The Department for Education (DfE) is consulting on reformed subject content for Functional Skills qualifications in mathematics and English.
By reforming these functional skills qualifications the Government wants to improve their relevance and content, and to increase the recognition and credibility of Functional Skills with employers.
The consultation asks questions about the proposed content for mathematics and English at all levels. The consultation runs until 07 November 2017 and responses can be made via the DfE website.
We would encourage Centres who are delivering Functional Skills to read the proposed subject content and complete the consultation as some of the key proposals differ from the existing Functional Skills qualifications. These include:
- Proposed introduction of teaching of Phonics
- Lists of words that learners at entry 1, entry 2 and entry 3 must be able to read and spell
- Proposals for assessment with and without calculators
- Changes to level of demand for maths from entry 1
Full details of the proposed changes, and a link to complete the consultation feedback online are on the DfE website, you can also read the key DfE documents via the links below