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Hint play the clip for an animation about the Standards

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Hint play the clip for an animation about the Standards

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For many FE based maths teachers and their managers, there are options for CPD routes.  However, many of these involve independant study time and there is no 'quick fix' or 'one-size-fits-all' solution.

The MEP and L3 award have core areas that are similar and both assume 'secure and confident' level 2 skills before starting the programmes.

There are many on-line resources to support maths skills development.  Many are multimodal and interactive, but study and construction of conceptual understanding requires time and commitment from people using the materials.

The MEP programme develops pedagogy for maths teachers.  For the L3 award this will depend on the approach taken by the teacher for the programme.

Time constraints for the research did not allow for the CPD session to be used with managers or practitioners to see if it did help with decision making about maths CPD. The MEP was also still being delivered and some participants had also completed the L3 award, so it would have been interesting to ask these 'students' to compare and contrast the two programmes, especailly as they had been delivered by the same advanced practitioner, thus creating a 'control factor' in the research.

Analysis of programme evaluations by MEP and L3 Award participants and their 'measure' of their 'readiness' may also give an indication of the success of these CPD routes.

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5c Lots
of good resources and tools for students and teachers to use.  Also gives links to other maths organisations
or on-line discussion groups. Home site for MEP

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5c Lots
of good resources and tools for students and teachers to use.  Also gives links to other maths organisations
or on-line discussion groups. Home site for MEP

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GCSE Maths Revision | S-cool, the revision website

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GCSE Maths revision guides and question banks covering Algebra Equations, Polygons, Circles, Graphs and all core GCSE maths topics.

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5c NRICH creative
and innovative approaches to maths topics

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5c NRICH creative
and innovative approaches to maths topics

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5c TES includes many other useful resources for teachers and
students

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5c TES includes many other useful resources for teachers and
students

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Q and A revision cards - GCSE Higher Maths

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KS4 Maths revision activities. These consist of 140 questions/ answers, which we have split into 6 sets: They can be used in many different ways, designed to suit your own students' needs. Ask the students how they would like to use them....

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5c useful site which links to other sites for resources

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5c useful site which links to other sites for resources

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GCSE Maths Revision - GCSE Section of Revision Maths

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GCSE maths revision section of Revision Maths. Free maths revision resources and advice, past papers and videos to help you with your GCSE maths exams.

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5c Materials
from AQA awarding body, past papers with answers.  Other groups like Pearson Edexcel have
something similar.

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5c Materials
from AQA awarding body, past papers with answers.  Other groups like Pearson Edexcel have
something similar.

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Browse the menu above or search our site to find the information you need.

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5c Results Maths made easy, some free resources and practice questions

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5c Results Maths made easy, some free resources and practice questions

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GCSE Maths Revision | Past Papers | Worksheets | Online Tests

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Maths Made Easy is the leading provider of exceptional GCSE Maths revision materials for the 9-1 GCSE Maths course for AQA, Edexcel and OCR.

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3e. The literature review showed that when investigating CPD for maths teachers, it was important to consider the subject specific pedagogy as well as mathematical content of the programmes.

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3e. The literature review showed that when investigating CPD for maths teachers, it was important to consider the subject specific pedagogy as well as mathematical content of the programmes.

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Follow the posts around the padlet using the numbers!

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Follow the posts around the padlet using the numbers!

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4c. Method 3 Internet research for websites to support skills development for maths teachers.

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4c. Method 3 Internet research for websites to support skills development for maths teachers.

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4a. Method 1 involved discussions with practitioners and CPD managers at East of England regional events, about maths teachers, their CPD and how more teachers could be encouraged to teach higher levels of maths or increase their own skills to a higher level. 

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4a. Method 1 involved discussions with practitioners and CPD managers at East of England regional events, about maths teachers, their CPD and how more teachers could be encouraged to teach higher levels of maths or increase their own skills to a higher level. 

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2.  Professional Standards for Teachers & Trainers in Education and Training (England)

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2.  Professional Standards for Teachers & Trainers in Education and Training (England)

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The new aspirational standards encourage teachers/trainers within Further Education to continue to develop their professional skills.  Embedded within this research are many of the standards such as evaluating and challenging your practice, values & beliefs (2) and updating your knowledge of your subject (7) as well as others (3,4,5,6,8,9,13,14,15& 16)

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Classroom Management Strategies To Take Control Of Noisy Students

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The Professional Standards in Three Minutes

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Uploaded by The Education and Training Foundation on 2014-06-02.

