Corporate Plan2019 - 22

CorporatePlan2 0 1 9 - 2 2

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Contents Foreword by the Chair................................................................ 4

Foreword by the Chief Regulator................................................... 6

Our role............................................................................................... 8

Our context............................................................................................ 8

Our approach............................................................................................. 9

RegulatedQualificationsMarket.................................................................10

Goal 1 Regulate for the validity and safe delivery of generalqualifications....12

Goal 2 Regulate for the validity and safe delivery of national technical and

vocationalqualificationsandassessments.....................................................14

Goal 3 Regulate for the validity and safe delivery of vocational and other regulated

technicalqualifications..................................................................................16

Goal 4 MonitorandevaluatethevalidityofNationalAssessments.................................18

Goal 5Promoteaneffectiveandefficientregulatedqualificationsmarket........................20

Goal 6 Developandmanageourpeople,resourcesandsystems............................................22

Our resources............................................................................................................................. 24

Measuringourimpact...................................................................................................................25

4

Roger TaylorForeword by the Chair

High quality qualifications are essential to a productive economy. People and organisations rely on them to signal knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours reliably and fairly. For an individual learner, the value and purpose of a regulated qualification is of course far more personal. It may enable progression to the next stage of education, be the key to a new job, or a mark of achievement in a new interest.

In all our work we seek to secure that qualifications are valid, delivered safely and efficiently with outcomes that are fair for each individual learner and for society too. To achieve that goal, this corporate plan sets out our most ambitious and broad programme of work to date. It reflects the degree of change in the qualifications landscape, and our commitment to regulate for learners in the context of the market as it exists today, and for the future.

The landscape of technical education in particular is being transformed. The first T Levels will be taught from 2020. Many thousands more apprenticeships using new standards are being completed in hundreds of industries. Learners will begin working towards reformed English and maths functional skills qualifications later this year. We are actively playing our part in each of these reforms.

Whilst this year will see reformed GCSE, AS and A levels awarded to students in all but a few subjects, developments in general qualifications continue. Summer 2019 will be the first time that information from our National Reference Test will be considered in awarding GCSE English and maths. With exam boards, we will be piloting new ways to use expert judgement to further improve awarding. And we will continue ground-breaking work to improve the quality of marking.

Innovation has the potential to improve validity, manageability in schools, colleges and training providers, the public’s confidence in qualifications, and their value for money. This year we will launch new work to evaluate the use of artificial intelligence to improve marking. We will also investigate the barriers to wider adoption of online and on-screen assessment in schools and colleges.

Underpinning all areas of our work is the expertise of our people, the strength of our partnerships with others in the system and the use of data to inform our insights and generate evidence for action. We are working to combine the data we hold with other sources from across the education and training system. We hope this will provide new insights into how qualifications function, the operation of the market and the long term benefits of qualifications for those who take them.

Regulated qualifications carry currency beyond England. The export market for English qualifications is significant. We are pleased to be working with the Department for International Trade to improve the information available to international purchasers about the range of regulated qualifications available, and on the benefits of regulation.

Whether a qualification is taken in England, or in any country around the world, we will continue to regulate with care, mindful of the impact qualifications have on the teaching and learning experience. I look forward to working with stakeholders across the sector as we play our part in an effective qualifications system fit for today and for the future.

Roger Taylor Chair

5

Each year more than 12 million regulated qualifications are awarded to learners here in England and around the world. The qualifications industry is a high volume system with many parts that must work together effectively in order for a qualification to meet the needs of individuals who take them and those that make use of them. They must be of good quality and a reliable indication of what each learner knows, understands and can do. Often that system comes under intense scrutiny and rightly so, given the impact a qualification can have on a person’s career, education and future, and the reliance others place on the achievement it signals.

Our role is to regulate that system so that learners who take a regulated qualification can be confident that the way their qualification is designed, delivered and awarded is to an appropriate standard. We have well developed systems to regulate high risk, high stakes qualifications. Beyond our established rules, we use a range of evidence gathering techniques, have a broad spectrum of enforcement powers and possess leading edge research capability.

We have worked hard as one of many organisations and with thousands of teachers to secure through exam boards a smooth implementation of reformed GCSEs, AS and A levels. We are pleased that public awareness and understanding of the new qualifications is growing.

