3 Having the capability to deliver
the reforms
16. The Department had spent about £590
million on the 14-19 reforms, and has allocated a further £1.3
billion for the programme over the Comprehensive Spending Review
period. Qualifications with a vocational component cost more to
teach than purely academic qualifications. The Department has
not yet established cost estimates built up from the local level
for delivering Diplomas. The Department has, however, estimated
the average cost per student per year of Diplomas by modelling
the amount of additional learning based on the content specifications
for the first five Diplomas, and using the Learning and Skills
Council's funding methodology. The Department estimates that teaching
Level 1 and 2 Diplomas to 14-16 year olds will require, on average,
£1,000 more per annum than for existing qualifications such
as GCSEs. A Level 3 Diploma over two years (equivalent to three
and a half A levels) will cost £350 more than a BTEC National
Diploma (a vocational qualification) and £1,530 more than
three A levels.[19]
17. Schools have fixed costs such as teachers'
salaries that may not fall proportionately if students spend part
of their time learning at other institutions. Only 35% of respondents
to a National Audit Office survey agreed that current delivery
of 14-19 provision is aligned with, or supported by, clear funding
arrangements. Early pathfinder projects to test out possible options
have provided some indication of costs on a small scale, but there
is a risk that solutions they have identified may not be sustainable
as increasing numbers of young people take up Diplomas across
the country.[20]
18. The Building Schools for the Future programme
aims to rebuild or renew every secondary school in England at
an average cost of £2.5-£3 billion per year for the
lifetime of the programme. Similarly, the Further Education capital
programme has been renewing colleges' infrastructure for a number
of years. While this capital investment provides a good opportunity
to supply the most appropriate facilities for Diplomas, any lack
of coordination between the programmes could lead to substantial
wasted investment. For example, schools may want to develop their
own sixth forms or vocational training facilities when these services
might be provided more cost effectively by a local college or
another local school.
19. The Department is not prescribing how schools
should develop their facilities; its priority is for institutions
to collaborate so that students learn at the best facilities,
regardless of location. Local authorities and Partnerships for
Schools[21] check that
area plans for the Building Schools for the Future programme address
all local needs. The Department has only recently launched a local
authority survey to identify the capital requirements of the 14-19
reform programme. The Building Schools for the Future programme
will not be completed before 2013, but the Department will provide
£608 million of additional funding to pay for the capital
requirements of the 14-19 reforms and special education in local
authorities that will not receive Building Schools for the Future
funding until after 2013.[22]
20. Consortia require teachers with the skills
and knowledge to deliver the academic and vocational content of
the Diplomas. 45% of consortia had, however, not carried out a
skills audit of the teaching workforce to determine professional
development requirements. The Department is improving support
for teacher development so that they will be better prepared to
deliver the Diplomas and have a better understanding of further
education teaching and the business requirements. For example,
the Department has introduced additional training days at secondary
schools to supplement its online support and face-to-face training,
while national bodies such as the National College for School
Leadership are offering targeted training for heads of school
departments.[23]
19 Qq 8, 47-48; Ev 16-17; C&AG's Report, paras
113-114 Back
20
Qq 74, 104-105; C&AG's Report, paras 115-116 Back
21
Partnerships for Schools is the non-departmental public body set
up to deliver Building Schools for the Future. It was established
in 2004 by the then Department for Education and Skills and Partnerships
UK Back
22
Qq 66-67, 80-82, 98-100, 106-112; C&AG's Report, paras 120-122 Back
23
Qq 121-122; C&AG's Report, paras 69-70 Back
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