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There are a range of opportunities for maths CPD, depending upon individual requirements.  There is some commonality between the MEP & L3 Award, but both assume underpinning knowledge prior to studying.  To establish confidence and competence, maths CPD is not a 'quick fix', but will require time & organisational support as well as considerable independent study & mastery of concepts.

Careful consideration should be given to individual's skills, attitudes and pedagogical expertise when analysing appropriate CPD.  Further study should be made of participants of both the MEP and L3 Award and their summative assessment of how ready they feel to teach GCSE maths (at either foundation or higher level).  Equally managers could analyse future results and any correlation with qualifications of the teachers involved and student achievement.  Completing the MEP before the L3 Award or vice-versa, would facilitate skills development for participants, but neither qualification could be nested within the other or used as a preparatory course or follow-on programme as both require additional topics to be studied.

CPD opportunities for maths teachers include MEP, L3 Award, Coaching or mentoring qualifications, L5 Subject specialist qualifications or undertaking the study of the GCSE qualification themselves.  Decisions will need to be made on a case by case basis, but all will require support (and time) from the employing organisation and commitment and self-study by participants.

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4. How do we create confident maths teachers

2010 Guardian article which discusses the Maths Enhancement Project and the development of maths 'hub' created from the project in 2014

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Things are looking up for mathematics. A few years ago, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects were the focus of much hand-wringing and a government inquiry. Revamping sixth-form mathematics had resulted in a drop in maths A-level entry, Stem subjects were under-recruiting at university, and it was still fashionable for adults to admit "I'm no good at maths," despite mathematical understanding underpinning not only all the other sciences but daily life and the national economy, from credit card rates to plumbing repairs to air traffic control and the risks of taking medication.

Things are looking up for mathematics. A few years ago, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects were the focus of much hand-wringing and a government inquiry. Revamping sixth-form mathematics had resulted in a drop in maths A-level entry, Stem subjects were under-recruiting at university, and it was still fashionable for adults to admit "I'm no good at maths," despite mathematical understanding underpinning not only all the other sciences but daily life and the national economy, from credit card rates to plumbing repairs to air traffic control and the risks of taking medication.

Adrian Smith's 2004 report into post-14 mathematics was blunt: to compete in the global economy, the UK needed more specialist mathematics teachers with better continuing professional development (CPD) and a curriculum focused on the real world. There followed the Sainsbury review of 2007 on scientific research, the Williams report of 2008 on primary maths and last year's (2009) CBI report demanding more business involvement in Stem higher education.

And the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), was set up in 2006 with £28.6m, and given responsibility for developing CPD until 2011. It has been, says Smith, "a fantastic success". Its web portal now has 35,000 active registered users clicking 2.3m page impressions. They check their professional expertise with the self-evaluation tool, share experiences and materials in online communities, and analyse their lessons with the Next Steps programme, which suggests ways to take teaching further. Monthly magazines for early years, primary, secondary and further education teachers offer practical ideas, such as using puddles in the playground to teach measurement, or hairdressing appointments for critical path analysis.

Celia Hoyles, director of the NCETM and professor of mathematics education at the Institute of Education, says: "People get put off maths, but good teachers can find the door that opens up [understanding of the subject]."

It helps if this door is opened as early as possible, says Peter Williams, whose recommendations for the future of primary mathematics will start to be put into action from September 2010.
Teaching the teachers
Over the next five years £200m will go to train specialists for the country's 17,000 primary schools, and a two-year programme of Easter residential schools, twice-termly twilight sessions and in-class monitoring by teacher educators will "upskill" teachers in subject knowledge and teaching techniques. Teachers will be able to use these as credit towards a master's degree. But more importantly, says Williams, they will gain confidence. "If a teacher is not confident with any subject, children pick up on that lack of confidence. If we stretch teachers' knowledge, they become fluent with their subject and give off the right signals to their pupils."

