Science and TechnologyWritten evidence submitted by the Department for Education (DfE) with a contribution from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
Summary
1. This submission sets out how Government policy supports the development of engineering skills and benefits the engineering industry. It explains how current educational reforms will ensure that more young people leave school with a more rigorous grounding in mathematics and the sciences, create a more educated society in which pupils are able to excel whatever their background and bring benefits both directly and indirectly to engineering.
Reforming the Education system
2. The Government’s educational reforms are designed to secure more rigorous academic achievement and to put in place an assessment system which engineering employers will understand and have confidence in. We are revising the National Curriculum to be slimmer and more challenging and which is comparable with those of the highest-performing countries in the world. It will focus more sharply on the core essential knowledge that matters, and leave room for additional subjects and courses without sacrificing academic rigour in the traditional subjects. We expect the next generation of pupils to leave school with a better command of language, literacy and general knowledge, and a stronger understanding of mathematics and science.
3. In launching the new National Curriculum, we have already reaffirmed the primacy of the core subjects of English, mathematics and science throughout primary and secondary education. We have released new draft primary programmes of study for English, mathematics and science in advance of a formal public consultation later in the year. These set out a more systematic approach which supports better subject progression. Along with these new programmes of study, we intend to revise the assessment system to set out our high expectations of achievement in core subjects and to be more transparent.
4. At secondary school, we have equally high expectations of teaching in the key subjects of English, mathematics and science. The English Baccalaureate (EBacc), which was introduced in 2010, recognises the achievement of pupils who have attained a grade C or better across a core of academic subjects—English, mathematics, two sciences, geography or history, and a language (modern or ancient). The inclusion of these subjects in the EBacc will ensure that those who achieve this expectation have a wide variety of options for further study and employment, including in engineering. In addition to complementing high quality technical education by enabling students to study relevant subjects alongside it to the age of 16, the EBacc also provides a firm basis for a wide range of technical routes post -16.
5. It is encouraging that there is continued growth in the number of pupils taking GCSE triple science—from 43,014 pupils in 2004 to 134,998 in 2011. We are, however, concerned that GCSEs have failed to keep pace with the standards expected by our international competitors. Qualification reform is therefore necessary to ensure our examinations are recognised as being on a par with those in the highest performing jurisdictions.
6. In 2010 the Government commissioned Professor Alison Wolf of King’s College London to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Her review confirmed the importance of a thorough grounding in English and mathematics for equipping young people with the skills and knowledge employers need. In future, therefore, we will expect young people who have not achieved at least a GCSE grade C in English and mathematics by age 16 to continue to study those subjects post-16. We are also looking at how we might encourage more successful pupils to continue to study mathematics post-16, given that many employers and universities expect students to have high levels of mathematical knowledge to complete their courses in related subjects, such as engineering, analytical professions and the sciences.
7. The Government is also encouraging more students to study qualifications such as A level Physics and A level Further Mathematics which enhance their prospects of studying and doing well in engineering related subjects at university. This includes the expansion of the work of the Stimulating Physics Network and the Further Maths Support Programme (delivered by the Institute of Physics and Mathematics in Education respectively) so that they reach more schools and widen participation in these subjects especially among under-represented groups such as girls and those living in disadvantaged areas.
Ensuring a skilled teaching workforce
8. We are improving the quality of teaching by reforming and modernising initial teacher training and in-service professional development of teachers. The development of Teaching Schools will produce a supply of high quality and technically competent teachers, enabling the best schools to challenge and support the others. This support will extend beyond a good induction to the profession; Teaching Schools will also enable existing teachers and managers to update their knowledge and sharpen their leadership skills. There will be 500 Teaching Schools by 2014, many of which will lead on science and mathematics.
9. The Government’s plan to improve Initial Teacher Training published in November 2011 focuses on the recruitment of high quality science and mathematics teachers. We have introduced bursaries of up to £20,000 to attract the best graduates in physics, chemistry and mathematics into teaching. In addition, we are refocusing generalist ITT science courses onto the specialisms of physics, chemistry and biology, and working with the Institute of Physics (IoP) to support a teacher training scholarship) worth £20,000, and a pilot ITT course in physics and maths.
10. The Department for Education is allocating up to £135 million over the current spending review period to improve science and mathematics education. This funding is primarily focused on improving the quality of teaching by providing professional development opportunities for science teachers and technicians through the network of science learning centres and increasing accessibility to good quality professional development opportunities for mathematics teachers.
Reforming vocational education
11. The reforms set out above will raise standards in English, maths and science which are the bedrock of success in any further study or training. The Government is also reforming vocational education to improve its quality and rigour and to provide young people and employers with the skills they need.
