🚨 Last chance to book! 🚨 Secure year-long @ascl-uk.bsky.social professional learning designed specifically for sixth form leaders, with expert support and a network of peers from across the country. 🔗 Book now: www.ascl.org.uk/professional... #SixthForm #LeadershipDevelopment #Post16Education

We focus on the forgotten third of students who fall below a grade 4 in GCSE maths and English each year, and with many continuing to do so in post-16 resits. Tom Middlehurst and Claire Green discuss the implications and our proposal for a possible solution. 🖥️ https://ow.ly/LhM650ZJrQJ

ASCL Policy Snapshot: Grading Update and the Forgotten Third

Tom Middlehurst, ASCL Deputy Director of Policy, is joined by Claire Green, ASCL Post-16 and Skills Specialist, to explore the grading for this summer's results, the implications of this for the forgotten third, and our proposal for a possible solution to this issue which affects thousands of young people. September 2026 www.ascl.org.uk/PolicySnapshots

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The GCSE resits policy needs a total rethink. Grade 4 is a poor proxy for functional literacy & numeracy. In @ascl-uk.bsky.social's 🆕 Policy Snapshot, Tom Middlehurst & I explore the issues & suggest a fairer, lower-cost alternative. 👂 lnkd.in/ez2SD4uu
👀 lnkd.in/epKVz4EG @lucympowell.bsky.social

🌟Delighted to announce that due to high demand, @ascl-uk.bsky.social has expanded capacity for the Sixth Form Leadership Essentials programme.🌟 🐸Huge thanks to Unifrog for sponsoring the programme!🐸 If you were on the waiting list, check your 📧. Book now: tinyurl.com/yuz2exrt

#ASCLmembers: a reminder that today, 2 July, the ASCL member support staff will be taking part in training. This may mean that response times from the hotline team and caseworkers are longer than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience. www.ascl.org.uk/hotline #education

Thrilled that our @ascl-uk.bsky.social Sixth Form Leadership Essentials Programme is now fully booked for its first cohort & several people are on a waiting list for next year’s cohort! If you missed out: 📩 Email pd@ascl.org.uk to be added to the waiting list for any places that become free / 2027

Trust #inspection is moving closer but are we asking the right questions? ASCL Leadership and Workforce Specialist Kathryn Morgan explores what trust inspection should achieve before decisions are made about how it will work. Read Kathryn's #blog: https://ow.ly/pRLr50ZhBZP #education #MATs

I’m very excited to be attending the @educationfest.bsky.social for the first time. It’ll be great to hear some amazing speakers & catch up with colleagues. I’m also delighted to represent @ascl-uk.bsky.social at two sessions on one of the hot topics at post-16: the introduction of V levels.

On behalf of @ascl-uk.bsky.social I’d like to thank all staff in post-16 settings for your dedication & care. A v wise college principal I know describes the pressure of leading in post-16 as a privilege. I hope you all feel that privilege today by being shown some appreciation for what you do 💖

🚨𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓🚨 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩? Whether you’re new to post-16 leadership or looking to sharpen your strategic impact, ASCL’s Sixth Form Leadership Essentials Programme is designed to give you the confidence, clarity & tools to lead effectively. Book now!

#ASCLmembers: April's Post-16 News by Claire Green is out now and includes more information on the recent announcements around planned curriculum changes at levels 2 and 3, together with consultations and guidance, and details of the Student Premium campaign, launched yesterday.

As one school holiday ends, maybe your thoughts are turning to the next? We've a great prize draw offer for new members where you could win a £200 holiday/travel voucher. Full details and T&Cs at www.ascl.org.uk/join Any questions about ASCL membership? See our FAQs at www.ascl.org.uk/FAQs

“Teacher pay awards of the level required to meet workforce challenges can only be delivered if schools and colleges have the money to afford them and too often that is not the case." National Foundation for Educational Research report on fall in real terms teacher pay: https://ow.ly/lMFz50YyM2A

#ASCLmembers: look out for the spring edition of digital Leader, out today. Features include more on the ‘policy tsunami’ landing on schools and colleges, the white paper reforms, the impact of the new #Ofsted framework, and the troubling exodus of minority teachers from the profession.

