Exams

DfE puts 40 staff on Advanced British Standard ‘vanity project’

Government criticised for committing 'platoon of civil servants' to policy unlikely to come to fruition

Government criticised for committing 'platoon of civil servants' to policy unlikely to come to fruition

Exclusive

The Department for Education has 40 civil servants working to develop prime minister Rishi Sunak’s Advanced British Standard qualification “vanity project” even though it is unlikely to see the light of day.

Pepe Di’Iasio, incoming general secretary of the ASCL leaders’ union, said it was “beyond frustrating that – at a time when recruitment, retention, funding, SEND and many other issues are under enormous pressure – there is a platoon of civil servants” having to work on the qualification.

Developing a “British baccalaureate” was a key pledge in Sunak’s leadership bid in 2022.

The prime minister announced last year that his government would replace A-levels and T-levels with the qualification, which will see pupils study English and maths to 18 alongside “majors” and “minors” in other subjects.

However, the reforms are expected to take at least a decade to implement and, with the Conservatives mired in the polls and Labour focused on early maths education rather than post-16, the policy is unlikely to come to fruition.

Despite this, the government last year published an 80-page consultation on its plans and set aside £600 million for implementation.

Staff time costs could be in the millions

In response to a freedom of information request, the DfE told Schools Week that 40 civil servants were “currently working mainly on the development of the ABS”.

The government said it did not hold data on the amount spent on its development but, if 40 civil servants on the average salary for the department worked full-time on the policy for a year, the cost would be £2.6 million.

Pepe Di'Iasio
Pepe DiIasio

However, those working on policy development are likely to be more senior, and the figure of 40 staff provided by the DfE does not include staff from other teams who have contributed, so the true cost is likely to be higher.

A DfE spokesperson said they did not “recognise these figures and these calculations are purely speculative”, adding that they were “taking the long-term decisions to continue to improve our education system for generations to come”.

Di’Iasio said: “It’s a qualification that will not be offered for another 10 years, if it happens at all, and seems more like the prime minister’s vanity project than a workable policy.

“To say this is the wrong priority is an understatement, and smacks of rearranging the deckchairs while the Titanic heads for an iceberg.”

Staff not ‘re-assigned’ from other things, DfE insists

The DfE said that, alongside the “core directorate”, there are a “number of teams across the wider department who are contributing to the development of ABS alongside other priorities”.

Bridget Phillipson
Bridget Phillipson

These include members from legal, commercial and finance units, “as well as wider schools- and skills-focused policy teams”.

The department also insisted that staff “have not been re-assigned from other projects to undertake this work, as the department operates a flexible approach to staffing in order to ensure that it can meet priorities.

“This means that staff responsibilities can shift depending on needs. As part of this we also operate flexible resource teams, particularly to manage surge policy and analytical projects. As such, a list of projects from which staff have been re-assigned is not held.”

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, told journalists at the ASCL school leaders’ union conference on Saturday that “reform in the 16 to 19 space is not my priority”. Labour will instead focus on early maths skills.

Paul Whiteman, leader of the NAHT union, said: “Given the number and sheer scale of the challenges facing schools, this simply should not be a major priority for the DfE.”

Latest education roles from

Mentor, Wellbeing and Enrichment Officer

Mentor, Wellbeing and Enrichment Officer

Capel Manor College

Motor Vehicle Lecturer

Motor Vehicle Lecturer

The Bedford College Group

Learner Support Workers (Term Time only)

Learner Support Workers (Term Time only)

Riverside College

Lecturer in Sports & Uniformed Public Services

Lecturer in Sports & Uniformed Public Services

Bournemouth and Poole College

Engineering and Welding Apprenticeship Trainer

Engineering and Welding Apprenticeship Trainer

MidKent College

Consultant and Senior Consultant, Schools and Academy Trusts

Consultant and Senior Consultant, Schools and Academy Trusts

Peridot Partners

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

How tailored coaching training can transform whole-school cultures

Sophie Enstone, Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching, Goffs Academy, shares her perspective on her coaching journey, how it’s been...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Catch Up® Early Years research project has a positive impact on younger learners in Literacy and Numeracy.

Catch Up® has recently concluded a 3-year Early Years research project. The project sought to develop and trial...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

National competition – can your students solve the ocean plastics crisis?

University College London launches fully resourced national schools competition to tackle ocean plastics.

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

EUK Education – helping you inspire, educate, and inform students on STEM and career paths

EUK Education is the new home for all your STEM education and careers needs. Loaded with quality curriculum-linked programmes,...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Exams

EPI calls for review of phonics screening check

Researchers argue there's 'no evidence' the checks led to improved outcomes

Freddie Whittaker
Exams

AQA uses injunction to clamp down on exam paper cheats

England's largest exam board said it is taking 'proactive enforcement against those who try to undermine confidence in exams'

Samantha Booth
Exams

2024 league tables delayed until after parents pick secondary school

Government also extends deadline for school results checking exercises until November 7 after issues with results

Schools Week Reporter
Exams

Deadline for results checking service extended after tech issue

New data service hit by technical problems in the first year it has been moved back in-house to the...

Samantha Booth

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *