Measuring quality
Our mission is to ensure that people and businesses can access the skills training they need to succeed in playing their part in society and in growing England’s economy.
We do this in the context of policy set by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and informed by the needs of businesses, communities and sector and industry bodies.
We work to an annual budget, targets and priorities set by the Department.
In order to achieve our mission and meet these targets and priorities, we monitor and measure quality and performance using the following frameworks and standards.
FE Choices
FE Choices forms part of the FE Public Information Framework and its prime purpose is to provide public comparable information for publicly funded FE colleges and training providers. The overarching ambition is to offer a clear and coherent approach, giving employers, learners, parents and careers and guidance advisers better information about the quality of the provision available, helping them make more informed choices.
FE Choices provides a core set of centrally collected consistent information on key performance indicators (PIs) for providers. Users can search for providers and find out about their scores in four key performance areas: Success Rates, Learner Destinations, Learner Satisfaction and Employer Satisfaction on our FE Choices comparison site . They can also view the latest Ofsted grade for each provider and compare the performance of providers against one another. Over time the core indicators will be supplemented by more information published in a consistent format by providers themselves.
If you would like to know more about the FE Public Information Framework visit our FE Public Information pages .
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Intervention Policy: Provider Risk Assessment and Management
The government’s policy document ‘New Challenges, New Chances’ sets out a revised approach to intervention in Skills Funding Agency funded provision to ensure that where learners’ and employers’ needs are not being met and/or performance is poor, the government will intervene quickly and effectively to restore high-quality provision. The Agency has worked with BIS and DfE/EFA to put in place processes to implement this policy from the start of the new academic year, aligned with our approach to provider risk assessment and management as set out here . As implementation progresses we will work closely with the sector and other stakeholders to review the impact and effectiveness of the revised arrangements.
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Monitoring the Quality of Provision: An Update on Assessment Criteria Including Functional Skills
The BIS policy document New Challenges, New Chances published in December 2011 indicated that the Agency would review the Minimum Levels of Performance process to improve its transparency. This review has resulted in proposals for a new approach to minimum standardsfor post-19 learners which will be introduced in December 2013 following consultation with the sector.The Department for Education is also considering its approach to standards for 16-18 year olds and will communicate with the sector in due course.
It is important however that there is a continuous approach to tackling underperformance therefore the Agency will assess data for the2011/12 academic year at the end of 2012. As in previous years, providers will then be given individual Minimum Level of Performance(MLP) reports and where necessary Noticeswill be issued in March 2013 to take effect from the start of the 2013/14 academic year.
A year ago the sector was informed that Functional Skills qualifications would be included in the MLP calculation and this was confirmed in a technical communication from the Data Service in August. The Agency recognises, however, that use of Functional Skills in place of the Adult Basic Skills Certificates was confirmed following the Coalition Government’s review of English and Maths provision and that they only became a mandatory part of the delivery of Apprenticeships in September of this year.
Therefore, in order to provide the sector with sufficient notice, as part of the transition to the new approach to Minimum Standards, Functional Skills will again be exempted from the Qualification Success Rate and the Minimum Levels of Performance calculations. The Agency will however publish Functional Skills success rates as part of the provider reports so that providers can see how they are performing.
The Agency will ensure that intervention based on 2011/12 MLP data is proportionate and appropriate and between now and December 2012, the Agency will consult and work with the sector to prepare the way for the introduction of new Minimum Standards in 2013.
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Minimum Levels of Performance
As previously notified, the Agency will be using 2011/12 data returns to identify provision falling below the minimum levels of performance (MLP) thresholds set for post-19 and Apprenticeship provision.
The following principles apply this year:
• The methodology for calculation is unchanged from previous years. (Previous years’ documentation can be found here).
• MLP has been applied using 2011/12 qualification success rates (QSRs) calculated and applied at an aggregated level relating to post-19 and Apprenticeship (all ages) provision.