We continually assess and monitor the risks of such a large system to ensure it works as well as it can. This year we will

6

Sally CollierForeword bythe Chief Regulator

continue our work to deter and address malpractice. We will publish research into the effectiveness of moderation and consider whether changes and improvements are necessary. And we will assess whether our requirements for reformed qualifications have worked as we intended, taking account of feedback gathered from teachers, students, and other users of qualifications. Last year we began research looking at student anxiety in relation to exams. This is important work and we will continue our research, and provide practical resources to support students, parents and teachers.

Our plans in relation to technical education are extensive, reflecting the government’s broad reaching reforms. The timeline to deliver many aspects of this transformative programme is tight. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Education and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to manage risk and maintain delivery. In addition to the large programmes of reform and new qualifications – such as technical qualifications in T Levels – we are launching our own programme of work designed to strengthen how national technical and vocational qualifications are designed and assessed. These qualifications are of particular importance in young people’s development and we want to ensure they are as good as they can be.

Underpinning these strands of change is our focus on good regulatory practice. That means continuing to ensure that our expectations are clear, providing useful guidance, publishing research that enables system wide improvement and that everyone in the system can learn from case studies of our enforcement action when things have gone wrong.

We have published our second annual report summarising our work to evaluate the validity of National Assessments. There is considerable change ahead. We will monitor the development of new National Assessments including the reception baseline and the revised early years foundation stage profile, while also monitoring any potential impacts on assessment validity from changes to test delivery and marking arrangements in 2020.

We have undertaken careful planning in relation to the UK’s exit from the European Union, particularly in relation to the upcoming summer exam series. We are monitoring awarding organisations’ management of risk carefully.

In all our work the insight, perspective and knowledge of others is critical. I and my colleagues will continue to invest in relationships across the broadest range of stakeholders including visiting schools, colleges and training providers to see first hand how regulated qualifications are delivered and regarded.

We launched our new people strategy in 2018 and this has supported a further improvement in our Civil Service staff engagement scores. Expert, engaged people are key to our work and we will continue to develop and motivate our people so that we deliver our plans and maximise the positive difference we make.

Sally Collier

Chief Regulator

7

8

Our role Ofqual is the independent qualifications regulator for England. We regulate 158 awarding organisations, and about 12,750 qualifications for which certificates were issued last year.

We have five statutory objectives set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.

In brief, they are:

1. To secure qualifications standards.

2. To promote National Assessment standards.

3. To promote public confidence in regulated qualifications and National Assessment arrangements.

4. To promote awareness of the range and benefits of regulated qualifications.

5. To secure that regulated qualifications are provided efficiently.

We have a wide range of other duties and publish separate documents addressing some of these including those related to equality and diversity and regulatory burden.

Our context

We regulate qualifications within the context of government policy. A significant period of reform of GCSEs, AS and A levels is concluding with all reformed qualifications now being taught in schools and colleges, and most having been awarded. Monitoring and evaluating reformed qualifications will remain important in this corporate plan period.

A transformation of the technical education landscape in England is underway through multiple programmes of reform. We are active in each of these, using our expertise and regulatory powers to secure the validity of, and promote public confidence in, qualifications the government introduces to meet England’s needs.

This includes our roles within the quality framework for technical qualifications in T Levels, as an external quality assurer for end-point assessments in standards apprenticeships, and regulating reformed English and maths functional skills qualifications. We are contributing to the government’s reviews of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, and qualifications at levels 4 and 5.

In light of our different powers in relation to National Assessments, our focus is on their validity. Our role is to provide assurance where we find that processes are robust and to identify risks to validity so that others can make any necessary changes. We are mindful that government is introducing new assessment arrangements, and the Standards and Testing Agency is making changes to test delivery and marking arrangements for summer 2020 testing. We will monitor and advise on risks to validity through this transition.

Our role& context

8

Our approachWe have a range of regulatory tools to secure our objectives. We ensure that our approach is both proportionate and has the greatest impact through the effective combination of these tools.

We control entry to the regulated market, so that qualification users have confidence that regulated awarding organisations have the capacity and competence to comply with our requirements for the types of qualifications they award. Our register is an accessible way for stakeholders to find out if a particular awarding organisation or qualification is regulated.

Our requirements are set out in our conditions. We publish guidance including positive and negative indicators of compliance to aid awarding organisations to meet our rules. Where awarding organisations fail to comply, we have a range of enforcement tools at our disposal so that current and future learners are protected.

