Last Updated on 31/08/2023 by James Barron
It is rare for any organisation to work in isolation, there are normally interactions with stakeholders and external bodies, this is especially the case within education and the following are third parties that have a role within the teaching sector:
ESFA
The Education Skills Funding Agency is responsible for all matters relating to funding within education, they are “accountable for £58 billion of funding for the education and training sector, providing assurance that public funds are properly spent” (GOV.UK, 2018). An example of an impact the ESFA may have, is that a change in funding rules may mean from 2020 any student who has not passed GCSE English and Maths at grade C (grade 4) or above will be barred from level one courses. A change that the ESFA has already implemented is that all students aged 16 – 19 must possess, or be studying towards, an English and Maths GCSE at Grade C / Grade 4 or above, if a student doesn’t meet these criteria the academic organisation doesn’t receive funding for this student. “The maths and English condition of funding ensures that all 16 to 19 year olds have the best chance of achieving this standard, and get the necessary support to do so.” ( Education and Skills Funding Agency, 2019) This has had a large impact on students within the teaching establishment; the majority of students join so that they can study the subject they are most interested in, if they do not have a Grade C / 4 in Maths and English they are automatically enrolled on a Maths or English GCSE as part of their program of study. This is normally resisted by students as they feel they are being forced to attend, as a result attendance and achievement is normally low.
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) is responsible for the quality of a wide range of educational institutions, including further education but not higher education. “Ofsted inspects a selected range of activities in the sector, ranging from what goes on in the way of teaching and learning, to how quality management is carried out.” (Gould & Roffey-Barentsen, 2014, p. 346) Ofsted has a substantial impact on educational establishments as they should be following guidelines produced by Ofsted regarding how educational establishments should be run and how teaching should be performed. A very clear impact that I have experienced is when Ofsted announce they will be performing an inspection, the educational organisation will have a plan that goes into action, in which senior management inform all staff and students of an Ofsted inspection and provide staff with checklists to ensure all the essential tasks are completed, this may include ensuring group profiles are up to date, etc.
HEFCE
The Higher Education Funding Council for England was established in 1992 and closed in 2018, its purpose was to “invest on behalf of students and the public to promote excellence and innovation in research, teaching and knowledge exchange” (HEFCE, 2007). It did this by investing public funds, ensuring accountability for those funds and verifying government policy was being implemented effectively. The HEFCE responsibility has been divided between the Office for Students (OfS) and Research England (UKRI). In addition to providing funding for the HE courses on which I teach, the Office for Students also conducts the teaching excellence framework (TEF) which assesses the quality of teaching in universities in England for undergraduate courses.
QAA
Working on behalf of the Office for Students and the teaching excellence framework is the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency), they are responsible for monitoring “safeguarding standards and improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in higher education”. (Gould & Roffey-Barentsen, 2014, p. 348) The monitoring process is implemented “through a systematic programme of peer review of HE institutions.” (Gould & Roffey-Barentsen, 2014, p. 348)
OFQUAL
Within education there are numerous awarding bodies (Edexcel, AQA, OCR) that award qualifications to ensure quality is maintained and qualifications are consistent, OFQUAL (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) “ensures that all awarding bodies delivering vocational qualifications meet the regulatory requirements concerning quality, rigour, fairness and consistency” (Gould & Roffey-Barentsen, 2014, p. 131).
Partners
In addition to the various agencies and bodies that can provide an educational establishment with funding there are also local businesses that assist, normally in the form of donations, either financial or equipment. This may include requirements that business branding remain on the equipment.
Bibliography
Education and Skills Funding Agency. (2019, February 13). 16 to 19 funding: maths and English condition of funding. Retrieved from GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding
Gould, J., & Roffey-Barentsen, J. (2014). Achieving your diploma in education and training (1st ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
GOV.UK. (2018, October). ESFA. Retrieved from GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/education-and-skills-funding-agency/about
HEFCE. (2007). Our role. Retrieved from HEFCE: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/about/role/
Ofs. (2018, Jun 6). 2018 TEF awards highlight excellence across all areas of the higher education sector. Retrieved from Office for Students: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/2018-tef-awards-highlight-excellence-across-all-areas-of-the-higher-education-sector/
Author Profile
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My first experience of teaching was in 2016, when I was asked to
deliver a talk to a group of 16-year-olds on what it was like to start
your own business. I immediately knew I wanted to become more
involved in teaching but I didn’t know where to start as I had not
previously considered a career in education. A few weeks later I
agreed to teach a class of Chinese students from the Shanghai
Technical Institute of Electronics and Information, who had travelled
to the UK to learn English and Software Engineering, after that I was
hooked. Within the next few years, I taught hundreds of students of
many different nationalities, aged from 16 to 60, and from
levels 2 to 6. I focused my time teaching with Bath University and
Bath College for several more years until I felt a change was in order.
For the last few years, I have taught remotely with several private
training organisations, provided dedicated one to one coaching
sessions, provided consultancy on teaching and assessment practices
and written about my experiences as a teacher. I plan to continue
with my current activities for the foreseeable future but I’m always
open to new teaching experiences.
