Key Facts and Useful Intelligence. End of Term Briefing for Parents and Governors

Easter 2015 briefing 20th March 2015

Key facts and useful intelligence. End of term briefing for parents and governors

The following notes comprise highlights from HMC’s monitoring of significant developments in education this term and our influence in the public sphere. This digest is presented under six headings.

Earnings premia for university graduates from independent schools
Parents accessing private tutors
Recent trends in higher education: (i) Research quality; (ii) Quality of teaching; and (iii) Are students happy and supported?
Recent developments in qualifications reform
Teacher supply and initial teacher education
HMC: making exam marking more reliable

Members may find these notes useful in preparing communications to various school audiences such as parents and governors in the run-up to Easter.

ooooo

EARNINGS PREMIA FOR UNIVERSITY GRADAUTES FROM INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
We already knew that school leavers from independent schools do better in all of the major university measures: (a) achieving a degree; (b) achieving a 1st or 2:1 degree; (c) continuing to employment or further study; and (d) achieving ‘graduate-level’ employment.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies now adds a fifth highly important measure: graduate earnings. This shows that three and a half years after graduation those from independent school backgrounds earn 17.2% (£4,500) moreon average than their state school/college counterparts.
The IFS authors drew some important conclusions in their report.

The wage premium for those who went to independent schools is very resilient once graduates are in the workplace.
Extra-education factors may well play a part (e.g. networks, ‘better non-cognitive skills: confidence self-esteem etc.’, ‘family investments’).
So, too, may the effectiveness of independent schools in improving cognitive skills not measured by exam attainment.
The results ‘have great policy relevance’ with ‘clear implications for social mobility’. ‘Even a university education fails to level the playing field’ (p. 12).

PARENTS ACCESSING PRIVATE TUTORS
For the first time detailed studies are being made of the prevalence of private tutoring among independent school children.

Parents paying fees are just as likely as others (and in some cases more likely) to be spending extra money on tutors, especially at transition points: Years 6, 11 and 13.
The likelihood of tutors being employed is strongly correlated to parental levels of education (more highly qualified parents being more likely to pay).

Meanwhile, criticism is mounting of the unregulated nature of the tutoring industry and several studies suggest that tutoring adds little value once a child’s background is taken into account.

RECENT TRENDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
1. Research quality
Every six years or so since the mid-1980s, all UK universities have been required to submit information about their best research in order to compete for funding over the following years. Results for the most recent review cycle (2008-13) were released in December.

The leading recipients (based on a mix of size and quality) look set to be (in descending order): UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Imperial, Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol. (This list shows that institutional capacity in 'big science' is the main driver of large-scale research funding).
Overall, medicine & the life sciences have scored higher for research qualitythan the humanities, with social sciences trailing in third place.
Most social sciences languish near the bottom of the quality indexes.
Across all subject units, Sport & Exercise Science (including leisure and tourism) scores lowest for research quality. The most research-intensive subjects (in descending order) are: classics, philosophy, maths and history.

2: Teaching quality
Key point: HE and HMC surveys show that student satisfaction declines considerably following the transition from school to university, with independent school pupils experiencing the greater contrast in relative satisfaction.

Final year undergraduates, especially those educated in independent schools, say that they had better teaching at school than at university. Reasons given included: more personal attention at school, clearer guidelines and more detailed feedback.
Students studying humanities and social science are much less satisfied about value for money at university than STEM students.
Only one third of students describe pre-course information as accurate. 18% describe it as vague.
Across the UK, 44% of students feel (2014) that they are obtaining good or very good value for money; the figurefor England alone is 36% (down from52% in 2012).

3: Are undergraduates happy and supported?
Key point: HE and HMC surveys show that student satisfaction declines considerably following the transition from school to university, with independent school pupils experiencing the greater contrast in relative satisfaction.

Final year undergraduates, especially those educated in independent schools, say that the pastoral / extra-curricular support they have received was much better (‘very’ or ‘quite’ good) at school (75%) than at university (53%).
Students who have attended independent school are much more likely than their state school peers to rate the school-age provision as very good (57% vs. 22%).
This difference by school background disappears when final year students rate the university-age provision they have experienced: only 18% consider it to have been ‘very good’.
Most undergraduates report being happy and purposeful. However, undergraduates appear to experience less well-being than those in the general population, including those aged 20-24.
Levels of well-being experienced in the first undergraduate year are not sustained in the remaining years of the course.
The number of undergraduates disclosing mental health problems hasdoubled over a decade to around5% of the age group.
Principal worries are: getting a good degree, personal finance and the university experience not matching expectations.

The HMC Spring Conference tackles these problems head-on and is designed to start a new dialogue with universities on better and more coherent support for full-time students aged 17-21.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN QUALIFICATIONS REFORM IN ENGLAND
The politics of qualifications reform in England continues to run hard. Since the end of last term the following has been reported.

