FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Supporting Functional Skills
The Functional Skills Support Programme Self-evaluation: Are you ready?
The FSSP provides free training and materials for schools To help schools identify how ready they are for Functional
and colleges introducing Functional Skills. The website Skills there are Functional Skills self-evaluation tables in
offers a Functional Skills community where you can network word format for easy adaptation and download on the FSSP
with other practitioners and share best practice. It also support website.
features specific sections offering resources and materials as Using this resource, schools can assess how ready they
well as training and support, and provides a useful overview are for the roll-out of Functional Skills and areas where they
of the programme. require more support before September.
Visit: www.fssupport.org
The QCDA
National Strategies
The QCDA website gives an overview of the introduction of
Guidance is available on the National Strategies’ website as Functional Skills, including frequently asked questions about
well as on the FSSP website already mentioned. the new qualifications, details of the pilot, and access to
Modules and resources already available include From regular Functional Skills e-newsletters.
building to applying skills; Realistic, purposeful and relevant The QCDA has also produced printed and filmed case
contexts; Assessing progress; From Entry Level to Level 1; studies on introducing and delivering Functional Skills,
Support for English, mathematics and ICT; and Introducing which are available online.
Functional Skills. Visit: www.qcda.gov.uk/functionalskills
Resources due to go live in the coming months include
a focus on CPD, a leadership web resource based on the
QCDA Exam Office Staff Toolkit
10 factors for success, a series of 11 Functional Skills in The QCDA’s Functional Skills Toolkit for exam office staff
Subjects booklets (with three practical planning examples (see page 15) covers aspects like acquiring unique learner
illustrating how Functional Skills can support achievement numbers, prior achievement forms, the administration
in other subjects at key stages 3 and 4), and intervention requirements of each awarding body, and case studies of
guidance. good practice.
The National Strategies also provides online tools to Visit: www.qcda.gov.uk/fstoolkit
support the planning and teaching of Functional Skills
through the renewed Secondary Frameworks.
Department for Children, Schools and Families
The National Strategies support for schools can be The DCSF is responsible for Functional Skills policy
accessed via the FSSP website above. and its 14 to 19 website gives an overview of the new
qualifications and how they fit into 14 to 19 reform.
Learning and Skills Improvement Service
The website also has a frequently asked questions
LSIS provides extensive support for post-16 (much of this section, which includes a focus on funding and assessment
is relevant for schools as well) via the FSSP website. This is and Functional Skills across the four pathways.
co-ordinated with National Strategies guidance, including There is also a Functional Skills timeline as well as a
the Functional Skills in Diploma series of booklets which specific page focusing on Functional Skills at GCSE and
complements the Functional Skills in Subjects series and a detailing the recent changes in this area.
series of training modules already mentioned. Visit: www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19
This supplement has been produced by SecEd in association with the Qualifications and Curriculum Development
Agency. It is also available to download online at www.sec-ed.co.uk. SecEd is a weekly secondary education
newspaper that is delivered free to every UK secondary school. Contact the editor, Pete Henshaw, on pete.henshaw@
markallengroup.com or 020 7501 6771. The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency is the non-regulatory
part of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, an exempted charity under the Charities Act 1993.
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