Functional Skills

Embedding Functional Skills

What are Functional Skills?

• English• Maths• ICT

So what’s the Functional bit?• Basic practical skills required in everyday life,

education and the workplace

Common Questions

• Why do we need Functional Skills in Lifelong learning?

• Isn’t this what children learn at school?

We need to improve

49% of the population (17 million adults) are at Entry 3 or below, which means they may not understand the calculations in their payslip.

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/0-9/11-1367-2011-skills-for-life-survey-findings.pdf

We need to improve

Only 56% of the population has achieved Level 2, which the government says all adults should have.

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/0-9/11-1367-2011-skills-for-life-survey-findings.pdf

We need to improve

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/0-9/11-1367-2011-skills-for-life-survey-findings.pdf

Are schools getting better?

2012 school leavers with A*-C grade (Level 2):• 59% in Maths• 65% in English

Remember, the government says you need Level 2 skills to productively function in every day tasks

http://www.cbi.org.uk/media/1514978/cbi_education_and_skills_survey_2012.pdf

How do we compare with the rest of the world?

Year English Maths2000 7th 8th2009 25th 28th

UK Performance in Worldwide rankings:

http://www.oecd.org/pisa/46624007.pdf

What do employers think?

Employers who report weaknesses in their work force’s basic skills:• 56% English• 55% numeracy• 66% ITC

35% of firms say they are not happy with school and college leavers’ English skills (and 30% not happy with their maths).

http://www.cbi.org.uk/media/1514978/cbi_education_and_skills_survey_2012.pdf

Why Functional Skills at college?

In order for our learners to succeed beyond the classroom, they need good functional skills, and– as we have seen– a great many of them arrive here without the needed standard.

Activity

Which functional skills did you use yesterday?

Your responsibility as a non- Functional Skills Teacher

Professional standards require that teachers: • “Know the different ways in which language,

literacy and numeracy skills are integral to learners’ achievement in own specialist area, and

• “Work with colleagues with relevant learner expertise to identify and address literacy, language and numeracy development in own specialist area.”

From LLUK Domains: New overarching professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector

Your responsibility as a non- Functional Skills Teacher

In practical terms, this means:• Functional Skills is not a bolt on or an extra• You should identify the functional skills necessary to do the

tasks in the lesson• Give support to develop these skills as required• Lesson plans should not include a laundry list of all

functional skills utilised, but instead should identify a particular skill or skills which will be developed and assessed in that lesson.

• Look for opportunities to develop independent and critical thinking

Activity

Identify the Functional Skills required to complete a sample assignment

Activity

Think of a future lesson. Identify at least 2 functional skills opportunities

you could develop.

“Homework”

• Plan and deliver at least one embedded functional skills activity before our follow up on

• Bring in your lesson plan to that session along with your evaluation of the activity