Each year we undertake a range of activities targeted at the most significant risks to qualification standards, validity and public confidence. We define the validity of a qualification to be the degree to which it is possible to measure what the qualification needs to measure by implementing its assessment procedure.

We take an evidence-based approach to our work. Where evidence is weak or non-existent we conduct and publish research to inform future thinking, and to stimulate improvement. We gather data and publish statistics to provide transparency on key features of qualifications and the qualifications market.

Where we wish to assess how awarding organisations are delivering valid qualifications safely, we make use of monitoring programmes, audits of awarding organisations’ processes and procedures, and conduct technical evaluations of how qualifications function. We sometimes require a qualification (or type of qualification) to be accredited to make sure it is designed to meet our requirements before it is awarded.

We monitor how awarding organisations manage incidents which might have an impact on learners, standards or public confidence, and intervene where necessary to mitigate that impact.

Ourapproach

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Where qualifications are being reformed, we may use this as an opportunity to secure our statutory objectives, ensuring that qualifications are well designed, threats to validity are minimised, risks to safe delivery are anticipated and mitigated, and changes are understood by those who use and rely on qualifications.

We engage a diverse range of stakeholders so that our work is targeted well and our decisions are properly informed by those on whom they will have an impact. For example, we pay close attention to the implications of our decisions for teaching and learning, for equality, and for public confidence in qualifications.

We work with and, wherever possible, align our approach with the regulators in the devolved administrations, in order to minimise burden on those impacted by our regulations.

We gather intelligence, analyse evidence and evaluate risk to target our priorities. This means the nature of our activities will vary across the qualifications and parts of the qualifications market we regulate.

Our strategic intentions are set out in this corporate plan as a series of goals for the years ahead. This year we include a new goal that combines our work in relation to our efficiency objective, and our objective to promote the range and benefits of regulated qualifications. We are expanding our work in these areas to address both the efficiency and effectiveness of a changing qualifications market, taking steps to facilitate the adoption of innovation that supports standards, public confidence and efficiency.

11,127 Vocationalandotherqualifications

RegulatedQualifications

10

market share by number of certificates in England

913GeneralQualifications

706NationalVTQs

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*available qualifications with certificates

We regulate 158Awarding

Organisations

the 12,746active*qualifications they offer

179

139

FunctionalSkills

Tech Levels

105Technical Awards

82AppliedGenerals

5ApprenticeshipEPAs

31Otherqualificationsinperformancetables

165

276

228

GCSEs

ASlevels

Alevels

162Generalqualificationsnot included above

247

Leisure,Travel&Tourism

Education &Training

Agriculture,Horticulture&AnimalCare

Qualificationsinothersector subject areas

Preparation For Life&Work

Health,PublicServices & Care

Retail&CommercialEnterprise

Business,Administration& Law

Engineering&ManufacturingTechnologies

Arts,Media& Publishing

Construction,Planning&theBuiltEnvironment

16%

11%

11%

7%

5%

6%

14%

11%

8%

6%

5%

WJEC

(3%)City & Guilds

(8%)NCFE(4%)

AQA(29%)

152 others (28%)

Pearson (22%)

Technical Certificates

OCR

(7%)

11

Tech Level(33,990)

Tech Certificate(100,250)

ApprenticeshipEPAs(40)

AppliedGeneral(95,045)

and the 11.5mcertificates they award

Otherqualificationsinperformancetables (38,710)

Information relates to England and the academic year 1st September 2017 - 31st August 2018 - source AQMR 2017/18, and additional analysis of data supporting the report

GCSE(4,664,250)

GeneralQualifications(5,774,465)

Vocational and other qualifications

(4,432,840)

NationalVTQs(1,263,540)

Level 3(1,216,850)

Level 2(1,474,245)

Level 1 & 1/2

(1,094,980)

Entry(493,320)

Level 4+ (151,905)

Other GQ (141,325)

ASlevel(236,175)

Alevel(732,720)

UnreformedGCSE (420,510)

ReformedGCSE(4,243,660)

FunctionalSkills

(701,585)

TechAward(293,920)

We will monitor the exam boards’ delivery of qualifications, requiring them to act where necessary to secure our statutory objectives and protect learners. We will continue to scrutinise the quality of exam boards’ marking, the effectiveness of their arrangements for moderation and the reviews and appeals they conduct on the outcomes of both and require exam boards to make improvements if needed. We will also keep our rules in this area under review.

