Assessment

Knowledge and skills are most powerful in combination

A Labour government would aim to break down the divide between academic and vocational education. But what would that mean for students and schools? At the end of last year AQA took a major step into vocational qualifications through the acquisition of Training Qualifications UK (TQUK). AQA’s director of external affairs, Reza Schwitzer, and TQUK’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Katie Orr, share their thoughts.

Date17/07/23

AuthorReza Schwitzer and Katie Orr

Bridget Phillipson and Sir Keir Starmer both think that knowledge and skills should not be a case of either-or

The hard edges between ‘knowledge’ and ‘skills’ in the education policy world are starting to fray.

Labour's view on general and vocational education

Much has been made of Sir Keir Starmer recently saying that students need “a grounding” in both knowledge and skills, with room for both “practical problem-solving and academic rigour.”

Over the weekend the shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, reinforced this, saying she doesn’t accept that there has to be a divide between knowledge and skills and “it’s not about choosing one or the other.”

The Conservatives and the skills agenda

In fact, the government has itself focused much more on the skills agenda in recent years, announcing its intention that “whatever qualification a young person or an adult chooses they can be confident that it will be high-quality and will lead to good outcomes.”

It sounds good, but many have asked what it really means in practice.

Knowledge and skills - separate entities or two sides of the same coin?

Given the continuing power of the GCSE and A level brands, should we expect this to change the qualifications young people actually take?

In a world where we breakdown the barriers between knowledge and skills, what should that mean for how we assess our students?

Learning skills requires knowledge. Maths is applied to the real world, through engineering, in construction.

The science of electric motors sits at the heart of being a modern mechanic. And similarly, knowledge never sits in isolation. As well as knowing scientific principles or literary classics, what must come is the ability to research, to communicate and to interrogate them.

So, yes, knowledge and skills are two sides of the same coin.

In which case, what if we thought about how to get the best of both worlds, helping our young people succeed in whatever discipline or profession they chose?

Knowledge and skills in the vocational education arena

There are already some huge reforms underway in the vocational space with the aim of amalgamating the assessment of skills, knowledge and behaviours.

In 2017 we saw the scrapping of Apprenticeship Frameworks in favour of Apprenticeship Standards, and we are in the midst of arguably the most sweeping reform at level 3, 2 and below that the sector has ever seen.

Funding concerns for mixed-study programmes

One area of concern for us, however, is the proposal to change funding rules around mixed-study programmes, and the potential for this to undermine the ability for schools and colleges to offer these to our young people.

More A levels being taken could be seen as good for AQA, but as an independent charity we are minded to ask, is it good for students?

Combining general and vocational qualifications widens student choice

Hundreds of thousands of learners who typically do mixed study programmes now will no longer have these choices and instead will need to consider A levels, Apprenticeships, T Levels, or a mixed-study programme made up of A Levels and A Level equivalents (Alternative Academic Qualifications).

We think the benefits of mixed-study programmes are evident.

After all, we’ve already said that knowledge and skills are two sides of the same coin.

Combining general and vocational qualifications not only allows cross-pollination of knowledge and skills, but also means young people can keep their options open and try out a range of topics and experiences.

In the general qualification space we have development of critical thinking, problem solving, and research skills – as well as knowledge and conceptual schemes which underpin further learning. In the vocational qualification space we have communication, team working and other skills everyone needs, as well as specific industry skills developed over time in real settings.

We believe the best education is one that broadens, not narrows, opportunity.

How can we get the best out of general and vocational qualifications?

Reforming technical education to raise quality and standards is therefore very welcome, but politicians should also look to ensure we get the best out of general and vocational qualifications together.

Perhaps this is the natural conclusion of what Sir Keir has set out – we can’t know if that is the Labour Party’s intention or not.

But, ultimately, it is through practical design of curricula, assessments and qualifications that we will truly break down the false dichotomy between knowledge and skills.

Education Policy

Through the looking glass: How polling the public can help policymakers learn about themselves

Public attitude data is key to effective policymaking. Proper polling can reveal what people think about existing policies and what they want for the future. But, if looked at from a different angle, it can also help policymakers question themselves and their assumptions about the public. In this blog, AQA’s Policy and Evidence Manager Adam Steedman-Thake, reveals the lessons he learned about himself while reading a recent public attitude survey.

Assessment

Assessing oracy: Is Comparative Judgement the answer?

