Results
T e results are in
In August, more than 4,000 Diploma exam results were released. Here, we look at some of the outcomes Mr Bevan said that a number of his
was somewhat lost behind talk of A level A* grades, record GCSE pass rates, and oversubscribed universities. But at the end of August, more than
A
4,000 students were quietly making history becoming only the second group of students to be recognised for achieving success on Diploma courses, while others became the fi rst to complete the two-year qualifi cation. Results for the Foundation and Higher
Diplomas showed that more than 3,700 were completed, with around 87 per cent gaining a pass. Among the 633 results for Foundation
Diplomas, just under 60 per cent received a B, with 20 per cent achieving an A, and around one per cent getting an A*. Of the 3,069 on the more popular Higher
course, 45 per cent received a C, 38 per cent got a B, while just under 10 per cent received an A. Eighteen entries were awarded an A*. Some 594 Advanced Diploma results were
also handed out over the summer, with almost half receiving an A* to C grade. In total, 87.9 per cent of students on Advanced Diploma courses received a pass. A further 99 Progression Diplomas were
awarded to students who did not complete all of the Diploma’s components. Of these, 87.9 per cent achieved a pass at A* to E.
Delivering Diplomas • Volume 2 No 2 Autumn 2010
MID THE hustle and bustle of the exam results season, the achievements of thousands of pioneering Diploma students
Progression Diplomas are equivalent to two- and-a-half A levels. However, fi gures and statistics can only tell
us so much about the thousands of young people who opted to study the Diploma. Phil Bevan, deputy headteacher and
Diplomas co-ordinator at Hanham High School in South Gloucestershire, told Delivering Diplomas that the qualifi cation has developed wider skills, resilience and increased independence in his students. He emphasised that the nature of the
qualifi cation means that students who did not achieve the full Diploma should not be termed as having failed. At Hanham, three out of six students achieved a full Foundation Diploma, while 21 out of 58 were awarded full Higher Diplomas. However, of the 64 students, 45 achieved
their Principal Learning qualifi cation, another 33 their extended project qualifi cation, and a total of 35 gained all three Functional Skills, meaning many are going onto 6th form with a competitive set of qualifi cations. Mr Bevan said: “For many of those who
have not achieved the full Diploma it is a deliberate delay. Some of them have come out with the equivalent of a BTEC or a qualifi cation in the Principal Learning. “Most of the students who did not achieve
their full Diplomas are only one component away; the majority are going onto 6th form to do A levels and BTECs and the Diploma has given them a much wider grounding.”
students are already planning to pick up again their Functional Skills tests again or Extended Projects in the 6th form in a bid to achieve their full Diploma. Others, meanwhile, are happy with the component qualifi cations they have gained and are using those to move on to A levels or other options at key stage 5. “People need to realise that the qualifi cation
is very rigorous and so to achieve the full Diploma is actually quite diffi cult – but the skills that it develops on the way are well worth the fi nal outcomes,” he added. Educationalist Dr John Dunford also
backed up this view when he called for recognition that the Diploma results fi gures were “a snapshot in time” and that more will fi nish the components for the qualifi cation and achieve the Diploma in the months after results day. He added: “It is important to recognise that
students have not failed if they have not yet passed every component of the Diploma by age 16.” Elsewhere on results day, schools minister
Nick Gibb emphasised for the second time since coming to offi ce that the Diploma has a future “as long as there is demand for it”. He said: “It is for schools and students to
decide whether it is the best qualifi cation for them. T at’s why we have made it easier for schools to choose the Diplomas they think are right for their students, rather than having to off er them in every subject.”
DD 7
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