam board you sat your qualification with. If you don't know which exam board you took your qualification with, ask your school. If your school don't know you will need to ask each exam board to do a search for you - they will charge you for this.

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16:30-17:30
19/10/22 - Virtual via TEAMs
09/02/23 - Virtual via TEAMs
20/06/23 - Virtual via TEAMs

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Norfolk Music Hub: Secondary Music Network Meetings 

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Norfolk Music Hub: Secondary Music Network Meetings 

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Termly
16:00-17:00
Online
Contact: Krista Ribbons, krista.ribbons@norfolk.gov.uk for further information and to join

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Updated: February 2022

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16 to 18 accountability headline measures

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Guide for schools, colleges and local authorities on how the 16 to 18 performance measures are calculated.

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Secondary accountability measures Guidance 2022

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Secondary accountability measures Guidance 2022

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Updated: February 2022

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Information for schools about secondary school accountability measures, including Progress 8 and Attainment 8.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This document explains how secondary accountability measures are calculated. It also gives more information about announced policies that apply to accountability measures for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

This information is for:

senior leaders working in secondary schools and trusts, including maintained schools, academies, alternative provision, free schools and special schools

independent schools or colleges with 14 to 16 provision seeking information on secondary accountability measures

governors and trustees

local authorities

It applies to:

local-authority-maintained schools

academies

free schools

further education colleges with 14 to 16 provision

Find school and college performance data.

KS4 qualifications, discount codes and point scores for the school performance measures.

A short video explaining Progress 8 is also available:
Progress 8 video

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Secondary accountability measures (including Progress 8 and Attainment 8)

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Information for schools about secondary school accountability measures, including Progress 8 and Attainment 8.

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NMH: Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Family Concert

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NMH: Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Family Concert

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18:00-20:00
2nd April 2022

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On 2nd April the Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting a special Family Concert at the Norfolk Showground Arena.

They have devised a very entertaining programme that families and their children would certainly enjoy. Prokofiev's much loved tale of Peter and the Wolf is paired with a witty musical who-dunnit, The Composer is Dead, Nathaniel Stookey's setting of the children's book by Lemony Snicket, and celebrated theatre impresario, Peter Wilson, will bring the stories vividly to life as narrator. He will also introduce the rest of the programme, which also includes the Finale from Stravinsky's Firebird, the Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and film music from Harry Potter by John Williams. It will be great fun!
More info and tickets here.

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Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Family Concert - Norfolk Music Hub

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On 2nd April the Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting a special Family Concert at the Norfolk Showground Arena. They have devised a very entertaining programme that families and their children would certainly enjoy.

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NMH: A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition

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NMH: A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition

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Deadline: 31st March 2022

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In 2022 Her Majesty the Queen will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee and to mark the occasion A Royal Salute will be performed at the Norfolk Showground. The two performances will take place during the Norfolk Show days on June 29th & 30th in the Main Arena.
We are offering the opportunity for a young person residing in Norfolk to compose a new fanfare to lead into the National Anthem.

This will be performed at both shows and we are expecting it to be on Radio & TV too!

This competition is open to anyone up to the age of 18 (as of June 29th 2022) and in full time Education in Norfolk.

The Brief

A new exciting and uplifting fanfare piece of music lasting between 2 minutes and 2 minutes 30 seconds, composed for the combined forces of the Norfolk County Symphonic Wind Band and Norfolk County String Orchestra.

The piece must lead into the famous paused drum roll that precedes the playing of the National Anthem (the Anthem is in the key of G Major).

You will need to orchestrate it and submit a full score to be considered.

If you use the scoring software Musescore, Dorico, or Sibelius you can send the score file itself. Any other version you will need to submit a printed score and an audio realisation of your piece.

Please note that orchestral parts for the winning entry can be extracted by us from Musescore, Dorico or Sibelius but for any other version the winner would need to provide fully produced parts for the orchestra.

The Orchestra

Judges

The judges (whose decision will be final) are:
Peter Wilson

Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk

Producer of 'A Royal Salute'

Ex CEO of the Theatre Royal, Norwich

David Stowell

Music Director and Conductor of 'A Royal Salute'
Alison Bell

Head of Norfolk Music Service

Norfolk Music Hub Lead

Steffan Griffiths

Independent Chair, Norfolk Music Hub Executive Board

Head Master Norwich School

Entry details

Closing date for entries is Thursday 31st March 2022.
Please submit your entry with your score here.
Good luck!

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A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition - Norfolk Music Hub

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In 2022 Her Majesty the Queen will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee and to mark the occasion A Royal Salute will be performed at the Norfolk Showground. The two performances will take place during the Norfolk Show days on June 29th & 30th in the Main Arena.

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NMH: Annual registration open for Norfolk Music Ensembles

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NMH: Annual registration open for Norfolk Music Ensembles

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Ensemble Login
Ensembles are an important part of learning to play a musical instrument and are often the most enjoyable and socially rewarding part of the process. The Music Service works towards providing a musical pathway for all its young players for every stage of learning.

What we offer

The Music Service currently offers the following ensembles across the County:
Information about each Ensemble, including grade level, rehearsal venue, and rehearsal times can be found on each linked Ensemble page or in the Ensembles Information Handbook.
Charges

There is a standard charge of £55 per term for an individual membership and £80 per term* for a family membership regardless of the number of ensembles students join. Pupils in receipt of Free School Meals are entitled to a 50% discount on fees, while all Looked After Children can attend Ensembles free of charge. This membership entitles young people to join as many ensembles as they like included in the termly fee. We encourage all students to access the online theory sessions and the Norfolk Show Choir.

Parents/guardians will be billed termly (in October, February, and May).
*pricing for 2021/22 Find out more about our Fee Remission policy >>
Registration

Registration for Ensembles is renewed each academic year.

If you are interested in joining our Ensembles, your child can come along for one session as a trial. Please email music.service@norfolk.gov.uk and include which instruments your child plays and their current level, and we can arrange a session for you. If your child would then like to continue, please register on our online form, which will go live in the summer term.
<< Back to About Lead Organisation

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Ensemble Login Ensembles are an important part of learning to play a musical instrument and are often the most enjoyable and socially rewarding part of the process. The Music Service works towards providing a musical pathway for all its young players for every stage of learning.

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Ofqual: Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Ofqual: Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Published: 7th February 2022

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Overview of the support being provided for each qualification for students taking GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

Applies to England

Additional support this year

A package of support has been put in place for students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications in summer 2022. It is intended to make sure that we are being as fair as possible to students given the disruption they have experienced, and many continue to face, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Part of the changes includes more generous grading this year to provide a safety net for students who may have been impacted by the pandemic.

Advance information might look different for different subjects because of how they are structured and assessed, but as far as possible the exam boards have made sure the approaches within a subject are the same.

These changes apply in England and to Ofqual regulated qualifications taken elsewhere.

Exam boards have published specific information about the changes for each qualification they offer, you should check their websites for more information:

GCSEs

Where we list changes for subjects in 2022, we only list what has changed, not what is remaining the same.

Ancient history, GCSE

Art and design, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Astronomy, GCSE

Biblical Hebrew, GCSE

Biology, GCSE

Business, GCSE

Chemistry, GCSE

Citizenship studies, GCSE

Classical civilisation, GCSE

Classical Greek, GCSE

Combined science, GCSE

Changes for 2022

Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

A revised equation sheet has been provided for teaching and learning.

A clean copy of the equation sheet will be provided for students in the exams.

Teachers can deliver practical work by demonstration.

Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Computer science, GCSE

Dance, GCSE

Design and technology, GCSE

Drama, GCSE

Economics, GCSE

Electronics, GCSE

Engineering, GCSE

English language, GCSE

English literature, GCSE

Film studies, GCSE

Food preparation and nutrition, GCSE

Geography, GCSE

Changes for 2022

Exams will cover less content than usual.

In the exams there will be a choice of content on which students must answer questions.

There will be no questions on the student's fieldwork experience.

Fieldwork requirements have been relaxed.

Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Geology, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

History, GCSE

Latin, GCSE

Maths, GCSE

Modern foreign languages, GCSE

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Music, GCSE

Physical education, GCSE

Physical education (short course), GCSE

Physics, GCSE

Changes for 2022

Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

A revised equation sheet has been provided for teaching and learning.

A clean copy of the equation sheet will be provided for students in the exams.

Teachers can deliver practical work by demonstration.

Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

Psychology, GCSE

Religious studies, GCSE

Religious studies (short course), GCSE

Sociology, GCSE

Statistics, GCSE

AS and A levels

Accounting, AS and A level

Ancient history, AS and A level

Art and design, AS and A level

Biblical Hebrew, A level

Biology, AS

Biology, A level

Business, AS and A level

Chemistry, AS

Chemistry, A level

Classical civilisation, AS and A level

Classical Greek, AS and A level

Computer science, AS and A level

Dance, A level

Design and technology, AS and A level

Drama and theatre, AS and A level

Economics, AS and A level

Electronics, AS and A level

English language, AS and A level

English language and literature, AS and A level

English literature, AS and A level

Environmental science, A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Film studies, AS and A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Further maths, AS and A level

Geography, AS

Geography, A level

Geology, AS

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

Geology, A level

Changes for 2022

More information is available from the exam boards:

History, AS and A level

History of art, AS and A level

Latin, AS and A level

Law, AS and A level

Maths, AS and A level

Modern foreign languages, AS and A level

Changes for 2022

Information on some of the exam content has been provided to help students focus their revision.

Examiners will build in generosity for students when setting grade boundaries.

More information is available from the exam boards:

AQA - Bengali (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - French, A level

AQA - French, AS

AQA - German, A level

AQA - German, AS

AQA - Modern Hebrew (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Panjabi (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Polish (Listening, Reading, Writing), A level

AQA - Spanish, A level

AQA - Spanish, AS

Pearson Edexcel - Arabic (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Chinese (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - French (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - German (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Greek (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Gujarati (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Italian (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Japanese (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Persian (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Portuguese (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Russian (2017), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Spanish (2016), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Turkish (2018), A level

Pearson Edexcel - Urdu (2018), A level

WJEC Eduqas - French, AS and A level

WJEC Eduqas - German, AS and A level

WJEC Eduqas - Spanish, AS and A level

Music, AS and A level

Music technology, AS and A level

Philosophy, AS and A level

Physical education, AS and A level

Physics, AS

Physics, A level

Politics, AS and A level

Psychology, AS and A level

Religious studies, AS and A level

Sociology, AS and A level

Statistics, AS and A level

Background to these changes

Full details of the changes we have made to our rules can be found in the decisions for the consultations ' Proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022' and ' Arrangements for non-exam assessment for qualifications in 2022 '.

Vocational and technical qualifications

Where needed, [awarding organisations are allowed to make adaptations to assessments and qualifications due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Schools and colleges have already been told what these changes will be, and you should speak to your school or college for further details about your specific qualification.

Accessible version of diagram

Generous grading

Exams will be graded more generously this year providing a safety net for students.

Changes to coursework

Non-exam assessment and fieldwork requirements adjusted, with flexibility in some subjects.

Optional content

There will be less content or fewer topics for students to learn in some GCSEs.

Support materials

Students will get formulae and equation sheets in some exams and won't have to memorise as much.

Advance information

Exam boards will give information on the focus of exams for most subjects to help students revise.

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Subject-by-subject support for GCSE, AS and A level students in 2022

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Overview of the support being provided for each qualification for students taking GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

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JCQ:  Summer 2022 Exams and Advance Information 

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JCQ:  Summer 2022 Exams and Advance Information 

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Updated: 7th February 2022

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NMH: A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition

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NMH: A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition

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Closing Date: Thursday 31st March 2022.

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A Royal Salute Fanfare Composition Competition - Norfolk Music Hub

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In 2022 Her Majesty the Queen will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee and to mark the occasion A Royal Salute will be performed at the Norfolk Showground. The two performances

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DfE: Special consideration policies for technical qualifications in 2022

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DfE: Special consideration policies for technical qualifications in 2022

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A summary of special consideration policies for awarding organisations offering Applied Generals, Tech Awards, Tech Certs and Tech Levels in England.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Special consideration may apply where a student has temporarily experienced an illness or injury, or other event outside their control, which is likely to have affected their ability to show their true abilities in an assessment. It allows the student to receive an assessment outcome despite the disadvantage.

This document gives a summary of the special consideration policies for each awarding organisation offering Applied Generals, Tech Awards, Tech Certs and Tech Levels in England.

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Special consideration policies for technical qualifications

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Ofqual Dr Jo Saxton: Speech at Sixth Form Colleges Association Conference

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Ofqual Dr Jo Saxton: Speech at Sixth Form Colleges Association Conference

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19th January 2022
Sets out the support for students taking exams and assessments this year, including advance information and a fair approach to grading

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Good morning, everyone. Bill: thank you so much for inviting me. I'm thrilled to be with you, in spirit if not in person.

I first met Bill in something like 2008. I went to see him in his office somewhere high up in Millbank tower. It had the most stunning view across south Westminster. Bill deployed me as a literacy consultant, and not long after, I found myself in a particularly tough new academy in the East Midlands. At that time, challenging educational circumstances on the ground did not include providing and complying with public health measures, and it did not include devising and determining high stakes assessments on top of everything else. Your response to the scale and pace of the change required by the pandemic in the last 2 years is simply breath-taking-more so than any view.

Let me give a sense of scale. Thanks to your commitment and efforts, and those of many thousands of other sector colleagues, despite exams being cancelled, last year 1.2 million students received grades for GCSE, AS and A levels. You, and staff at schools and exam centres, submitted 5.7 million Teacher Assessed Grades for students in England last summer. That includes over 750,000 A level TAGs.

And, in the spring and summer of 2021 alone, thanks again to your efforts, awarding organisations were able to issue over 1 million qualification results to students taking Functional Skills qualifications, Core Maths, International Baccalaureate diplomas, Cambridge Pre-Us, Applied Generals, Tech Levels and others.

2022 is still very young, yet as at today, over 500 regulated assessments and exams have taken place, that's 480,000 entries, or 89% of the January series will have been undertaken, which is extraordinary, given the pressures of the Omicron variant. Once again, in very large part because you have adapted staffing, prioritisation and invigilation, and many of you will have even reorganised your facilities to enable COVID-safe exam sittings to go ahead.

None of us would have chosen this turn of events, and whilst media commentators are right that it has shown the extraordinary purpose, commitment, drive and dedication of those who work in colleges, sixth forms and schools - for which I, and Ofqual of course applaud you - I think there is a bigger point here, and it is about adaptation.

As Darwin and Wallace posited in the 1890s, it is the ability of a species to adapt to its environment that determines its success. The versatility you have all shown over the past 2 years - and the scale of change to qualification and assessment policy and practice that you have realised - must surely exceed that of any generation of educators, certainly in recent history.

And as you know, there are more novel and important adaptations to come, in the form of advance information next month, together with a measured approach to ensure fair grading in the summer. I want to talk to you now about both of these; how they were conceived; why I believe they will help your students, and why they will mark an important staging post in our move back towards normality.

Advance Information

The first point I want to make about advance information is that it's not something we would have contemplated in 'normal times'. In fact, we have gone to great lengths - the whole qualification system has gone to great lengths traditionally - through Ofqual's regulations to reduce the risk of any student or teacher knowing in advance the focus of any exam paper. But we wanted a way to make the exam experience less daunting for students, while also preserving the integrity of the content coverage, as well as preserving the integrity of the assessments themselves.

The whole point is to provide as universal as possible a revision aid for students. And this, combined with the anticipation of a difficult winter, is how policymakers arrived at the 7 February publication date. Any earlier, and content coverage would have been affected; any later and it comes too late in the day for revision to be effective, too late to allow you to recap and review where necessary.

Obviously this is the first time this innovative approach has been taken, and 2022 exam papers were not designed with the publication of advance information in mind. I've no doubt that some people will feel we haven't gone far enough, and others will feel we have gone too far. But the people who matter to me the most are the students - and my sincere hope is that - with guidance from you - they will be able to benefit from the information being shared.

Advance Information is novel for everyone in the exam system. Exam boards have developed it for almost every subject. They've worked at pace to do so in the interests of students. They have done their absolute level best to deliver focused aids, without revealing the questions, and you can imagine that's definitely an art rather than a science. If they'd gone too close to revealing the questions it would have undermined exams and turned them into short-term memory tests rather than true measures of what students have learned, know, understand and can do.

There has been some commentary already about whether advance information will mainly benefit more able students because it might support them to revise for the higher tariff questions.

Of course, much of the advance information gives a steer on how to revise for higher tariff questions, although not all of it.

Bluntly, to focus advance information on low tariff questions would be nonsensical. It would be silly to publish a document that says something like; you will be asked to identify the year in which the Versailles Treaty was signed, or the year in which Magna Carta was signed. Clearly, at that point, the exam would stop being an exam.

But supporting students to revise for higher tariff questions does not mean that advance information will only support the most able students. Higher tariff doesn't necessarily mean harder content. We know that candidates from across all abilities and demographics gain marks across an exam paper and not only in the low tariff questions. And we hope that the benefit of advance information will mean that students who suffered the most disruption, or those who are less able, may gain confidence to tackle elements of a paper that they might previously not have felt confident to try.

And just as much as advance information is a new phenomenon for the boards and for colleges and schools, so is it new for us at Ofqual. It presents us, as the regulator, with a novel and interesting challenge. We have created a regulatory framework for exceptional measures that would, quite simply, have been unthinkable in a normal exam context. The pandemic has required a range of regulatory reprioritisation and adaptation in the same way that you have had to reprioritise and adapt your normal practice. I am clear that our regulations must align to the interests of students - given the impact on their education experience these past 2 years. So, what does this novel situation look like from the regulator's point of view?

First, the tenet must hold true that Ofqual does not see exams before they are sat. That doesn't change this year. Each year the number of people that know the content of live papers before they are sat is very tightly controlled by exam boards, and that's right. That's key to fairness for students, and important to minimise the risk of any leaks. The exam boards are accountable to Ofqual for the quality and security of their papers. And this year they are also accountable to us for the accurate and careful introduction of advance information.

So, our approach has been about putting in place principles to ensure that advance information secures the interests of students and we've set the right regulations to enable that.

In practical terms, that means that we have worked with subject specialists and our assessment design team, and the boards to agree over 300 specifications how the advance information will work. You get a sense of what a dramatic innovation that is for us to have adapted our rules to allow this is, if you recall the outrage some years ago when a broadsheet newspaper sent a journalist to attend an exam board event, at which hints about the focus of certain questions were allegedly provided in this meeting. The scale of that shock really puts this year's innovation into perspective.

I see it as a really exciting adaptation. We will, of course, be monitoring its effect closely. Shortly after publication, we will be reaching out to hear your - and your students' - views on how it delivers the intentions. We will do so again once exams have been sat. There is much to learn from what will happen in the coming months and so we will expand a wide-ranging research programme to evaluate the impact of advance information to inform thinking for future years. But I ask that when you receive the advance information, please do remember the positive intentions behind it - it represents a unique coming together of everybody across the qualification system to act in the interests of students, to provide them with support whilst also enabling the re-instatement of the tried, tested - and trusted - approaches to the awarding of qualifications.

