1. What counts as ‘non-qualification’ hours?
Suki Gill
16-19 Planning Manager

2. Aims of the session
Understand the principles of non-qualification hours in accordance with EFA and Ofsted guidance
Understand what ‘counts’ as non-qualification hours and evidencing them

3. Importance of non-qualification hours
The Wolf review of Vocational Education (March 2011)
EFA 2014/15 Funding regulations guidance (June 2014)
Ofsted Study Programme guidance (January 2014)

4. The Wolf Report - 5 Key Labour Market Characteristics
Full-time education or training to age 18 is now the dominant pattern
Change in the youth labour market, employment-related regulation, and employers’ assumptions about school-leavers’ skills
Valuing and rewarding employment experience and not just formal credentials
Good levels of English and Mathematics
Students need general skills and the educational system needs to respond quickly and flexibly to change

5. The Wolf Report - Recommendations
‘The overall study programmes of all year olds in ‘vocational’ programmes should be governed by a set of general principles relating primarily to content, general structure, assessment arrangements and contact’
Wolf Report recommendation 6:
‘Programmes should include at least one qualification of substantial size (in terms of teaching time) which offers clear progression either in education or into skilled employment’
Wolf Report recommendation 9:
‘Students who are under 19 and do not have GCSE A*-C in English and/or Maths should be required, as part of their programme, to pursue a course which either leads directly to these qualifications, or which provide significant progress towards future GCSE entry and success’

6. The Wolf Report - Recommendations
‘Funding for full-time students age should be on a programme basis, with a given level of funding per student. The funding should follow the student’
Wolf Report recommendation 21:
‘DfE should evaluate models for supplying genuine work experience to year olds who are enrolled as full-time students, not apprentices, and for reimbursing local employers in a flexible way, using core funds’

7. Ofsted Study Programme guidance (Jan 2014)
What extend do leaders and managers:
allow for meaningful work experience (related to the student’s vocational area) or other non-qualification activity to develop personal skills and/or prepare for further/higher education, training or employment
In inspecting and reporting on students’ achievement in the sixth form, inspectors should consider:
how well students’ personal, social and employability skills (communication, teamwork, leadership, taking responsibility, problem-solving, reflective thinking, independent enquiry) are developed to prepare them for their next steps (further/higher education, training or employment), including the contribution of ‘non-qualification’ activity

8. EFA Study Programmes

9. EFA Funding Allocation statement Your data is key
October 2014
School census return date
January 2015
EFA to send out school funding factors based on 2013 to14 data and lagged numbers based on 2014 to15 recruitment
February
Deadline for business cases to be with EFA
March
EFA confirms national rate
EFA send out school funding allocations

10. Data - Qualification hours
For funding purposes only qualifications approved for teaching to year olds under section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (s96), or any alternative list which may be published by DfE in the future, can be included within a study programme as qualification activity
Qualifications not approved under S96 cannot be taught in schools, but can be delivered by other providers

11. Data - Non-qualification hours
Hours that:
do not count towards a qualification counted above; and
are delivered towards informal certificates or other non-qualification activity (including activity to give young people the skills they need to live more independently and be integrated within their community); or
are for tutorial purpose; or
are spent on work experience, other work-related activities
volunteering and/or community activities or enrichment activities organised and quality assured by or on behalf of the institution whether paid or not, including activity such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award that might lead to an award but is not listed on s96

12. Examples of activities that are not funded
Voluntary extra-curricular activities and clubs delivered during breaks or outside the normal working pattern;
Study that is homework or independent study/research that is not timetabled;
Time spent in employment and or work experience organised by anyone other than by or on behalf of the organisation;
Time spent on volunteering and/or community activities that are not organised by or on behalf of the institution.

13. ‘Planned’ hours (540+ to achieve FT learner status) and Funding
Made up of qualification hours and non-qualification hours
The total of both hours fields are used to determine the full or part time funding rate for the student
When entering the planned hours on data returns institutions must ensure that the hours entered are realistic and deliverable to each individual student.

14. ‘Quality assured hours’
Have you accounted for each ‘planned’ hour?
These hours need to be supported by auditable evidence of eligible timetabled activity or captured within an Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
Evidence required for ALL activities (hours)

15. Study programme design
Stage 1 (Qualification hours)
Progress to a level of study which is higher than their prior attainment;
Take qualification(s) which are stretching ;
Take qualification(s) judged to be of suitable size & level to enable progression
Stage 2 (Qualification hours)
Achieve English and maths GCSE A*-C, or functional skills that will progress towards this if this has not already been achieved;
Stage 3 (Non-qualification hours)
Participate in value-added non-qualification activity & work experience whenever appropriate

16. Study Programmes Principles
Within each stage learning must be:
Relevant
Planned (timetabled)
Organised and / or supervised
Within normal working pattern
Calculate Planned qualification hours (Stages 1 and 2)
Calculate planned non-qualification hours (Stage 3) and consider the quality aspects

17. Study leave and time spent in exams
Study leave counts ‘subject to the activity meeting the published criterion of being planned, explicit in the student’s learning plan/ timetable, and supervised and/or organised by a member of staff’.
The EFA would expect that any study leave is focused on a defined exam or assessment, such as leading up to the summer exam season; that it is time limited and that the weekly number of hours does not exceed the student’s planned weekly hours for the overall study programme. This applies to study leave in year 12 and in year 13.