Following the announcement in 2018 of our decisions in relation to inter-subject comparability in six A level subjects we will decide whether grade standards should be adjusted in GCSE French, German and Spanish.

We know that it is important for all stakeholders that results reliably reflect any year on year changes in students’ performance. Our well-established mechanisms ensure that grades are not artificially inflated and standards are maintained. We will expect exam boards to enhance the evidence they use when setting grade boundaries so they can better identify and safely recognise changes in student performance where these occur. This work will complement the introduction of the National Reference Test for GCSE English and maths, the outcomes of which will be considered in awarding for the first time in summer 2019.

General qualifications are an important part of a student’s educational experience and their progression into further study, training or employment. Public expectations are rightly high that these qualifications reflect a student’s ability as accurately as possible. We regulate these qualifications, and in particular GCSEs, AS and A levels, so that they are valid, worthy of public confidence, produce fair and reliable results, and to ensure standards are maintained over time and between exam boards.

Summer 2019 is a major milestone in the reform of GCSEs, AS and A levels because this year the qualifications awarded to students will be in the new form in all but a few subjects. A key focus for our work remains making sure that exam boards implement and continue to deliver new GCSEs, AS and A levels effectively, and that they are widely understood. Given the new qualifications have only recently been introduced, we will also continue to evaluate whether our regulatory requirements have worked as we intended. We will refine our rules if the evidence shows this is needed.

We know that universities and employers have a good understanding of the new 9 to 1 GCSE grades. We will continue our work to prepare them to receive applications from students who have the new numerical grades, explaining how they relate to A* to G in the previous qualifications.

We will also continue to provide information to students, schools and colleges to support a safe, effective and fair summer examination series including information to deter malpractice and encourage its reporting, and information on ways examination anxiety may be managed.

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Goal 1Regulate for the validity and safe delivery ofgeneralqualifications

What we plan to do in 2019–20201. Require exam boards to address identified risks

to the safe delivery and award of GCSEs, AS and A levels.

2. Make sure exam boards maintain established grade standards in GCSEs, AS and A levels and set appropriate grade standards as new qualifications are first awarded.

3. Monitor the quality of exam boards’ marking and continue our research into the quality of marking for which exam boards should aim.

4. Monitor exam boards’ reviews of marking, moderation and appeals, requiring them to make specific improvements if needed.

5. Review exam boards’ pilots of additional ways to capture expert judgement about the standard of students’ work when awarding GCSEs, AS and A levels and decide whether to change our regulations to reflect the findings.

6. Analyse the results of the 2019 National Reference Test and use the outcomes in the awarding of GCSE English language and maths.

7. Publish our research into current practices for moderating teachers’ marking, and consider whether any changes to our rules and exam boards’ practices are needed.

8. Continue our work to prevent malpractice and encourage the reporting of malpractice where it does occur.

9. Decide whether grade standards should be adjusted in GCSE French, German and Spanish.

10. Keep under review the use of reasonable adjustments for disabled students, including the use of assistive technology and the quality of modified papers, and review the use of extra time.

11. Undertake research on student anxiety during exams, and provide information to students on how this may be managed.

12. Provide information about new GCSEs, AS and A levels, focusing especially on the 9 to 1 grading scale for GCSEs and particularly on employers and the higher education sector.

13. Complete further evaluation of the impact of reform and whether our requirements for the reformed qualifications have worked as we intended, including by gathering feedback from teachers, students, higher education and other key stakeholders, refining our rules if necessary.

14. Undertake research into the impact of different types of assessment on outcomes for different groups of students.

What we plan to do in 2020–20221. Identify and require exam boards to address

risks to safe delivery and award of GCSEs, AS and A levels.

2. Maintain grade standards in all GCSEs, AS and A levels and oversee standard setting for reformed qualifications as they are first awarded.

3. Investigate improvements and address risks to the validity of GCSEs, AS and A levels, including to improve awarding and the quality of marking and moderation, and to deter and prevent malpractice.

4. Consider how reformed GCSEs compare with similar qualifications taken internationally.

5. Implement any changed requirements for exam boards to capture and use additional expert judgements about the standard of students’ work when awarding GCSEs, AS and A levels.

Outcomes • GCSEs, AS and A levels are delivered safely

and are valid – the qualifications meet their stated aims and standards are maintained over time and aligned across exam boards.

• Our regulation supports good assessment and educational outcomes.

• Schools, colleges and students are confident in exam delivery and the grades awarded.