Grading

Our approach to advance information was informed and driven by the views of you and of your students - we heard from teachers who were anxious about their students' ability to cover the full range of subject content. We heard from students about their varied experiences of the pandemic.

This same listening approach was applied to how we've tackled grading too.

It was clear talking to students and their parents, that they wanted to get back to normal, but not to do so in one single leap.

At the end of September, we announced our resulting approach to grading next summer, one intended to be as fair as possible to 2022 students. Fair, because it will provide a safety net to students who have been so affected by the pandemic. Fair, because it will iron out some of the anomalies that have come into play through the non-examined years. Fair because it will secure consistency between subjects and between exam boards. Let's remember too that this year marks the return to exams - the way the qualifications have been designed - with all students assessed in the same way, marked, and graded consistently and externally to the same standard. That, along with advance information which itself provides unprecedented support, represents an unprecedented package of aid.

So, 2022 is a transition year to reflect the realities of the pandemic and that students' education does continue to be disrupted. Remember the package as a whole - it works together as a complete aid and support. You need to not try to pick apart individual elements of it.

The results in 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled, were clearly out of line with the results of previous exam years. As we ourselves learn to adapt to living with COVID-19, it is right that we take steps to resume arrangements that are coherent with those from pre-pandemic years. We must do it gradually; and this underpins our so-called midpoint approach.

Let me be clear, there is no single statistical midpoint. There will be no standardisation model to determine students' grades. Grade boundaries for each specification will be set by senior examiners, critically, only after they have reviewed the work produced by students. As a check and balance, of course exam boards will use other evidence, including statistical evidence of how students were graded when exams were last taken, so that grade boundaries do, indeed, deliver this generous midpoint approach. That means you can assure your students and their families that, as regulator, we are doing everything we can to secure approaches to standards which are fair, whichever exam board a student is working with, whichever subject. As regulator, one of the key things that we do is review the results. I started to experience this process for the autumn series. Results across every subject in every board are reviewed in great detail and Ofqual checks the appropriate processes have been followed; considers anomalies with exam boards, before results are issued.

Because the process of determining grade boundaries must follow the act of script marking, which of course follows candidates sitting papers, what we can't tell you is precisely what these arrangements mean for results. But I can assure you that our grading requirements will provide a safety-net for this cohort and it is likely to mean that results overall are higher than in normal years.

Talking to UCAS, and to employers, they wanted to see grades that were closer to the currency they were used to. They also recognised it was not right to implement this in one go. We've heard concerns that repeating 2021 outcomes would likely lead to universities devising alternative entry arrangements and raising the grades on which offers are based. Contributing to a system where that might happen would not actually increase opportunity for students in practice.

Vocational and Technical Qualifications grading

Coherence, parity if you will, between vocational and technical qualifications and general qualifications is really important - and something that the regulatory framework devised during the pandemic better supports than pre-pandemic arrangements.

Ofqual's specific regulatory framework for awarding vocational qualifications in the pandemic requires awarding organisations to secure, as far as possible, that VTQ students are neither disadvantaged nor advantaged compared with their GCSE and A level peers. That principle has not existed in legal regulatory terms before.

Boards will take account, therefore, of the approach for GCSEs and A levels when setting standards in their own vocational and technical qualifications. We, as regulator, will closely monitor the arrangements and look at what awarding organisations are putting in place for their qualifications to ensure they are delivered fairly and are appropriately adapted in the interests of students.

Contingencies

I am really aware that some of you, and your students, would dearly like us to switch off contingencies given the government's confidence and commitment to exams going ahead. But I'm afraid that the need to collect evidence of student performance in case exams don't take place is important. It won't surprise you that I can't agree to turn off those arrangements. Not, of course, that it's entirely in my gift.

As well as showing us your incredible resilience and ability to adapt, the pandemic has also been unpredictable. That's the one predictable thing about the pandemic; it's continually surprised us and caught us off guard. It wouldn't be doing justice to you and your students to stand down contingencies at this time.

I am, nonetheless, hugely sympathetic to how challenging operationally and emotionally for you and your students it is to ride both these horses, but there are no plans to turn off Plan B.

Ofqual: expert and human, regulating in the interests of students

I promised Bill to leave time to take your questions, but before doing that, please allow me to share a little bit about myself, given this is my first chance to speak to you.

I am here today as Chief Regulator, but I am above everything else, like you, an educator.

I thrive in challenging environments - and actually anyone who knows me will tell you that I actively seek them out. Whether that is leading schools in disadvantaged communities, working in central government in the eye of a pandemic, or coming to Ofqual as we move further through the demands and opportunities the pandemic has forced.

For me, there is nothing more important in education than young people getting the qualifications they need to unlock their future. This is something I live and breathe.

I live and breathe it because that was precisely my own experience.

My qualifications opened all sorts of doors for me - including studying and working in six different countries around the world, and I want everyone to have those same opportunities - but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

That's why I am here. Every day I think about those students - those with caring responsibilities at home; those who have a fractured or chaotic home life; those whose families are working second, or even third jobs, to keep their homes warm and food on the table - I want qualifications to work for them in the best way possible, to open doors for them.

These are the students who I've started to talk about as being my compass. Their interests are my true north. And this true north breathes life into Ofqual's statutory objectives.

What flows from that, is an Ofqual which is expert, absolutely, but an Ofqual that must also be human. That means listening - to students of all ages, but also to you, those who teach and lead them. You who make the longlist of qualification choices for them, you who support them as they work towards securing qualifications that have the potential to change their lives.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be spending time with colleges, sixth forms, schools, different education and training providers in every region of England, so that I can listen to you, to students, to governors and to parents. I want to hear directly about the challenges faced in the qualification system. It's only by hearing and responding to these challenges that I and we at Ofqual can improve how assessment and qualifications work. Some of these things that we'll hear about, Ofqual can do something about. There are others that won't be in our gift, but we can do our best to play our active part in the system which we regulate on behalf of students.

I've so far been lucky enough to visit some colleges in the West Midlands and some schools in the south west. Some of this listening work will happen virtually so that the pandemic doesn't slow us down, nor interrupt your day too much.

What's important is that the insights we gain from you, your students and their families, inform our decisions. To those who think accessible qualifications are dumbing down, I say there is no better illustration of the importance of the power of the functional skills curriculum and those qualifications that enable entry into employment, than what I saw at Hereward College. There I met Sophie and Akram who were developing and practising functional skills in the college's hospitality training centre. Graduates of the college dramatically exceed national averages of employability for those with SEND, and those 2 were well on their way to being able to be employed by a national hotel chain. I am proud that one of the first decisions taken during my tenure as Chief Regulator was to publish a consultation on improving the accessibility of assessments, and another decision on the regulation of reformed digital functional skills. These are live examples of acting in the interest of students.

From visiting Walsall College, I gained real insight into how working with a range of awarding organisations can really meet a college's needs. The Walsall team shared how, while the larger AOs (awarding organisations) have the breadth and can deliver at scale, it is often the smaller ones - many of whom offer the end-point assessments for apprentices - who offer a personal and flexible approach to assessment bookings, which is really useful to help provide confidence and support, and take an element of stress out of the system as apprentices get closer to being ready to take their end point assessment. Accordingly, we will continue to be nuanced in our consideration of applications by organisations seeking entry to this sector and to our recognition. Assessment and organisational capacity must be balanced with a student-centric culture.

Conclusion

Listening to and acting in the interests of students is the true north for everything I will do as Chief Regulator. The context we must navigate together is one of adaptation and innovation, crystalised by the pandemic. But it also a time of reform, already in train pre-pandemic - T Levels, apprenticeship expansion, among others.

I have not even touched on the possibilities afforded by technology and other innovations. I am convinced of the opportunities they present to improve assessments for students and apprentices - to make them more accessible, more valid, more reliable. We will work together on these in the coming years. We need to ensure that both what we assess and how we assess it stays relevant to needs of employers and society at large.

We share, I have no doubt, a commitment to ensuring that qualification evolution is squarely in the interests of students and apprentices. I am hugely grateful to teachers in colleges, schools and training providers across the country, for the vital part they will play as we navigate the way forward together.

Thank you.

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Dr Jo Saxton at Sixth Form Colleges Association conference

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The Chief Regulator sets out the support for students taking exams and assessments this year, including advance information and a fair approach to grading.

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A Summary of Ofsted's Music Research Review for Teachers and Leaders - Blog

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A Summary of Ofsted's Music Research Review for Teachers and Leaders - Blog

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Published: 16th January 2022

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Writing this summary has been quite the challenge, which in itself represents the nature of music education in a way which is quite different from some of the other subjects I've written about. Music education is a vast entity, and although I didn't approach this task completely ignorant to features of music (my Grade 7 Violin and Grade 5 Music Theory have served me well 😅), trying to summarise and in many ways 'translate' some of Ofsted's wording was quite the challenge. Therefore, I wanted to point out that whilst I have included a summary of what I deem to be their most important points (particularly for my role as a primary curriculum leader), this might not be as clear as other summaries I have written. In addition to the research report, I have also used information from Ofsted's YouTube channel to supplement some of the information I have summarised.

I have also included a link to download an even shorter summary of the report, at the bottom of this post.

The purpose of good music education is for pupils to make more music, think more musically and become more musical.

🎶 Progress in music requires development across three 'pillars'

technical: translating intentions into sound

constructive: knowledge of how components come together

expressive: quality, meaning and creativity

It's important for children to be able to think both consciously and unconsciously (thought processes, memory, affect, motivation) about music.

Learning is a change in long-term memory - the most important enabler of development.

Changes to long-term memory occur through learning tacit, procedural or declarative knowledge. These form the curriculum content and knowledge base we need to consider.

Tacit knowledge is knowledge gained through experience.

Procedural knowledge is what is exercised in the performance of a task e.g. creating drum grooves

Declarative knowledge refers to facts and information e.g. styles, composers.

🎻 This is the know-how of music - playing an instrument, for example. Well-developed procedural knowledge depends on pupils learning procedures to automaticity so that they than can also develop expressive and technical competence.

🧠 Acquiring procedural knowledge is very prone to cognitive overload, restricting the amount of content which children are able to acquire on a lesson-by-lesson basis. For example, reading a piece of music presents many potentially overloading elements for a beginner. Automaticity enables new or challenging material to be learned without cognitive overload.

🎚 The level of challenge or diffculty is important: too much challenge and it's likely that learning will be hindered; too little and motivaton can be affected. Certain difficulties can be desirable, as when appropriate they can focus the learner's determination or understanding. 'Little and often' has a proven record of being a useful approach.

🎼 Musical declarative knowledge includes notation, keys, chords, works and songs. The history and culture of music is important and is a signficant aspect of a broad and balanced curriculum which builds cultural literacy.

🧠 Having this knowledge in long-term memory allows complex concepts to be processed: it underpins advanced thinking.

🧪 Building declarative knowledge can be difficult to achieve - 'like putting toothpaste into a tube'.

🗓 Pupils benefit from regular, spaced-out encounters with lesson content than to block the time.

🔄 Repetition is critical, as this enables pupils to reinforce their learning. Active recall through retrieval practice is one way of doing this, and the form of this might vary. In music, it could be as simple as producing a note.

⏰ The report acknowledge that even the most generous of timetables provide a relatively short amount of music lesson, suggesting between 90 and 120 hours in total at primary school, and between 60 and 120 in KS3.

⏱ This means that in primary, children typically receive between 15 and 20 hours a year, and at KS3, between 20 and 40 hours a year.

⏲ The time limitations affect what can be achieved in any music curriculum and illuminate the importance of using the available time in the best way possible.

😣 Difficult decisions need to be made about what will be included to ensure that the curriculum is possible and to prevent it lacking any depth at the expense of its breadth.

👍 Some advice from the report is that:

🧠 Cognitive load theory (CLT) has important implications for the scope of the curriculum as working memory is limited and affects how much children can learn, based on the amount of new knowledge and the prior knowledge a learner brings to the lesson. For children to be successful with complex thinking, they need to have had time to learn, practise and develop automaticity with the necessary component knowledge.

🤯 Cognitive load is an important consideration for curriculum leaders, especially with regard to pupils from low-income backgrounds or with low prior attainment. Each step within the curriculum should be planned so that all pupils can access the learning, and time needs to be dedicated for consolidation.

🎶 The gradual introduction of new ideas, methods and concepts, taking cognitive load and time into consideration, will support the achievement of curriculum expectations.

Curricular opportunity is expanded by the development of concepts in pupils' long-term memory.

🎶 The report describes progress in three areas (pillars):

⛓ These three pillars have significant cross-over as well as individual characteristics: they contribute collectively to 'musical understanding'. They should not be understood as silos.

Robust, direct and incremental teaching underpins a good music education.

🎼 Pupils should acquire knowledge of music's technical and constructive aspects within the context of music's history and provenance.

🎻 Technical progress includes sound production and the manipulation of sound, with the goal of pupils developing their ability to represent their imagination in sound.

🎶 Technical procedural knowledge should be carefully sequenced.

🎵 A challenge for curriculums is the extent to which pupils might be able to generalise across instruments and styles.

♯ Time is a significant consideration. It requires substantial practice for pupils to develop the fine motor skills on any instrument. Having shallow experiences with lots of different instruments will limit pupils' outcomes. Narrower instrument choice improves the expressive quality of pupils' sound production.

👂 Technical development also affects listening proficiency.

[The National Curriculum requires that pupils learn to understand and use staff notation (KS2 and KS3)]

Research from early reading can support with principles and processes for teaching how to read staff notation:

exploration of sound

familarity with music and musical activities

teaching decoding of individual notes

developing accuracy and automaticity

developing expressive quality

Throughout these stages, pupils will develop their fluency and independence.

Knowing how music works - concepts such as scales, chords, keys, systems, forms and structure.

Both deconstructing and constructing music - analysis and creation

🎹 Musical elements include pitch, texture, tempo, structure, timbre, dynamics and duration.

♮ Which elements to draw out and when to do so is an important decision for curriculum designers.

🎶 Schools should avoid organising their whole curriculum be single elements, though these may be the focus of a particular lesson. Instead, progression in understanding these individual elements should be enabled through encountering meaningful examples embeded within wider units of work.

🧠 Composing is a highly complex and composite activity.

🎼 Working within tight constraints for composition can actually free up cognitive processing abilities, rather than overwhelm them.

⛓ Composition includes the use of constructive, technical and expressive knowledge.

🧩 Pupils make progress successfully when learning sequences plan for the component knowledge that will be used in composite tasks, lowering cognitive load. Curriculum sequences on composing should aim to develop pupils' procedural knowledge through well-chosen components that have a clear purpose to the desired outcomes.

🤯 It can be a challenge for curriculum designers to decide on the component knowledge and its relationship with other components, and requires significant subject-informed judgements to be made. Schools must also consider the nature of creativity how domain-specific knowledge affects it.

🎻 It can be difficult to judge whether performance or composition is 'good' or not, but quality should always be the first consideration that teachers make when listening to pupils' outcomes.

To develop pupils' perfomances, the curriculum should:

⛓ Pupils need both constraints and freedoms when being creative. They need to know what to include as well as what they can miss out.

🤔 Teachers need to take creative risks and encourage this with their pupils.

⚖️ Pupils benefit from a degree of autonomy with how to use the tools they have been taught - too little and this can be limiting, too much and this can be unhelpful and unproductive.

Pupils need to learn about the procedural aspects of music as well as its wider aspects, such as culture and history. The report suggests several categories of musical knowledge:

formal - the internal logic of the music itself

symbolic - its associations with events outside of music e.g The Last Post

personal - meaning which comes from personal experiences

social - the meaning music has within communities

👨🏻‍🏫 Teaching these aspects can be done alongside or separate to practical activity, though music-making is more important than music information. However, what is taught should be expected to be retained in the way that other aspects of the curriculum are. The report recommends stories, emotional engagement and activities commonly associated with supporting storage in long-term memory (active recall, spaced repetition, inter-leaving and retrieval practice).

There are some general principles which are particularly important for SEND learners. Namely, these are:

🔓 There is no one-size-fits-all approach; however, when barriers are identified and overcome, potential can be achieved. High expectations for all pupils are therefore so important.

📚 Research suggests the following strategies are important to consider for SEND learners:

breaking down tasks

reducing the burden on working memory

using appropriately supportive routines

using a combination of learning modes which enhance clarity or accessibility

the adaption of materials to ensure good challenge which is achievable.

The success of a curriculum's implementaton is dependent on teachers' effectiveness.

There are some high-impact features of curriculum implementation:

✅ Diagnostic feedback is one of the most significant learning opportunities a teacher can offer.

💬 Formative assessment is far more important in music than summative judgements.

💫 Feedback which responds to errors is a frequent form of feedback in music, and should be addressed at the component level. Clearly articulating these components supports teachers in identifying them in their feedback.

🥇 Using the idea of components allows teachers to assess declarative and procedural knowledge in identifying areas for feedback, without having to use summative assessments from compositve tasks.

👨🏻‍🏫 It is highly likely that children will benefit more from teacher feedback in music education due to the need for novices to receive feedback from someone which much greater expertise.

Children's attention is often limited and the effect of instant gratification from social media et al. is a very real consideration for teachers. This presents particular implications for teachers.

Pupils need good feedback when they are learning new material as they are often unable to provide self-feedback at this stage.

Keeping the surface structure of tasks simple and consisent provides more space for pupils to think about the crucial details.

Peaceful, calm classrooms are conducive to pupil learning.

Smartphones often have a negative impact on learning in the music classroom.

Pupils need to pay attention otherwise it is unlikely they will gain or remember the content of the lesson - though it is important to be realistic about levels of attention throughout a lesson.

Attention is influenced by peers: promoting group attention can encourage waverers to pay more attention.

Motivation affects attention and effort.

Good outcomes enhance instrinsic motivation.

Tasks which provide well-judged challenge have a positive impact on motivation and attention.

There is a case for offering some pupil choice in promoting motivation. This does not necessariy have to be at odds with a pre-planned curriculum, although teachers should use their judgment carefully about which opportunities should be provided to expand their repertoire.

Interestingly, the research review only refers to marked work.

It suggests that one purpose of marking is to judge whole-school effectiveness.

Summative assessment should be infrequent so that it does not detriment delivering the curriculum.

Testing pupils is a useful learning activity which supports pupils in retaining knowledge in long-term memory.

In EYFS, effective assessment is centred on supportive, encouraging feedback. Excessive assessment should be avoided with more time given to providing opportunities to learn and play music. Careful observation of whole-class activities could be a useful alternative - such as identifying which children are able to clap in time, for example.

In KS1, KS2 and KS3, schools need to decide on their own assessment systems. Summative assessment should be done frugally otherwise assessment might drive the curriculum. Whole-school policies on assessment schedules which are one-size-fits-all can also increase the likelihood of this.