Janet Ainley, professor of mathematics education at Leicester University, says that teacher training is on an upswing, with both primary and secondary PGCEs at her institution full this year. "It's not just the recession," she says. "It's active recruitment and a better profile for mathematics teaching. Understanding builds confidence and confidence builds understanding. They end up really enjoying maths like they enjoy the rest of life."

Nizam Khan, a PGCE student at the Institute of Education, echoes this. "I had a great teacher: the way she explained stuff made it so easy to learn," he says. "A teacher can set role models and morals, but also a good maths grade can help in life."

Julia Higgins, chair of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, says that while the national attitude towards mathematics has long been negative and hostile, the future appears brighter, with mathematics increasingly being portrayed in a more positive light in the media.

"But there is still further to go," she says. "The key driver must be ensuring that our teachers are equipped with the skills, confidence and energy needed to enthuse the next generation of students with a love for maths."

This includes teachers in further education colleges. Lesley Way, co-chair of the National Association for Numeracy and Mathematics in Colleges (Nanamic), recalls a middle-aged man who told a Skills for Life class he was stupid. "He was putting in a bathroom and needed to calculate the fall on the waste pipe," says Way. "We discussed trigonometry and Pythagoras and, because the subject interested him so much, he could not only do the calculations, but he became absorbed in the theory."
Maths: a social skill
Way says that helping people to understand mathematics can do more than boost their number skills. "Women whose husbands did all the finances suddenly gain confidence: not just in numeracy but in life," she says. "Mathematics is social skills."

And once students are enthused by maths, who knows where it will lead?

Simon Robertson, who is studying mathematics at Wadham College, Oxford, says: "At primary school I remember being fascinated by our year 4 teacher using weird ways of multiplying - the Egyptian and the Russian, which let you multiply really high numbers by hand. When I got to secondary school I was really hooked." He fits in rugby, a "lovely girlfriend" and working in the pub around 50 hours of maths a week. "It's really intense," he says, "but there's nothing better than finally solving a problem: a mathematical epiphany at 3am."

Williams is optimistic that these kinds of epiphanies will be open to more people in future. "Improvement is a lot of work but there is a political commitment and creativity in our classrooms," he says. "And hey, it's the future of a lot of children - and by implication the future of our nation."

Weblinks

Adrian Smith's 2004 report on post-14 maths: mathsinquiry.org.uk

NCETM: ncetm.org.uk
Topics

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The challenges of learning and teaching maths

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Things are looking up for mathematics. A few years ago, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects were the focus of much hand-wringing and a government inquiry.

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3. What is 'good' maths teaching?

This is a ‘professional’ review resulting from a ‘practitioner’ inquiry conducted by a number of mathematics teacher educators and researchers into the initial and continuing education of mathematics teachers. Unfortunately it is school based, although still an interesting read with many applications to FE

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2. Why should there be CPD for teaching maths?

This report looks at CPD for maths teachers and why there is a need to develop more maths teachers.  There is a useful summary and list of recommendations at the start of the report.

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Resources for filling in skills gaps at GCSE, interactive and a useful self-teaching tool

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Higher Maths learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers organised by topic.

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5a. Results 1  After discussions at regional events and the questions that some managers had about how they could plan CPD for their maths staff, a CPD session was designed to support their decision making.

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5a. Results 1  After discussions at regional events and the questions that some managers had about how they could plan CPD for their maths staff, a CPD session was designed to support their decision making.

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Materials for a session on identification of teachers' requirements and opportunties for maths CPD

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5b. Results 2 Table to show how the MEP & L3 award compare in content and how this links to GCSE (Higher)

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5b. Results 2 Table to show how the MEP & L3 award compare in content and how this links to GCSE (Higher)

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Mapping Documents

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This involved Collaboration between accredited leads for the MEP programme & experienced teacher educators for mathematics.  They compared & contrasted the content of the two programmes & identified further links with GCSE Maths (Higher).

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1. Why are more maths teachers needed?

BBC News Article Sept 2013.  Teenagers have to keep studying English and maths

By Sean Coughlan

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By Sean Coughlan
BBC News education correspondent

Teenagers in England who fail to achieve at least a grade C in English and maths GCSEs will have to continue studying the subjects from this term.

It means hundreds of thousands of youngsters in school and college will have to carry on with the subjects until the age of 18.

Employers have warned that young people need to improve these skills.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said the subjects were the ones "employers demand before all others".

