The Government is reforming Functional Skills qualifications to make sure that they give people the best possible preparation for employment, further study and everyday life. They also want new Functional Skills qualifications to provide employers with a reliable measure of students’ skills, knowledge and achievement. As part of these reforms, Skills Minister Ann Milton is publishing revised subject content for Mathematics and English Functional Skills qualifications. This follows extensive engagement with employers, teachers, subject specialists, and a public consultation which ran towards the end of 2017. The new content includes the skills employers say they need in their workforce and sets out the learning aims, requirements and standards of each Functional Skills qualification, moving from Entry Level 1-3 up to Levels 1 and 2. Functional Skills Level 2 is currently accepted as a completion requirement for Level 3 apprenticeships and higher, as an alternative option to a GCSE standard pass. Across all levels in both subjects DfE have improved how students learn to read, write, communicate, use numbers, measures, handle mathematical information and solve problems. The new content will be taught from September 2019. These changes aim to ensure that people have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their mathematics and English skills through accessible, practical, rigorous and well-respected qualifications. The Mathematics and English Functional Skills subject content documents, the Government’s response to the consultation and the equality impact assessment can be accessed here.