Teachers should pay attention to progression in each of the three pillars mentioned earlier. There are three further considerations regarding assessing progress:

Assessment at KS4 and KS5 should be focused formatively on components during earlier stages of learning, otherwise this could limit what students could learn.

Effective subject and school leadership drives a high-quality music education.

Providing sufficient curriculum time is the first step - the non-statutory DfE 'model music curriculum' suggests at least an hour a week.

The idiosyncracies of music education need to be taken into account - the quality of music education can be distorted by the imposition of ill-fitting whole school policies and schedules of assessment.

The wider school experience of music is more similar to PE than to most subjects, with experiences such as clubs, workshops and trips being important contributors to children developing a passion for music.

Good music departments often provide three learning environments:

In order to achieve this, music departments require flexible support from the school and its systems as they must be able to run lessons, ensembles and concerts with various size groupings and timings which conflict with other curriculum lessons or sit outside of normal school time.

There are significant financial implications of music education, particularly with ensuring equality of opportunity and social justice.

Teachers' CPD is an additional consideration for primary schools as well as the provision of support for many teachers who do not feel confident. Findings from research signal that CPD which focuses on teachers as musicians will be beneficial, as this develops their confidence and understanding of how to deliver quality musical education.

You can download a high-resolution version of this graphic by clicking the link below.

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A Summary of Ofsted's Music Research Review for Teachers and Leaders

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A summary of the Ofsted research report into effective music curriculum, teaching and learning. Useful for curriculum leaders and reading alongside the model music curriculum.

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This was requested by a teacher, so may be useful to more colleagues

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GYAN: Norfolk County Youth Orchestra Course

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GYAN: Norfolk County Youth Orchestra Course

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4th-7th April
Langley School, Norwich

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 GYAN: Guildhall Young Artists Workshops

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 GYAN: Guildhall Young Artists Workshops

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26th February & 19th March
City of Norwich School, Norwich

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4:15  – 5:15 pm,
2nd February 2022

Led by Mark Cardy (Head of Education Partnerships at Charanga)

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Mark Cardy (Head of Education Partnerships at Charanga) will host this online meeting to introduce you to the new Charanga Secondary Platform, which now includes:

Everyone Can Sing with Mark De -Lisser

VIP Studio Sessions

Music and the Modern World

Apps Suite

Subject to attendance to this introductory session, you will be given the opportunity to obtain a (Norfolk Music Hub supported) licence to access these new and exciting resources for the remainder of the academic year to trial in your educational setting.
Digital delivery.
Register to attend
(Login required)

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An Introduction to Charanga VIP (CPD) - Norfolk Music Hub

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Mark Cardy (Head of Education Partnerships at Charanga) will host this online meeting to introduce you to the new Charanga Secondary Platform, which now includes: Everyone Can Sing with Mark De -Lisser VIP Studio Sessions Music and the Modern World Apps Suite Subject to attendance to this introductory session, you will be given the opportunity to obtain a (Norfolk Music Hub supported) licence to access these new and exciting resources for the remainder of the academic year to trial in your educational setting.

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NMH: Ways to Compose and Improve Your Songs in Secondary School (CPD)

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NMH: Ways to Compose and Improve Your Songs in Secondary School (CPD)

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Online
4 – 5.15 pm, 19th January 2022
Led by Emily Barden, singer and songwriter

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Singer, songwriter and workshop leader Emily Barden will guide you through some practical ways to generate your own lyrics and melody, work with a chord sequence, explore song structures and offer methods for making more interesting melodies and more meaningful lyrics. The session will be run as if you are in the classroom with plenty of opportunities for contributions, idea sharing and questions.
More about Emily Barden
Emily trained at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) gaining a BA (Hons) Music specialising in singing and songwriting.

Emily currently works with a variety of organisations, including Sing Up, Trinity College, BrittenPears Arts, West Sussex Music and many Music Education Hubs around the country.

Emily leads several Community Choirs under the umbrella of West Sussex Sings, and provides vocal consultancy to schools and vocal groups. She runs workshops and courses for singers and composition and song-writing training sessions for teachers and people working with young people.
emilybarden.com Digital delivery.
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(Login required)

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Sing your Own Song: Ways to Compose and Improve Your Songs in Secondary School (CPD) - Norfolk Music Hub

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Singer, songwriter and workshop leader Emily Barden will guide you through some practical ways to generate your own lyrics and melody, work with a chord sequence, explore song structures and offer methods for making more interesting melodies and more meaningful lyrics.

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Getting Started: Ways to Teach and Assess BTEC Tech Award in Music Practice 2022

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Getting Started: Ways to Teach and Assess BTEC Tech Award in Music Practice 2022

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Online
16:00-18:00, 12 January 2022

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Getting Started: Ways to Teach and Assess BTEC Tech Award in Music Practice 2022

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Ofqual: Letter to schools - Advance information

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Ofqual: Letter to schools - Advance information

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Published: 9th December 2021

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I write to update you about the nature of the advance information, on the content of some GCSE, AS and A level exams, which the exam boards will be publishing by 7 February 2022.

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Guidance for schools/college: Awarding VTQs in 2021 and 2022

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Guidance for schools/college: Awarding VTQs in 2021 and 2022

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Published: 2nd December 2021

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About this document

This document is for those working in colleges, schools, training providers and other settings (or 'centres') where assessments for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and general qualifications other than GCSEs, AS and A levels, AEAs and project qualifications (or 'other general qualifications') are scheduled to take place in the academic year 2021 to 2022.

In this guidance we, as regulator, explain how VTQs and other general qualifications will be awarded this academic year. We outline what we expect from awarding organisations and what you and your students should expect to happen over the coming year.

Arrangements for awarding VTQs in the academic year 2021 to 2022

The government's intention is that exams and other formal assessments, including for VTQs and other general qualifications, will go ahead in the academic year 2021 to 2022. We have looked at how our regulations can help make this happen.

We know students taking exams and assessments this year may have already experienced significant disruption to their learning or work over the last year as a result of the pandemic. Your students may also need further support from you this year should the public health situation worsen and cause further disruption. Our regulations can help awarding organisations support you so your students can demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding in assessments, and in this way achieve their outcomes and progress to the next stage of their lives.

Qualifications can be adapted

To help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on students and their learning, we are continuing to allow awarding organisations to adapt their exams and other formal assessments for VTQs.

We require awarding organisations to continue to carefully balance mitigating the effects of the pandemic on teaching and learning with the need to ensure that results are fair, consistent and allow students to progress. For example, assessments may need to be adapted to free up time to focus on catch-up and teaching the remaining qualification content.

Ofqual has put in place a number of requirements that awarding organisations must follow when determining if their adaptations remain appropriate in the context of the 2021 to 2022 academic year. For example, we still expect that all content should be taught, as far as is feasible, so that students are as well-prepared as possible for progression to the next stage of their education, training, or employment.

To align with government policy, this year, we are no longer allowing awarding organisations to award results using alternative evidence such as teacher-assessed grades (TAGs). These were a necessary mitigation when exams and formal assessments could not take place.

We also expect awarding organisations to consider how making some adaptations now could make their VTQs more resilient if there is further disruption so that exams and other formal assessments could continue, as far as possible. We require awarding organisations to ensure, as far as possible, that the adaptations applied do not disadvantage, or advantage, students against their peers taking similar VTQs or, where relevant, GCSEs, AS and A levels.

Ofqual continues to work closely with awarding organisations, as we have done throughout the pandemic, so that awarding organisations provide colleges, training providers and schools with clear information in a timely manner to enable them to implement the adaptations fairly and consistently. In turn, we expect awarding organisations to continue to work collaboratively together and with centres, professional organisations and sector bodies in ensuring their approaches to awarding make sure that students completing these qualifications this year have the knowledge and skills employers expect.

There is a range of different qualification structures and assessment methods used in VTQs. As last year, we expect awarding organisations offering similar qualifications to continue to work with each other to ensure consistency is maintained where possible and appropriate. Awarding organisations will have different approaches, because of the variety of assessment methods, structures, and purposes of VTQs. Awarding organisations are best placed to understand the kinds of adaptation that work best for their qualifications and meet the needs of the students that take them so where there are differences, this is for a good reason.

The Conditions, requirements and guidance setting out our regulatory requirements for awarding organisations offering VTQs and other general qualifications affected by the coronavirus pandemic this year are set out in the Vocational and Technical Qualifications Contingency Regulatory Framework (the VCRF).

As in any other year it is important to us that:

results secure public confidence so teachers and employers can be confident this year's results will reflect what students know, understand, and can do, and students can progress to the next stage of their lives

students receiving VTQ and other general qualification results this year are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged compared to students studying for GCSEs, AS and A levels

What this means for you

Your awarding organisation should have provided you with the information you need to support you in implementing their adaptations. They should also provide you with details of the arrangements that will need to be made for any students who need reasonable adjustments.

This year, awarding organisations are likely to ask you for more information about which learners are planning to take assessments, when they plan to take them and when they are likely to award certificates. You might find it helpful to start capturing this information as early as possible.

If you ordinarily choose to deliver modular qualifications with assessments at the end of the course, you should consider whether that is appropriate this year. You might decide to run assessments throughout the year instead.

If you want to change the timing or delivery of assessments, then contact your awarding organisation to make sure this is done in the right way.

Arrangements for continuing students

Students who completed some of their exams or formal assessments in either the 2019 to 2020 or the 2020 to 2021 academic years, and who will complete the remainder of their qualification this academic year or in the future, are able to carry forward any results they have achieved so far. This applies whether the result was awarded using an adapted assessment or through use of alternative sources of evidence, such as TAGs.

In the same way, students starting new programmes of study this year will be able to carry the results of their adapted assessments forward. Arrangements for 2022 to 2023 have not been confirmed yet.

What this means for you

To make sure these arrangements are as manageable as possible for centres, many awarding organisations may use their normal quality assurance policies and procedures, however arrangements may be adapted to reflect current public health advice. On-site visits, for example, may be adapted to remote or virtual visits. Your awarding organisation will tell you what to expect.

Performance table qualifications

Awarding organisations must take account of the Department for Education's technical guidance when developing their approach to adaptation for VTQs approved for inclusion in performance tables. Where it is possible to do so, we expect awarding organisations to use similar approaches to adaptation for other qualifications at the same level leading to similar progression opportunities.

Assessments can be reduced, as is possible for VTQs that are not included in performance tables, but we expect that all of the qualification content should be taught where this is possible and the number of guided learning hours for each qualification should remain the same.

What this means for you

If you ordinarily choose to deliver performance table qualifications with assessments at the end of the course, you should consider whether that is appropriate this year. You might decide to run assessments throughout the year instead.

You should consider the Department for Education's decision not to limit the number of resits that are permitted for qualifications listed in performance tables. This means you can choose to assess earlier, without putting your students at a disadvantage.

If you want to change the timing or delivery of assessments, then contact your awarding organisation to make sure this is done in the right way.

T Levels

The arrangements for the Technical Qualifications of T Levels are in line with other VTQs. This means that the core and occupational specialism components exams and assessments should go ahead in 2021 to 2022. In the case of further significant disruption, the Department for Education may permit adaptations to content and or delivery of assessments where appropriate.

Functional Skills qualifications

As with other VTQs, we expect all Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) assessments to go ahead in 2021 to 2022 and the full subject content to be taught across all levels.

Our expectation is that awarding organisations will continue to put in place adaptations relating to the delivery of FSQ assessments where necessary. Awarding organisations have put in place a range of approaches to give students as much opportunity as possible to take assessments. Some examples include:

changes to invigilation arrangements, including remote invigilation and remote assessment of the speaking, listening and communicating component

additional flexibility for exam dates and windows for assessments

additional guidance about the distribution and collection of papers, for example collation of scripts after students have left exam rooms, quarantining papers before and after use, and extended timescales to return scripts after exams

adaptations to guidance for individuals involved in examination delivery, for example invigilators, readers and or scribes

What this means for you

You should contact your awarding organisation to find out more about the arrangements they have put in place. The table below shows the range of assessment options for FSQs offered by each awarding organisation.

Awarding organisation

Remote invigilation

On-screen or computer based

Paper based

Awarding organisation provided test centre

Apprenticeship end-point assessments

The flexibilities for the assessment of apprenticeships are being overseen by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and are not covered by the VCRF.

Monitoring the public health situation and contingency planning

It is possible that further disruption may occur over the course of 2021 to 2022. Even if some public health restrictions were to be needed over the next academic year, it should still be possible for students to take exams and formal assessments safely. If there is further disruption, we would ask awarding organisations to consider whether further adaptations to their qualifications are necessary and possible.

We need to have contingency plans in place for the event that students cannot sit exams and formal assessments.

If the government decides that exams and formal assessments cannot take place in the summer then as in 2021, it is possible that VTQs and other general qualifications may be awarded through TAGs. GCSEs and A levels may also be awarded through TAGs. The evidence for TAGs is likely to come from the assessments your students have already taken during the year or other work. Many VTQs are modular and designed so that assessments can take place throughout the year. This means it is unlikely that there will be any additional assessments to inform the TAG.

You can find more information about contingency arrangements in the Department for Education's contingency guidance for vocational and technical qualifications.

What this means for you

If you ordinarily choose to deliver modular qualifications with assessment at the end of a course, you may wish to consider whether that is appropriate this year. You might decide to run assessments throughout the year instead.

If you want to change the timing or delivery of assessments, then contact your awarding organisation to make sure this is done in the right way.

Results

Approaches to awarding may differ between awarding organisations. This will depend on how the qualification is assessed and was assessed in summer 2021 and or summer 2020. Some qualification will have standards aligned to those of similar subjects in GCSEs and A Levels. Some VTQs saw an increase in outcomes and higher grades during the pandemic, but that was not the case for others. Awarding organisations will take all these factors into account, to ensure learners get fair results.

Most results will continue to be issued to normal timescales. Roll-on roll-off qualifications, and those not tied to an academic year, will continue to be awarded throughout the year.

Where VTQ results are used to support progression to further or higher education, results should be awarded on or before the following dates:

18 August 2022 for level 3 qualifications

25 August 2022 for level 2 qualifications

This is in line with A level and GCSE results days and ensures that students wishing to progress onto further or higher education are not disadvantaged compared to students taking A levels or GCSEs.

What this means for you

Your awarding organisations will confirm their results days.

The results of roll-on roll-off qualifications will continue be awarded in line with current timescales.

You should receive results data in good time to allow you to prepare for the distribution of results on the correct days.

Please ensure that you have the right people and resources available at your centre who can respond to queries from students, queries from the awarding organisation, and help prepare for the distribution of results.

Appeals

Awarding organisation appeals processes will be the same as any other year. Awarding organisations are still required to consider appeals for students whose results were based on alternative evidence such as TAGs. For more information, please contact your awarding organisation.

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Guidance for centres: awarding VTQs in 2021 and 2022

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This document is for those working in colleges, schools, training providers and other settings (or 'centres') where assessments for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and general qualifications other than GCSEs, AS and A levels, AEAs and project qualifications (or 'other general qualifications') are scheduled to take place in the academic year 2021 to 2022.

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NMH: Recording opportunity for singer/songwriter and small bands

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NMH: Recording opportunity for singer/songwriter and small bands

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Closing Date: 3rd December 2021

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Recording opportunity for singer/songwriter and small bands - Norfolk Music Hub

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Calling all talented singer/songwriters or members of a band with an interest in recording in a professional recording studio! We are delighted to offer young people under the age of 18 living in Norfolk the opportunity to experience working in a professional recording studio alongside a sound engineer.

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Ongoing

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The Set The Tone project is excited to launch the next phase of their contemporary music strategy to support young 'up and coming' unsigned musicians in Norfolk!

Fortnightly, commencing on Friday 17th September at 5pm, we will be introducing you to a new original track and finding out a little more about the singer/songwriters behind the tracks.

Track of the week: 26 November 2021

Kitty-May Hayes

Biography: I'm a singer-songwriter from the Norwich area and my inspirations are nature, dreams and the magical place between being awake and asleep. Missing Piece is my first single and I got to record it as part of the New Rock project for unsigned artists. I regularly play with my duo, Lovely Boy, across Norfolk and Suffolk and we appeared at Latitude and Wild Paths festivals in 2021. I'm currently working on an EP with Gavin at Catch 21 records and am planning to do the artist development course at Access to Music next year.

Name of track: 'Missing Piece'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/11/kitty-may-real-drums.mp3

Track of the week: 12 November 2021

Lydia - LFAY

Biography: Vocalist and Lyricist from Norfolk. My music taste varies from jungle to jazz to hiphop. From rap to soulful vocals I like to experiment.

Name of track: 'Clouds'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/11/03.-CLOUDS-RADIO-EDIT.wav

Track of the week: 29 October 2021

Kim - Miko The Reaper

Biography: 'The Hearts of Two Men' is about a homosexual relationship in which where they live it is illegal and the penalty is a death sentence. One person has been found out and the other hasn't.

Name of track: 'The Hearts of Two Men'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/11/Kim.mp3

Track of the week: 15 October 2021

Reece Dawson - Fluffzy

Biography: My name is Reece but everyone calls me Chase. I'm 18 years old and love producing and would love to DJ some day.

I started playing around with producing at the age of 12, playing with samples and creating some tracks with them. Over time, I started gaining more knowledge, learning how to use effects and different plugins to create my own sounds, and creating my own original tracks.

I now aspire to keep producing and some day, bring my music to gigs and festivals and enjoy the experience.

Name of track: 'Kamaitachi'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/10/Kamaitachi.wav

Track of the week: 1 October 2021

Biography: I'm a 14 year old singer songwriter.

I've played a few gigs around Norfolk and Suffolk this year. I've also been doing musical theatre since I was really young

Name of track: ' Cola'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/10/Cola-RONAN.wav

Track of the week: 17 September 2021

Biography: My name is Tyler Nathaniel and I'm an independent musician and producer. I play piano, guitar, and bass, although I often experiment with vocals and other unorthodox instruments. I am currently studying music production at Access Creative College.

I have been musical since age 4 and I played my first gig at age 10. Music is my life - I make it everyday and have done for years. I aspire to release as many albums as I possibly can, and to inspire others with my music.

I have recorded, produced and released 4 albums so far, all from my studio at home. 'Alive' was the first single to my latest album 'Distance' released in June, and has already received extensive radioplay on Future Radio, as well as winning the Access Creative Norwich award for best song

Name of track: ' Alive'

https://www.norfolkmusichub.org.uk/files/2021/09/Tyler-6.-alive-postmaster3-1-1.mp3
<< Back to Set The Tone Track Of The Week

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Set the Tone - Listen to our Track of the Week! - Norfolk Music Hub

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The Set The Tone project is excited to launch the next phase of their contemporary music strategy to support young 'up and coming' unsigned musicians in Norfolk! Fortnightly, commencing on Friday 17th September at 5pm, we will be introducing you to a new original track and finding out a little more about the singer/songwriters behind the tracks.