• Reformed GCSEs, AS and A levels meet their purpose.

• Stakeholders are sufficiently well informed about the new qualifications and are confident in them.

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The current programme of reform is broad, including the introduction of technical qualifications within T Level programmes, the continued introduction of new apprenticeship end-point assessments, and developing new higher level technical qualifications at levels 4 and 5.

We will play an active part in these reforms, working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, to secure high quality qualifications for those who take, use and rely on them.

We will continue to engage with the government’s review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below. Aligned with this, we will review and consider strengthening controls of assessments in vocational and technical qualifications taken in schools and colleges in order to improve awarding organisations’ ability to maintain standards and secure validity in these existing qualifications.

2019 will see the first teaching and assessment of reformed functional skills qualifications in English and maths.

National technical and vocational qualifications and assessments provide learners, in particular 14-19 year olds, with essential skills, knowledge and understanding to support progression into work, further or higher education.

In the suite of national technical and vocational qualifications we include all vocational qualifications currently used in school and college performance tables, the new qualifications the government is introducing as part of its reform of technical education, and end-point assessments for apprenticeships developed to new employer-set standards. It is important that learners, higher education institutions and employers value, are confident in and understand these qualifications and assessments so that they have currency. We therefore place a particular emphasis on these in our regulatory strategy.

The recommendations from the independent panel on technical education and government’s subsequent post-16 skills plan, published in June 2016, set out a clear vision for the future of technical education.

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Goal 2 Regulate for the validity and safe delivery of national technical and vocational qualificationsandassessmentsts

What we plan to do in 2019–20201. Require awarding organisations to address

identified risks to the safe delivery and award of applied general and other qualifications used in school and college performance tables.

2. Increase our evaluation of the technical functioning of vocational and technical qualifications used for school accountability purposes at key stage 4, requiring improvements where necessary. 

3. Monitor the awarding of applied general qualifications and evaluate the comparability of standards across providers of similar qualifications.

4. Review and consider strengthening controls of assessments in vocational and technical qualifications taken in schools and colleges in order to improve awarding organisations’ ability to maintain standards in these qualifications.

5. Review applications for accreditation of technical qualifications within T Level programmes to be taught from September 2020.

6. Review applications for recognition from awarding organisations bidding to offer technical qualifications in T Level programmes to be taught from September 2021.

7. Continue to work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to operationalise and explain the quality assurance regime for technical qualifications within T Level programmes, and support the introduction of technical qualifications to the market in a safe and considered way.

8. Complete technical evaluation of a sample of apprenticeship end-point assessments, requiring improvements from end-point assessment organisations where necessary.

9. Develop and consult on regulatory requirements for new higher level technical qualifications at levels 4 and 5.

10. Complete technical evaluation of new functional skills qualifications in English and maths.

11. Assess the readiness of awarding organisations to deliver reformed functional skills qualifications in English and maths, requiring awarding organisations to address identified risks.

12. Develop and consult on regulatory requirements to support government reform of functional skills ICT qualifications.

13. Work with the government on its review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below.

1. Identify and require awarding organisations to

address risks to the safe delivery and validity of national technical and vocational qualifications, with a particular emphasis on those taken in schools and colleges.

2. Further increase our evaluation and monitoring of and embed any strengthened controls of assessments in national technical and vocational qualifications taken in schools and colleges.

3. Continue to support the reforms of technical education including the phased introduction of technical qualifications within T Level programmes, and higher level technical qualifications.

4. Continue to quality assure regulated apprenticeship end-point assessments.

5. Continue to support the implementation of reformed functional skills qualifications in English and maths.

6. Support implementation of the findings of the government’s review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below.

Outcomes

• Reformed national technical and vocational qualifications are delivered safely and are valid – meeting the needs of stakeholders, particularly employers.

• Existing national technical and vocational qualifications are more valid with improved controls to support maintenance of standards.

• Regulation supports a more coherent vocational and technical qualifications market for learners, employers and qualification users.

• Schools, colleges, employers and all who use and rely on national technical and vocational qualifications have confidence in them.

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What we plan to do in 2020–2022

16

In 2019–2020 we will continue to focus particularly on all awarding organisations’ arrangements with those who deliver assessments on their behalf and their handling of malpractice, and will also initiate work to look at how they manage specific areas of risk, including the competence of assessors.

Engagement with those who use and depend on qualifications remains important, and we will continue to discuss our work with, and get feedback from a broad range of stakeholders. We will also work in a targeted way to support the design and refresh of qualifications in specific occupational areas.

