framework for excellence introduction National agencies are working together to support the drive for excellence in the FE system.
- The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has set up the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA)
- The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) have merged to form one single inspectorate with Annual Assessment Visit (AAV) and Common Inspection Framework (CIF) inspection arrangements
- The Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) has issued and is implementing its national 'Improvement Strategy'
- The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is leading on the development and trialling of the national 'Framework for Excellence' (F4E).
The aim is an integrated approach to quality improvement, self-assessment and inspection across the FE system, while respecting the distinct roles and responsibilities of the various national agencies, and the core responsibility of colleges and other providers for their own quality improvement.
Click here for information on streamlining performance. The LSC (Learning and Skills Council) is developing and piloting (in conjunction with the QIA, Ofsted and DfES) a Framework for Excellence (F4E), alongside the development of the Improvement Strategy by the Quality Improvement Agency.
The overall aim of the Framework for Excellence is to streamline arrangements for assessing provider performance and to promote FE system-wide self-improvement through effective self-assessment.
At the time of writing (July 2007) the F4E is still a work in progress.
LSC published its consultation document 'Framework for Excellence: a Comprehensive Performance Assessment Framework for the Further Education System' in late July 2006.
Between December 2006 and Spring 2007, over 80 volunteer colleges and other provider organisations tested out the various definitions and standards for the Framework's key performance indicators (KPIs).
In March 2007 the LSC published the document 'Framework for Excellence: Raising Standards and Improving Choice' and in June 2007 followed this up with the publication 'Framework for Excellence: How the Framework Will Work'.
This latter includes details of the prototype Framework, how it will work in practice, how performance ratings will be calculated, timescales, etc and gives details of the formal pilot of the F4E process to take place between September 2007 and March 2008.
For the latest information visit the LSC website by clicking here
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