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NMH: Edexcel and BTEC Secondary support 

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NMH: Edexcel and BTEC Secondary support 

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16:00-17:00
11th January 2022
Online
Led by Jeffrey Hole (subject advisor for Pearson Music and Music Tech including Edexcel and BTEC)

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Secondary support for Edexcel and BTEC (CPD) - Norfolk Music Hub

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Event Details Date: 11th January 2022 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Categories: CPD Jeffrey Hole (subject advisor for Pearson Music and Music Tech including Edexcel and BTEC) will be joining

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DfE: Guidance for schools/colleges on contingency arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2022

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DfE: Guidance for schools/colleges on contingency arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2022

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Published: 11th November 2021

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Arrangements for exams and non-exam assessments for students taking qualifications in summer 2022.

Details

The government is clear that students entering GCSEs, AS or A levels in 2022 should expect to take exams in the summer and complete any non-exam assessments in the usual way throughout the year.

In recognition of the fact that students' education has been disrupted by the pandemic, they will be given extra help to prepare for their exams, as detailed in this publication.

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Guidance on contingency arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels in summer 2022

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Arrangements for exams and non-exam assessments for students taking qualifications in summer 2022.

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DfE: Contingency arrangement for awarding qualifications in summer 2022

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DfE: Contingency arrangement for awarding qualifications in summer 2022

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Updated: 11th November 2021

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Contingency arrangements: GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA

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Consultation proposals for contingency arrangements for the award of GCSE, AS, A level, Project and AEA qualifications in 2022.

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Pearson Edexcel: GSCE Music - NEW Summer 2022 exam series weightings

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Pearson Edexcel: GSCE Music - NEW Summer 2022 exam series weightings

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Published: 6th October 2021

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JCQ: Advance Information for Qualifications in 2022

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JCQ: Advance Information for Qualifications in 2022

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Pearson: BTEC Tech Awards Assessment adaptation for 2022 guidance

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Pearson: BTEC Tech Awards Assessment adaptation for 2022 guidance

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Pearson Edexcel: GCSE and A-level Music - changes for 2022

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Pearson Edexcel: GCSE and A-level Music - changes for 2022

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Read the latest information about Non-examined Assessment in Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music, A level Music, AS level Music Technology and A level Music Technology.

Read more

Following the outcome of the recent Ofqual Consultation on arrangements for non-exam assessment and fieldwork requirements for students entering qualifications in 2022, Ofqual has confirmed that the changes made to the 2021 series NEA components will be carried forward onto the Summer 2022 series.

We can now confirm how we will approach these requirements for GCSE Music, A level Music, AS level Music Technology and A level Music Technology.

Subject advisor

Jeffery Hole

Music and Music Technology

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Read the latest information about Non-examined Assessment in Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music, A level Music, AS level Music Technology and A level Music Technology. Read more Following the outcome of the recent Ofqual Consultation on arrangements for non-exam assessment and fieldwork requirements for students entering qualifications in 2022, Ofqual has confirmed that the changes made to the 2021 series NEA components will be carried forward onto the Summer 2022 series.

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All our training events will be delivered under the UK time zones, Greenwich Meantime (GMT) for all events taking place before 28 March 2021, and British Summer Time (BST) for events between 28 March to 31 October 2021.

In addition to our live online training offer below, we have a selection of on-demand, and self-guided training which we hope you will find useful. Customers also have the option to request paid for centre-based online training, please see the relevant pages on the ribbon above for further details.

If you find that the booking registration is already closed for an event that you wish to attend, please continue to register your details, as this will allow you to be added to the waiting list. We will then contact you, if a place becomes available.

Please download our terms and conditions for more detail.

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All our training events will be delivered under the UK time zones, Greenwich Meantime (GMT) for all events taking place before 28 March 2021, and British Summer Time (BST) for events between 28 March to 31 October 2021.

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Browse the menu above or search our site to find the information you need.

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Students taking Media Studies qualifications in summer 2022 will be able to submit prototypes or mock-ups, with supporting evidence, of their NEA production. Students can still submit completed NEA productions where they are able to. For full details, please see the Changes for 2022 pages on the Media Studies qualification pages:

Music

GCSE Music (9-1) J536

The Practical Component (03/04) will be removed.

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

There will be no change to the written paper Listening and Appraising.

A Level Music H543

For Performing, the minimum number of pieces required will be reduced:

for Performing A (01) only one piece will be required (instead of two)

for Performing B (02) only two pieces will be required (instead of three).

The composition to an OCR-set brief will not be required for Composing A and B (03 and 04).

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

There will be no change to the written paper Listening and Appraising.

AS Level Music H143

The minimum number of pieces required for Performing (01) will be one (instead of two).

The composition to an OCR-set brief will not be required for Composing (02).

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

There will be no change to the written paper Listening and Appraising.

NEA arrangements for Music

GCSE Music (9-1) J536

The Practical Component (03/04) will be removed.

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

There will be no change to the written paper Listening and Appraising.

For full details, please see the Changes for 2022page on the Music qualification page.

A Level Music H543

For Performing, the minimum number of pieces required will be reduced:

for Performing A (01) only one piece will be required (instead of two)

for Performing B (02) only two pieces will be required (instead of three).

The composition to an OCR-set brief will not be required for Composing A and B (03 and 04).

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

For full details, please see the Changes for 2022 page on the Music qualification page.

AS Level Music H143

The minimum number of pieces required for Performing (01) will be one (instead of two).

The composition to an OCR-set brief will not be required for Composing (02).

The minimum duration for performances and compositions will be reduced.

For full details, please see the Changes for 2022 page on the Music qualification page.

Physical Education

GCSE Physical Education (9-1) J587

Students taking GCSE Physical Education in summer 2022 will only need to be assessed in two activities. Both activities must be from the approved list of sports.

Students can do:

two individual activities or

two team activities or

one individual activity and one team activity

It is our intention that visiting moderation should be our method of moderation in 2022, but we will confirm more details shortly.

The examined components will remain unchanged.

AS and A Level Physical Education H155/H555

It is our intention that visiting moderation should be our method of moderation in 2022, but we will confirm more details shortly.

The examined components will remain unchanged.

Sciences

GCSE Science Suite A and Suite B

Gateway J247, J248, J249, J250

Twenty First Century Science J257, J258, J259, J260

We would encourage centres to make available hands on practical activities for their students where possible. If students cannot carry out practical science activities, they can observe a demonstration and/or simulation to cover the apparatus and techniques required. This can be carried out by a teacher or remotely, for example by watching a demonstration online or a video.

A minimum of 15% of the marks on the exam papers will still test the apparatus and techniques covered by the practical activity groups (PAGs).

A revised equation sheet, showing all relevant physics equations for GCSE Physics and GCSE Combined Science examinations, will be provided for exams. These will also be made available prior to the exams.

The content of the written examinations will remain the same. However, prior to the examinations, advance information will be provided about the content of the exams to allow students to direct their revision.

A Level Biology A (H420); A Level Biology B (H422); A Level Chemistry A (H432); A Level Chemistry B (H433); A Level Physics A (H556); A Level Physics B (H557)

The content of the written examinations will remain the same. However, prior to the examinations, advance information will be provided about the content of the exams, to allow students to direct their revision.

If possible, you should still aim to cover all of the 1.2.1 practical skills, 1.2.2 apparatus and techniques, and the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC). A minimum of 15% of marks in the written examinations will still cover indirect assessment of practical skills.

We understand that your centre's circumstances may impact on your ability to meet the usual requirements for the practical endorsement. In such cases, students can still be awarded the endorsement if they have demonstrated competence in all of the CPAC and the 1.2.1 criteria, even if they haven't completed the usual minimum requirement of 12 practicals.

Centres must still submit an OCR NEA Centre Declaration Form.

All monitoring during the 2021/22 academic year will be carried out remotely until further notice. Remote monitoring will not include a lesson observation but teacher records and student work will still need to be inspected.

AS Level Biology A (H020); AS Level Biology B (H022); AS Level Chemistry A (H032); AS Level Chemistry B (H033); AS Level Physics A (H156); AS Level Physics B (H157)

The content of the written examinations will remain the same. However, prior to the examinations, advance information will be provided about the content of the exams, to allow students to direct their revision.

For students who are on an AS only pathway, sitting AS examinations in Summer 2022 and not progressing to A Level: if they are unable to carry out practical science work, they are able to observe a demonstration and/or simulation carried out by a teacher or remotely (for example by watching a demonstration online or a video).

Students who are completing an AS Level as the first year of the two-year A Level course will still be expected to meet the full A Level Practical Endorsement requirements before examinations in June 2023.

A minimum of 15% of the marks in the written examinations will still cover indirect assessment of practical skills.

If you have any queries about this update, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998.

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Summer 2022 arrangements for AS, A Level and GCSE qualifications

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Students taking Media Studies qualifications in summer 2022 will be able to submit prototypes or mock-ups, with supporting evidence, of their NEA production. Students can still submit completed NEA productions where they are able to. For full details, please see the Changes for 2022 pages on the Media Studies qualification pages: GCSE Music (9-1) J536 The Practical Component (03/04) will be removed.

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AQA Update - Using November Papers as Mocks

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AQA Update - Using November Papers as Mocks

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GYAN: STRING MASTERCLASS WITH CHRISTOPHER GEORGE AND HANNAH PEROWNE 

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GYAN: STRING MASTERCLASS WITH CHRISTOPHER GEORGE AND HANNAH PEROWNE 

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To participate applicants should be around Grade 8 standard.
Saturday 16th October 10am – 12pm

City of Norwich School, Norwich
Don’t miss the opportunity to work with two highly acclaimed performers in a class aimed to inspire, support and inform young string players…Christopher George “… a first class musician of wide experience who is helping orchestras to play wonderfully well.” — Sir Roger Norrington

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One Page Summary of changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022

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One Page Summary of changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022

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Ofqual: Consultation Outcome for Changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022

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Ofqual: Consultation Outcome for Changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022

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This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

Detail of outcome

In summary, these decisions mean that for summer 2022:

There will be optional topics and content in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and geography. Ofqual will require exam boards to change how they assess these subjects to reflect the expected changes to the way the subject content is assessed, as proposed in the consultation.

Centres will be allowed to deliver practical work in GCSE biology, chemistry, physics, combined science, geology and astronomy, AS level biology, chemistry, physics and geology, and AS and A level environmental science by demonstration. We would encourage centres to continue to make available hands-on practical activities for their students wherever possible. This does not require changes to the assessment arrangements that the exam boards have in place for each of these specifications.

Centres will be allowed to assess the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC) across the minimum number of practical activities required to enable students to demonstrate their competence in A level biology, chemistry, physics and geology.

Exam boards can carry out remote monitoring of centres' application of the CPAC.

Students taking GCSE, AS and A level art and design will be assessed on their portfolio only.

Exam boards will provide advance information about the focus of the content of the exams for all GCSE, AS and A level subjects (except GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and geography) for the summer 2022 exams. The advance information will meet the principles set out in the consultation document.

The policy intention of providing advance information is that it will support students' revision. Therefore, the DfE has confirmed that advance information will be provided by 7 February 2022 at the latest. This will enable teachers to plan to adapt their teaching in the second half of the spring term if necessary. DfE has also decided to retain the flexibility for advance information to be deployed at other points ahead of 7 February 2022 if circumstances require. At least a week's notice will be given if it is decided that advance information will be released earlier than 7 February 2022.

Students will be given a formulae sheet for GCSE mathematics in summer 2022. Exam boards will provide copies of the formulae sheet for use in teaching and to ensure that students are familiar with it prior to the exams. Clean copies of the formulae sheet will be provided in the exams.

Students will be given a revised equation sheet for GCSE physics and combined science in summer 2022, covering all the equations required in the subject content. Exam boards will provide copies of the equation sheet for use in teaching and to ensure that students are familiar with it prior to the exams. Clean copies of the equation sheet will be provided in the exams.

Feedback received

Detail of feedback received

The consultation was available online for 21 days and received 6,725 responses. It gathered views on the following proposals:

choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and choice of content in GCSE geography

changes to the requirements for the delivery of practical activities in science subjects, and assessment in art and design

the provision of advance information on the focus of the content of exams, in the majority of subjects at GCSE, AS and A level

the provision of support materials in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams

Several themes were suggested by respondents across multiple questions. To avoid duplicating analysis, these themes are summarised below.

First, many respondents emphasised that proposed changes to summer 2022 exams and assessments needed to be announced as soon as possible to provide staff sufficient time to plan (adjusting curriculums and mock exam materials and so on). Reasons provided by respondents included the fact that last-minute announcements would increase workloads and place additional pressure on students and teachers. In addition, respondents mentioned that earlier announcements would allow students more time to familiarise themselves with additional materials (such as revised equation sheets).

Second, some respondents noted the variation in students' experiences regarding remote learning over the past two years, with some schools and colleges facing more frequent lockdowns and self-isolation events than others, and that this should be taken into account in any proposed change. Similarly, respondents brought up the concept of a "level playing field" for students and expressed concerns over proposals where, in their opinion, some students or schools and colleges may be disadvantaged relative to others.

Third, respondents suggested several modifications for exams, including lengthening the time students had to complete the exam, dividing exams into shorter papers, allowing students to choose topics to respond to on the day of the exam or reducing the number of exam papers students had to complete. In particular, some respondents stated they had faced difficulties in covering the specification during remote learning, and reducing the number of exam papers or allowing students to choose topics would reduce pressure on students caused by missed learning time. Respondents also mentioned that the subject content across many GCSE, AS and A level subjects should be reduced.

Fourth, some respondents expressed concern that the DfE and Ofqual's proposed changes were limited to a specific set of qualifications, in particular the absence of modifications to A Level subjects compared to equivalent GCSE subjects.

Fifth, many respondents generally agreed with proposals to carry over changes proposed in previous consultations in 2020 and 2021, as consistency would reduce the amount of time teachers and other staff would need to prepare for the upcoming year.

Sixth, a number of respondents who disagreed with proposals on choice of topic/content or advance information believed that these proposals would lead to grade inflation for certain students. Because these proposals would narrow the focus of exams (compared to the full specification), in their view the proposals would advantage students with resources for external tutors. As a result, proposals to provide choice of topic/content or advance information would make it difficult to differentiate between "good" and "excellent" students.

Finally, a small proportion of respondents across all respondent types called for exams to be cancelled and students to be assigned teacher assessed grades (as in summer 2021). Alternatively, respondents proposed that no modifications be made to exams and assessments in summer 2022 (compared to before the pandemic) and instead grade boundaries should be adjusted to account for varying difficulties of exams due to lost learning time.

Original consultation

Summary

A joint consultation published by Ofqual and the Department for Education on proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

This joint consultation by the Department for Education and Ofqual invites your views on proposed adaptations to the assessment of GCSEs and GCE AS and A levels for students in England taking exams in summer 2022. A separate but related consultation on proposed changes to assessments for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) in the 2021 to 2022 academic year is taking place.

These proposals are made in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted education during the current (2020 to 2021) and previous (2019 to 2020) academic years. This consultation covers the arrangements for exams and assessments to be taken in summer 2022 in light of this disruption and uncertainty about the continuing impact of the pandemic over the coming academic year.

The proposals take account of the responses Ofqual received to its consultations on qualifications in July and December 2020, as well as more recent discussions with stakeholders. The proposals are in addition to the changes to non-exam assessment (NEA) and fieldwork requirements for summer 2022 which were confirmed by Ofqual on 16 June following consultation.

This consultation proposes a package of measures to help mitigate the impact of disruption to students' education, and seeks views on proposals on the following areas:

choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history and choice of content in GCSE geography

changes to the requirements for the delivery of practical activities in science subjects, and assessment in art and design

the provision of advance information on the focus of the content of exams, in the majority of subjects at GCSE, AS and A level

the provision of support materials in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams

Documents

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Proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022

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A joint consultation published by Ofqual and the Department for Education on proposed changes to the assessment of GCSEs, AS and A levels in 2022.

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Pearson: My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow - Creative Competition

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Pearson: My Twist on a Tale: Our Tomorrow - Creative Competition

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Closing Date: Friday 26 November 2021

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What does 'Our Tomorrow' entail?

Storytellers can explore whatever themes are important to them, be that family, climate, inclusion, technology, space exploration or beyond...

What do I need to know?

To expand the scope for children and young people even further than previous years, the 2021 competition welcomes creative non-fiction entries in addition to stories and poems.

The winners will not only receive a prize but also see their works published as an illustrated collection for all to read, as well as in a selection of audio stories too!

Stories can be submitted until 5pm on Friday 26 November.
Download your entry pack - and get writing!

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My Twist on a Tale competition | Pearson UK

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Storytellers can explore whatever themes are important to them, be that family, climate, inclusion, technology, space exploration or beyond... To expand the scope for children and young people even further than previous years, the 2021 competition welcomes creative non-fiction entries in addition to stories and poems. The winners will not only receive a prize but also see their works published as an illustrated collection for all to read, as well as in a selection of audio stories too!

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MM: Annual Conference 2021 - Online & F2F

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MM: Annual Conference 2021 - Online & F2F

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Brighton & Online
2nd & 3rd December 2021

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We are so pleased to announce our 2021 Annual Conference will take place as a hybrid event this year, with our live conference taking place on 2nd - 3rd December 2021 at the Hilton Metropole in Brighton, and our virtual conference microsite going live on 25th November until January.

Early Bird tickets are now available to buy via the booking form below until 1st October, when general release tickets will go on sale with a 10% price increase. Book your Early Bird tickets here.

Fast Forward: Technology and Music Education

The theme for this year is Technology And Music Education. Technology is a key element of all aspects of music education - as an instrument, as a learning and teaching tool, as well as supporting administration and communication. With this theme we will explore how to take advantage and harness the power of technology to support and enhance the work of a 21 st Century Music Education sector.
Watch this video message from our CEO, Bridget Whyte
After running our first ever digital conference in 2020, this year's event will incorporate some of our favourite digital elements, such as the Virtual Exhibition, On Demand videos, and the ability for delegates to attend virtually, into the traditional conference format.
Read more about our 2020 digital conference and watch our short highlight video.
Whilst allowing greater flexibility and accessibility with these virtual elements, after a year of on-screen meetings, teaching, and events, we and many of our members are very much looking forward to reuniting in person in Brighton, and meeting some new faces.

This year's Annual Conference will be hosted by BISHI - singer, electronic rock-sitarist, composer, producer, and performer. As a multi-instrumentalist, she has been trained in both Hindustani and Western Classical styles and studied the sitar under Gaurav Mazumdar, a senior disciple of Ravi Shankar.

BISHI is also the founder of WITCiH: The Women in Technology Creative Industries Hub, a platform elevating Womxn in Tech, giving her a unique perspective on our conference exploring technology and music education. As a passionate advocate for inclusivity in the music industry & the gender equality of women in tech, we are so thrilled that BISHI will be taking part in this year's annual conference as host and keynote speaker.
You can find out more about BISHI and her work here.
Are you a Corporate Partner of Music Mark? For this year's hybrid event, we are looking forward to welcoming back exhibitors in person at our exhibition space in Brighton, as well as on our Virtual Conference platform once more.

