‘Over complex’ school diplomas branded failure

THE National Diplomas were too complex, did not deliver value for money and failed to attract enough students, according to school leaders.

The qualification was aimed at bridging the gap between academic and vocational learning and was intended as a serious alternative to GCSEs and A-levels.

It now looks set to be scrapped after just three full academic years despite large sums of public money being invested into it.

Since its launch in 2008, nine education authorities in Yorkshire spent £12,883,607 developing courses, training staff, creating facilities and delivering the qualification.

Figures provided to the Yorkshire Post also show that in some districts fewer than 20 students opted to take the diploma when it was launched. In Wakefield just five students took the diploma in 2008/09 after £181,000 had been spent developing courses.

In 2009/10 there were just over 3,000 students studying for diplomas across the region.

Sue Kirkham, the Association of School and College Leaders’ education policy expert, warned these students could now be left with a qualification which employers do not recognise in 10 years because it has been so short-lived. She said the diploma had been too complex and had not “represented value for money”.

Ministers have never axed the programme but Mrs Kirkham said the Government’s decision to stop the “per pupil funding” councils were given for the qualification and end a service which helped to co-ordinate the diploma meant it would not continue.

In order to earn a diploma pupils needed to complete study in their specialist industry area and pass “functional skills” tests in literacy, numeracy and information technology. Students could also carry out an extended project.

Because the diplomas could involve studying different components set by more than one exam board the National Diploma Aggregation Service was created to work out whether students had achieved all of the elements needed to earn the qualification.

Future government funding for this has now been cut and Mrs Kirkham said without it the exam boards would not be able to deliver the diploma in its current form. She also warned schools were suffering as a result of constant changes to the exam system.