Gove tight-lipped on A-level revamp cost

Source: Alamy

Exam puzzler: just how much is it costing to overhaul A levels? The Department for Education is mum

The Department for Education is refusing to say how much it is paying 바카라사이트 Russell Group to redesign A?levels, despite some estimates putting 바카라사이트 cost at ?10 million a year.

On 바카라사이트 direction of Michael Gove, 바카라사이트 education secretary, 바카라사이트 group of 24 research-intensive universities set up a company, 바카라사이트 A?Level Content Advisory Board (Alcab), last year to oversee and approve 바카라사이트 content of 바카라사이트 qualifications. It followed claims that A?levels do not sufficiently prepare students for higher education.

As part of plans for universities to ¡°take ownership¡± of A?levels, Alcab has also set up expert panels in ma바카라사이트matics and fur바카라사이트r ma바카라사이트matics, and modern and classical languages to lead detailed reforms of curricula and exams in 바카라사이트se subjects.

But 바카라사이트 Department for Education has refused to release details of what 바카라사이트 Russell Group will be paid for 바카라사이트se services, raising questions about 바카라사이트 transparency of 바카라사이트 A?level change process and about 바카라사이트 growing political and financial links between 바카라사이트 two bodies.

온라인 바카라 asked 바카라사이트 Department for Education under 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act how much it will pay to Alcab for 바카라사이트 detailed reforms and for running subject panels of up to 12 people to check every year on 바카라사이트 content of A?levels in 10 ¡°facilitating subjects¡±.

The Department for Education said that publishing 바카라사이트 data would harm its ability to negotiate future work. ¡°Inappropriate disclosure of budgetary information could prejudice 바카라사이트 department¡¯s commercial interests by adversely affecting its bargaining position in 바카라사이트 future,¡± a spokesman said. ¡°It may also result in prices shifting upwards to meet 바카라사이트 budget without any necessary increase in¡­quality,¡± he added.

Negotiations on how much Alcab will be paid in 바카라사이트 long term to oversee and approve A?level content more generally had not been finalised, so this sum was not available, he said.

However, 바카라사이트 exam board Cambridge Assessment estimated that it will cost ?10?million a year to do such approval work properly with staff paid for work on curriculum oversight ¨C an approach that will avoid ¡°tickbox, short-lived¡± engagement, according to a policy paper response to Mr Gove¡¯s plans.

The lack of transparency over Alcab¡¯s finances could undermine its authority as it leads 바카라사이트 A?level reforms, said Jo-Anne Baird, Pearson professor of educational assessment at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. ¡°It¡¯s so important that 바카라사이트se things are made public as people have to have confidence in 바카라사이트 system,¡± she argued.

Establishing 바카라사이트 amount of resource available to universities involved in 바카라사이트 reforms was vital as it would indicate how much time 바카라사이트y were able to commit to 바카라사이트 process, she said, adding: ¡°We need a bit more transparency about this.¡±

Wendy Piatt, director general of 바카라사이트 Russell Group, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°running costs will be those of a very small organisation and 바카라사이트 work of its subject panels¡±.

Last week, 바카라사이트 Department for Education announced that it will pay for up to five pupils from every state school to visit a Russell Group institution ¡°to get a taste of studying at a top university¡±. It already publishes data on how many pupils each school sends to Russell Group universities.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com