12. Professor Wolf’s Review of vocational education made a number of recommendations for improving vocational education for young people. The Government has accepted all of Professor Wolf’s recommendations and is taking forward a programme of work to implement them. Two of the findings were that most young people need a foundation in academic subjects on which to build their vocational education, and that too often vocational qualifications were being used by schools as alternatives to core subjects regardless of their value to pupils or employers. Professor Wolf saw employers themselves leading the way to provide qualifications which reflect the true needs of their industries. There will be some young people who want to specialise before the age of 16 and who wish to take vocational qualifications alongside GCSEs in English, mathematics and science. The Government’s task will be to encourage industry to collaborate to create the kind of training these young people need to be successful in their chosen field.
13. In order to strengthen the quality and credibility of vocational education in general, we have reformed the school performance tables to give appropriate recognition to a range of vocational qualifications, but removed false equivalences between them and the traditional academic subjects. It is important for the future that engineering (among other industries) can confidently identify specific qualifications that are designed to meet the needs of industry. One indicator of the success of vocational qualifications will be how well they support young people in finding employment.
14. Following the reforms, there are 140 high quality qualifications which will count as equivalent to one GCSE in the 2014 Key Stage 4 performance tables. Of these, nine are in engineering. These include the two “Principal Learning in Engineering” qualifications at levels 1 and 2 which represent the core of the current Engineering Diploma.
15. At a roundtable meeting convened by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on 8 May and chaired by John Hayes in his role as Minister for Skills in both DfE and BIS, engineering organisations agreed with awarding bodies to develop new qualifications that reflect the quality and attractiveness of the Engineering Diploma and its Principal Learning component. Work on these new qualifications is already underway, involving the Royal Academy of Engineering, employers, University Technical Colleges and awarding organisations.
Diversification and autonomy in the education system
16. The growth of University Technical Colleges (UTCs), studio schools and free schools support the Government’s aim for greater choice, autonomy and flexibility in how pupils are educated. University Technical Colleges are being developed in partnership with universities and employers. The specialism of each UTC is based on demand from industry in the local area with employer sponsors contributing to the design of the curriculum. Up to Key Stage 4, a broad and balanced academic curriculum is taught 60% of the time and 40% of the time is allocated to the technical specialism(s). Beyond 16, it is the reverse, with young people spending the majority of their time focusing on technical education. The Government is on target to deliver its commitment to have at least 24 UTCs open by September 2014; there are currently two open with a further 32 in the pipeline. Nearly 300 companies representing a variety of sectors (including construction, advanced manufacturing and various forms of engineering) are already involved in sponsoring or partnering UTCs.
17. Studio Schools will allow young people to prepare for work while gaining core qualifications. Studio Schools will work in partnership with a wide range of employers (including engineering organisations) and provide school leavers with hands-on experience of the workplace alongside study, and access to the qualifications which students need for employment, further education or university. These could be GCSEs, A Levels, BTECs or NVQs. We expect that Studio Schools will help to meet demand from employers for workplace skills.
18. The Government also intends to set up a number of specialist mathematics free schools for 16–18 year olds. These schools will be supported by strong university mathematics departments. Under their leadership, these schools will provide the most able students with the best possible preparation for further study in mathematics and related disciplines.
Improving the quality of apprenticeships and supporting employers
19. The number of Apprenticeship starts in Engineering and manufacturing technologies increased from 37,860 in 2009–10 to 48,970 in 2010–11. In April 2012 the Government introduced incentive payments of £1,500 for small employers to take on their first apprentice aged 16–24. The total number of incentive places available in 2012–13 is 40,000. We are also improving the support that the National Apprenticeship Service provides to Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to ensure that this is tailored to the needs of these businesses.
20. It is important that apprenticeships meet the needs of the changing economy and deliver required qualifications and skills including for the engineering sector. The Government has asked Doug Richard (founder of School for Startups) to undertake a review of apprenticeships in England to ensure that the future needs of the economy are met effectively. The Review will examine how to build upon the achievements of apprenticeships in recent years and consider what the core components of an apprenticeship should be in order to meet the needs of employers (large and small), individuals, and the wider economy. It will also examine whether the qualifications undertaken as part of an apprenticeship are sufficiently rigorous, and valued by employers. The report is due to be published in autumn 2012.
21. The Employer Ownership pilot offers all employers in England direct access to up to £250 million of public funds over the next two years to design and deliver their own training solutions. Through the pilot, employers will be able to develop training solutions to help them develop high level technical skills including for the engineering sector. Some applicants are looking to design a coordinated approach providing education and training both on site and in colleges and other training providers to speed up the process of training qualified people.
June 2012