Head teachers said they supported the principle of the change but there was "genuine confusion" about how it would be implemented.

The Association of Colleges says it will require 1,100 extra maths teachers and 1,000 more English teachers.

'Huge impairment'

Up until now, pupils have been able to drop the subjects at the age of 16 without having gained a qualification in them.

Many would never study these subjects again, prompting concerns from employers' organisations that too many young people lack literacy and numeracy skills necessary for work.

Last year, there were more than a quarter of a million 19-year-olds without a C grade in English and maths.

Teenagers who missed C grades will either re-take GCSEs in maths and English, or else there will be an option to take other types of maths and English lessons. But they will be required to continue studying the subjects.

In a separate measure also being introduced, the participation age for education and training is being increased to the age of 17. It will mean young people will be expected to remain in some kind of education or workplace training, although there will be no sanctions as it is phased in.

Skills minister Matthew Hancock said the requirement to keep studying English and maths was not about re-sitting exams but about continuing to develop these essential skills.

"For those who fail to get a C at GCSE, it's a huge impairment to their future life, their ability to participate not just in work but also as a citizen," he said.

Mr Hancock said that most of those who did not attain a grade C at the age of 16 continued to a further education college and the there was a programme to increase the number of English and maths teachers at those institutions.

Joy Mercer, director of policy at the Association of Colleges, said further education colleges would need an extra 2,100 experienced teachers.

"Young people, who have often tried to succeed at maths and English more than once, need the most experienced teachers to motivate them, not those who have just left a university course," she said.

Brian Lightman, leader of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the "aim is right, but there are many questions the government needs to address urgently about how it will fund and implement its plan".

The head teachers' leader said there needed to be clarification about funding for extra classes and teachers.

"There is still genuine confusion about the announcement today and what the new policy means, on the day that schools and colleges are supposed to start implementing it," said Mr Lightman.

'Wasted year'

The importance of developing English and maths beyond the age of 16 had been put forward by Prof Alison Wolf in her report on improving vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds.

She found that too many vocational qualifications lacked value for employers and too many youngsters were entering adult life without adequate skills in literacy and numeracy.

"Good English and maths grades are fundamental to young people's employment and education prospects," she said.

"Individuals with very low literacy and numeracy are severely disadvantaged in the labour market."

Prof Wolf, professor of public sector management at King's College London, welcomed the implementation of her proposals.

"Every other country in the developed world concentrates on improving the language and maths skills of its post-16 students, and so should England. Recognising the central place of English and maths skills in society is long overdue," she said.

These changes apply to young people in England. The Welsh government says that it already has plans that will require learners to continue English and maths beyond the age of 16 from 2015.

"Learners who do not achieve these GCSEs at A*-C in Key Stage 4 will be required to continue to pursue them in post-16 learning. Learners who do achieve these GCSEs in Key Stage 4 will continue to develop their skills by following Essential Skills qualifications," said a spokeswoman for the Welsh government.

'Wasted year'

But Labour's shadow education secretary, Stephen Twigg, said more urgent action was needed.

"In 2012 Labour set out ambitious plans for all children to study English and maths to 18.

"A whole wasted year later and the government have only got half way there. This isn't good enough. David Cameron needs to listen to employers - they want all young people to continue building these key skills to 18."

The Institute of Directors said that so many young people not achieving good qualifications in English and maths was "socially damaging and economically unsustainable".

The CBI backed the changes but also called for "high-quality vocational routes as well as academic ones".

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "It's critical the government works with schools and colleges to make sure that what is on offer for those young people is not marching them in and out of the exam room, but actually making sure they are developing by having an appropriate curriculum."

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Teenagers have to keep studying English and maths

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By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Teenagers in England who fail to achieve at least a grade C in English and maths GCSEs will have to continue studying the subjects from this term. It means hundreds of thousands of youngsters in school and college will have to carry on with the subjects until the age of 18.

