Developing exemplar curricula for revised Functional Skills in Maths and English

Following our report, Making Maths and English Work for All, the Foundation is leading the Functional Skills Reform programme on behalf of the Department for Education and this is due to report in October 2016. We are currently consulting on a revised set of National Adult Literacy and Numeracy Standards and revised content for Functional Skills - seeking the views of employers, providers, subject specialists and learners. The central purpose of Functional Skills in maths and English is to give people the practical knowledge and confidence to be able to function effectively in work, study and life. Employers want and value 'applied and practical skills' in maths and English, which Functional Skills provide. Studying Functional Skills should prepare individuals to use maths and English in the varied contexts they will encounter in vocational study, in work and in life. They are studied by a range of different learners including apprentices; those studying technical, vocational and professional programmes; adults returning to education in order to improve their maths and English and young people for whom GCSE grade A*-C has not proved an achievable goal. They are also widely used in offender learning. Functional Skills are a good way to improve maths and English for many different cohorts, as they offer an immediately relevant curriculum and flexible assessment model which can be adapted to a wide variety of contexts and technical or vocational programmes - be they college-based or work-based. In some cases, they will provide learners with the literacy and numeracy skills needed to help them succeed at GCSE but this is not their primary purpose. Functional Skills qualifications are distinct from GCSE, which provide a strong foundation for further academic study and, at age 16, demonstrate evidence of students' achievements. Functional Skills are also distinct from ESOL qualifications which are designed to demonstrate the ability to communicate in English to enable work or further study in English-speaking countries. We will be seeking tenders to produce an exemplar curriculum in maths and English to support the teaching of revised Functional Skills and improve success rates for learners at all levels. These online documents will be uploaded to the Excellence Gateway and provide a useful resource for new and existing practitioners to support teaching of revised Functional Skills qualifications at all levels and be inclusive for all learners. The exemplar curricula should reflect a range of teaching approaches including example activities to broaden the choices and opportunities available to individuals as, for example, a citizen and living in the community, at work, in domestic and everyday life, in leisure activities and in education and training.