Do you think this is the future qualification of choice for 14 - 19 year-olds?
Posted by: Anonymous | 09.12.2008 04:08pm
The new diploma needs to be conveyed as an academic award with minimal work related learning attached. The public must not make the assumption that this is a vocational course and a student will have a full on practical experience. The overall idea is that the students at the end of the 2 years will be able to make an informed choice of career or academic path.
The diploma is a path in the right direction but still needs to be tuned towards the Tomlinson dream.
diploma
Posted by: Anonymous | 23.09.2009 12:00pm
I also agree with the initial posting. The Tomlinson report does provide the necesary direction- an over-arching diploma rather than this two-tier system of Diplams or A levels which will jusr perpetuate existing divisions beween vocational and academic education. The Diploma must have sufficuent Kudos to appeal to Universities and Employers alike- why ot call it the new Iternational Baccalaureate? :)
The Diploma
Posted by: Jessica Cunliffe | 22.08.2009 12:20pm
I absolutely agree with 'The diploma' by Anonymous. Vocational options have a terrible (and probably undeserved) reputation, and the idea of 'diploma' at age 14 will also seem like the easy route. At my state school, we were never really told about vocational subjects in depth, and were always given the impression that they were for 'dossers', which is unfair; the government must be careful to avoid this stigma when bringing in a Diploma system, and must educate students fully about the different options well before they make the decision, rather than providing the current last-minute, biased information which tells us that GCSEs and GCEs are the only well-regarded way to go.