18. Study leave and time spent in exams
Study leave should be supervised or organised by the institution, for example by requiring the completion of structured revision or practice papers that are marked by a member of staff and where the student is given feedback
The time when the student is taking the exam can also be included in the total planned hours

19. Evidencing ‘non-qualification’ hours

20. Evidencing non-qualification hours
Ofsted Study Programme guidance
Wolf Report
For the non-qualification element of the funding total, institutions are reminded that for an activity to be entered on the data set as publicly fundable they should be able to evidence that they have incurred a recognisable cost in delivering that activity
Institutions will need to show through experience in the workplace and participation in other activities of value, which do not necessarily lead to qualifications, but enable progression to higher levels of study and/or into employment.

21. EFA Evidencing student existence & eligibility
Evidence required for
Study Programme (SP) evidence required
Student eligibility for public funding
Funding guidance for Young people 2012/13: Funding regulations section
Student eligibility for full or part time funding
Timetable or learning plan setting out SP, reflecting hours in School Census
Eligible activities for inclusion in SP
All activities in SP that are planned, supervised and/or organised by a member of staff within normal working pattern
Student retention
External awarding body evidence, or evidence from registers
Core aim
Learning plan indicating which qualification is the core aim of the SP

22. EFA Assurance and reporting
EFA Bulletin June 19 - Planned hours review started this summer:
Who will complete the return -
Institutions that have had the most significant increase in full time programmes
Institutions selected for funding audit that have had an increase in full time programmes

23. Evidencing requirements
Must meet the Study programme principles (planned, organised….)
3 stages (qualification & non-qualification hours)
Opportunity cost of doing one activity over another?
Process to manage FT/PT hours (spreadsheet)
Evidence at programme level (hours, scheme of work, lesson plans) and student level (Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and/or Learning agreement and enrolment forms)
Recognisable cost?
Links to progression?
Hours – realistic and deliverable?

24. Non-qualification hour activity
Any virtual learning element of the study programme should be planned, timetabled and organised by the institution
Other activity, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, that might lead to an award but is not listed on S96 will not count towards qualification hours, but can count towards non-qualification hours

25. Non-qualification hour activity
Tutorials/registration
Planned community service
Twilight sessions
Enterprise
EPQ
Private study time/supervised study*
Work experience*

26. 2014/15
This does not include homework or independent study/research that is not timetabled……
So, what if the independent study/research is timetabled?
Demonstrate impact
Evidencing requirements
Support during these sessions
Quality of hours (EFA & Ofsted)

27. Study Programme summary
Your data collection is key – it will cost YOU if you get it wrong
Consider the needs of the learner – the programme must be relevant to their needs
Appropriate information, advice and guidance are vital
Where does the learner need to get to – progression planning is key

28. EFA Question and Answers Section 1 Qualification and non-qualification hours

29. Work experience

30. Work experience (not a funding requirement)
EFA in December 2013 letter:
‘ Work experience is a key area within many students’ study programmes and provides the greatest benefit for students where it is substantial and with external employers. Only work experience with external employers should be counted towards and recorded as a work experience learning aim from 2014/15. Simulated work environments should be separately recorded as non-qualification activity’

31. Work experience EFA in March 2014 letter:
‘ We strongly encourage work experience as part of study programmes. We have received a number of questions and concerns about the eligibility for funding various types of work experience in different contexts, and how these hours should be recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). Following recent discussions with representative bodies, Ofsted and policy colleagues within the Department of Education we will shortly issue a note providing further information and clarity on this issue’
Further ‘clarity’ on what does and does not count as work experience continues to come through from the EFA

32. Recording work experience
From 2014/15 the way non-qualification activity is recorded has changed
Work Experience will need to have taken place within an EXTERNAL employers’ workplace
Simulated work environments should be separately recorded as non-qualification activity

33. Information required for work experience provision
Where the work experience is a specific element, stipulated in the structure of the qualification by the awarding organisation, it can be recorded, alongside the planned qualification hours, in the Planned Learning Hours field
A specific work experience learning aim must be entered identifying the student as undertaking work experience, also provide an hours range attributable to the work experience
Planned work experience hours must not be double counted
If you are not offering work experience what are you doing to promote employability skills?

34. EFA Question and Answers Section 2 Work experience

35. EFA Question and Answers Section 3 Data

36. EFA Update - Technical guide
A new technical guide has been published to help you understand how the 5 new headline measures will be calculated
Progress, attainment, progress in English and maths, retention and destinations
New accountability system begins in 2016 but for students starting a 2 year course in Sept 2014 the outcomes will be reported in performance tables in Jan 2017

37. EFA Update – Bursary Fund
The Bursary Fund management information return for the completed 2013/14 academic year opened from 1 October – Bursary return to be completed by 31 October.
From 1 October, the return form may be accessed either through the EFA Information Exchange or directly via GOV.UK.

38. EFA Update – School Governance
Lord Nash letter to all chairs of governors to set out his priorities and draw attention to the updated governor's handbook 2014, opportunities for further training and useful resources to help them with their work.

39. EFA Update – EFA Information Exchange calendar
Information exchange calendar now live showing EFA's deadlines, publication dates and events that affect you.

40. Further support needed?
Please contact
Direct line:
EFA South

41. Thank you Questions