Showcase your brand and connect with our delegates across the music education network both virtually ('2D') and in person ('3D') with our sponsorship packages and exhibition opportunities, now available to book. Find out more about this year's exhibition and sponsorship opportunities here.

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Music Mark Annual Conference 2021 | Music Mark

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We are pleased to announce our 2021 Annual Conference will take place as a hybrid event this year at the Hilton Metropole in Brighton on 2nd - 3rd December, with our virtual conference platform going live on 25th November until January. Early Bird tickets are now available to book.

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Music Mark is a membership association for music education, working to support continual improvement in the music education sector.

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Pearson: BTEC qualifications Streamlined Internal Assessment 2021/2022

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Pearson: BTEC qualifications Streamlined Internal Assessment 2021/2022

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Published: 8th September 2021

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Pearson: NEW webpage for Vocational Qualifications for Teaching, learning and assessment 2021/2022

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Pearson: NEW webpage for Vocational Qualifications for Teaching, learning and assessment 2021/2022

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PLEASE NOTE: All BTEC external assessments for 2021/22 are expected to go ahead.

We released our draft exam timetables, and many centres fed-back their preference for the January series to commence one week later (from Wednesday 12 January).

In light of this, we are working quickly to review our January timetables to accommodate this later start. Please note this means results day will move to Wednesday 23 March.

We are also reviewing our February (Tech Award) timetables to also commence a week later (from Monday 7 February) with results day moving to Wednesday 6 April.

All January and February external assessment timetables will be finalised and published during the week commencing Monday 6 September.

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Teaching, learning and assessment 2021/2022

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PLEASE NOTE: All BTEC external assessments for 2021/22 are expected to go ahead. We released our draft exam timetables, and many centres fed-back their preference for the January series to commence one week later (from Wednesday 12 January). In light of this, we are working quickly to review our January timetables to accommodate this later start.

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Ofsted: New Inspection Handbook for Sep 21

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Ofsted: New Inspection Handbook for Sep 21

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Updated 27th August 2021

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Ofsted guidance on inspecting maintained schools and academies in England under the education inspection framework.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

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Ofsted guidance on inspecting maintained schools and academies in England under the education inspection framework.

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Published: 6th August 2021

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Published: 6th August 2021

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In this consultation, the Department for Education (the Department) has written Part A (arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022) and Ofqual has written Part B (regulatory arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022). This division reflects the key roles and responsibilities of the 2 organisations. The 2 parts of the consultation are linked - the policy position in Part A informs the approach taken in Part B.

Foreword

The government's intention is that exams and assessments will take place in the academic year 2021 to 2022. This is because assessments and exams continue to be the fairest way for students to evidence what they know, all other things being equal.

We recognise that the impact of what has been experienced since March 2020 must not be ignored and students and teachers are at the heart of our considerations.

When undertaking a qualification, a student is setting out on a journey of development, with an aim of gaining skills or improving what they know and can do. The impact of the pandemic, and the measures needed to manage it, mean that many students - whether they are studying at college, in the community, through a training provider, or as part of their employment - have not had the tuition or education they might otherwise have expected. Other aspects of their lives may also have been disrupted.

The period since March 2020 has also been challenging for the teachers and trainers who support students, and for the colleges, training providers and employers who facilitate and administer their qualifications. They have demonstrated great commitment, resilience and flexibility as they have worked to ensure that their students are awarded the grades they deserve. These challenges, and the efforts required to address them, must also be borne in mind when considering the approach to assessing and awarding qualifications in 2021 to 2022.

Awarding organisations have also had to respond to the range of issues and challenges arising from the pandemic. They have worked with employers and providers to deliver and certificate qualifications that have met both their and students' needs. Awarding organisations have adapted qualifications where appropriate. Many have increased their provision of remote invigilation and remote assessment, and have adopted new models of quality assurance.

We know that there is a need for clarity on the approach to assessing and awarding qualifications in the academic year 2021 to 2022 in line with the government's intention.

In this joint consultation we set out the arrangements for assessing and awarding VTQs and other general qualifications in the academic year 2021 to 2022. These proposals are made in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has resulted in disruption to education during the current (2020 to 2021) and previous (2019 to 2020) academic years. Arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels are being consulted on in parallel.

In Part A of this consultation, the Department sets out its policy position and the scope of adaptations to assessments and qualifications that may be necessary to address the ongoing impact of the pandemic in the academic year 2021 to 2022. The Department is consulting on the equalities impacts of this policy.

In Part B of this consultation, Ofqual sets out the changes to its regulatory arrangements to implement the Department's policy position, as set out in Part A of this consultation. Ofqual is consulting on the impact of changing the categorisation of qualifications in its regulatory framework and on minor updates to the drafting of that framework to reflect the context of academic year 2021 to 2022. This will permit awarding organisations to continue to make adaptations to their qualifications and assessments.

Ofqual and the Department want to hear the views of students of all types of assessments and external exams, their employers, parents and carers, their teachers and trainers, college and school leaders and others who have an interest, including further and higher education providers.

We look forward to your views.

Proposals at a glance

The government's intention is that exams and assessments for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and other general qualifications will go ahead in the academic year 2021 to 2022.

The government recognises, however, that students who will be taking exams and assessments have experienced significant disruption to their education and that these students may also need continued support in the face of any further disruption.

This is a joint consultation by the Department for Education (the Department) and Ofqual. It sets out the scope of the adaptations to assessments and qualifications that the Department considers may be necessary and appropriate to address the ongoing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It also sets out the small number of changes necessary to Ofqual's regulatory arrangements to permit awarding organisations to make those adaptations.

Audience

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representations but may be of particular interest to:

students and apprentices who are expecting to sit assessments and/or be awarded a vocational or technical qualification, or other general qualification, in 2021 and 2022

the family, parents or carers of these students

teachers, tutors, exam staff and other representatives from schools, colleges, training providers, apprenticeship providers, and other places where the relevant qualifications are delivered

the awarding organisations regulated by Ofqual, and their representative bodies

higher education institutions, further education colleges and training providers that may be making offers to students for future academic years

education representative bodies

employers who might be receiving job applications from students taking these qualifications, or who might already employ these students

professional bodies, regulators and industry groups

Duration

This consultation will be open for 2 weeks starting on 12 July 2021 and ending on 26 July 2021 at 23:45. We have set the length of this consultation so that decisions can be announced before the start of the next academic year, giving students, teachers and awarding organisations time to adapt their qualifications and assessments for 2021 to 2022 academic year.

Respond

Please respond to this consultation by completing the online response form.

For information on how we will use and manage your data, please see Annex A: Your data.

Introduction

We recognise that schools, colleges, training providers and their students, together with awarding organisations, are currently focused on teaching, delivering exams and assessments, and progressing teacher-assessed grades (TAGs). We know there is a need for clarity on the approach to assessing and awarding qualifications in line with the government's intention that exams and assessments for vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and other general qualifications will go ahead in the academic year 2021 to 2022.

In Part A of this consultation, the Department for Education (the Department) sets out its policy position and scope of adaptations to assessments and qualifications that may be necessary to address the ongoing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the academic year 2021 to 2022. The Department is consulting on the equalities impacts of this policy.

In Part B of this consultation, Ofqual sets out the changes to its regulatory arrangements to implement the Department's policy position, as set out in Part A of this consultation.

In March 2021, in response to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the government's decision that it was not viable for some exams and assessments to take place, Ofqual introduced the VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework (VCRF). The VCRF included provisions targeted at 2 groups of qualifications:

for Category A qualifications, assessments were expected to continue but awarding organisations were permitted to make adaptations to their assessments and qualifications to take account of the ongoing impact of the pandemic, where they could do so without undermining the validity and reliability of the qualifications

for Category B qualifications, awarding organisations were permitted to award results using alternative evidence, including TAGs, where exams and assessments did not take place

By including the 2 separate categories permitting different approaches, Ofqual's intention was that the VCRF would be sufficiently flexible to enable it to regulate qualifications beyond summer 2021 without requiring major changes to the provisions within the regulatory framework.

Now that the Department has set out the policy position that exams and assessments will take place in the academic year 2021 to 2022, Ofqual is changing the categorisation of qualifications and is moving all qualifications to Category A. This will permit awarding organisations to make adaptations to their assessments and qualifications but not to award results using alternative evidence, including TAGs. Ofqual is consulting on the impact of that change and on minor updates to the drafting of the VCRF to reflect the context of academic year 2021 to 2022.

It should be noted that, although Ofqual is withdrawing the designation of Category B qualifications for the academic year 2021 to 2022, the Category B conditions, requirements and guidance will be retained within the VCRF. Consequently, if, at any point it is decided that it is not viable for exams and assessments to take place, Ofqual would be able to reintroduce Category B qualifications and to permit the awarding of results using alternative evidence such as teacher judgement, following further consultation.

We will consider responses to the consultation carefully and are aiming to announce our decisions in early August. These adaptations will apply for students taking exams and assessments in the academic year 2021 to 2022 only, and it is our firm intention that exams and assessments will return to normal in the academic year 2022 to 2023.

Consultation details

Part A - arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022

This section of the consultation document has been written by the Department for Education.

Introduction

Throughout 2020 to 2021, awarding organisations made changes to their qualifications (adaptations) in response to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

These changes were made to:

free up teaching time

take account of public health restrictions that could have had an impact on the way the assessments could be conducted

These adaptations included, but were not limited to:

reduction in number of internal assessments, whilst ensuring all content is taught

reduction of hours of work experience or work placement

longer and more assessment windows

social distancing adaptations (for example, professional discussion in place of certain practical activities)

greater flexibility in invigilation rules (for example, to allow subject teachers to invigilate their own subject)

Due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the consequent disruption to education, on 4 January 2021, the Department confirmed that it was no longer viable for exams to go ahead for some vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) and other general qualifications and consulted on the alternative arrangements for awarding. Exams and assessments for VTQs that required assessment to demonstrate occupational or professional competency, or to confer a 'licence to practise' continued to take place wherever possible, where they could be delivered in line with Public Health England (PHE) measures. Those qualifications which had a mixed purpose (such as Functional Skills and ESOL qualifications) continued where the assessments could be delivered in line with PHE measures, in-person or remotely. For these exams and assessments, awarding organisations continued to apply adaptations where necessary. The government consultation and response is online: Regulatory arrangements for the awarding of vocational and technical and other general qualifications in 2020 to 2021

We recognise the effort that schools, colleges and awarding organisations have made in delivering teaching, exams, assessments, and TAGs for academic year 2020 to 2021. We know that we now need to provide certainty on the approach for the academic year 2021 to 2022.

This consultation sets out the Department's policy position on exams and assessments in 2021 to 2022, as well as the adaptations that will be permitted to VTQs approved for inclusion in performance tables (PTQs). It asks a question about the equalities impact assessment of this policy position. This is followed with Part B of the consultation setting out further detail on the regulatory arrangements that Ofqual intend to put in place to allow for various types of adaptation to be made to VTQs.

Departmental policy position on VTQ adaptations in 2021 to 2022

The government is committed to ensuring exams and assessments go ahead in the academic year 2021 to 2022. However, we recognise that students who will be taking exams and assessments in 2021 to 2022 have had significant disruption to their education since March 2020, and we will continue to support students in the face of any further disruption.

To help support students' education recovery and progression to the next stage in their studies and careers, we need to ensure that teaching time in 2021 to 2022 is maximised and that qualifications are resilient to any further potential COVID-related disruption.

Some stakeholders are reporting that the greatest impact of missed education so far can be seen in practical subjects (such as construction, engineering, motor vehicle, catering and hospitality, health and social care, and hair and beauty) as online delivery and accessing facilities and the workplace for assessment is most challenging in these areas.

The government has committed to a long-term education recovery plan. The government is investing over £3billion in a package of measures to support education recovery, including tutoring, summer schools and mental health support, as well as further training and development for teachers. This package sits alongside the ongoing successful rollout of the vaccination programme, the ending of class and year group bubbles (from 19 July), the ending of legal requirements to self-isolate for contacts of a positive case for everyone aged under 18 (from 16 August) and significant improvements in the ability of schools and colleges to deliver remote education where necessary.

A student's study programme often contains additional hours spent on mathematics and/or English alongside the taught hours for their VTQ. There will also be hours assigned for work placements, tutorials, project work and for multiple internal assessments. This means that for many students, finding sufficient additional time in their timetables for activities to support education recovery will be challenging.

As many VTQs are used for progression to further study, employment, or to demonstrate occupational competency, the government believes that all content should be taught, as far as is feasible, so that students are as well-prepared as possible for progression to the next stage of their education, training or employment. There has, however, been significant disruption to students' and other learners' education since March 2020, which will be carried into the upcoming academic year. This means that it may be necessary and appropriate for adaptations to be made to assessments to recognise the disruption to teaching and learning, and to free up time to focus on catch up and teaching the remaining qualification content, to support education recovery.

As reflected in Ofqual's regulatory arrangements when agreeing the approach for awarding VTQs and other general qualifications in the summer of 2020 and summer of 2021, a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable for VTQs. The variety in assessment structures and delivery within the VTQ landscape will mean that awarding organisations will need to take decisions regarding the most appropriate approach to awarding based on the detail of their qualifications.

Ofqual's regulatory arrangements require awarding organisations to design and implement adaptations which are appropriate for their qualifications. The principles contained within Ofqual's framework help to promote consistency of approach and we will look to Ofqual to ensure consistency.

We also expect awarding organisations to consider whether making some adaptations now will make their VTQs more resilient to any further disruption as a result of a changing public health situation, so that as many exams and assessments can continue, even in light of further disruption to education.

For qualifications where the exams and assessments are used to demonstrate occupational competency, it is important that there is consistency in the approach to adaptations taken across awarding organisations for similar qualifications, which are supported by employers and relevant industry bodies, to ensure that occupational and professional standards are maintained.

Additionally, VTQ students and other learners should not be advantaged or disadvantaged in comparison to their peers taking other VTQs and/or general qualifications. There should be a consistent approach across different awarding organisations for similar qualifications, where possible and appropriate. For other qualifications used alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels to support progression to further or higher study, awarding organisations should have reference to the suite of adaptations that are permitted to VTQs approved for inclusion in 2022 performance tables, as set out below, where appropriate.

We expect awarding organisations to be clear in their communications to centres, and minimise any additional burdens on centres, where possible.

VTQs approved for inclusion in 2022 performance tables (performance table qualifications)

Principles for performance table qualifications

VTQs currently approved by the Department for inclusion in 2022 performance tables must continue to comply with the definitions and characteristics contained within the 2020 Technical Guidance for their specific category of performance tables qualification, unless an adaptation has been previously agreed with the Department since the publication of the 2020 Technical Guidance. For ease of reference, these are the definitions and characteristics contained within Sections 2 and 3 of the 2020 Technical Guidance (based on the guidance published in November 2017) - see ' 14 to 19 qualifications technical guide: 2020 performance tables '.

Adaptations already approved by the Department to qualifications included in 2020, 2021 and 2022 performance tables will be allowed to continue during the academic year 2021 to 2022. Any additional adaptations proposed by awarding organisations to their PTQs for delivery in 2021 to 2022 should only be those of the type set out below under the heading 'Permitted adaptations under the Technical Guidance' and must be submitted to the Department for approval before they are shared with centres and implemented. Details of the Department's approvals process for PTQs being delivered in 2021 to 2022 will be sent to the relevant awarding organisations in due course.

Scope

The arrangements outlined under the headings 'Permitted adaptations under the Technical Guidance' and 'Functional Skills qualifications' are for VTQs approved for inclusion in 2022 performance tables as Technical Awards, Technical Certificates, Tech Levels or Applied General qualifications.

The scope of the adaptations for 2022 performance tables qualifications includes all students who will be taking assessments for these qualifications in the academic year 2021 to 2022. However, it should not be assumed that any adaptations to assessments will continue in 2022 to 2023; it is our firm intention that exams and assessments will return to normal in the academic year 2022 to 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, a student who has received a result from an adapted assessment in 2021 to 2022 will be able to carry this result forward into 2022 to 2023 and beyond.

Permitted adaptations under the Technical Guidance

Adaptations should ensure that parity is maintained where possible with qualifications at the same level that are leading to similar progression opportunities. This is to ensure that students and other learners taking VTQs are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged in comparison with their peers taking general qualifications (for example, GCSEs, AS or A levels).

Assessments may be adapted, but we expect to see the minimum thresholds stated within the Technical Guidance maintained for the amount of external assessment within the qualification. Assessments can be streamlined (for example, to reduce duplication of testing of a particular skill or section of knowledge, or to amalgamate two assessments into one).

As in the 2020 to 2021 academic year, we will permit up to two retake opportunities for external assessments for all four categories of performance table VTQs (i.e., for Applied General, Tech Level, Technical Certificate and Technical Award). Assessment opportunities where students have received results based on teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) and centre assessment grades (CAGs) do not count towards these retake opportunities.

As permitted in 2020 to 2021, we will permit a reduction in the number of internal assessments but awarding organisations should ensure that any adaptations maintain the validity of the qualification. We expect all of the content of the qualification to be taught where feasible. We expect that the reduction in the internal assessments of the qualification should be kept to a minimum.

The Department recognises that the methodology used for aggregating final results may need adaptation if the number of internal assessments reduces within the qualification, and awarding organisations are currently discussing possible approaches with Ofqual. However, we expect any revisions to grading to be compliant with the criteria for grading set out in the 2020 Technical Guidance. For the avoidance of doubt, a student who has received a CAG or a TAG in either 2019 to 2020 or 2020 to 2021 will be able to carry this result forward.

We will permit awarding organisations to roll over any internal assessments (both the task and any evidence generated) into the academic year 2021 to 2022 for any students who was working towards them in 2020 to 2021 but was unable to complete them due to public health restrictions. This will only apply where the task was intended to be used solely in the academic year 2020 to 2021. This is to minimise the disruption for students who might be part-way through doing them but who were not able to receive a TAG. This flexibility will not apply to students starting internal assessments in academic year 2021 to 2022.

Synoptic assessment is a characteristic in its own right and must remain a feature of performance tables qualifications. Synoptic assessment may be adapted, in line with the scope outlined above, but must still remain within the qualification, in some form, for the qualification to remain approved for inclusion in performance tables.

Where assessments have been streamlined, the number of guided learning hours should remain broadly unaltered for each qualification, as any hours gained from streamlining assessment are to be used for education recovery and learning. However, we expect an awarding organisation to alert the Department (at technical.education@education.gov.uk) if they believe that the number of taught hours, either in person or online, for students and other learners would lessen significantly under their proposed adaptations.

In relation to employer involvement, we understand that there may be parts of industry where employer involvement may not be possible to such an extent in 2021 to 2022 compared to what is set out in the 2020 Technical Guidance, because of any public health restrictions. Awarding organisations and centres should seek credible alternatives in order to satisfy the Employer Involvement criterion, to make sure students and other learners continue to have the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge that they would normally acquire through these activities. Awarding organisations should inform DfE (at technical.education@education.gov.uk) if it appears at a future date that circumstances are preventing credible alternatives to be found for particular sector subject areas.

