Current progression of BTEC students to HE Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 20152

UCAS data on entry to HE 23.4% of students entered university in with a BTEC compared with just 13.5% in 2008 Only 26 large providers took fewer than 5% of their intake from BTEC holders in compared with almost double that number (47) in 2008 Disadvantaged young people over 10% more likely to enter HE than they were a year ago Entry rates for young people from all ethnic groups increased The proportion of students entering HE with a BTEC is higher in areas with a low rate of entry Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 20153

BTEC and social mobility Presentation to HE Associations Forum % of BTEC students, compared to 20% of A level students, come from the bottom 4 socio economic groups ( 5 to 8 in table) For black students this rises to 45% of students The report Vocational Progression to Selecting Universities Comparisons and Trends published by the Western Vocational Progression Consortium in September 2014 had similar findings. It reported: “… despite significant increases in the number of ‘BTEC students’ in HE, the widening participation background had remained stable.” "In addition, ‘BTEC students’ were also highly likely to come from a family without any parental experience of HE (42.1%).”

5 The student sample: ethnicity Higher proportion of black students progress to university with BTEC Presentation to HE Associations Forum

6 The student sample by qualification type Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 2015

Progression is increasingly diverse Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June In % of BTEC students progressed to a degree subject close to their BTEC subject : this fell to 61% in 2012 Trend was consistent against all subject areas except engineering where over 80% of learners progressed to a degree in engineering

8 Popular degree subjects for BTEC students Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 2015

Popular degree subjects for BTEC students – 2012 Degree subjectLearners% (C6) Sport & exercise science % (W2) Design studies % (N1) Business studies % (I1) Computer science % (B7) Nursing % Engineering (total) % (W4) Drama % (P3) Media studies % (N8) Hospitality, leisure, sport, tourism & transport % (W6) Cinematics & photography % (W3) Music % (L3) Sociology % (N2) Management studies % (X3) Academic studies in education % (C8) Psychology % (L5) Social work % (X1) Training teachers % (N4) Accounting % (N5) Marketing % (I2) Information systems9261.5% Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 20159

10 Performance at university – completions by % of BTEC students achieved a 1 st or 2:1 73% of A level students achieved a 1 st or 2:1 56% of Mix students achieved a 1 st or 2:1 Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June 2015

Recent changes to current BTEC Nationals Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Changes to BTEC assessment requirements New rules introduced for all learners starting BTEC Firsts and Nationals courses in September 2014, providing much clearer guidance on what is and is not allowed There are restrictions on: o resubmissions – one only undertaken by the learner independently, with no further guidance o retakes (available as QCF requires all units to be passed) – one only with new task/assignment limited to pass only Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Review of BTEC Nationals Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

The review of the BTEC Nationals Pearson is currently revising the BTEC National suites of qualifications for first teaching in The development is informed by: Pearson’s research undertaken over the past four years Pearson’s World Class Qualifications principles Efficacy reviews External Stakeholder Advisory Groups with membership from HE, employers and professional bodies DfE criteria for inclusion of vocational qualifications in Performance Tables Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

DfE criteria for level 3 vocational qualifications Characteristic Interim (2016) Full criteria Applied General (2018) Full criteria Tech Level (2018) A. Purpose – progression to…... range of subjects at a higher level or to employment... work in specific vocational areas – directly or via HE B. Size Min 150 glhMin 300 glh C. Recognition 3 HEIs5 employers/1 PB D. Appropriate contentMin 60% mandatoryMin 40% mandatory E. External AssessmentMin 40%Min 30% F. Synoptic Assessment G. Grading H. Employer involvementDelivery/assessment I. Progression J. Proven Track RecordTake-up in first 2 yrs Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Features of the revised BTEC Nationals External assessment (including a range of approaches) – at least 33% Larger core of mandatory units – at least 50% Synoptic assessment Development of research skills Strengthening and embedding mathematics and English requirements Recognition by HE, employers and professional bodies Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Keeping HE informed Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Pearson communications strategy This will involve: Visits to individual universities to give a presentation to admissions and academic staff on the revised A levels, BTEC Nationals and GCSEs (October 2015 to May 2016) – encouraging HEIs to review entry requirements Presentations to relevant HE representative groups Production of information sheets: o a general one giving an overview of the changes across the suite o individual information sheets for each sector, including details of the structure, content and assessment Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

BTEC Progressing to HE website Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June

Structure of website 1. Home page − General information on how many BTEC students go to HE, types of course available, where to study, etc 2. Subject pages − Info on entry requirements for that subject − Possible subjects to take at degree level − Case studies 3. Making a UCAS application a) Students Getting started, sources of advice, completing the UCAS application form, writing a personal statement b) Tutors Supporting their students through the process, writing a reference Guidance on progression from BTEC Nationals to HE20

Further developments New developments: Materials being migrated to the new website All subject areas being included New case studies to be added A link to the web guidance is as follows: The website currently has information on the following subject areas: Applied ScienceEngineering Art & DesignHealth & Social care BusinessPerforming Arts Computing & ITSport Presentation to Linking London BTEC Practitioners Group 3 June