PSHE education must improve, says Ofsted

The strengths and weaknesses of personal, social, health and economic education in primary and secondary schools have been highlighted in a report from Ofsted. The study found that pupils' learning needed improvement or was inadequate in 40% of schools, while failings in sex and relationships education "left children unprepared...and vulnerable". There is also a need for the assessment of pupils' learning to be strengthened. ASDAN offers a number of resources that can support and provide structure for PSHE education, such as: Sex and Relationships Education Short Course, PSHE Short Course, PSD qualifications, Personal Development Programmes. See the Preparing for Ofsted Inspection page for further information.

Be inspired as We Day arrives in the UK

ASDAN centres have a fantastic opportunity to attend the first ever We Day in the UK, which is being held at Wembley Arena in March 2014. The event brings
together young people passionate about making an impact on the world and inspiring, world-renowned speakers. 500 places at the event are being reserved for ASDAN schools; fill out this expression of interest form to be alerted when registration opens on April 22. Download the flyer for full details.

Can happiness promote success?

At ASDAN, we have recently started using NPC’s Wellbeing Measure for 11–16-year-olds, an online survey tool that asks students to assess their feelings about their lives at different points in time. It allows us to see, in a statistically robust way, the impact our programmes are having on different aspects of students’ well-being. We can also compare the feedback from different groups. Read more...

New resource: Languages Short Course

Take a fresh approach to foreign language studies with the latest Short Course. Developed in partnership with the Association for Language Learning (ALL), this new resource provides a curriculum that can lead towards, enhance and support GCSEs and the EBacc.

The Languages Short Course was launched at the ALL Language World 2013 Conference in Nottingham on 22-23 March. Read more...

ASDAN joins calls for curriculum rethink

Dozens of organisations have urged the Government to look again at its plans for sex education in the science curriculum. The concerns were raised in a letter to The Times in April. Read the full letter and see the list of signatories here.

Government action demanded on youth services

ASDAN has joined with more than 20 other charities in appealing to the Government to rethink its strategy on youth services. Organisations including the Scout Association, the British Youth Council and NCVYS have stated that local authorities need to be given clear direction from central government to "maintain quality youth services with appropriate investment" and that education policy needs to give appropriate recognition to non-formal learning. Download a copy of the full letter to the Education Secretary, Michael Gove MP and the reply from Michael Gove. Young representatives of 15 of the organisations have also added their voice to the debate. Download their letter here and the reply from Michael Gove.

Schools drop valued courses after league table reforms

New research, supported by the Edge Foundation, an independent education charity, and carried out by think tank IPPR, has shown that 60 per cent of schools are either planning to cut the provision of vocational qualifications or have already done so. This is despite 85 per cent of school leaders agreeing that vocational qualifications are valuable for their students. Read more...

ASDAN resource highlighted by Maths charity

ASDAN’s ‘learning to learn’-focused Short Course in Mathematics has been highlighted by the National Numeracy charity. The organisation focuses on adults and children with low levels of numeracy, and aims to challenge prevailing attitudes; influence public policy; and research, identify and promote effective approaches to improving numeracy. ASDAN is a an Adult Literacy and Numeracy (ALAN) nationally approved Awarding Body, and offers a range of active learning challenge-based resources to support the Functional Skills, such as Function Junction.

Available now: Employability Skills Development book

The Employability Skills Development resource has recently been added to the ASDAN suite of programmes. It contains dozens of activities that can be used to develop employability skills and prepare learners for further education, training, apprenticeships and the workplace. This resource can be used in schools, colleges, training providers and with NEET groups, from ages 14 to adult learners.

ASDAN mapping to Young Foundation Outcomes Framework

The Young Foundation has recently compiled A Framework of Outcomes for Young People after being commissioned by the Department for Education. This document is designed to enable providers and commissioners to better articulate and demonstrate impact in improving outcomes for young people. Following requests from centres, ASDAN has subsequently mapped key programmes and qualifications to the clusters of capabilities. Download the ASDAN mapping here.

New resource: FoodWise Short Course

Learners can develop their skills in the kitchen and build general employability skills with the FoodWise Short Course, which is available now. There are seven modules covering food industry issues, healthy eating, hygiene and cooking/food preparation skills. Read more...

Head teachers demand good quality work experience

Good quality work experience is essential to education, according to the head teachers and business leaders of the Employment and Skills Forum (ESF). Their views are published in the ESF's latest report. 84% of those surveyed in the report, commissioned by ASDAN Education, believe work experience should be made available for all school pupils and college students. Read more...

New resource: History Short Course

This addition to ASDAN's range of Short Courses will help young people to develop their history skills, and will be particularly relevant in preparation for the English Baccalaureate. It has been produced in collaboration with the Historical Association, who authored the curriculum, and offers a choice of history-themed activities and challenges. Read more...

Wider Key Skills qualifications extended

We are delighted to confirm that Ofqual/DfE has approved the extension of these qualifications at all levels. The registration date for all Wider Key Skills qualifications has been extended until at least 31st August 2014 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This also means the last date for certification has been extended until:

• 31st August 2015 for Level 1
• 31st August 2016 for Level 2
• 31st August 2017 for Level 3

AoPE awarded UCAS points

We are pleased to confirm that AoPE Level 3 has been allocated 30 UCAS tariff points. This will take effect for entry to Higher Education from 2013, although students entering sooner are advised to contact individual university departments where applicable, as universities may take notice of an impending points award.

...and yet more good news from UCAS

UCAS has confirmed that ASDAN qualifications that are allocated points in the existing tariff (i.e. CoPE, AoPE, CVQ, Wider Key Skills) will be included in the proposed Qualification Information Profile system for HE entry, which may replace the current points system in the future.

ASDAN’s significance to the national HE application and entry process, in relation to candidates' personal statement, also continues with references in the UCAS How to Apply guidance for entry in September 2012 and 2013. In their personal statement, applicants are advised in the UCAS guidance to include:

‘(details of) accreditation achieved for any activities in preparation for higher education, for example through the ASDAN Aimhigher Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE qualification)’

For more information on all of ASDAN's Level 3 Qualifications, see the Level 3 Qualifications section.

Changes to Performance Tables from 2014

The full range of ASDAN qualifications and programmes remain approved by DfE and Ofqual for use in schools and continue to be valued for the impact they have on student achievement.

The Government has announced the list of qualifications that will count in headline measures for performance tables from 2014. The focus on subject-based courses means this list doesn't feature ASDAN qualifications. These changes will come into effect for students completing their qualifications in Summer 2014. Read more

ASDAN in China

ASDAN is pleased to announce its new partnership with Chinese education company Seed International, to deliver CoPE Level 3 qualifications through a range of learning programmes in China and across the world.

This is an exciting time for both organisations, with students taking part in ambitious research projects and cultural activities, as well as taking on the challenge of completing the qualification in the English language. The aim of the partnership is to help the students prepare for entry to University, both in the UK and abroad. ASDAN looks forward to working with and supporting Seed in their plan to take CoPE Level 3 to the whole of China over the next few years.