Functional Skills qualifications

As with other vocational and technical qualifications, we expect all Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) exams and assessments to go ahead in 2021 to 2022, and the full subject content to be taught across all levels. Given their small size and focus on assessing underpinning skills and knowledge, the exams and assessments are not structured in a way that permits a reduction of content or streamlining of assessments.

Our expectation is that awarding organisations will continue to put in place adaptations relating to the delivery of FSQ exams and assessments where necessary, as they did in 2020 to 2021. Examples of adaptations for 2020 to 2021 academic year included, but were not limited to:

changes to invigilation arrangements, including remote invigilation and remote assessment of the speaking, listening and communicating component

additional flexibility for exam dates and windows for assessments.

additional guidance about the distribution and collection of papers, for example collation of scripts after learners have left exam rooms, quarantining papers before and after use, and extended timescales to return scripts after exams

adaptations to guidance for individuals involved in examination delivery, for example invigilators, readers and/or scribes

T Levels

The Department's policy for T Level assessments in 2021 to 2022, in line with other VTQs, is that exams and assessments should go ahead.

Our expectation is that any adaptations to the scope of content or streamlining of assessments would be most suited to the Core assessments (most likely taken by 1st year students next summer), and that the ability to adapt the content of Occupational Specialism (OS) assessments (taken by 2nd year students next summer) will be very limited given they test whether a student is sufficiently competent to enter work in relevant occupations.

Students will be embarking on either the Core or the OS in September, either of which will be a new phase of learning for them with new content so the impact of lost education from the previous year may be less significant than for other 16 to 19 programmes. It is not clear at this stage, therefore, that adaptations to the content of T Level assessments will be necessary in 2021 to 2022.

However, should there be further significant disruption to learning, we may permit adaptations to content and/or delivery of assessment, where appropriate. Should adaptations be required these will be communicated to providers at the first available opportunity and will follow the principles and guidelines used for other VTQs.

If further disruption means adaptations to the conduct and delivery of assessments are required, these will need to be agreed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and Ofqual and will need to be tailored to each T Level as the design of the assessments varies. Adaptations may include for example:

changes to arrangements for the conditions under which assessments are taken

additional flexibility for exam dates and windows for assessments

additional guidance about the distribution and collection of papers, for example collation of scripts after learners have left exam rooms, quarantining papers before and after use, and extended timescales to return scripts after exams

adaptations to guidance for individuals involved in assessment delivery, for example invigilators, readers and/or scribes

Monitoring the public health situation and contingency planning

There is, of course, continued uncertainty about the path of the pandemic, including whether further disruption may occur over the course of the 2021 to 2022 academic year. Even if some public health restrictions were to be needed over the next academic year, we believe it will be possible for students to take exams safely, but we need to have plans in place for the unlikely event that that is not possible. There also remains a small risk that there is further disruption to education during the next academic year which is so extensive that, even with remote education in place and the adaptations proposed, going ahead with exams would not be the fairest approach for students.

The Department and Ofqual will work together to develop contingency plans for scenarios where exams or assessments cannot be held for any reason, either locally or nationally, or where individual students are unable to sit exams due to illness or self-isolation. It will be essential that any contingency approach delivers grades that support students to progress and does not detract from high quality teaching and preparation for exams and assessments. Should we conclude that additional arrangements are required, for example permitting the awarding of results using alternative evidence such as teacher judgement_,_ we will ask Ofqual to consider putting in place any relevant regulatory arrangements within its remit. Contingency arrangements are considered further in Part B of this consultation.

The Department will also continue to work with the sector and Ofqual to monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and ensure there is continued alignment between VTQs and GCSEs, AS and A levels, to mitigate any disadvantage or advantage between the 2 cohorts.

Equalities considerations

In developing our policy position, we have considered the likely impact on persons who share particular protected characteristics, in order to enable us to comply with the public sector equality duty in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires us to have due regard to the need to:

Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010.

Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

In developing our policy position, we have sought to ensure that the approach does not unfairly disadvantage students and other learners, including on the basis of sharing a protected characteristic, those who receive SEN support and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are unable to predict all the adaptations awarding organisations may make under the VCRF. Therefore. we have considered whether any of the permitted adaptations to performance tables, primarily those set out under the heading 'Permitted adaptations under the Technical Guidance', might have an impact on students and other learners (positively or negatively). We set these considerations out below and seek views on this.

While it is not possible to completely remove all identified negative impacts, we are keen to understand whether respondents agree with the impacts we have identified, whether there are other impacts that we have not identified, and, whether there are ways to mitigate these impacts.

Characteristics of the VTQ cohort

We know that generally learners with protected characteristics, particularly those with disabilities, are more likely to take vocational and technical qualifications.

At level 3, in 2020 to 2021, a higher proportion of enrolments on non-A level qualifications were learners who identified as having a learning difficulty or disability (LLDD), than those studying A levels and level 3 qualifications more generally (19% of enrolments on Applied General qualifications (AGQs) and 23% on Tech Levels, compared to 16% for A levels and 17% for all level 3 qualifications).

Furthermore, learners at level 3 are more likely to be female than male, and that is particularly the case for Applied General qualifications (AGQs), Tech Levels and Access to HE qualifications. There are some differences in terms of ethnicity. Amongst learners at level 3, those studying Tech Levels were disproportionately from white backgrounds. Those studying AGQs and Access to HE qualifications were less likely to be white than those studying at level 3 in general (67%, 71% and 77% respectively). Proportionally, slightly more enrolments on AGQs were from Black and Asian learners than on all level 3 qualifications (8% and 14% of enrolments on AGQs were from Black and Asian learners respectively, compared to 5% and 10% on all level 3 qualifications). However, this is not the case for Tech Levels or Access to HE qualifications.

At lower levels (level 2 and below), learners are more likely to be adult learners than those studying at level 3. This is also the case for Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs) where only 28% of enrolments on FSQs were from learners aged 16 to 19.

20% of enrolments on level 2 qualifications identified as having a learning difficulty or disability, increasing to 27% of enrolments on level 1 and 29% of enrolments on entry-level qualifications. 21% of learners on FSQs identified as having a learning difficulty or disability. Amongst learners at lower levels, including FSQs, the majority of learners were white, except for entry level qualifications, where the majority of learners come from BAME or unknown backgrounds (specifically from Asian, black and other backgrounds)

Impacts on individuals with protected characteristics

All students who were preparing to take VTQs next year will have been affected by the pandemic. Most will have been directly affected by the closure of schools and colleges. Students who were studying independently, for example because they are home educated, might have been less directly affected by these closures, but they will, nevertheless, have been affected by changes to routine aspects of their lives.

There is no doubt that the disruption to some students' education will have been more severe than others. Some students will have had the opportunity - and will have chosen - to engage in a full programme of remote learning facilitated by their school or college. Others will have not had such a full opportunity, in particular some VTQs require access to specialist equipment that cannot be accessed remotely.

Those students whose education might have been and might continue to be most badly disrupted include students:

with caring responsibilities, including adult learners with childcare responsibilities

whose homes are not conducive to study

without devices at home (for example computers)

with limited or no access to the internet

without access to specialist equipment or software

with SEND who have not been able to access their normal learning support

who might be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and were required to shield longer than other learners

from Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities

from BAME communities whose families might have been affected by COVID-19 or who themselves felt particularly vulnerable to the virus

whose first language is not English

in lower socio-economic groups

The government's planned measures to make up for missed education will target some such students. Additionally, the permitted adaptations are intended to assist in minimising any differential education experiences of all students but cannot fully address the differential education experiences.

In proposing changes to exam and assessment arrangements for PTQs, we have taken care to consider how any changes might have an impact on SEND students who will have reasonable adjustments when taking their exams and assessments. We consider that the adaptations made by awarding organisations should not affect the accessibility of these qualifications. For example, if awarding organisations change the mode of assessment, they will need to continue to ensure that reasonable adjustments are readily available, for example the provision of extra time. However, some students and other learners with protected characteristics may be disadvantaged if an awarding organisation decides to conduct some of their assessments remotely. This could be because they do not have access to IT equipment to access remote assessments, specialist equipment or software needed to complete remote assessments, or access to reliable internet connectivity, for example in rural locations. Some students and other learners could also be disadvantaged if their school or college does not provide necessary equipment or resources.

Some could argue that these adaptations do not go far enough. However, we need to also ensure that students and other learners are able to progress to the next stage of their lives. Going further, and reducing the content taught, could risk their ability to progress. There are health and safety risks to the general public in, for example, reducing content of qualifications which allow a learner to demonstrate occupational competence.

There are concerns that VTQ students may be disadvantaged, particularly those demonstrating protected characteristics, compared to their counterparts taking GCSEs, AS and A levels, if the standard set for GCSE, AS and A levels is more generous than the standard for VTQs. The Department is clear that awarding organisations should ensure that VTQ students are not disadvantaged compared to their peers, as far as possible, particularly for those VTQs most similar to GCSEs, AS and A levels. Nevertheless, the Department will continue to work with Ofqual to monitor this, particularly in light of the grades awarded in Summer 2021 for both VTQs and GCSEs, AS and A levels.

Question 1

Are there any other equalities impacts that we have not identified and should consider?

Question 2

Do you have views on how any potential negative impacts on particular groups of students could be mitigated?

Part B - regulatory arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022

This section of the consultation document has been written by Ofqual.

Changes to the categorisation of qualifications

Qualification categories in the VCRF

When we introduced the VCRF in March 2021, we included conditions, requirements and guidance addressing 2 categories of qualifications.

Qualifications in Category A of the VCRF were those VTQs where we permitted awarding organisations to only issue results on the basis of evidence from exams and other assessments. These were those qualifications which assess occupational or professional competency, proficiency, or act as a licence to practise, where it would not be safe to award these qualifications using alternative evidence. It also included performing arts graded examinations which assess proficiency.

For these qualifications, as far as has been possible in 2021, awarding organisations have continued to make exams and other assessments available to learners, remotely or in person where it is safe to do so. We permitted awarding organisations to carry forward the adaptations already made under the Extended ERF in autumn 2020 or to make further adaptations where this could be done without undermining the validity and reliability of the qualifications. In some cases, however, even with adaptations, where it was not possible for exams and assessments to take place, then awarding organisations have been permitted to delay them.

Qualifications in Category B of the VCRF were those VTQs and other general qualifications where we permitted awarding organisations to issue results using alternative evidence, including TAGs. These arrangements were permitted because exams and/or internal assessments had not taken place, and/or when students could not safely access the assessments. Qualifications in this category were those which are used for progression to further or higher study or into employment, where the issuing of results to students needed to be prioritised. It included those qualifications used alongside or instead of GCSEs, AS and A levels, where we expected awarding organisations to award results in a similar way to those qualifications, examples of which are Applied Generals, Technical Awards and Tech Levels. Awarding organisations were also permitted to make adaptations to assessments and qualifications in Category B.

In addition, within Category B, we also included those qualifications which were important for progression to further or higher study or employment, but which are different from GCSEs, AS and A levels in their characteristics and delivery; examples include Functional Skills Qualifications and ESOL Skills for Life. For these qualifications, we expected awarding organisations to make exams and assessments available to students in person, where it was safe to do so, or remotely. However, where students were ready to sit exams or assessments for these qualifications but could not do so, then we permitted awarding organisations to issue results based on alternative evidence, such as TAGs.

For Category B qualifications, we said that any student expecting to sit an assessment between 1 August 2020 and 31 August 2021 could be eligible to receive a result based on alternative evidence or TAGs.

Changing our approach to the categorisation of qualifications for the academic year 2021 to 2022

As set out in Part A of this consultation, the Department's intention is that exams and assessments for VTQs and other general qualifications will go ahead in the academic year 2021 to 2022.

The government recognises, however, that students who will be taking exams and assessments have experienced significant disruption to their education and that these students will also need continued support in the face of any further disruption.

As such, the Department has confirmed in Part A that it may be appropriate for adaptations to be made to some assessments and qualifications to take account of the disruption to teaching and learning, to free up time to focus on education recovery activities and teaching, including any remaining qualification content. In Part A of this consultation document the Department has also set out its expectations around the scope of adaptations for different groups of qualifications - performance table qualifications, FSQs and T-Levels.

In light of the government's intention, we have decided that all Category B qualifications will now fall under Category A of the VCRF. This means that awarding organisations will only be permitted to issue results on the basis of evidence from exams and other assessments. Results cannot be awarded based on TAGs. Awarding organisations will be permitted to continue with any adaptations they have already made to their qualifications under the VCRF or to make further adaptations where this can be done without undermining the validity and reliability of the qualifications, to address the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

To achieve this change in classification, we propose to issue a notice to awarding organisations to withdraw the designation of Category B qualifications from 1 September 2021. We will also make minor drafting changes to the VCRF Conditions to reflect this change (VCR1.3 and the Interpretations and Definitions section of the revised VCRF accompanying this consultation).

This change in categorisation will not adversely affect students currently taking qualifications which fall under Category B. Awarding organisations will still be required to allow the progress of appeals for students whose results are based on alternative evidence, including TAGs, and to allow for the determination of results for any students eligible for a result based on alternative evidence or TAG but who did not receive one in summer 2021. Any students who are not expecting to complete their qualification this summer (sometimes described as mid-flight or non-certificating learners) but who receive any results for component or units of their qualification based on alternative evidence, including a TAG, will still be able to carry those results forward when they certificate.

The change in categorisation will also not have any implications for qualifications already falling under Category A. Awarding organisations will continue to be permitted to make those adaptations to assessments and qualifications, where this can be done without undermining the validity and reliability of those qualifications.

Although we are withdrawing the designation of Category B qualifications, we will retain the Category B conditions, requirements and guidance within the VCRF. This again allows us to future-proof our regulatory framework. If there is a change in government policy in response to a worsening public health situation, and it is decided that it is not viable for exams and assessments to take place at any point in the future, we would be able, following a further consultation, to reintroduce Category B qualifications and to permit the awarding of results using alternative evidence such as teacher judgement. We are therefore not making any substantive changes to the VCRF where it refers to Category B. We are, however, taking this opportunity to correct minor typographical errors in Table 1 of the Guidance on the determination of results for Category B Qualifications (see 'Table 1: sources of information' in the revised VCRF Guidance accompanying this consultation).

Question 3

Do you have any comments on the impact of our decision to withdraw the designation of Category B qualifications at this time and to move all qualifications under Category A?

Changes to the VCRF

Requirements and guidance in relation to adaptations

The VCRF includes requirements and statutory guidance with which awarding organisations must comply or have regard to when deciding whether and how to make adaptations to their assessments and qualifications.

Within the requirements, we have also set out the following guiding principles to steer awarding organisations' approach to adaptation.
The principles in relation to Category A Qualifications
An awarding organisation must take all reasonable steps to comply with the principles below when complying with Condition VCR2 in relation to a Category A Qualification.

Principle A1- As far as possible and without prejudice to the other principles, an awarding organisation must seek to ensure that the Adaptations which it makes to a qualification assist with mitigating the impact on teaching, learning or assessments caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Learners taking that qualification.

Principle A2- An awarding organisation must seek to ensure that, where it makes any Adaptations to its qualifications in accordance with the VCR Conditions, the Validity and Reliability of those qualifications is maintained.

Principle A3- An awarding organisation must seek to maintain standards, as far as possible, within the same qualification in line with previous years, and across similar qualifications made available by the awarding organisation and by other awarding organisations.

Principle A4- An awarding organisation must seek to ensure, as far as possible, that the Adaptations which it makes to a qualification do not serve to advantage or disadvantage Learners taking that qualification against their peers taking similar VTQs or, where relevant, general qualifications not covered by the VCR Conditions.

We have reviewed these requirements, guiding principles and statutory guidance and have concluded that we do not need to make substantial changes to take account of the context of academic year 2021 to 2022.

We consider that they already sufficiently address the Department's expectations:

around the need for consistency of approach to adaptation across awarding organisations

around the need for awarding organisations to take into account manageability for their centres and to communicate with them in a clear and timely manner

that VTQ students should not be advantaged or disadvantaged in comparison to their peers taking other VTQs and/or GCSEs, AS and A levels

The statutory guidance on adaptations is not prescriptive in its approach. We consider that awarding organisations are best placed to make judgements about what adaptations would be appropriate without undermining the validity and reliability of their qualifications and we do not propose to change this. We do however expect awarding organisations to take account of the views of employers and other stakeholders when developing their approach to adaptations, including taking account of the Department's technical guidance for performance table qualifications.

The conditions, requirements and guidance in the VCRF already require awarding organisations to work together, where relevant, to develop consistent approaches to adaptations for similar qualifications and take account of manageability for their centres. As noted above, Principle A4 addresses the need for VTQ students not to be disadvantaged in comparison to their peers taking other VTQS and/or GCSEs, AS and A levels.

Therefore, we are only proposing to make the following minor drafting changes to the Guidance in relation to the adaptation of vocational and technical qualifications:

to update the introductory section to reflect the context of academic year 2021 to 2022 (see 'Context' in the revised VCRF Guidance accompanying this consultation)

to update our guidance on delaying or rescheduling assessments to reflect the current policy position that exams and assessments will take place (see 'Additional factors' in the revised VCRF Guidance accompanying this consultation)

to recognise that awarding organisations may already have taken steps to develop their understanding of their centres we have updated and retitled the guidance related to this (see 'Improving understanding of Centres and Learners' in the revised VCRF Guidance accompanying this consultation)

Question 4

Do you have any comments on the proposed changes to the drafting of the statutory guidance on adaptation in the revised VCRF?

Arrangements for appeals

General Condition of Recognition I1 requires awarding organisations to establish, maintain and comply with an appeals process in relation to all the qualifications they make available.

In the context of the VCRF, we included statutory guidance on compliance with Condition I1 expecting awarding organisations to give students, for those qualifications most closely aligned to GCSEs, AS and A levels, the right to access an appeal on the same basis as those set out for GCSEs, AS and A levels where possible and appropriate.

As explained earlier, although we are withdrawing the classification of Category B qualifications at this time, awarding organisations must permit the progress of appeals for students where they have received results on the basis of alternative evidence, including TAGs.

Under General Condition H6.3(a) an awarding organisation is required to correct any incorrect result which it discovers through its appeals process. In Condition VCR7.3 we effectively disapplied General Condition H6.3(a) by allowing awarding organisations to use the guidance in the General Conditions to decide whether or not it is appropriate to correct an incorrect result discovered during an appeal. This was a significant change to allow awarding organisations greater flexibility due to the complexities of 2020 to 2021. The same approach was taken under the General Qualifications Alternative Awarding Framework. In the context of exams and assessments taking place in academic year 2021 to 2022, we consider that Condition VCR7.3 is no longer necessary. We are proposing to remove this discretion by disapplying Condition VCR7.3 in a notice. This means that, as in any year where appeals are processed under General Condition H6.3, if an incorrect result is discovered during an appeal, it must be corrected, whether that be up or down.

