Ofqual’s new 3-year plan was announced today (4 May). It sets out its ambition for the future of qualifications and the plan details the work Ofqual will do towards this.
Ofqual plans to:
- Work with awarding organisations to harness greater innovation and the use of technology to promote assessments that are valid, efficient and implemented safely in the interests of students;
- Oversee the reintroduction of exam-based assessment in 2022 across general, vocational and technical qualifications where they were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic;
- Look to the future demand for technical qualifications by working in partnership with Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education on technical qualifications, T Levels, higher technical qualifications and apprenticeship end-point assessments;
- Introduce a new Digital Functional Skills qualifications to signal that the qualification landscape will be changing over the next decade;
- Develop and consult on arrangements to secure high-quality qualifications as part of the government’s post-16 qualifications review;
- Regulate to ensure that exams and assessments become more accessible for all students, including students with special educational needs and disabilities and students new to this country for whom English is an additional language;
- Transform how qualifications can be chosen and compared by building an interactive Register of Regulated Qualifications to make the qualifications market clearer and easier to navigate;
- Make the qualifications market work better in the interests of students by promoting transparency and by helping all those that take and use qualifications to make informed choices, including on the basis of price.