Examination of Witnesses (Questions 80
- 84)
WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2007
DR KEN
BOSTON, MR
GEOFF FIELDSEND,
MS KAREN
PRICE AND
MR JOHN
ROGERS
Q80 Helen Jones: But you would accept,
would you not, that if we did not have all our ducks in a row,
so to speak, the enthusiasm for these qualifications would evaporate
rapidly?
Mr Boston: I think the enthusiasm
for the qualifications will be built by a record of success and
steadily increasing numbers. It will be destroyed by a sudden
rush of numbers in 2008 and 2009 and the qualification is seen
as not appealing to the fullability range, delivered by people
without the training, delivered by disaffected teachers to disaffected
students. If we have that, it will fail.
Chairman: We have to ask these probing
questions though as we want these Diplomas to succeed and we have
every confidence that they will, given a fair wind and a determined
management.
Q81 Mr Chaytor: Ken, you have stressed
the importance of improving our post-16 retention rates and you
have placed these Diplomas firmly in the context of improving
post-16 retention. The QCA's written submission to the Committee
stresses the importance of attracting an all-ability intake to
the Diplomas and this is a point which Karen Price also made.
How do you reconcile those two different points of view? Surely,
either the Diplomas are geared at an all-ability intake or the
Diplomas are primarily designed to improve post-16 retention by
recruiting those students who are most disaffected from the traditional
school curriculum?
Mr Boston: I certainly would want
them geared at the all-ability range. I do not think that those
who are continuing or who are taking A levels or other qualifications
or training, the 79%, are necessarily the higher level of the
ability range. I think that we have got youngsters of great ability
who are dropping out of education and training and I think the
qualification can target them as well as those of similar, higher
or even lower ability range who are continuing with A levels,
but who might find this qualification, because of its breadth,
its scope and its emphasis on an applied, temporary curriculum,
much more attractive to take.
Q82 Mr Chaytor: Do you think that
the task of attracting an all-ability intake would have been easier
had the Government adopted Mike Tomlinson's original proposals
in total?
Mr Boston: Well, I do not know.
A decision has been made on that and we are now proceeding with
implementation, but there is certainly a market. This qualification
will run side by side with the GCE and of course with other qualifications,
such as the International Baccalaureate and, as I said, it has
to earn its spurs in that market. Our wish is that this qualification
should be so good that it will be highly competitive and may in
due course become the mainstream qualification for students to
take both to go to university and into employment.
Q83 Chairman: What has been the reaction
of higher education because that is going to be vital in the acceptance
of these Diplomas? I know that we have got two champions, interestingly,
from the vice chancellors, but what has been your view of the
reaction and the welcome that higher education has given it?
Mr Boston: From the reaction that
I have had with universities in my contact with universities,
vice chancellors and admissions tutors, there is immense interest
in this qualification. There is some concern from some of them
about the narrowness of the A level and the fact that it does
not include maths and English as compulsory elements and that
it does not have the personal learning and thinking skills within
it. It has many other attributes of course as an internationally
famed qualification, but, having said that, having vice chancellors
being warm and fuzzy about it, vice chancellors are also hard-headed
and need to be and they will not be taking people with this qualification
unless it is genuinely appealing to the fullability range and
is genuinely growing that learning muscle in the head in the way
I have described. That is another key reason for us not rushing
this, it is another key reason for making sure right from the
start that this is a top-quality qualification which is competitive
with anything else which is on offer.
Q84 Chairman: The aspiration of the
Government not to let any child get out of education or training
until the age of 18, are these Diplomas going to help?
Mr Boston: I think the Diplomas
will help that ambition. I think that this provides the sort of
curriculum which will be much more attractive and keep young people
on in school, but it is certainly not a curriculum which has been
developed in order to meet that policy objective. This has been
on the books of course for some time.
Chairman: Well, it has been a very good
session. Will you please remain in contact with the Committee
and, if there are areas which we have covered where you do not
think you had a sufficient chance to come back to us, be in touch
with us. Thank you very much indeed, it has been a very good session.
| 