In Condition VCR7.1, we also took account of the particular situation which applies to Technical Qualifications (TQs) within T Levels. In relation to T Levels, we have disapplied Condition TQ1.1(c) of the qualification-level conditions for Technical Qualifications. This is to make it clear that Condition I1 applies to these qualifications under the VCRF.

We have proposed a drafting amendment to Condition VCR7.1 so that it applies only to a qualification that is designated as a Category B qualification. The effect is that Condition VCR7.1 will remain in place only for any appeals stemming from qualifications that fell within Category B before the designation was removed. From 1 September 2021, Condition TQ1.1(c) would, therefore, no longer be disapplied under the VCRF.

Question 5

Do you have any comments on the proposed changes to arrangements for appeals in the revised VCRF?

Changes to the statutory guidance on remote invigilation

The statutory guidance on remote invigilation in the VCRF was drafted in 2020, when we introduced our first extraordinary regulatory framework in response to the onset of the pandemic. The guidance sets out the factors to which an awarding organisation should have regard, as part of their consideration to introduce remote invigilation as an adaptation.

Since then we have worked with awarding organisations to develop a shared understanding of the term remote invigilation and the related term of remote assessment. This is another adaptation to the delivery of assessments introduced by awarding organisations in response to the pandemic.

We have therefore decided to update the statutory guidance on adaptation to include these definitions and to make some further minor adaptations to the wording for consistency.

These changes will not have any practical implications for awarding organisations or centres around the delivery of assessments using remote assessment or remote invigilation but will provide greater clarity and consistency.

Question 6

Do you have any comments on the proposed changes to the guidance on remote invigilation and the introduction of guidance on remote assessment in the revised VCRF?

Awarding organisation record keeping of decisions

Condition VCR5 requires awarding organisations to maintain a record of the decisions they have made around the adaptation of qualifications in Category A and to make that record available to Ofqual on request.

We do not propose to make any changes to this Condition. However, we wish to remind awarding organisations that they will need to update their record keeping to reflect the withdrawal of the Category B classification and the move of all qualifications into Category A. They must also ensure that their record keeping reflects any adaptations already agreed with the Department.

We will take a targeted and risk-based approach to the monitoring of these records.

Monitoring the public health situation and contingency planning

In Part A of this consultation document, the Department committed to considering the need for contingency plans in the event of further disruption as a result of the pandemic.

We explained earlier (under the heading, 'Changing our approach to the categorisation of qualifications for the academic year 2021 to 2022') that we have retained the provisions for Category B qualifications to allow us to future-proof the VCRF. If there is a change in government policy in response to a worsening public health situation, and it is decided that it is not viable for exams and assessments to take place at any point in the future, we would be able to reintroduce the designation of Category B qualifications. This would permit awarding organisations to issue results based on alternative evidence, including the use of teacher judgement.

In order to inform our contingency planning, we want to understand how arrangements this year could be improved upon should TAGs form part of the approach for VTQs in 2022. We recognise that there are lessons to be learnt from the process and now that TAGs have been submitted to awarding organisations we are interested in your views on potential improvements to the process, should we need to do something similar next summer. Teachers can send their views on the TAG process and there is a separate survey for students to give their views on TAGs.

We accept however that should there be further disruption but not a national lockdown, for example extended regional lockdowns, that it may be necessary to consider further adaptations to take account of differential learning loss.

As stated in the VCRF statutory guidance on compliance with General Condition G7 (Arrangements for Special Consideration), special consideration does not apply where students have missed teaching and learning as consequence of the pandemic. It applies when students have temporarily experienced an illness or injury or some other event outside their control which means that they cannot access assessments as normal. We are considering whether it may be necessary and appropriate to introduce additional arrangements to address differential learning loss arising from regional disruption. Should we conclude that this is the case, we will consult later in 2021. In developing our approach, we will seek alignment with arrangements for GCSEs, AS and A levels where appropriate, so that VTQ students are not advantaged or disadvantaged compared to their peers.

Question 7

What factors do you think we may need to consider in developing any contingency plans?

Equalities impact assessment

As a public body, we are subject to the public sector equality duty. Annex B sets out how this duty interacts with our statutory objectives and other duties.

Awarding organisations are required to comply with equalities legislation, and our existing General Conditions of Recognition reinforce this in relation to the qualifications they make available. They are required to monitor their qualifications to identify features which may disadvantage a group of students who may share a protected characteristic, and this applies to the design, delivery and award of their qualifications.

Although we are withdrawing the Category B qualification classification at this time and making minor amendments to the drafting, we are retaining the VCRF. In our previous consultations on the VRCF we set out our assessment of the equalities impacts of the framework and we consider these impacts again below. We have not identified any additional equalities impacts arising from the decision to move all Category B qualifications into Category A and the amended conditions, requirements and statutory guidance we are proposing to put in place. We would welcome views on this and, if there are further equalities impacts that we have not identified, how these might be mitigated.

Differing impacts on particular groups of students and socio-economic factors

The impact of the pandemic has affected different students in different ways. Even students for whom their circumstances appear the same, could have been affected to differing extents in terms of having missed teaching and learning, or their preparedness or ability to take assessments. While this will impact all students, some students who shared particular protected characteristics (disabled and BAME students) may experience those disadvantages to a greater extent than other students.

Some students could also be affected as a result of socio-economic factors. Some students who share particular protected characteristics (disabled and BAME students), are more likely to be from more disadvantaged backgrounds, for example due to not having the same access to equipment and resources as those from other backgrounds. Students who share particular protected characteristics (disabled and BAME students) may be more likely to be affected by such factors.

We developed the VCRF to ensure that as far as possible, students are not disadvantaged, including as a result of sharing a protected characteristic. Given the overall impact of the disruption, and the fact that it has been experienced differently by different students, it is unlikely that any alternative arrangements for awarding will fully mitigate these disadvantages. We sought to ensure though, as far as is possible, that the alternative arrangements for awarding do not make them worse. The framework is flexible and allows, but does not require, assessments to be adapted to allow as many students as possible to receive a result. It remains possible that for qualifications signifying occupational competence, where these are unable to proceed, in their normal or adapted form, some students may be delayed in receiving a result.

Mental health

We know from our previous consultations that many people are concerned about the potential impact of arrangements for assessment and awarding VTQs on students' mental health. These concerns relate both to the arrangements themselves, and the lack of certainty over what the arrangements will be in the future. It is possible that while these impacts will apply to many students, it could be greater on disabled students with conditions such as autistic spectrum disorders.

It is unlikely we can directly address the impact on students' mental health through our regulation. We are however aiming to reduce the impact where we can. We are doing this by allowing awarding organisations to take flexible approaches to the adaptation of assessments. The arrangements set out in this consultation will enable awarding organisations to provide clarity to those due to take their assessments in academic year 2021 to 2022. We require awarding organisations to communicate with their centres clearly and in a timely manner and we will continue to provide relevant information as soon as we can.

Access to equipment

We have previously identified the impact that a lack of access to equipment and resources may have, along with the potential absence of support needed to use these resources. This may impact disabled students to a greater extent, who may rely on additional support as part of their normal way of working.

As we have set out in our previous impact assessment, we cannot, through our regulation, ensure that students have access to the necessary equipment. But we do set requirements on awarding organisations to ensure that assessments are fit for purpose and can be delivered. Awarding organisations must also ensure that in making any adaptations to assessments, it minimises bias as far as is possible to ensure that an assessment does not produce unreasonably adverse outcomes for students who share a protected characteristic. We monitor awarding organisations to ensure they meet our requirements.

Nature of assessment

It is possible that students taking some types of assessments, in particular practical assessments, or those taking assessments in settings other than centres, such as workplaces could be disadvantaged. The students taking qualifications covered by these proposals are more likely to share protected characteristics (disabled students, BAME students) so could be disproportionately affected.

We have previously set out that our arrangements are intended to be flexible, so that awarding organisations can determine the most appropriate approach for their qualifications and assessments. An awarding organisation will be expected to consider when deciding its approach, how assessments are normally taken, and any arrangements that need to be in place to allow them to be taken in alternative ways. There will be some qualifications, such as some which are intended to signal occupational competence, for which an adaptation is not possible, therefore students may be delayed in receiving a result. Disabled students who cannot take an adapted assessment as a result of their disability, despite adaptations being accessible for other students, may be disadvantaged to a greater extent.

Race

Many of the qualifications covered by these proposals were more likely to be taken by BAME students, meaning any disadvantage could disproportionately affect BAME students. Additionally, BAME students have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, so may have experienced the other disadvantages identified to a greater extent.

We are retaining requirements relating to equalities considerations, that awarding organisations must ensure that, in any approach to adaptations, they minimise bias as far as is possible. This means that they will need to ensure that the assessment does not produce unreasonably adverse outcomes for students who share a protected characteristic. We will also continue to remind awarding organisations of the other obligations that they must meet relating to equalities considerations under the General Conditions.

Special educational needs and disabilities

We have previously identified concerns that students with special educational needs or disabilities could be disadvantaged. In particular, we have identified concerns in relation to students with disabilities, including those with autistic spectrum disorders, who may suffer from greater anxiety and find it more difficult to access adapted assessments as a result, and deaf students, who may struggle to access some adapted assessments. SEND students may also find it more difficult to access remote assessments. Students who require reasonable adjustments may also be disadvantaged if these adjustments were not available for adapted assessments, or if they required different reasonable adjustments as a result of any adaptations to assessments.

Awarding organisations are required under Ofqual's General Conditions and by wider equalities legislation, to make reasonable adjustments. We also require awarding organisations to take account of equalities considerations when deciding how, or whether, to adapt assessments. The VCRF allows awarding organisations to be flexible in their approaches, to take account of these needs.

Question 8

Are there any potential positive or negative equality impacts arising from our decision to withdraw the Category B qualification classification at this time and our proposed changes to the drafting of the VCRF, apart from those we have explored? If yes, what are they and how might they be mitigated?

Regulatory impact assessment

In our previous consultations on the VCRF we set out our assessment of the regulatory impact of our proposals. As already noted, although we are withdrawing the Category B qualification classification at this time and making minor amendments to the drafting, we are retaining the VCRF.

In our previous consultations on the VRCF we set out our assessment of the regulatory impacts of the framework and we consider these impacts again below. We have not identified any additional regulatory impacts arising from decision to move all Category B qualifications into Category A and the minor amendments to the conditions, requirement and statutory guidance we are proposing to put in place.

Our assessment of the impact following our previous consultations suggested that while there may be some savings, overall there is likely to be an increased burden as a result of implementing these arrangements. We would welcome views on this however, and if there are further regulatory impacts that we have not identified, how these might be mitigated.

To help assess the impact, we are also asking questions about the cost of implementing our proposals. These questions are intended to give respondents the opportunity to submit further detail about the regulatory impact of the proposal and are based more around specific cost categories, and any wider impact from our proposal including an impact on fees. We would encourage you to respond to these questions if possible, to help provide a clear picture of the potential impacts.

Direct delivery costs

The VCRF builds on the arrangements previously in place. Awarding organisations will however need to consider whether to put in place adaptations to reflect the context of academic year 2021 to 2022. There will therefore be an additional burden on these organisations of meeting these requirements. In addition, if, as a result of meeting the requirements of the VCRF, awarding organisations decide to put in place adaptations to their qualifications, there is likely also to be a cost to centres of familiarising themselves with, and implementing, any new awarding organisation requirements.

There will be costs involved in delivering results under these arrangements, and of communicating requirements to centres, supporting centre activities and managing continued increased volumes of enquiries from centres and students.

There may also be costs associated with investment in IT and systems technology needed to deliver adapted assessments including specialist hardware or software and training in how to use these.

There are likely to be direct costs to centres of delivering adapted assessments, including administrative burdens of familiarisation, delivery and supporting students.

Provision of equipment and administration costs

There is likely to be a cost relating to the provision of equipment and resources required for the delivery of adapted or remote assessments. These included costs for awarding organisations of developing and delivering adapted assessments, including developing new approaches, implementing new invigilation approaches, communicating changes with centres, and monitoring and quality assuring the delivery of remote or adapted assessments. Centres, teachers and students are likely also to experience similar costs as part of teaching and learning, to ensure students are sufficiently prepared to take assessments. There are also likely to be administrative costs associated with the proposed approach, such as photocopying and printing of any additional assessment materials.

We expect awarding organisations to ensure that their approaches are manageable to deliver. The burden imposed by any particular adaptation on an awarding organisation, its centres and students will be something which the awarding organisation considers as part of deciding whether that adaptation is appropriate to implement.

Consistency of approach for qualification delivery

Teachers and centres may experience additional costs and burden if they are required to follow different arrangements from different awarding organisations. Many centres deliver qualifications from multiple awarding organisations, therefore the greater the consistency between the arrangements, the lower the potential burden on centres.

The VCRF aims to balance the need for flexibility to recognise the wide range of VTQs and the settings in which they are taken, with the need, as far as possible, to minimise the burden on centres, and ensure consistent and fair approaches. We provide statutory guidance on factors to be considered by awarding organisations when determining their approach.

Cost savings

It is possible that there will be some continued savings as a result of adaptations. Some of the activities carried out under the VCRF will be in place of activities that are no longer happening, and the alternative approach may be cheaper to implement (for example, remote assessments replace paper-based exams).

Potential impact on qualification fees

It is possible that alternative approaches may impact on the fees paid by centres to awarding organisations, if for example any savings in delivering assessments in alternative ways were passed on to centres. At this stage, we do not know whether this will be the case. Awarding organisations are required to publish information about their fees for purchasers or potential purchasers. It is possible that the changes required by this consultation may impact on fees that have already been paid, or may be paid in the future, for example passing on any savings in delivering assessments. While such changes may not be clear at this stage, we are seeking further information about the potential impact on fees in this impact assessment.

Innovation and growth

The Deregulation Act 2015 imposes a duty on any person exercising a regulatory function to have regard for the desirability of promoting economic growth (the Growth Duty). We must exercise our regulatory activity in a way that ensures that any action taken is proportionate and only taken when needed. Growth Duty sits alongside our duty to avoid imposing unnecessary burden, as required under the ASCL Act 2009, as well as our statutory duties relating to equalities and the Business Impact Target.

We consider our proposals for adaptation are proportionate and necessary to manage the longer-term impacts of the pandemic. However, it may also be that adaptations to assessments encourage innovation and investments which yield for awarding organisations in the longer term.

Estimated costs and savings

We encourage respondents to share with us as much information as possible about the likely costs and administrative burdens, as well as any savings or benefits, of the proposals set out in this consultation, so that we may consider this information when reaching our decisions. We encourage anyone who responds to this consultation to tell us if they think there is something we could do differently that would still achieve the same aim but would reduce costs and administrative burden.

Question 9

Are there any regulatory impacts arising from our decision to withdraw the Category B qualification classification at this time and move all qualifications into Category A, apart from those we have explored? If yes, what are they and how might they be mitigated?

Question 10

What new activities do you expect to carry out as a result of your proposed approach to adaptations and what additional costs will you incur across the range of qualifications you offer? Please give monetised values for these additional costs where possible, covering, for example, direct delivery; people and staff; equipment and administration.

Question 11

What savings do you expect to make as a result of your proposed approach to adaptations? Please give monetised values where possible for any savings you may realise, compared with a normal qualification year and also compared with qualification delivery in academic year 2020 to 2021.

Question 12

Are there any other regulatory impacts, costs or benefits associated with the implementation of your proposed approach to adaptations? If yes, what are they?

Question 13

Do you anticipate any overall impact on qualification fees as a result of your proposed approach to adaptation? If so, what do you expect these might be?

Annex A: Your data

This Privacy Notice is provided by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and Department for Education (DfE). The relevant data protection regime that applies to our processing is the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 ('Data Protection Laws'). We ask that you read this Privacy Notice carefully as it contains important information about our processing of consultation responses and your rights.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, how we handle your personal data, or want to exercise any of your rights, please contact:Data Protection Officer at dp.requests@ofqual.gov.uk

Our legal basis for processing your personal data

Where you provide personal data for this consultation, we are relying upon the public task basis as set out in Article 6 (1) (e) of UK GDPR to process personal data which allows processing of personal data when this is necessary for the performance of our public tasks. We will consult where there is a statutory duty to consult or where there is a legitimate expectation that a process of consultation will take place. Where you provide special category data, we process sensitive personal data such as ethnicity and disability, we rely on Article 9(2) (g) of UK GDPR as processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

Why we are collecting your personal data

As part of this consultation process you are not required to provide your name or any personal information that will identify you. However, we are aware that some respondents would like to provide contact information. If you or your organisation are happy to provide personal data, with regard to this consultation, please complete the details below. We would like to hear as many views as possible and ensure that we are reaching as many people as possible. In order for us to monitor this, understand views of different groups and take steps to reach specific groups, we are asking for sensitive data such as ethnicity and disability to understand the reach of this consultation and views of specific groups. You do not have to provide this information and it is entirely optional.

If there is any part of your response that you wish to remain confidential, please indicate in your response. Where you have requested that your response or any part remains confidential, we will not include your details in any published list of respondents, however, we may quote from the response anonymously in order to illustrate the kind of feedback we have received.

Please note that information in response to this consultation may be subject to release to the public or other parties in accordance with access to information law, primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). We have obligations to disclose information to particular recipients including members of the public in certain circumstances. Your explanation of your reasons for requesting confidentiality for all or part of your response would help us balance requests for disclosure against any obligation of confidentiality. If we receive a request for the information that you have provided in your response to this consultation, we will take full account of your reasons for requesting confidentiality of your response and assess this in accordance with applicable data protection rules.

Members of the public are entitled to ask for information we hold under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. On such occasions, we will usually anonymise responses, or ask for consent from those who have responded, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee confidentiality.

If you choose 'No' in response to the question asking if you would like anything in your response to be kept confidential, we will be able to release the content of your response to the public, but we won't make your personal name and private contact details publicly available.

How we will use your response

We will use your response to help us shape our policies and regulatory activity. If you provide your personal details we may contact you in relation to your response. We will analyse all responses and produce reports of consultation responses. In the course of analysis, we will where possible avoid using your name and contact details. We will only process the body of your response but we are aware that in some cases, this may contain information that could identify you.

Sharing your response

This is a joint consultation undertaken by Ofqual and the Department for Education (DfE). Ofqual will lead the consultation and collect the responses. Therefore, your consultation response will be shared with DfE as this forms part of work involving both organisations. We need to share responses with them to ensure that our approach aligns with the wider process. Where we share data, we ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to ensure that your rights and freedoms are not affected. You can read details of how DfE processes personal data.

We use Citizen Space which is part of Delib Limited to collect consultation responses and they act as our data processor. You can view Citizen Space's privacy notice.

Your response will also be shared internally within Ofqual in order to analyse the responses. We use third party software to produce analysis reports, which may require hosting of data outside the UK, specifically the US. Please note that limited personal information is shared. All personal contact information is removed during this process. Where we transfer any personal data outside the UK, we make sure that appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that the personal data is protected and kept secure.