We will continue our long-term strategic research programme into performance-based assessment, drawing on the initial conclusions we published in 2018–2019.

In addition to this proactive work we will remain vigilant to emerging issues and risks that can arise in individual awarding organisations or systemically, taking action where necessary to secure our statutory objectives and protect learners.

There are a wide range of vocational and technical qualifications available to learners in addition to those taken predominantly by 14-19 year olds in schools, colleges and the workplace. These can be the gateway for individuals to work in a particular industry, can give employers and consumers assurance on safety and competence, or may be a mark of a learner’s achievement in an area of interest.

Many of these qualifications are funded by employers or learners. They are developed and delivered by awarding organisations ranging from niche professional bodies to large national corporations. We expect awarding organisations to deliver these qualifications safely and to ensure their validity.

We monitor the delivery of regulated qualifications by drawing on a number of sources of intelligence including stakeholder feedback, complaints we receive, the notifications awarding organisations are required to make to us, and findings from our regulatory activity.

We use this information to assess and address the greatest threats to our statutory objectives, with programmes designed to mitigate risks in all vocational and technical qualifications, wherever they are awarded.

Goal 3 Regulate for the validity and safe delivery of vocational and other regulatedqualifications

What we plan to do in 2019–20201. Address risks or events of significant harm

where these arise in awarding organisations, specific sectors of the economy or across the system.

2. Fully embed our updated approach to the recognition, induction and monitoring of new awarding organisations.

3. Improve awarding organisations’ accountability for the awards they make, including consulting on a more tailored regulatory approach to moderation and verification practices.

4. Continue to undertake work to prevent malpractice.

5. Review awarding organisation practice in relation to areas of particular risk, including arrangements for paper-based on-demand assessments, the prevention of assessment material errors and the competence of assessors.

6. Confirm regulatory requirements for new basic digital skills qualifications, in light of consultation outcomes.

7. Consider the effectiveness of our regulatory requirements relating to qualifications covering English for speakers of other languages.

8. Collaborate with employers, awarding organisations and other bodies to support their work to design and refresh qualifications in specific occupational areas.

9. Engage with those who use and rely on vocational and technical qualifications to provide information about our work and gather feedback from them.

10. Continue our long-term research programme into performance-based assessment.

11. Consult on and implement any changes to our conditions in response to identified issues, aligning our rules wherever possible with those of the qualifications regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland.

What we plan to do in 2020–20221. Identify and address risks or events of harm in

awarding organisations, specific sectors of the economy and across the system.

2. Undertake regulatory activity according to prioritised areas of risk including making and embedding any changes to our regulatory approach to moderation and verification, in light of our consultation.

3. Implement any regulatory requirements for new basic digital skills qualifications, and any changes to our regulatory requirements relating to qualifications covering English for speakers of other languages.

4. Complete our planned research programme into performance-based assessment.

Outcomes • Regulated qualifications are delivered safely and

are valid.

• Identified systemic issues are addressed to secure public confidence, maintenance of standards and efficiency.

• Significant awarding organisation shortfalls are addressed and the interests of learners protected.

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Goal 4 MonitorandevaluatethevalidityofNationalAssessments

We reviewed the approach to the prevention and detection of malpractice and observed moderation processes. We provided feedback on these areas to enable the STA to strengthen arrangements where appropriate.

In 2019–2020 we will continue to monitor and report on processes critical to maintaining test validity and will carry out research on the effect of test familiarity in assessments. We will also monitor preparations for changes to test delivery and marking arrangements and new assessments in 2020–2021 for impacts on future validity.

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Our work on National Assessments focuses on promoting validity and public confidence. We do this by providing assurance where effective processes are in place to support validity and by raising risks so that these can be addressed by others, such as the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), to contribute to greater validity over time.

Last year we published our report on assessments undertaken in 2018. We provided assurance about important aspects of the testing, such as standards maintenance and test development processes. We reported that the consistency of STA marking remained very high.

What we plan to do in 2019–20201. Monitor, evaluate and report on the

validity of National Assessments including the maintenance of standards and the quality of STA marking.

2. Monitor the development of new National Assessments, including the reception baseline, multiplication tables check and revised early years foundation stage profile, providing technical advice where appropriate.

