Functional Skills
Out in
the real
world
Functional Skills – help or
Level 2), this means students work through Good teachers will build students’ skill-
hindrance to Diploma success?
problems independently, coming up with a sets through giving them wide experience of
sensible solution to the problem. problem-solving by using a range of diff erent
Jonathan Wells, asks the question
Teaching to the test will be virtually contexts and scenarios where skills and indeed
impossible in Functional Skills. Multiple- subjects are mixed up. Good schools will
ET’S START with the facts. choice questions will be replaced with a embed the teaching of Functional Skills across
L
Students have to pass Functional problem, lots of blank space and free-text the curriculum and reject “silo teaching”,
Skills. To get a Foundation answers. Developing solutions to problem- where functional maths is seen as the
Diploma, all three subjects have to solving tasks will need students to use maths, responsibility of the maths department.
be passed at Level 1. Higher and Advanced English and ICT together – real-life problems Teaching Functional Skills will be harder.
Diplomas require passes at Level 2. T_h ere are not exclusively focused on a single subject It means that we are going to ask a lot
are absolutely no proxies – passes in GCSE, – so it will be very diffi cult to get a Level 2 more of teachers and have a much bigger
ALAN, ECDL or Key Skills do not count. maths qualifi cation without using English at focus on elements of traditional teaching
But once passed, the Functional Skills Level 1. where teachers have to express themselves
qualifi cation is a lifetime award. One of the biggest hurdles we will face, will and use their imagination, and also provide
So what are Functional Skills? Basically, the be in getting students “to understand what opportunities for the learner to work
skills that we all use in our every day lives. It it’s all about”. During the pilot, students have independently, using contexts that are new to
could be working out (and staying within) a struggled because they do not know how to them and with limited guidance.
weekly budget, spotting the best mobile phone start answering a question. T_h ere is limited Students like Functional Skills. T_h ey like
deal, complaining about bank charges by structure and, in many cases, there is not an the practical aspect, the real-life scenarios, the
email, applying for a job, spotting spam and obvious “correct” answer and students are fact they can explain themselves and write
scam emails, or applying for a driving licence. expected to justify their answer – the basis of a story in a maths exam. And we can start
T_h ey cover English, maths and ICT, and independent thinking! to set aside the thoughts of hitting the pass
because they are based on real-life problem- T_h e practical nature of Functional Skills rate panic button – pass rates this year have
solving situations, often there is no “right” also means that students need to master all been improving steadily as we all start to
answer. As well as Diplomas, they are also skills. T_h ey cannot rely on being good at one understand “what it’s all about”.
part of the Foundation Learning Tier. All thing while ignoring others. Competence not T_h e new qualifi cations are set to become
Apprentices must pass Functional Skills and compensation is the Functional Skills mantra the “gateway” qualifi cation for everyone. T_h ey
they are included in the new 2010 GCSE and with pass marks likely to be higher than are a big change, they are a big challenge, but
specifi cations for maths, English and ICT. the equivalent grade C GCSE, everything successfully meeting the challenge will mean
T_h e government has also said that the suggests that passing Functional Skills is going we will be producing students competent in
school’s performance in the standalone to be a big ask for many – but not all. maths, English and ICT, so improving their
functional tests will also be reported as part So who will benefi t from Functional Skills? access to all future education, training and
of the new School Report Card that replaces T_h e relative lack of theory and the focus on improving life chances. DD
performance tables next year. practicalities means that the “less academic”
Functional Skills are probably the should do better than in formal GCSE • Jonathan Wells is managing director of Guroo
most signifi cant change in education in exams. T_h ose students who are full of ideas Ltd, which develops online learning resources for
a generation. Why? Because students are will get a chance to express them instead of the 14 to 19 sector.
expected to think for themselves and work ticking boxes. On the other side, students
through situations they may never have seen entered in the test in year 9 to “get it out of Further information
before. At Level 2 (the government’s target the way”, those who have not practised, and
www.qcda.gov.uk/functionalskills
is for 85 per cent of students to get at least those with poor English skills will struggle.
www.qcda.gov.uk/22533.aspx
Delivering Diplomas • Volume 1 No 1 Autumn 2009 39
39-41 oldham case study.indd 1 18/9/09 10:16:17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68