Following the end of the consultation, we will publish an analysis of responses on our website. We will not include personal details in the responses that we publish.

We may also publish an annex to the analysis listing all organisations that responded but will not include personal names or other contact details.

How long we will keep your personal data

For this consultation, Ofqual will keep your personal data (if provided) for a period of 2 years after the close of the consultation.

Your data

Your personal data:

will not be sent outside of the UK unless there are appropriate safeguards in place to protect your personal data

will not be used for any automated decision making

will be kept secureWe implement appropriate technical and organisational measures

in order to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, accidental loss or alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access and any other unlawful forms of processing.

Your rights: access, rectification and erasure

As a data subject, you have the legal right to:

access personal data relating to you

object to the processing of your personal data

have all or some of your data deleted or corrected

prevent your personal data being processed in some circumstances

ask us to stop using your data, but keep it on record

If you would like to exercise your rights, please contact us using the details set out above. You can also find further details in Ofqual's privacy information.

We will respond to any rights that you exercise within a month of receiving your request, unless the request is particularly complex, in which case we will respond within 3 months.

Please note that exceptions apply to some of these rights which we will apply in accordance with the law.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner (ICO) if you think we are not handling your data fairly or in accordance with the law. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk, or telephone 0303 123 1113. ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Annex B - Ofqual's objectives and duties

The Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009

We have five statutory objectives, which are set out in the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.

1. The qualification standards objective, which is to secure that the qualifications we regulate:

a. give a reliable indication of knowledge, skills and understanding; and

b. indicate:

i. a consistent level of attainment (including over time) between comparable regulated qualifications; and

ii. a consistent level of attainment (but not over time) between qualifications we regulate and comparable qualifications (including those awarded outside of the UK) that we do not regulate.

2. The assessment standards objective, which is to promote the development and implementation of regulated assessment arrangementswhich

a. give a reliable indication of achievement, and

b. indicate a consistent level of attainment (including over time) between comparable assessments.

3. The public confidence objective, which is to promote public confidence in regulated qualifications and regulated assessment arrangements.

4. The awareness objective, which is to promote awareness and understanding of

a. the range of regulated qualifications available,

b. the benefits of regulated qualifications to learners, employers and institutions within the higher education sector, and

c. the benefits of recognition to bodies awarding or authenticating qualifications.

5. The efficiency objective, which is to secure that regulated qualifications are provided efficiently, and that any relevant sums payable to a body awarding or authenticating a qualification represent value for money.

We must therefore regulate so that qualifications properly differentiate between learners who have demonstrated that they have the knowledge, skills and understanding required to attain the qualification and those who have not.

We also have a duty under the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to have regard to the reasonable requirements of relevant learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, of employers and of the higher education sector, and to aspects of government policy when so directed by the Secretary of State.

The Equality Act 2010

As a public body, we are subject to the public sector equality duty.This duty requires us to have due regard to the need to:

a. eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010;

b. advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;

c. foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The awarding organisations that design, deliver and award performance table qualifications are required by the Equality Act, among other things, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people taking their qualifications.

We are subject to a number of duties and we must aim to achieve a number of objectives.

These different duties and objectives can, sometimes conflict with each other. For example, if we regulate to secure that a qualification gives a reliable indication of a learner's knowledge, skills and understanding, a learner who has not been able to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and/or understanding will not be awarded the qualification.

A person may find it more difficult, or impossible, to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and/or understanding because they have a protected characteristic. This could put them at a disadvantage relative to others who have been awarded the qualification.

It is not always possible for us to regulate so that qualifications give a reliable indication of knowledge, skills and understanding and advance equality between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. We must review all the available evidence and actively consider all the available options before coming to a final, justifiable decision.

Qualifications cannot mitigate inequalities or unfairness in the education system or in society more widely that might affect, for example, learners' preparedness to take the qualification and the assessments within it. While a wide range of factors can have an impact on a learner's ability to achieve a particular assessment, our influence is limited to the qualification design and assessment.

We require awarding bodies to design qualifications that give a reliable indication of the knowledge, skills and understanding of the learners that take them. We also require awarding organisations to avoid, where possible, features of a qualification that could, without justification, make a qualification more difficult for a learner to achieve because they have a particular protected characteristic. We require awarding organisations to monitor whether any features of their qualifications have this effect.

In setting the overall framework within which awarding organisations will design, assess and award performance table qualifications, we want to understand the possible impacts of the proposals on learners who share a protected characteristic.

The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are:

age

disability

gender reassignment

marriage and civil partnerships

pregnancy and maternity

race

religion or belief

sex

sexual orientation

With respect to the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act, we are not required to have due regard to impacts on those who are married or in a civil partnership.

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Arrangements for the assessment and awarding of vocational, technical and other general qualifications: 2021 to 2022

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In this consultation, the Department for Education (the Department) has written Part A (arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022) and Ofqual has written Part B (regulatory arrangements for academic year 2021 to 2022). This division reflects the key roles and responsibilities of the 2 organisations.

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Ofsted - What effective music education looks like

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Ofsted - What effective music education looks like

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Published: 8th July 2021

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Mark Phillips, Ofsted's National Lead for music and the research review and report

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Published: 6th August 2021

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GYAN: LEVERHULME SCHOLARSHIPS for September 2021

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GYAN: LEVERHULME SCHOLARSHIPS for September 2021

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Eligibility: Any promising students attending NCYM years 6 -13, regardless of means.
Please email jrickard@cym.org.uk for more information.

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Guildhall Young Artists Scheme: Bursaries for September 2021

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Guildhall Young Artists Scheme: Bursaries for September 2021

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Bursaries & Scholarships

No child who is a resident in Norfolk will be denied access to NCYM on financial grounds. Bursaries are available for partial or full fees and to support travel costs.

Guildhall Young Artists Scheme

As a division of the Guildhall School, NCYM students are supported by the Guildhall Young Artists (GYA) Scheme. GYA bursaries are awarded on a means-tested basis, and any student attending NCYM and living in a household with a residual income of less that £45,000* may apply.
*The residual household income is the total gross taxable income from the household, reducing that by the amount of Private Pension Plans, AVC's, or other taxable allowances which is then further reduced by £1,130 for each child/student in the household who are financially dependent on the family.
These awards will be reviewed annually and subject to commitment and satisfactory progress. NCYM will also need to provide updates about Guildhall Young Artists to GSMD for tracking purposes.

How to Apply

To apply for a Guildhall Young Artists fee bursary you need to complete TWO forms: one online application form and one bursary application form:
(1) please complete the online application form here, then return to this page and (2) please complete the online bursary application form here.
All bursary applications will be considered in strict confidence and with reference to the strict criteria for bursary funding. Applicants will be informed of any fees bursaries awarded by Tuesday 7 September 2021.

Stanley is benefitting a great deal from NCYM, he continues to look forward to going every Saturday and he has rarely failed to attend. The GYA award is very important to him and to us. It is also good news that you expect awards are likely to continue into the future, let's hope so, thanks again.- Parent

Leverhulme Arts Scholarships

Leverhulme Scholarships are awarded each year to students who demonstrate exceptional ability by recommendation. The amount of award varies and is assessed on the needs of individual students.

being part of NCYM has enabled me to develop my musicianship and technique, play in high standard chamber groups with like-minded musicians and overall, have fun! I have had many fantastic performance opportunities and NCYM has played a vital part in helping me get to music college - Eleanor Kershaw, Leverhulme Scholar 2018-19 now studying at the Welsh College of Music and Drama

City of Norwich School Bursaries

A limited number of discounted places are available for CNS students - information available by request.

For further enquiries please contact Juliet Rickard, NCYM Manager.

Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Guildhall School of Music & Drama - Web by: pnm.cc

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Bursaries & Scholarships : Norfolk Centre for Young Musicians

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No child who is a resident in Norfolk will be denied access to NCYM on financial grounds. Bursaries are available for partial or full fees and to support travel costs. As a division of the Guildhall School, NCYM students are supported by the Guildhall Young Artists (GYA) Scheme.

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Awards for Young Musicians: Scholarships

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Awards for Young Musicians: Scholarships

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The biggest obstacle for many talented young musicians is a simple lack of money. They have the talent, they have the drive, but developing their musical potential can be an expensive endeavour.

At AYM, we're here to change that. We offer up to £100,000 in grants each year to exceptional young musicians whose families are on a lower income. We provide flexible funding towards musical costs (like tuition, instrument costs or travel) plus individual support to cater to personal circumstances. This could be anything from mentoring and workshops with professional musicians, the chance to observe them perform, free tickets to concerts and performance opportunities.

Our Awards programme is both inclusive and means-tested, allowing young people to get the right level of support based on their own circumstances. Our key criteria are musical talent and financial need, meaning whatever genre the musician plays, they can prove their eligibility without having to have taken formal exams.

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Annual Awards - Awards for Young Musicians

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Home > How we help > Annual Awards Annual Awards Our Awards programme offers up to £100,000 in means-tested grants each year, helping young musicians grow and develop their musical potential. In detail The biggest obstacle for many talented young musicians is a simple lack of money.

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Published: 12th July 2021

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Today's review is part of a series of research that examines different subjects across the curriculum. It draws on the evidence from the education inspection framework (EIF) and other literature to examine the contributions that can make a high-quality music curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and the impact of school leaders' decisions on music provision.

In England, all pupils should study music until the end of key stage 3. This expectation is reflected in the national curriculum and is at the heart of the EIF.

However, the number of pupils taking up music at key stages 4 and 5 continues to decline. Key stage 3 music provision has also been reduced and trainee primary teachers are offered shrinking amounts of musical training. And with reduced lesson time, this has been accompanied by lower levels of staffing to support a school's rich musical life.

Therefore, it is more important than ever for schools to find ways that put high-quality music at the core of the curriculum.

Our review starts from the assumption that a central purpose of a good music education is that it enables pupils to perform the work of others, explore their own creativity through composing work and, through wider listening and engagement, come to a broader understanding of musical culture and meaning.

There are various ways that schools can construct and teach high-quality music curriculums. Our report identifies some common features that schools may want to consider in developing their music education, including:

Curriculum content that might reasonably be mastered in the time available, remembering that sometimes less is more.

Plentiful opportunities for pupils to return to and consolidate their short-term learning, with repetition of key curricular content and gradual introduction of new ideas, methods and concepts.

Curricular scope that includes enabling pupils to develop technical control over the sound they are producing through the voice or instrument.

Extensive listening opportunities to help develop pupils' musical understanding.

Space and time for pupils to explore the constructive components that build musical compositions and use these effectively to compose their own music.

Opportunities to gain knowledge of how music over time and across cultures has been a conduit for human expression.

High levels of guidance for beginners, remembering that pupils in every key stage are sometimes novices, with increasing freedom as pupils gain greater competence.

Judicious use of summative assessment to identify pupil misconceptions or inaccuracies.

Adequate curriculum time and regularity to allow musical learning to take place.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman said:

Music touches the heart of our humanity and its sense of wonder has influenced human societies throughout history. For many pupils, the music they love will be part of the narrative of their lives.

Music is part of the curriculum but simply 'doing' music is not enough. We shouldn't be satisfied with just having music on the timetable. We need to be ambitious about what we expect for music in the classroom and make sure that time is well used. So I hope the review provides helpful guidance for schools on designing and developing a high-quality music curriculum.

Ofsted plans to publish a report on the quality of the music curriculum taught in schools in 2022. We will gather the evidence for this through subject 'deep dives' during inspections under the EIF.

To find out more about Ofsted's curriculum work, read the principles behind the research reviews and subject reports.

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Today's review is part of a series of research that examines different subjects across the curriculum. It draws on the evidence from the education inspection framework (EIF) and other literature to examine the contributions that can make a high-quality music curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and the impact of school leaders' decisions on music provision.

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Online

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Norfolk Music Hub invite you all to join our Summer of Sun virtual workshops!

Our summer holiday workshops will be delivered online. Once you have registered, we will then be in touch nearer the time with details on how to log in and take part.

These workshops are all free to young people across Norfolk.

Norfolk County Youth Choir Taster sessions

When: Tuesday 27 July and Tuesday 24 August, 10.30-11.15am

You can register for just one or both of the sessions.

Join Alison Bell (Head of Norfolk Music Service) for a fun interactive vocal session. This is aimed at a taster session for young people due to start in year 6 in September 2021 upwards to year 11.

After this session young people are invited to register for Norfolk County Youth Choir.

Learn to Rap

Ages 6-9 year olds: Wednesday 11 August, 11am
Ages 10-13 year olds: Thursday 12 August, 11am

In this workshop you will join Veronica Youdell and learn the basics of how to rap in time with a beat. You will practice tongue twisters, basic rap exercise and learn a rap song.

Jamming to the Beat!

When: Monday 16 August
Ages 5-7 year olds: 1pm
Ages 8-11 year olds: 2pm

Join Tim Brain from Louder Than Life in learning to make fun rhythms together. This fun interactive session will ensure your little ones enjoy 45 minutes of fun musical activity

Where Yoga Meets Rap!

When: Tuesday 17 August, 11am

For: 13-18 year olds

The Foundations Class has been created for yoga beginners and for anybody who wants to practice yoga in a unique way. The whole class is set to a soundtrack of ambient hip hop music and all of the instructions are delivered in rap and spoken word.

When you hear me say YO!GA - you are invited to rap the positive affirmation whilst holding the yoga pose.

The class includes breathing, warm-ups, dynamic flows, deep stretching and relaxation.

Writing a Rap

When: Wednesday 18 August, 11am

For: 13-18 year olds

In this crash course workshop you will learn the basics of how to appreciate a beat and begin the process of creating your own rap lyrics with Veronica Youdell.

We will cover beat counting, rhyme, metaphors and song writing structure.

Pots and Pans Samba

When: Wednesday 18 August, 1pm

For: 5-7 year olds

Turn your kitchen into a Brazilian Street Carnival using everyday objects to recreate exciting South American rhythms and patterns!

To take part in this session you will need:

a couple of different sized pans or tins

a couple of wooden spoons

a chopping board

a yoghurt pot

dried rice or pasta

sellotape

No musical experience is necessary just a sense of fun and enjoyment!

Air Djembe

When: Wednesday 18 August, 2pm

For: 8-11 year olds

Learn how to play the djembe without a djembe! Learn about the culture of African djembe playing, how it influenced music from other parts of the world, and play using just your hands and your knees (or a cushion).

Online Workshop Delivery Risk Assessment >> (.pdf)

Guidelines for Parents and Students for digital delivery of workshops >> (.pdf)

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New Summer Holiday Virtual Workshops - Norfolk Music Hub

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Norfolk Music Hub invite you all to join our Summer of Sun virtual workshops! Our summer holiday workshops will be delivered online. Once you have registered, we will then be in touch nearer the time with details on how to log in and take part. These workshops are all free to young people across Norfolk.

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Music education for children and young people in Norfolk UK, music in schools, primary school music, secondary school music, music lessons

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About Guildhall Young Artists Norwich

Guildhall Young Artists is Guildhall School's network of centres across the country, providing inspiring performing arts training for children and young people.

Our Norwich centre offers a range of classes and performance opportunities for all 4-18-year-olds in music and drama on Saturdays in term time.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is ranked number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2023, one of the top ten performing arts institutions in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2022, as well as the number one higher education institution in the Guardian University Guide music league table.

Classes and Performance Opportunities Open

Discover our Courses

We offer an exciting range of weekly music and drama courses, one-to-one instrument tuition and performance opportunities for 4-18-year-olds.

Norfolk County Youth Orchestra

Guildhall Young Artists Norwich is proud to partner with the Norfolk County Youth Orchestra (NCYO). The orchestra welcomes up to 85 members from age 11 - 18 and meets to put on training courses twice a year, where young musicians get to work with industry professionals and develop skills in preparation for a public concert.
Applications for the 2023 Easter Course are now closed, but you can watch the participants in concert at King's Lynne Corn Exchange on Thursday 6 April.

Wellbeing and Support

Guildhall Young Artists has many years' experience of working with children and young people from all backgrounds. It is our priority to create an inclusive, safe and happy environment for every child or young person that spends time with us.

Find out more about Guildhall Young Artists

Contact Us

Silk Street,
Barbican,
London,
EC2Y 8DT

+44 (0)207 628 2571

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Guildhall Young Artists is Guildhall School's network of centres across the country, providing inspiring performing arts training for children and young people. Our Norwich centre offers a range of classes and performance opportunities for all 4-18-year-olds in music and drama on Saturdays in term time.

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Welcome to Teaching Gadget, home to hundreds of interactive music resources. All games, songs, quizzes and activities have been specially designed by a team of instrumental specialists to give you or your class the best possible educational experience. Teaching Gadget is fun, engaging and packed full of resources that can be teacher led or be used to facilitate students working independently. Need using Teaching Gadget?? CLICK HERE - Remote Learning Templates

Watch our promotional video to get a feel for what Teaching Gadget can offer. Choose your instrument or use the general musicianship resources to enhance your knowledge and learning. Read our reviews

Follow this link to become a member. You can choose from a number of options depending upon your requirements.

For use with mobile devices please use choose the resources with green buttons

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Welcome to Teaching Gadget, home to hundreds of interactive music resources. All games, songs, quizzes and activities have been specially designed by a team of instrumental specialists to give you or your class the best possible educational experience. Teaching Gadget is fun, engaging and packed full of resources that can be teacher led or be used to facilitate students working independently.

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Music | Guildhall School of Music & Drama

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From advanced violin to game audio, we offer a wide range of online music short courses for various ages and abilities throughout the year. Find the right programme for you from our selection.

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Guildhall School of Music & Drama is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists in the heart of the City of London.

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Since 1882, the ISM has been dedicated to promoting the importance of music and supporting those working in the music profession.

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Julian Teaching School Hub: National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching (NPQLT)

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Julian Teaching School Hub: National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching (NPQLT)

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Sep21-July22

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A blend of flexible online learning, online discussion, virtual workshops and face to face workshops, for a few hours study each week over 12 months. This is followed by an assessment where you will complete a 1500-word case study assessment to demonstrate your understanding of real leadership and change.

Our online modules guide you and your colleagues through understanding and implementing effective approaches to people-powered school improvement.

This completely new Specialist NPQ has an evidence-based curriculum design, connecting you to the latest research and best practice. Our research-rich course covers all of the core content in the government's Framework for this qualification. It will help you to:

Understand the evidence underpinning the Early Career Framework, effective teaching and how pupils learn, and how to implement that within classrooms

Weaving together curriculum, assessment and adaptive teaching to lead coherent improvement

Professionally developing others, creating change and supporting school culture

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National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching (NPQLT) - Teacher Development Trust

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A blend of flexible online learning, online discussion, virtual workshops and face to face workshops, for a few hours study each week over 12 months. This is followed by an assessment where you will complete a 1500-word case study assessment to demonstrate your understanding of real leadership and change.