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Maths teachers within Further Education (FE) are being encouraged to ‘upskill’ in preparation for the expansion of GCSE provision or the new L3 Core Skills maths qualifications.  The NCETM Maths Enhancement Programme (MEP) offers training to maths teachers using a strong practice-based pedagogical approach, but relies on them developing the underpinning maths skills ‘outside’ of the taught programme.  The L3 Award in Mathematics for Numeracy Teaching supports the development of personal maths skills within a qualification framework, preparing teachers for further qualification (such as a the L5 Subject Specialist qualification) or preparing them to teach at higher academic levels such as Level 2 Functional Skills or GCSE.  The two target groups for these two programmes overlap and there may be a possibility of  offering the two programmes together.  There is a strong reform agenda in education, all of which include improving maths and English skills of young adults, to help them become more successful in later life.

Matthew Hancock speaks about reforms to vocational education

From:

Department for Education and Matthew Hancock MP

Delivered on:  20 June 2014 at Wellington College.

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Thank you very much for that introduction. It's great to be here.

In this country - and, for that matter, in this room - all our fast and furious debates about schools, teachers, exams, curricula, are overshadowing an unsung success story.

Britain's educational Achilles heel - our failure to provide world-class vocational education - is finally getting fixed.

The reforms this government is introducing are potentially the most profound and far-reaching since the 1944 Education Act - affecting thousands upon thousands of young people every single year.

This is a huge change. It's a massive opportunity.

Hiding in plain sight

It is a vital subject, but it hides in plain sight.

GCSEs, A levels and university - that's not just the typical path for most journalists, it's the typical path for their friends, their families, their colleagues, their children and, for that matter, the politicians and business leaders they spend all day writing about.

More than half of young people study vocational courses at some stage of their education - either before or after 16.

But for far too long and far too often, vocational education has been overlooked and undervalued.

So I'm here today to redress the balance.

I want to celebrate this country's excellence in vocational education just as we celebrate its academic achievements.

I want to champion the new norm - when every young person leaving school or college can choose between university or an apprenticeship, confident that each option is just as well-respected and gives them just as great a start to their future.

And I want to encourage everyone in our education system - and our society - to join me. To celebrate and champion success - and to celebrate and champion our young people who are working harder, and going further, than ever before.

Rigour and responsiveness

We know that education is increasingly important. Data released by the ONS just this week showed that the more educated people are, the more likely they are to be in work - while fewer than half of those with no qualifications are employed.

So this government is taking urgent action to improve our education system.

You know about the academic reforms: to GCSEs, A levels and the curriculum.

But here's a well-kept secret: everything we've done for academic qualifications, we've also done for vocational qualifications. And we tackled vocational first.

One of our first priorities in government was to ask Professor Alison Wolf to review the quality of vocational education.

She produced one of the most important pieces of work on the subject.

Her report found that between a quarter and a third of young people - 350,000 teenagers - were being fobbed off with poor-quality qualifications that were not valued by employers and did not prepare them adequately for employment or further study.

It was a tragic waste of talent, on an industrial scale.

No more.

We accepted and implemented every recommendation in the Wolf report, and in some cases went even further. And 3 years on, standards have already started to rise.

Higher standards from 11 to 19

We are breaking down barriers between academic and vocational education. Because life and work need knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Our new national curriculum has much more relevant, practical content.

Under the old curriculum, pupils often spent most of their time talking about making things. Under our new curriculum - they'll actually make them.

In design and technology, for example, the old curriculum made pupils discuss how to plan a meal - but didn't require them to cook anything. To discuss how they might design a product - instead of actually designing it.

Now, they get real-life experience in a kitchen or a workshop, cooking, soldering, 3D printing - getting to grips with real processes.

The same goes for computing. The old curriculum taught pupils how to use existing programs. Now, they will learn how to program - how to write software for themselves in different languages like HTML and Java, to create search algorithms, set up a computer network, and encrypt devices.

Under the previous system, there was also an explosion in poor-value vocational qualifications - the sort which claimed, falsely, to be 'equivalent' to several GCSEs; but which were completely irrelevant in the workplace.

Acting on Alison Wolf's recommendations, we set out clear requirements of non- GCSE KS4 qualifications - and as a result removed a staggering 97% of them out of league tables.

So we stripped them out of league tables. From 3,175 vocational qualifications available to 14- to 16-year-olds, now there are just 186. And we're working with awarding organisations to make sure these qualifications meet the needs of industry and demonstrate real rigour and quality.

Technical Awards and TechBacc

We've scrapped the confusion of different pathways, at 14, 16 and beyond - and brought in a new, rigorous, ambitious vocational offer from 14 right through to 19 and beyond.