Oracy skills are vital to success in school and life. And yet, for many children, opportunities to develop them are missed. Educationalists are engaging in a growing debate about where oracy fits into the school system. Labour has put it at the heart of its plans to improve social mobility and an independent commission is looking at how it is taught in the classroom. This renewed focus on oracy means it is more important than ever that teachers have a way to reliably assess and understand their students’ attainment and progression. Amanda Moorghen of oracy education charity Voice 21 explains how Comparative Judgement can help with that and why it may be a game changer.

Education

TV subtitles as an aid to literacy: What does the research say?

Jack Black is probably best known in educational circles for playing a renegade substitute teacher in School of Rock. But the Hollywood star has made a more conventional foray into education by backing the use of TV subtitles to improve child literacy. Stephen Fry and the World Literacy Foundation also want parents to use their TV remotes to get children reading. So, could this simple click of a button be a solution to boost pupils’ reading skills? AQA’s resident expert on language teaching, Dr Katy Finch, casts her eye over the research to see whether it stacks up.

Data Analysis

What is left behind now education’s Data Wave has receded?

Is data the solution to all education’s issues? About a decade ago the prevailing wisdom said it was. Advocates of this Data Wave argued that harvesting internal statistics would help schools solve issues such as teacher accountability and attainment gaps. As with all waves, after crashing onto the beach they recede, leaving space for another to roll in. In this blog, teacher, author and data analyst Richard Selfridge looks at the legacy of the Data Wave to see what schools can take from it.

International Approaches

Finland & PISA – A fall from grace but still a high performer?

Finland was once recognised as one of the most successful educational systems in the world. At the turn of the millennium, it topped the PISA rankings in reading, maths and science. But by 2012, decline set in. The last set of results showed performances in maths, reading and science were at an all-time low. In this blog Dr Jonathan Doherty of Leeds Trinity University outlines some reasons that may account for the slide.

Briefing

PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS: What actually are they and what do they tell us?

According to the latest PISA results, England’s science scores are still on a downward trajectory that started a decade ago. Yet TIMSS, another respected study, has science performances rising. Which of them is right? Is one more valid than the other? In this blog AQi examines three International Large-Scale Assessments and finds that, although they may look the same from a distance, get up close and you’ll find they are very different beasts.

Adaptive Assessment

Adaptive Assessment: A missing ingredient in the resit recipe?

The number of students resitting their maths GCSE is growing, but the proportion getting a grade 4 or higher is falling. This situation is not only dispiriting for the young people striving to get the qualifications they need, but also for the teachers working hard to help them. How can outcomes for this cohort be improved? Bart Crisp, associate director at the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education, thinks adaptive assessment may be part of the solution.

SEND

Student success: Every milestone matters

Baroness Morgan is calling for students to be given ‘self-belief’ lessons as a way of developing their characters and preparing them for the future. She is not the first to notice that a student’s sense of their own ability and their level of success are part of a virtuous circle. But how can teachers get the snowball rolling for students with SEND or in alternative provision? In this blog, former headteacher, John Tomsett, pulls out a swimming certificate he earned more than half a century ago to use as an inspiration for others.

Assessment

Progress 8 – How much can it flex?

Progress 8 has come in for criticism in recent months for the way it combines with the Ebacc to skew schools’ focus towards academic subjects at the expense of creative and technical options. Both Labour and a Lords committee have called for reform to boost uptake of declining subjects such as D&T, dance and drama. In the second of two blogs looking at Progress 8, AQi examines whether the accountability measure could be realigned to address these concerns and if so, how could that be done?

Assessment

Progress 8 – Schools’ flexible friend?

Eight years after Progress 8 came into existence it is facing calls to be updated. Some say reforming the schools accountability measure can halt the decline in take up of the arts, while others want it to boost numbers taking vocational and technical subjects. Are its shoulders broad enough to take on such a load? In the first of two blogs on Progress 8, AQi looks at how it came into being, what problems it was designed to solve and whether it is flexible enough to be reformed.

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Knowledge and skills are most powerful in combination

Labour's view on general and vocational education

The Conservatives and the skills agenda

Knowledge and skills - separate entities or two sides of the same coin?

Knowledge and skills in the vocational education arena

Funding concerns for mixed-study programmes

Combining general and vocational qualifications widens student choice

How can we get the best out of general and vocational qualifications?

Through the looking glass: How polling the public can help policymakers learn about themselves

Assessing oracy: Is Comparative Judgement the answer?

TV subtitles as an aid to literacy: What does the research say?

What is left behind now education’s Data Wave has receded?

Finland & PISA – A fall from grace but still a high performer?

PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS: What actually are they and what do they tell us?

Adaptive Assessment: A missing ingredient in the resit recipe?

Student success: Every milestone matters

Progress 8 – How much can it flex?

Progress 8 – Schools’ flexible friend?

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