3. Monitor preparations for a new test operations supplier for possible impacts on assessment validity.

4. Explore the impact of increasing test familiarity on outcomes to better understand what conclusions can be drawn from changes in assessment results over time.

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What we plan to do in 2020–20221. Continue to monitor and evaluate key

aspects of the validity of National Assessments.

2. Continue to keep under review and provide technical advice on assessment validity where changes are made or new assessments are developed.

3. Monitor the introduction of new assessments and new test operations arrangements for possible impacts on validity.

Outcomes

• Assurance of the validity of National Assessment arrangements and public confidence in them.

Goal 5 Promoteinnovationandaneffectiveandefficientregulatedqualificationsmarket

The qualifications market is diverse and dynamic. We are expanding our work to promote the range of regulated qualifications that are available so users can make good decisions about how they take or use a qualification.

Regulated qualifications are an important global export, and are valued and recognised around the world. We are working with the Department for International Trade to improve information for overseas purchasers about the range of regulated qualifications available.

Many regulated qualifications taken in England are paid for with public funds and so their value for money is particularly important. Following our call for evidence in 2018, we will consult this year on changes to our requirements in relation to the transparency and availability of qualification fee information to purchasers.

The use and availability of data is an important lever in an effective, efficient and innovative qualifications market. We are working with other stakeholders to combine data sets for the first time to look for new insights into how qualifications operate, the functioning of the market and the role that qualifications play in the journey of learners through education and into employment.

While there is innovative practice throughout the industry, many aspects of how qualifications are delivered have remained unchanged for many decades. We are initiating new work to facilitate the adoption of innovation where this supports the validity, safe delivery and efficiency of qualifications.

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What we plan to do in 2019–2020

1. Improve the quality and breadth of information available to qualification purchasers in England and overseas, including in our register of regulated qualifications.

2. Consult on and implement any changes to our rules to improve transparency of qualification fees, in response to our call for evidence.

3. Survey centres to identify the factors that influence the qualifications they offer and their choice of awarding organisation.

4. Pilot a qualifications price index, measuring changes over time in the published price of a representative sample of qualifications.

5. Assess opportunities and barriers to the increased use of technology in the delivery and award of regulated qualifications, including the use of artificial intelligence in quality assurance of marking, and increased use of online and onscreen assessment.

6. Identify any amendments needed to our approach to enable awarding organisations to engage safely in innovation.

7. Expand our data collection and analysis in relation to national technical and vocational qualifications.

8. Support understanding of how qualifications function and how the market is segmented through interactive visualisations and data analytics.

9. Continue work to develop our regulatory approach including consulting on potential changes to the way we take regulatory action.

What we plan to do in 2020–2022

1. Expand data available to broaden our insight and inform stakeholders.

2. Improve evidence available on how qualifications and the qualifications market function.

3. Support informed choice and use of qualifications by improving information available to qualification purchasers and promoting the range of regulated qualifications available and the benefits of regulation.

4. Assess emerging innovative practice and technology in the qualifications industry and remove barriers to its implementation where it supports valid, safe and efficient assessment.

Outcomes

• Those who use and rely on qualifications have a better understanding of the range of regulated qualifications and the benefits of regulation.

• Those who purchase qualifications are more confident they have secured value for money.

• Data provides new insights to inform decision making, public confidence, maintenance of standards and market efficiency.

• Stakeholders make increasing use of the data we publish.

• Innovation in qualification design, delivery and awarding supports standards, public confidence, efficiency and international competitiveness.

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Goal 6 Developandmanageourpeople,resourcesandsystems

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We are an established and expert organisation, achieving our goals through our people working together and with stakeholders across the education and training system. We will continue to make sure our people have the right skills, expertise and capacity to work effectively and achieve the work set out in this plan.

In recent years we have invested to transform our data capabilities, providing more information in real-time and generating robust evidence and insight to support effective regulation. We have created new digital ways of working with awarding organisations, capturing richer intelligence more easily. We will continue to innovate in our use of technology, in a way that keeps our data and systems safe.

We use a range of tools to communicate with regulated awarding organisations, learners and our stakeholders in schools, colleges, training providers and employers. We will continue to explore the use of visual, written and social media so that our messages are clear and have impact in their intended audiences.

We will continue to make the best use of public money, including through innovation and technology, to enable us to have the most impact with our resources. This year, we also expect to agree our future funding settlement with government.

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What we plan to do in 2019–2020

1. Further develop our capacity and expertise to deliver our corporate plan.

2. Continue to implement our people strategy, with a focus on developing leadership and strengthening a culture that promotes collaboration, innovation and accountability.

