Guidance

Review of end of year 16 to 19 study programmes data for 2017 to 2018

This contains important actions and clarifications for institutions delivering 16 to 19 study programmes.

From:
Education and Skills Funding Agency
Published
8 January 2020

Introduction

We have completed our annual review of 16-19 study programmes delivery for the 2017 to 2018 academic year. This is the fifth annual review; for information on the previous reviews, please see the following links: 2013 to 2014, 2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017.

Purpose and findings

There are two main stages to this review; analysis of study programme delivery patterns and analysis of non-standard delivery patterns.

Analysis of 16-19 study programmes delivery patterns:

Purpose: to ensure public funding for provision meets the core principles of study programmes as detailed in the Department for Education (DfE) guidance, 16 to 19 study programmes. The analysis helps ensure students receive high quality education that meets their needs and aspirations.

Findings: overall, the National Funding Formula is having the impact we expected on the delivery of 16-19 study programmes in the vast majority of institutions. This is the same as what we found last year.

Analysis of non-standard delivery:

Purpose: to identity institutions where delivery is non-standard compared to the majority of institutions. As mentioned in previous years, this does not necessarily mean that institutions are not delivering valid study programmes. We expect institutions to be able to use the flexibilities within the principles of study programmes to deliver provision that meet the diverse needs of their students. We do however want to identify non-standard delivery and understand these delivery patterns; so we contacted institutions with non-standard delivery and asked them to explain their delivery patterns.

Findings: the main reasons of non-standard delivery we received were:

  • misunderstanding guidance or inputting errors made whilst recording student data: we have produced a list of the most common misunderstandings
  • study programmes were tailored and delivered to meet individual diverse student needs and characteristics

Actions and clarifications for providers

We advise all institutions delivering 16-19 study programmes (including traineeships) to:

Important clarifications on the 16 to 19 study programmes

Work experience: when work-experience is an essential part of the qualification, work-experience hours should be included within the planned qualification hours. Please refer to the section called ‘Funding and recording work experience where it is within a vocational qualification that has work experience as an essential element’ in the work-experience factsheet.

The work placements guidance for the capacity and delivery fund (CDF) states that the CDF funding is additional to the mainstream allocation and that the work placement hours delivered through CDF must not be included in the planned hours recorded for the study programme.

Recording planned hours: the Funding Regulations (paragraph 116 of the 2019 to 2020 guidance) states: ‘When institutions calculate planned hours using expected standard student attendance, institutions must use the average planned hours attended by students. This average must take account of students who both complete early and finish later than average.’

Clarifications from previous reviews:

  • Initial assessments must account for the students’ prior attainment and abilities; you must complete an assessment before the student enrols on a study programme.

  • Progressions in courses offered: all study programmes should offer a programme that is at a higher level than the students’ prior attainment. A study programme at the same level will only be acceptable in exceptional circumstances, and if so, you must record clear evidence and rationale for audit purposes. Please see paragraph 87 of the 2019 to 2020 funding guidance.

  • Condition of funding: institutions must take account of the student’s prior attainment level before enrolling them onto an English and/or maths stepping stone or GCSE qualification and must record this correctly on the ILR.

Calculating planned hours:

  • Apportionment of planned hours across 2 years: you must apportion planned hours for 2-year programmes over two funding periods. The hours entered must be realistic and deliverable to each individual student and for the academic year in question. Institutions must ensure that evidence is available for any funding auditor.

  • Dropouts: some institutions may account for historical dropouts to calculate the planned end dates. If you do this, then when you calculate the planned hours you also need to account for dropouts.

  • Compressed delivery: from the 2019 to 2020 academic year, the funding guidance states that ‘Students must not have planned hours that exceed 40 hours per week for their study programme’.

  • Modular delivery: all study programmes must be challenging to the young person with modular delivery offered only if this supports the specific needs of the student. The 16 to 19 study programme guidance mentions that 16 to 19 study programmes are designed to provide students with a structured and challenging learning programme that supports their development and progression in line with their career plans. The funding guidance states the following (paragraph 117 of the 2019 to 2020 Guidance): When institutions recruit students to start short study programmes, they must only record the planned hours for those associated planned short programmes. Institutions may plan programmes for students with the intention of starting the student on a small or nested qualification and progressing them onto a larger qualification when they are successful in the smaller one. In such cases, the planned hours for the programme must only include the hours for the smaller or nested qualification. When the institution is sure that the student will progress onto the larger qualification, they can update the planned hours to include the additional delivery. This advice applies equally whether or not there is a gap between a student’s initial short study programme and their longer study programme.

  • Summer taster session: you must not fund taster sessions and summer courses for year 11 completers and students who have just completed a full time study programme in that funded year. Please see paragraph 55 of the 2019 to 2020 funding guidance for more information.

  • Students at more than one institution: the 2020 to 2021 funding guidance will mention that delivery of short programmes, whilst students are studying at another institution, should be funded by the main institution delivering the study programme, whether the institution is publicly funded or not

  • Recording vocational core aims whilst on a predominantly academic programme: where the student is studying both academic and vocational qualifications, the core purpose of the study programme determines their core aim and this will normally reflect the majority of the planned hours.

