157 Group welcomes public accounts committee report on educating 16 to 18-year-olds
16th August 2011
For immediate release: Tuesday 16 August 2011
157 Group welcomes public accounts committee report on educating 16 to 18-year-olds
BEGINS
The 157 Group of 27 large and regionally influential colleges has welcomed the publication of the public accounts committee report, Getting value for money from the education of 16 to 18‑year‑olds, which acknowledges that student achievement is higher in larger institutions and that larger providers benefit from economies of scale and so can provide a wider choice of courses for their learners.
Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said, "Through economies of scale, larger institutions have the financial viability to offer higher-quality provision and real choice for learners. Despite receiving less public funding per learner than schools on a like-for-like basis, sixth-form and tertiary colleges with larger student numbers consistently yield the very best results at A level. Colleges are also well-placed to offer a wide range of vocational programmes.
"We agree that for the 16 to 18 market to work effectively, students must have access to information that enables them to make informed choices about the options available to them. We think, however, that the careers service offering advice to young people should be genuinely independent from schools; from government departments with targets to meet; and from would-be planners.
"The committee recognises that further education colleges already have effective arrangements in place to deal with underperformance, whereas school sixth forms do not, and we agree with the committee that there should be a set of consistent measures that allow the performance of schools and colleges to be compared. We also welcome calls for the Department for Education to simplify the accountability framework for the sector, as reducing bureaucratic burdens could help providers achieve further efficiency gains and more value for money."
Frank McLoughlin CBE, chair of the 157 Group and principal of City and Islington College, said, "The public accounts committee is right to say that the potential impact of replacing the education maintenance allowance with a bursary scheme on participation in education and training has not yet been assessed, and we share their concern that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds should have the financial support they need to persevere and succeed in education. It is good that the committee has agreed to return to this issue, and when it does we hope it will consider the serious implications of the changes for employability, social cohesion and social mobility."
ENDS
Notes for editors
About the 157 Group
The 157 Group represents 27 of the most influential colleges in the FE sector. It was formed in 2006 in response to paragraph 157 of Sir Andrew Foster's report on the future of further education colleges, in which he argued that principals of large successful colleges should play a greater role in policymaking.
CONTACT
Gemma Knott 07581 354 750
Email [email protected]
The 157 Group Limited
P O Box 58147
London
SW8 9AF
Website: www.157group.co.uk
