Full article here – https://www.aoc.co.uk/news/prime-minister-urged-address-under-funding
Extracts below:
Principals and chairs from 141 colleges across England have written to the Prime Minister to call for extra funding to support students aged 16 to 19.
In England, the current base funding level for 16 to 18-year-olds is £4,000 per year. This decreases to £3,300 at 19-years-old. This funding covers around 600 teaching hours per year – equivalent to around 15 hours per week, according to the Sixth Form Colleges Association. This compares poorly when compared to countries such as Denmark, which has a minimum number of 26 teaching hours per week, the Netherlands which provides 1,000 hours per year and Norway which offers 980 guided learning hours per year.
At Qualifi we have experienced the dramatic changes associated with qualification funding. As a result of migrating our qualifications to the required Total Qualification Time model, the funding level assigned by the Skills Funding Agency in some cases has been dramatically reduced.
As an Awarding Organisation, we have designed our vocationally related qualifications to be delivered inclusive of directed learning, supported learning, online learning and face-to-face lessons. Qualifications that include the optional use of our learning platform and access to tutor support materials and learning content. Our qualifications meet the needs of employers and the economy of Britain and are supportive of the maturation of the blended learning delivery model.
The most effective and fair system is one in which efficiencies are encouraged and use of any savings can be invested in staff training to enable tutors and learning support staff to cope with the fast pace of change resulting from an explosion in the availability of learning and teaching support technology.