  • Retakes: retakes and re-sits hours should not be included in the funded study programme hours except:

  • where students retake maths and English as part of the condition of funding (if students have not attained grade A* to C or 9 to 4 GCSE or equivalent)
  • where there are exceptional circumstances outside the control of the student or institution, such as a period of long term sickness, or good educational reasons

List of delivery patterns reviewed across all institutions

1. Number of students graded below 4/C (graded 3-1 or graded D-F) in English and/or maths (in their previous year of study) now 1) studying English and or maths GCSE and/or Stepping Stone qualification 2) achieving English and or maths GCSE and/or Stepping Stone qualification

This is to determine the number of students without a GCSE or equivalent in maths and/or English at grade A* to C that are continuing to study and achieve these qualifications within post 16 education and funding. We would expect to see an increase in students without an A* to C studying and achieving GCSEs in maths and English. Guidance of the maths and English condition of funding is available.

2. Number of students with prior attainment at grade C or above in English and maths with a core aim below L2

This is to determine the number of students with prior attainment of GCSE grade C or above in maths and/or English that are continuing into a study programme that has a core aim below Level 2. We would expect to see students in this measure only in exceptional circumstances.

3. Number and proportion of students on a substantial L2, substantial L3 or work-experience core aim (studying and achieving)

This is to determine the number of students that are studying and achieving substantial level 2 or 3 core aim (an academic core aims or a substantial vocational core aim as per the performance tables) or a work-experience core aim.

The 16-19 Study Programmes guidance states that ‘the core aim for the majority of students will be either:

  • one or more substantial academic, applied or technical qualifications which prepare the student for further education or employment
  • a substantial work placement to prepare the student for an apprenticeship or other employment

4. Proportion of employability, enrichment and pastoral (EEP) planned hours in their study programme

All study programmes should include other activities unrelated to qualifications that develop the character, skills, attitudes and confidence that support progression. We would expect that in the majority of cases, study programmes, (including academic study programmes) include other planned and organised enrichment activity, such as tutorials, work to develop study skills, leadership, teamwork or self-management skills and activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or volunteering. However, we would not expect to see study programmes that did not include either work-experience/placement or qualification hours. More information on non-qualification hours and 16 to 19 study programmes and non-qualification hours is available.

5. Number of external work experience (w/ex) hours

We expect institutions to offer, wherever possible, a placement with an external employer. This enables students to experience the real demands of the working environment, independent from their peers and their tutors, and put into practice the transferable and sector-specific skills they have learned. This has the greatest impact on students’ employability. In addition, students can often get employer references for their performance that provides evidence for their CV, or the offer of a job on completion of their course.

More information on recording external work experience is available.

6. Where students are recorded with a work experience aim in the 300+ hour band and work experience is not recorded as the core aim

The core aim is the principal or most important activity in the study programme and it will usually be the component with the largest number of planned hours. We expect you to record study programmes where the work experience is greater than 300 hours in the academic year as the core aim.

Some vocational qualifications have work experience as an essential element. You must record this activity within qualification planned-hours on the ILR/census and not duplicate it as employability, enrichment and pastoral hours (EEP).

More information on recording work experience is available.

7. How many students are studying traineeships

Traineeships are an education and training programme for motivated young people aged 16 to 24 who do not have a level 3 qualification. They consist of work preparation training, a high quality work placement, and English and maths provision where appropriate, designed to equip young people with the skills and experience they need to progress onto an apprenticeship or other sustainable employment.

More information on traineeship is available.

8. Shift in funding bandings

We would expect to see a reduction in the number/proportion of students studying part-time programmes and an increase in the number/proportion of students studying full time programmes by:

  • raising the participation age
  • the ‘Wolf Review’ recommending that study programmes should include more rigorous, substantial qualifications (as well as maths and English if students have not attained a grade C or above or equivalent)

9. Students on compressed study programme

A full-time study programme is defined as 540 planned hours or greater. Delivery of a full time study programme in less than an academic year should be in exceptional circumstances only, and only when it meets the assessed needs of the students.

We would expect such compressed delivery to lead to excellent results, as demonstrated through qualification achievement rates and positive destinations. We would not expect to fund a student for more than one full-time programme in an academic year. We also expect compressed programmes to have manageable and realistic actual hours per week.

More information on planned hours is available.

10. Students completing their study programme one month after the end of the qualifying period

Institutions will only receive funding in subsequent years if students meet the qualifying period for their study programme (and the qualifying period for maths and/or English aims if this is to meet the condition of funding). The qualifying periods are 6 weeks for a programme with a planned length of 24 weeks or more, and 2 weeks for a programme with a planned length of less than 24 weeks. We therefore would not expect to see high numbers of students completing within one month of their qualifying period.

11. Number of students who have retained over 2 years

This is to determine the number and proportion of level 3 students who return to the same provider for a second year of study and complete their programme of study in their second year.
This is part of 16-18 accountability measures.

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Published 8 January 2020
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