Chief Regulator's Report 2009
Last updated on: 07/05/2009
Ofqual was established in 2008 to bring a clear separation between those who provide and deliver qualifications, and the regulator, who ensures they are fair and accurate.
In this, my first Chief Regulator’s report, I look at what has been achieved so far and at plans for the future against the background of our central mission, which is to be the independent regulator of qualifications, tests and assessments that are valued and trusted by learners, users and the wider public.
Ofqual must be – and be seen to be – independent. The legislation going through Parliament establishes Ofqual as an independent, non-Ministerial department, reporting to Parliament.
With independence comes responsibility to act rationally and fairly, to be open and transparent, to set out regulatory requirements in a clear and understandable way and to give reasons for the decisions we make. A regulator that thinks it can speak from on high without working with its partners would be totally out of touch with reality.
It is essential we listen to the learners who work hard for the qualifications they achieve. We have established learner panels in primary and secondary education and plan to expand them to cover adult learners, including those learning in the workplace.
We are clear that Ofqual does not determine national education policy or targets. That is not our role, but the job of the government. It is our right and duty, however, to inform Ministers of the possible impact of policy changes on standards. Our advice to Ministers over the past year, the interim period prior to the passing of the necessary legislation to establish our role, has already been accorded the status of impartial, independent advice.
Ofqual does not develop or deliver courses, tests, examinations or qualifications. We set the standards and then ensure that they are met. One of our first challenges was to help restore confidence after it was shaken by the problems over the delivery of the results of the national curriculum tests last year. To help establish what went wrong and learn lessons for the future, we commissioned an independent inquiry by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood.
Ofqual is implementing Lord Sutherland’s recommendations to strengthen the regulation of the tests. Despite the difficulties experienced by schools in receiving the results, we judged that the quality of marking in 2008 was at least as good as in previous years.
With the economic challenges we face there has never been a more important time for education and qualifications to play a part in helping people acquire new skills for a highly competitive job market. It is our responsibility to make sure qualifications give learners an enduring record of their achievement. In August 2008 we published the regulatory requirements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).
Maintaining standards is at the heart of our role and it becomes particularly challenging when qualifications change or new ones are introduced. The new Diplomas assess learning in applied situations and we have worked closely with awarding organisations to ensure that standards are set appropriately and consistently.
Many GCSEs and A levels are moving to a unitised approach and we have made it clear to awarding organisations that they need to balance the wishes of the learner for a firm and final result for the early units they take with the need to maintain standards across the qualification as a whole when deciding the final grade.
We have been working with awarding organisations to ensure that grading of the new style AS qualifications to be awarded for the first time this year will be consistent and fair. Similar steps will be taken for the new A level awards from 2010, when most will be reduced from six to four units and a new A* grade will be introduced. We will also take care to ensure standards are maintained with the new unitised GCSEs to be rolled out into schools for first teaching in some subjects in September this year and for others in September 2010.
For the last 15 years the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has carried out studies of standards over time in GCSEs and A levels and we are continuing that work. We published reports of the latest set of studies in March this year and they largely showed that standards had been maintained. However, we also reported important concerns about new GCSE science qualifications taken in England in 2007 and 2008. We asked QCA to revise the national criteria for the qualification and required examination groups to improve the quality of the questions.
New national qualifications should not be introduced without first being piloted in full and modified as necessary. This may mean a longer lead-in time, but is fairer to learners. In this report I set out the principles that should govern the piloting of new or changed national qualifications.
Ofqual will have a new regulatory role covering assessment arrangements for very young learners, at the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and key stage 1. We will work with our partners to ensure that these assessments support good teaching practice and are consistent.
One of our statutory objectives is to secure efficiency and value for money in the qualifications market and we will also have the power to cap fees. We will publish the second review of trends in the qualifications market and complete studies on its efficiency and the reasonableness of fees charged for a range of vocational qualifications.
Reliability is at the heart of good qualifications and we have embarked on a major study involving learners and the public into what makes for reliable assessment. However accurate marking is, some lack of precision is inevitable, given the element of judgement involved and other factors that may vary. We are seeking to improve understanding of reliability and to work with awarding organisations to reduce variations to a minimum where possible.
In our work we will be open, transparent and accountable. We will act always in a proportionate manner and will target our regulatory activities appropriately. The nation needs highly educated, skilled people who can hold their own in a global economy. That needs qualifications that are valued and trusted and, as Chief Regulator, I commit Ofqual to gearing our efforts to deliver that mission.