• Where minimum levels of performance are not met the Agency will take robust and proportionate action in line with the intervention processes set out in the Provider Risk Assessment and Management (PRAM) document
(http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/SFA/Provider_Risk_Assessment_and_Management_-_July_2012.pdf)
The changes to last year’s application are:
• The thresholds for performance will only be applied to Agency-funded post-19 provision and Apprenticeships (all ages), not EFA-funded16-18 provision
Table 1 shows the minimum levels of performance thresholds which are unchanged from last year.
Table 1 MLP thresholds
|
Programme/Qualification type
|
Minimum level |
|
FE long qualification Level 1 |
63 per cent |
|
FE long qualification Level 2 |
63 per cent |
|
FE long qualification Level 3 |
63 per cent |
|
A-levels |
75 per cent |
|
FE long qualification Level 4 or higher |
61 per cent |
|
FE short qualification (all levels/5 to 24 weeks) |
65 per cent |
|
Apprenticeships (full framework) |
53 per cent |
|
Advanced Apprenticeships (full framework) |
53 per cent |
|
Workplace learning |
68 per cent |
The Data Service has published supporting documentation for the MLP process at:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/success_rates/success_rates_2011-12/
MLP represents the absolute minimum success rate performance and providers are expected to exceed the thresholds. Meeting MLP is not necessarily good enough to guarantee continued funding. MLP outcomes will be used in conjunction with wider provider performance evidence to inform Agency funding decisions. Whilst final allocations for the 2013/14 academic year have been issued by the Agency, these amounts are not contractual and may change as a result of poor performance relating to MLP. Once the MLP process has been completed the information will be used to identify if/where allocations should be adjusted.
MLP Process timetable
MLP reports will be available on the Provider Gateway during March 2013. The Agency will analyse the reports during April 2013 to identify providers below the minimum thresholds. Intervention actions, including the issue of Notices of Concern will be communicated to providers in May 2013.
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Ofsted
Ofsted , the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, regulate and inspect to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. Ofsted regulate and inspect a variety of providers in England, some of which are in receipt of funding from the Skills Funding Agency for post-19 education and training, apprenticeships, or adult learning in prisons. Ofsted inspect provision using the Common Inspection Framework and make the findings of inspections available to the public through publishing inspection reports on their website . The Skills Funding Agency takes note of the outcome of Ofsted inspections and will intervene where a provider is judged ‘inadequate’.
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Personal Learning Record
The Personal Learning Record will be enhanced and available from early October 2010, and will underpin the operation of the Qualifications and Credit Framework by offering a simple facility to record all Qualifications and Credit Framework learner achievement. The new services which will be offered by the Personal Learning Record are important tools in facilitating the delivery and full benefits of the Qualifications and Credit Framework. The data in the Personal Learning Record will support the accumulation and transfer of achievement for vocational qualifications within the Qualifications and Credit Framework.
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Qualifications and Credit Framework
The Qualifications and Credit Framework is a new way of recognising achievement through the award of credit for the achievement of units and qualifications. The Qualifications and Credit Framework provides a simple and rational organising framework that presents learner achievement and qualifications in a way that is easy to understand, measure and compare. It gives individuals the opportunity to learn in a more flexible way and enables a wider range of organisations including employers, to have their training recognised. The Qualifications and Credit Framework is a key strand of the government’s Vocational Qualification Reform programme. The Skills Funding Agency is responsible for implementing the framework across the wider post-19 skills system in England and for delivering the changes made to the Personal Learning Record to support the additional Qualifications and Credit Framework services which will operate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If you would like to know more about how we work with the Qualifications and Credit Framework, visit the Qualifications and Credit Framework pages .
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Training Quality Standard
The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has taken a decision to withdraw its funding of the Training Quality Standard. The Skills Funding Agency is therefore working with the certification bodies to wind down the accreditation process in light of the withdrawal of funding.
Further information can be found on the Investors in Excellence website .
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