As I announced earlier this week, between 14 and 16, new Technical Awards - each one genuinely equivalent to a GCSE - will bring much greater rigour to the learning of hands on skills, putting practical and vocational and academic qualifications on the same level playing field for the first time.

With external marking; graded, not pass or fail; developed in partnership with employers; they will offer young people the chance to develop the real-life, practical skills and knowledge which employers value.

From 16 to 19, alongside or instead of A levels, students can study new, rigorous Tech Levels - every single one endorsed by employers, trade or professional bodies.

For the most talented, those Tech Levels can form part of our Technical Baccalaureate, or TechBacc - a new league table measure recognising the achievements of young people who study Tech Levels, level 3 mathematics and an extended project qualification.

On Wednesday we announced that some of the first high-performing schools and colleges to offer the TechBacc will carry out pioneering work with local employers as our TechBacc Trailblazers, spread across the country from Barnet to Blackpool.

The final part of the puzzle is a new category of Substantial Vocational Qualifications - intermediate qualifications designed for 16- to 19-year-olds who wish to progress immediately into a skilled trade, or to prepare for a related Tech Level.

All of these qualifications will need public backing from employers and rigorous assessment, giving students confidence that the qualification they're taking is worthwhile.

But the path is now simple: GCSEs and Tech Levels at 16, then A levels or Tech Levels as the occupational options at 18.

And of course, from the age of 16 onwards, our reformed apprenticeships, now being designed and delivered by top employers, offer young people real, paid jobs for at least 12 months with meaningful training - creating the skilled professionals of tomorrow.

The building blocks of adult life

All of this work is designed to make sure that our vocational education is truly world class.

But the most important vocational skills are simple. Good maths and English.

They are essential in every job - from professors to plumbers, fighter pilots to firefighters.

But under the old system, 300,000 18-year-olds were starting adult life without crucial English and maths GCSE at grades A* to C, every single year.

Without, in other words, the bare minimum that most colleges or employers would demand as a matter of course.

Once they fell behind at 16, the overwhelming majority had fallen behind for good.

Fewer than 1 in 10 young people who didn't achieve at least a C in maths or English GCSE at the age of 16 went on to reach that level by age 19. More than 90% never managed to catch up.

No wonder that fewer than a quarter of adults in this country have the maths skills we expect of our 16-year-olds - or only just over half in English.

Last year, the OECD released a sobering verdict on the scale of England's problems.

It found that 16- to 24-year-olds in this country are among the least literate and numerate in the developed world.

Out of 24 nations, they ranked 22nd for literacy, and 21st for numeracy. England was the only country in the survey where young people performed no better in English and maths than their grandparents, whose education finished many decades before.

English and maths at the heart of our system

So we are putting English and maths right at the heart of our education system.

English and maths GCSEs are being reformed, for first teaching in schools from September 2015, to make them more stretching and more ambitious - with a greater focus on problem solving in maths, and spelling and grammar in English.

Our new 16 to 19 study programmes - building on the Wolf Review's recommendations - ensure that students who don't get at least a C in English and maths GCSE by age 16 must keep on working towards them.

From September this year, these higher requirements for maths and English will become a condition of 16 to 19 funding - and it's been great to see how well 16 to 19 providers are responding.

Conclusion

By linking the education system much more closely to the world of work: with more relevant, respected qualifications, more employer influence over courses, and more focus on English and maths for all students, we are - at long last - ensuring that all young people, no matter what path they choose, get the best possible start in life.

We will close the great divide between vocational and academic education.

No longer are we allowing thousands of young people to be left behind, or left out.

This is an economic necessity. But more than that, it is a matter of social justice. Clear pathways. Straightforward choices between high-quality, valuable courses. Bringing together vital knowledge, skills and behaviours. That is our policy, and the goal to help every child - every child - reach their potential.

Thank you.

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Matthew Hancock speaks about reforms to vocational education

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Thank you very much for that introduction. It's great to be here. In this country - and, for that matter, in this room - all our fast and furious debates about schools, teachers, exams, curricula, are overshadowing an unsung success story. Britain's educational Achilles heel - our failure to provide world-class vocational education - is finally getting fixed.