🗞️This week's FE Week front page: EHCP curbs trigger new duties for colleges and Level 2 admin apprenticeship still out of office Subscribe | feweek.co.uk/subscribe/ #TomorrowsPapersToday

#ASCLmembers: it's a packed edition of Post-16 News by Claire Green this month, including the latest on the Schools White Paper, and our response to the Alan Milburn #NEETReview,. Subscribe to our newsletters at www.ascl.org.uk/MyASCL and select via 'Preferences'. #education #post16 #FE #college

Just two weeks until #ASCL2026 in Liverpool. Our theme this year is 'Forward Together', reflecting our commitment to champion collaboration and collective action. Join us as we share ideas and reignite our collective sense of purpose. Full details at www.ascl.org.uk/annualconference

Join now for our @ascl-uk.bsky.social Business Leader Online Forum on: 11 March at 9.00 am for ASCL Cymru 18 March at 9.00 am 4.00 pm England - DfE updates

📢 BREAKING NEWS The @ascl-uk.bsky.social & Education Mutual Business Leader Roadshows are back for 2026 and bookings are now live. 📍 Wednesday 24 June, Birmingham lnkd.in/e5Texkyw 📍 Wednesday 1 July, Cardiff lnkd.in/eJJMtnXR Prices held at the same price as 2025 Book now!

👀 Happy to have a piece featured in this week’s @feweek.bsky.social summarising our response @ascl-uk.bsky.social to the NEET crisis: feweek.co.uk/we-need-a-14...

We need a 14-24 participation strategy to tackle NEET crisis

With no post-16 attendance tracking or coherent transition support, early warning signs are being missed

feweek.co.uk

Shane Chowen@ukshane.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Coming up in @feweek.bsky.social: 📢 Major SEND reforms - full report and reaction ⏱️As NEETs rise, a potentially very popular apprenticeship is still on ice 👩‍🏫 DfE are clamping down on FE teacher training 3️⃣ Ahead of more announcements, we get underneath DfE's '900 confusing qualifications' claims

It's #HeartUnions Week next week and because we ❤️ unions, we've a very special time-limited offer for new members. We're proud to support and represent more than 25,000 leaders of primary, secondary, and post-16 education from across the UK. Available 9 and 10 February here: www.ascl.org.uk/join

Excited to be leading a post‑16 workshop at @ascl-uk.bsky.social Annual Conference with colleagues from Kent Pathways For All. We’ll explore govt plans for a guaranteed post‑16 place for every learner, what it means for schools & practical steps to prepare. ✨14:45 Workshop 2✨ tinyurl.com/4hamx2dk

🎬 A privilege to be at the launch of 'Molly vs The Machines' for @ascl-uk.bsky.social - a powerful film about Molly Russell's tragic story and the urgent need for increased online safety. Key message: young people aren’t the problem; algorithms are. More info + trailer: mollyrosefoundation.org

A great morning at the House of Commons APPG for Universities. Spoke on behalf of @ascl-uk.bsky.social about boosting access to higher‑level learning. Excellent insights from fellow speakers & a wide‑ranging discussion on pathways, apprenticeships, L4/5, widening participation & systemic barriers.

🗞️ Our latest Post‑16 News is out now, packed with December & January updates. Inside: Level 3 reforms, GCSE resits, Ofsted FE FAQs, NEETs Review, VAWG & RSE resources, IFS funding & much more. @ascl-uk.bsky.social members: update your preferences if you didn’t receive it.

@tiffharris.bsky.social gets the #ASCLLiteracy and Oracy Conference underway. @marcrowland73.bsky.social shares different ways to support disadvantaged and vulnerable learners with #literacy and #oracy and its importance in helping to unlock success and improve outcomes for all pupils.

🕛Reminder: the Post‑16 Level 3 & Below Pathways consultation closes at 12am, Mon 12 Jan. @ascl-uk.bsky.social has responded: lnkd.in/eXbfnKnv We support V levels in principle but warn against a rushed rollout, limited flexibility & premature removal of AGQs. #Vlevels #HaveYourSay

📊 Nov 2025 GCSE resits: ✅ English up (37.5% 4+, now above pre‑pandemic) ❌ Maths stuck (23.2%, below 2019) 📈 More resitting Progress is possible – but the current model, esp for maths, isn’t working for #TheForgottenThird. With reform on the table, we must act now. Full JCQ data: shorturl.at/dRz9K

Pleased to represent @ascl-uk.bsky.social members at today’s Westminster Education Forum conference on Level 3 reform. Highlighted implementation challenges and the need to prioritise accessibility & transition. ⏳Remember: consultation closes Mon 12th Jan - shorturl.at/8vUQF