Functional Skills are new qualifications that will be rolled out throughout the UK education system, including forming part of the new GCSEs from autumn 2010. This article outlines things that teachers need to know about them, with an interview with a teacher who was involved in the pilot.
Things everyone needs to know about Functional Skills
- Functional Skills qualifications are a new set of qualifications in the application of English, mathematics & ICT and are assessed at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2. These qualifications are key to the Government’s reforms of 14-19 and adult education in England.
- Functional Skills are for everyone. The qualifications will be available nationally to all learners at any age from 2010.
- Functional skills are not simply about knowledge in English, mathematics and ICT subjects but about knowing when and how to use the knowledge and skills in real life contexts. It’s about identifying a problem or engaging in a task, selecting from the knowledge we have, or knowing where to get it, and applying that knowledge to find an effective solution or outcome.
- Functional skills are essential to all our lives. This is why they have been incorporated across the new secondary curriculum being taught from September 2008, are part of the learning routes for young people (GCSEs; Apprenticeships; Diplomas and Foundation Learning Tier) as well as counting as qualifications in their own right for adults and young people.
- Employers and universities want reassurance that, whichever learning route learners choose when they leave education they have the skills needed to apply what they know and to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and work. Better functional skills will help to raise standards in schools and colleges and improve employment prospects and further learning for all learners regardless of age or ability.
What you need to know as a provider (Pre-16).
- DCSF published “Delivering 14-19 reform: Next Steps” in October 2008. It was very clear – functional skills will be a core part of each of the four qualification routes for young people, including GCSEs from 2010. Functional Skills qualifications will also replace the core Key Skills qualifications from September 2010.
- Functional skills are not separate curriculum subjects but an important element of the teaching and learning of all subjects. In developing functional skills, learners can adapt and apply what they have learned to suit different situations that face them.
- From 2010 Functional Skills will be assessed by the new GCSEs in English, maths and ICT. While GCSE grades will not depend on a separate test, good teaching of functional skills will be vital to ensure candidates gain higher grades. It will also be valuable for young people to take separate Functional Skills tests. Achievement in these tests will be incentivised through the School Report Card.
- Teaching and learning of functional skills can be through a range of models; from discrete lessons to fully embedding teaching and learning. However, it is expected that in the long term Functional Skills will remain the responsibility of core subject teachers but will be reinforced throughout the rest of the curriculum in every lesson.
- Functional skills means developing these applied skills. For some of you, this is simply formalising your existing teaching approach.
- The Functional Skills Support Programme, run by National Strategies for schools, offers a comprehensive (free-of-charge) package for continuing professional development (CPD) at regional and local level to support schools in preparing to teach Functional Skills. This support can be accessed through your local authority or www.nationalstrategiescpd.co.uk.
- Functional Skills will be assessed as separate assessments in English, mathematics and ICT. Assessment will measure application of skills for a purpose. It can be either completely tasked based or a combination of task and test elements.
- Functional English, mathematics and ICT help learners reinforce skills in communication, problem solving, listening, time management and team working – a solid foundation for further learning and employment.
- We have designed the Functional Skills qualifications so that at level 2 learners are able to apply their skills confidently in a range of different contexts. That is why there will be an entitlement to study functional stills to age 19.
What you need to know as a provider (Post-16).
- Functional Skills qualifications are being introduced for use with adult learners and, if current piloting supports this, could replace the existing Skills for Life literacy and numeracy qualifications from September 2012.
- Functional Skills in English, mathematics and ICT are not necessarily taught as separate subjects but are an important element of the teaching and learning of all subjects. In developing functional skills, learners can adapt and apply what they have learned to suit different situations that face them.
- Functional skills teaching should build on existing good practice that has been developed from key and adult basic skills teaching. All models of delivery have merit; however reinforcement across the curriculum is the desired goal, with specialist input where required.
- Functional skills means developing these applied skills. For some of you, this is simply formalising your existing teaching approach.
