Students return to new qualifications

New diplomas for subjects such as engineering and construction are being phased in at schools across England.

Children starting secondary school this week will also be the first to be legally required to stay in education until they are 17.

The increase in the leaving age is the first since 1972, when it was raised from 15 to 16.

The requirement to continue in education or training until 17 takes effect for school leavers in 2013, and the age will rise again to 18 from 2015.

About 20,000 students are expected to take up the first five diplomas this month in the areas of engineering, construction, IT, media and health.

Eventually 17 diplomas - which combine work experience with academic theory - will be offered, including in more traditional academic areas of the languages, science and humanities.

Schools secretary Ed Balls has said he believes diplomas could replace A-levels and GCSEs as "the qualification of choice" for 14- to 19-year-olds in England.

The start of the new school year also sees major changes to the secondary school curriculum, as well as to GCSE and A-level exams.

Balls said: "Education is all about opportunities - a good education opens doors. It is the single best way for anyone, regardless of background, to do well and gain the skills they need to succeed at whatever they want to do."

He went on: "I want to see a situation where every single young person has a range of interesting, exciting and challenging options ahead of them at every stage of their education, so that they never feel tempted to drop out or give up.

"This year will see some of the biggest steps towards this goal yet."

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said the idea of a vocational diploma was admirable, but raised concerns about take-up.

"Originally, we were going to have 50,000 people doing the diploma but actually the number of students who've enlisted to do it starting this year is around 20,000.

"That's because insufficient attention has been paid to getting this examination right - politics has got in front of getting the detail right."

Stakeholder Response: Association for Consultancy and Engineering

Nelson Ogunshakin, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), told ePolitix.com:

"ACE supports any initiative that will bring more young people into the engineering and construction industry. We look forward to seeing robust courses of study that both prepare students for further study and offer opportunities to experience the world of work first-hand.

"Businesses will expect the new diplomas to be at least as valuable and transferable as existing A-level courses. Care needs to be taken to ensure that quality is maintained and that standards are not diluted. Schools also need to ensure that the new vocational routes are promoted to the most able students, many of whom are currently only encouraged to study for traditional A-levels.

"Not all further education providers currently have the capacity to offer engineering and construction courses. This issue of universal entitlement will need to be addressed in order to ensure sufficient student numbers. ACE also notes concerns expressed by head teachers that school staff may not yet have the required knowledge and experience to deliver highly specialised diplomas. This will need to be addressed to ensure that high quality learning experiences take place.

"It is also not clear how the government will ensure that sufficient work placements are available. Diplomas will only achieve their maximum impact if students can experience working environments with direct relevance to their courses of study.

"ACE believes that the introduction of new courses also needs to be accompanied by enhanced careers guidance that promotes the varied, challenging and rewarding careers to be had in the engineering sector. This will make it easier for the engineering and construction diplomas to achieve their take-up targets.

"We will be looking for the government to work closely with employers and their representatives to ensure continued buy-in from industry - this is essential for the future success of the diplomas."