The aim of the newsletter is to provide up to date information on post 14 education and training developments in Wales and England.
Essential Skills Wales is the new suite of skills qualifications which will replace the current Key Skills of Communication, Application of Number and ICT, and the Basic Skills of Adult Literacy, Adult Numeracy and Skills for Life ICT. This new suite of skills qualifications will be implemented from September 2010. From that date, Key Skills and Basic Skills will no longer be available in Wales. More DCELLS Update on Skills Qualifications - September 2008
The key results for 2006/07 are: the number of permanent exclusions has fallen by a third to 291; Boys accounted for three quarters of permanent exclusions; the number of fixed term exclusions has fallen slightly to just over 20,000. More
The key points from the latest release are: There were 14,025 members of staff directly employed by FE Institutions during 2006/07 comprising 6,185 full-time and 7,840 part-time staff. The full-time and part-time staff numbers amounted to 9,260 full-time equivalents (FTEs). More
57 per cent of 15 year olds achieved the Level 2 threshold, 2 percentage points higher than in 2006/07. For 17 year olds, 94 per cent of those entering a volume equivalent to 2 A levels achieved the Level 3 threshold, the same as in 2006/07. More press release
RNIB Cymru is hosting an open evening - providing information, advice and guidance for professionals in the education sector who work with students with sight loss - including those working in and around schools, FE and sixth form colleges, Universities, and lifelong learning centres across Wales. For further information, please contact laura.dunning@rnib.org.uk.
October 6th 2008 is the official launch of www.cpdsewales.org.uk at the All Nation's Centre in Cardiff. The event will officially unveil the new website which is designed to give teachers better access to CPD and radically improve its provision in schools across the region. More
This report illustrates the breadth of work that Estyn has undertaken over the past year in pursuit of the aims and objectives outlined in its 2007-2010 Corporate Plan. It is structured around the strategic priority, themes and operational objectives set out within that Plan. More
This consultation presents proposals for the strategic development of adult community learning. These include the introduction of a new approach to the planning, commissioning and delivery of this area of provision, together with a more coherent framework for quality development. The consultation will run for a period of 12 weeks, closing on 31 December 2008. More
By 1st September 2008, a total of 33,290 EMA Wales applications had been received for 2007/08, an increase of 2% compared with 2006/07. 31,180 (94 per cent) of applications received were approved, an increase of 3 per cent compared with 2006/07. 940 (3 per cent) of applications were rejected. More
You can find out on this site how well public services in your area of Wales are performing, from the recycling rate in your local authority to the quality of teaching in your local school or the waiting list for your local hospital. More
Twenty one further education (FE) colleges, representing a total investment of
£335 million, have opened new state-of-the-art buildings and facilities this month as part of the Building Colleges for the Future programme, which is helping to transform the FE estate. More
In January 2007 HEPI produced a report “Vocational A levels and university entry: is there parity of esteem?” that considered whether students with different level 3 qualifications progressed to higher education at different rates. The report concluded that students from vocational backgrounds as a whole were not underrepresented in higher education when their prior educational achievement was taken into account. More
A new Ofsted report reveals that pupils’ participation and achievement can benefit significantly from getting involved with activities outside the classroom – but not all schools and colleges are reaping the full benefits, because some do not incorporate many off-site experiences into the curriculum. More
The Government has accepted in full the recommendations of a council of experts from the fields of business and education, which include university trips for primary pupils and stronger links between schools and local businesses. The National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE) was set up by the Prime Minister in June 2007 to act as a sounding board and provide advice on measures to help create a world-class education system. More
A new report shows inadequate ESOL in colleges is now rare. ESOL in the post-compulsory learning and skills sector: an evaluation, finds the number of colleges providing ESOL that is less than satisfactory has fallen to one in sixteen, down from one in five in the period from 2001-2005. More
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has announced that initially nine of the most selective universities have agreed to extend opportunities for the best performing students from the most challenging backgrounds to show what they can achieve, building on existing work in the sector. More