- The Functional Skills Support Programme, run by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) for post-16 centres, offers a comprehensive (free-of-charge) package for continuing professional development (CPD) at regional and local level to support centres in preparing to teach Functional Skills. This support, which covers the teaching and learning of Functional Skills in a variety of contexts, can be accessed through http://excellence.qia.org.uk/functionalskills.
- Functional Skills will be assessed as separate assessments in English, mathematics and ICT. Assessment will measure application of skills for a purpose at each level It can be either completely tasked based or a combination of task and test elements.
- Functional English, mathematics and ICT help learners reinforce skills in communication, problem solving, listening, time management and team working – a solid foundation for further learning and employment.
Jacqueline Marshall piloted Functional Skills at Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College in Liverpool where she taught ICT and Business studies. During the pilot she represented the ICT department in the Functional Skills team that cooperated with the local authority in rolling out Functional Skills across Liverpool from January 2007.
She and her colleagues provided the awarding body, Edexcel, with feedback on their experiences piloting the new qualification, contributing to the constant improvement of exam papers over the course of the pilot to best reflect students’ abilities. In addition to her work as a teacher (and mother), Jacqueline studies for her Master’s degree in Education and is currently incorporating her experience from the pilot into a dissertation about the teaching of Functional Skills. Here she answers some questions on the new qualifications in theory and practice.
Q: What exactly are Functional Skills?
A: Functional skills are not simply about when and how to use knowledge and skills in real life contexts. They’re about identifying a problem or engaging in a task, selecting from the knowledge we have, or knowing where to get it, and applying that knowledge to find an effective solution or outcome. Functional skills are essential to all our lives.
Q: What’s the brief history of Functional Skills?
A: The introduction of Functional Skills as a qualification was partly in response to employers increasingly noticing school leavers’ lack of ability to apply their knowledge and perform basic tasks. The Functional Skills qualification forms a part of the 14-19 curriculum and also ties in with the Government’s skills strategy. It will be included in GCSEs in maths, English and ICT from 2010 and will replace the current Key Skills qualification. It will also form part of apprenticeships and will be taught along with the new Diplomas and in adult education.
Q: What did you observe during the pilot at your college that made you a fan of Functional Skills?
A: Pupils’ skill levels increased, they were engaged by the lessons and the contextual approach of the teaching. The ability to apply acquired knowledge is key to enjoying learning. We all hear the question “Why do we have to learn this?” a thousand times during our careers!
Q: What was the feedback from teachers regarding Functional Skills? Is it viewed by them as an important qualification?
A: I have had lots of positive feedback. The recognition of Functional Skills is growing and once you start to teach it you see the positive impact it has on your students and across the school as skills are transferable.
Q: Do you think Functional Skills will help students in their working life?
A: Yes. School leavers will be equipped with a greater ability to solve problems and perform tasks. Students are learning transferable skills that will assist them in work and life.
Q: How easy will it be for teachers to incorporate Functional Skills into the existing curriculum?
A: Very easy. In a way, every good teacher already teaches functional skills. It is just a matter of highlighting the skills that students will be mastering and putting a new focus on them by testing them separately. I also got a lot of support from Edexcel in the form of material and plans that helped me integrate Functional Skills teaching in my lessons.
Q: Can you offer any practical advice to teachers and centres in terms of how to teach Functional Skills?
A: Highlight what Functional Skills are, display information on the qualification and topics, maybe have functional skills listed in the student planner. Allow students time to practice these skills not just in the core subject but cross curricular.
Q: Based on your observations, will most centres and teachers be ready for Functional Skills?
A: Yes. I feel teachers will be ready – thanks to the sheer amount of support and resources out there. If they feel unprepared, they should just attend one of the many conferences that the exam boards run. In Liverpool, I have worked closely with the local authoritiy to create a Toolkit with resources for students and teachers.
Q: As a teacher, where can I find more information on Functional Skills?
A: There’s the homepage of the QCDA for a first overview and for more detailed information on structure and content of teaching, the websites of the awarding bodies are always a good port of call (I’ve worked with Edexcel).
