A number of worrying concerns about the new 14-19 Diplomas were revealed at a national conference about the qualification in London this week. The Conference took place just days after around 20,000 students started to study one of the five new Diplomas now available.

Speaking at the Conference, Patrick Nash, said:

“With the right support, I believe that Diplomas could prove to be a success for pupils and teachers alike. But support is vital. Teachers have been, and still are, enduring a period of rapid transition. After a string of changes, such as new school security powers, new nutritional standards, a new secondary curriculum, revamped A-levels and the whole personalisation agenda to name but a few, delivering Diplomas is going to be difficult.”

A range of education professionals – from Headteachers to Local Authority Directors – expressed a number of concerns at the Teacher Support Network seminar. In particular, attendees said that:

• Teachers need better, clearer advice on where to go to get the right training and information. In order to deliver Diplomas effectively, teachers need to know how to work together with a variety of employers in different industries, and how to safely coordinate learning for students within a consortium rather than a single school.
• Teachers need more time to plan Diploma delivery, discuss student progression with everyone involved and share best practice informally with colleagues.
• Unless more teachers are properly trained for Diplomas, there could be a staffing shortage problem on the horizon as Diplomas become more popular and diverse.
• There could be serious problems with the marking and assessment of any given Diploma if more than one examining board is involved. Unless examining boards are told how to co-ordinate Diploma assessment, students may become victims of further marking confusion and delays, damaging the credibility of an important new qualification.
• School reputation is still being put before learner need. There is a clear conflict of interest between school league tables and setting up Diplomas consortia to maximise opportunities for students. League table competition between schools makes it unlikely that they will be willing to join forces within the same Diploma consortium so that better course choices can be offered collectively to students. Attendees argued that schools should be genuinely encouraged to work as one, by either forming consortia together or, at the very least, by agreeing on an unbiased joint code of practice for advising students on course choices.

Since this month, Diplomas have begun to be delivered by consortia of schools, colleges, employers and higher education institutions. Five Diplomas are currently available, with a further five set be introduced in September 2009. A total of 17 Diplomas will be available by September 2011.