Timetable for the introduction of linear A level maths: first teaching of linear A level maths is to be postponed by one year to autumn 2017. This will ensure that the first candidates will be those who already have the foundation of having sat GCSE linear maths in summer 2017.
Linear GCSE maths specifications: controversy and emergency piloting. Following claims and counter-claims among the exam boards, Ofqual has undertaken an emergency informal pilot of potential maths GCSE questions. Results are due in late April.
Major increase in re-grades following 2014 Enquires about Results. Public and professional confidence in marking accuracy has taken a further knock with Ofqual figures showing that in 2014 the proportion of re-grades following Enquiries about Results was up 18% on 2012 and 88% on 2009.Re-grading in 2014 was even greater in Scotland (26% of all enquiries made compared to 19% in England, Wales and NI).
IGCSEs to be banished permanently from school performance tables from 2017. DfE minister Nick Gibb has made this announcement on the basis that Ofqual advice is that IGCSEs may have ‘a less demanding curriculum for some students’. CIE put out a statement to say that IGCSEs would continue to be made available to UK schools. HMC is working with CIE to ensure that support for IGCSE is communicated directly to heads.
Large surge in A level and GCSE re-grades following 2014Enquirersabout Results.The number of re-grades by exam boards following Enquiries About Results from examinations centres across England, Wales and NI has increased steadily over the past four years and surged between 2013 and 2014. Since 2010 there has been a 123% increase in the number of GCSE results re-graded (24,250 re-grades in 2010 and 54,250 in 2014)and a 120% increase in the number of A level results re-graded (10,550 re-grades in 2010 and 23,200 in 2014).
GCSE grade scale 9-1. Across all subjects c.3% of papers are expected to be graded 9; this will alter the current pattern of asizeable numberof our pupils getting a ‘perfect score’ row of A*s. Broadly the same proportion of students will achieve: (i) grade 7 and above as currently achieve a grade A or above; and (ii) grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above.
Plans of HMC schools for the shape of sixth form teaching from September 2015.A majority of schools – independent and state maintained – are adopting a ‘status quo’ and/or ‘wait and see’ response. Independent schools are much more likely than state schools to have plans to go fully linear.
Progression to HE following the reforms. UCAS recognises that sixth form structures containing A levels are about to become much more varied then hitherto. Following pressure from HMC and other groups, university web statements of their general offer-making policies from summer 2017 are likely to including a commitment not to discriminate among candidates because of the sixth form policy of the school that they attended.

TEACHER SUPPLY AND INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION
As a result of continuing government reform of Initial Teacher Education (ITE), for the first time in 2014-2015 more teachers are being trained in schools than in universities. Yet historically 75% of NQTs in ISC Association schools have come from the shrinking university-based PGCE training route.
The threats to teacher recruitment in HMC schools are many and increasing.

There is a rapidly diminishing pool of university-trained NQTs and this is set to get worse.
Academy chains like Harris and United Learning have already established their own teaching school consortia, targeting the best graduates and career changers for government-funded School Direct ITE places.
Teach First is now the largest graduate recruiter and continues to grow.
There are DfE funded scholarships and bursaries available to Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry trainees in the maintained sector of up to £25k.

However, there are practical steps that HMC and schools can take.

Consider seriously recruiting a graduate or career changer through the HMCTT programme.
By doing so, support and lend weight to HMC’s marketing strategy of promoting the benefits of teaching in HMC schools, especially in high performing departments in shortage areas.
Consider the possibility of welcoming trainees in shortage subjects to spend time in departments where you have expertise.

HMC: MAKING EXAM MARKING MORE RELIABLE
HMC’sdetailed work continues with the regulator for exams in England on securing improvements to marking, grading and appeals. Ofqual reports privately that discussionwith HMC is the only forumthat helps it to understand and act on some key operational problems. Areas for joint working at present include the following.

Inter-subject comparability. What it is feasible to do about creating exams of equal demand across subjects.
Refinements to the design of MFL linear assessment. HMC advice is being sought.
Operation of ‘tolerances’, both at first marking and at Enquires About Results. HMC remains concerned that tolerances are a valid and effective vehicle to ensure marking accuracy.
Exam Board poor practice/malpractice. HMC continues to do detailed casework with members over the most disturbing cases and these are reported to Ofqual as well as to the board concerned.
Reform of quality of marking, Enquiries about Results and formal appeals. Peter Hamilton and Sarah Kerr-Dineen have been appointed by Ofqual to the External Advisory Group overseeing this programme of work during 2015-17.

Progress appears steady but remains slow. HMC’s objectives are to achieve:
(a) improvement in assessment design in specific subjects; and
(b) removal of the current dysfunctional enquires/appeals system so that boards are much less able to conceal mistakes from centres and candidates.