3. Improve the quality and breadth of data available for regulation to provide better evidence for decision making and to inform stakeholders.

4. Reduce burden for awarding organisations and improve our efficiency through further development and use of digital systems, including additional functionality within our awarding organisation portal.

5. Embed and improve our cyber security defences while making data available in a way that is pragmatic and safe.

6. Identify improvements to our ways of working to be as efficient and effective as we can with our resources.

7. Improve medium-term financial planning, develop our medium-term financial strategy and secure a new spending review settlement that enables us to achieve our priorities and fulfil our statutory objectives in 2020 and beyond.

What we plan to do in 2020–20221. Continue to develop and motivate our people,

ensuring we have a diverse and equitable culture.

2. Plan our workforce and system requirements to keep pace with our evolving strategic policies.

3. Develop further digital solutions to exploit our data, and simplify interactions with awarding organisations.

4. Maintain a focus on achieving outcomes more efficiently within our new spending review settlement.

Outcomes • We have a diverse workforce with the right people

and expertise to deliver our strategic priorities.

• Our people are proud to work for Ofqual, our leaders are equipped to engage, inspire and empower and high levels of staff engagement are maintained.

• Our data and technology enable us and our stakeholders to work effectively and efficiently, and to make the best use of up to date data.

• Data is secure and used safely and appropriately.

• Our priorities are delivered efficiently, maximising value for public money and making the best use of our resources.

By the end of the 2015 spending review period, covering 2016 to 2020, our core funding will have reduced by £1.1m. We will achieve this reduction through efficiency savings and maintenance of tight management controls.

In 2018–2019, we received £3.3m in specific programme funding for delivery of the National Reference Test and for our work on the reform of vocational and technical qualifications. As work in these areas continues, we will receive £2.5m in programme funding at the start of 2019–2020, with further funding for vocational and technical qualifications anticipated later in the year.

2019-2020 £m

Core funding 14.7

Programmefunding 2.5

Total 17.2

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Our resources

We will carefully plan and manage our people resources to secure the skills we need to deliver our core activities and other programmes within our funding.

The table below shows our confirmed funding for 2019–2020, which is the final period of the current spending review. We expect to review our future funding with government over the course of the year.

In forming the plans for future years set out in this corporate plan, we have made an assumption that appropriate resources will be available.

Our annual report and accounts sets out our progress in delivering the commitments in our corporate plan, a summary of the regulatory activity we have undertaken, and the impact of our actions.

Each year we undertake a range of targeted evaluations and reviews to assess the impact of our work. Some of our specific areas of focus for 2019–20 are set out here.

• Our perception surveys will measure confidence in general qualifications and vocational and technical qualifications.

• We will publish an evaluation of our work to monitor summer examinations and awarding in general qualifications and national technical and vocational qualifications taken in schools and colleges. This will include an evaluation of the comparability of grade standards between general qualification exam boards.

• We will continue to evaluate how reformed GCSEs, AS and A levels are working and the impact of our regulations by engaging with stakeholders, including teachers, exam boards, subject associations and higher education institutions. This year, this will include an evaluation of the impact of reformed GCSEs on the readiness of students progressing to reformed A level qualifications, and a review of non-examination assessment arrangements in targeted subjects.

• We will evaluate how well assessments within reformed GCSEs in French, German and Spanish function.

• We will publish metrics on exam boards’ marking of GCSE and A level over time to evaluate any impact of qualification reform on the consistency of marking.

• We will evaluate the impact of our decision to permit exam boards a one-sided reporting tolerance when comparing outcomes to predictions in the award of A levels in physics, chemistry, biology, French, German and Spanish.

• We will conclude our multi-year programme to evaluate the impact of changes to the assessment of practical skills in A level science, in particular its impact on progression at higher education, and publish our findings.

• In addition to completing technical evaluation of all reformed functional skills qualifications before they are made available, we will use comparative judgement techniques to evaluate the difficulty of functional skills maths qualifications between awarding organisations and in comparison to the qualifications they will replace.

• We will participate in the Civil Service people survey to understand the impact of our people strategy and policies on the wellbeing and motivation of our staff.

• We will evaluate the impact of enhancements to our digital capabilities including our awarding organisation portal by monitoring uptake and use, and engaging with users to gather and implement feedback.

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Measuringourimpact

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