Press Release

Edexcel: Six tests for the new Diploma

14 December 2007

The new Diploma is the cornerstone of the Government's 14 - 19 reforms. As educationalists line up to comment on its development and consider what is at stake in its success, Jerry Jarvis sets out the view from Edexcel and six key tests that the Diploma will need to pass.

If you review a list of Government policy papers over the last five years, it's evident that our education system is no stranger to reform, but the new Diploma qualification is by far the most ambitious element of one of the most profound programmes of educational reform in the UK's history.

Historically, awarding bodies have simply responded to the education agenda, providing assessment and examinations where required, but the Diploma It is far too complex for awarding bodies to provide only a single piece of the jigsaw. Moreover, we need to bring learning and assessment together if we are to create a climate for personalised learning. No organisation has done more than Edexcel to make this possible. Throughout these reforms, we must focus squarely on the learner and the employers who will ultimately make or break this endeavour.

Thus we are committed, financially, educationally and spiritually to the success of the Diploma as part of the need for improving skills,  and success for us is manifest in success for students and employers.

As providers of the BTEC qualifications we also have a responsibility to maintain and develop this vital suite of qualifications - they form the backbone of vocational learning in our country.  With over one million people currently undertaking BTEC vocational courses we have to ensure that these training courses continue to complement the primary aims of the Diploma.

To date in its development, the Diploma has had some robust critics. Earlier this year, the CBI warned that many employers have not heard of the qualification. The NUT asked if universities would ever recognise them. Even the (then) Education Secretary admitted that "things could go horribly wrong".  And from our briefing programmes it is clear that few schools appreciate the dramatic impact of the Diploma on the curriculum and on student outcomes.

To add to the pressure, the forthcoming review of all 14 - 19 qualifications in 2013 means that the Diplomas have just five years to earn their spurs. Yet a rule of thumb is that it can take a generation for a new qualification to be accepted.

Announcing the review, Education Secretary Ed Balls was right to confirm that it is the market-place that will decide which qualifications survive. Allowing learners to freely choose Diplomas from a full range of options is vital if they are to be credible and valued.

I mentioned commitment earlier; that awarding bodies will have to engage with the Diploma in a new way.  We think that awarding bodies will have to be true partners, developing core functions to enable success.  Thus we will work with consortia to:

Create on-line resources that provide management information to consortia members; that track student administration and performance across institutions; that provide training for all contributors; and that provide safe professional work placement through Trident.  We will also work to create a complete, essential personalised learning environment for each student  By exploiting technology, we will empower learning in a way that is different from any seen in the past - an administrative framework that enables consortia to track the learner throughout teaching, wherever it is delivered, in real time.

As the race towards its first teaching in September 2008 gathers pace, the baton has been handed to those who must now deliver: consortia and awarding bodies. As the head of an awarding body, I have to ask what success will look like. Applying some examination logic, Edexcel believes the Diploma needs to pass six key tests.

First, it has to improve levels of functional skills. These are the skills that have a fundamental impact on the quality of peoples' lives, and they are the skills that employers want before all others.

Second, it must establish a unique position in the qualification system, with clear blue water between other complementary qualifications.

Next, it has to engage learners so they want to study for a Diploma and achieve the qualification.

It must also secure stakeholder buy-in. Students will only study a Diploma if it enjoys the confidence of parents and if higher education and employers value it.

A further critical element is the need to win the support of the educational workforce. We all know the impact an inspirational teacher has on a class; the Diploma needs to provide a catalyst for their inspiration.

And finally it has to become part of a new collaborative system, where partnerships operate effectively to manage the Diploma's complexity.

Edexcel is proud to have come this far with the development of our Diploma offer to date. We have worked hard to ensure that we achieved accreditation of all of the first five lines of learning to maximise student choice and Diploma take-up, and we are the only awarding body to have achieved that complete offer. Fortunately, we have been able to draw upon our experience of project and coursework assessment for BTEC qualifications to make the complex new Diploma assessment regimes as simple and transparent as possible. 

The scale and complexity of the Diploma is matched by its ambition as an education reform, and making it work is a formidable challenge. Our absolute commitment to the Diploma means that the stakes are high for Edexcel; we have invested millions of pounds into these new qualifications.

But our stake in its success is not as great as the UK's stake in the education and skills issues facing the country. We must make the Diploma a success, establishing its role as part of the best suite of academic, vocational and applied qualifications in the world.

• Copyright 2008 Dod's Parliamentary Communications Ltd
• About ePolitix.com
• Stakeholders
• Contacts
• Terms & Conditions
• Blog guidelines