Background to the resources

In January 2003 the Standards Unit was set up within the Department for Education and Skills. It was given the tasks of embedding excellence in teaching and learning and modernizing and upgrading the sectors’ workforce. It acted as a catalyst, selecting priority curriculum areas for action and harnessing the work of partners to improve quality in the post-16 learning and skills sector- in FE, sixth form colleges, work-based learning, adult learning and the prison service.

As part of the quality improvement strategy, subject or curriculum area specific resources were produced to support the continuing professional development of teachers and trainers in the priority curriculum areas. The overall emphasis of the resources was on ‘active learning’ and providing teachers and trainers with the generic skills, knowledge and understanding that would enable them to use more active learning methods effectively in their teaching. The resources were developed over three years in the following priority curriculum areas:

Phase 1 - business education, science, construction, Entry to Employment (E2E)
Phase 2 - mathematics, health and social care, ICT, land-based
Phase 3 - engineering, modern foreign languages, adult learning.

The quality improvement role of the Standards Unit was transferred to the Quality Improvement Agency in April 2006. For further information about how the Quality Improvement Agency can support your work you can contact them on www.qia.org.uk or telephone 0870 113434.

In 2005 the Gold Dust project was launched as part of the reforms for initial teacher training for the post-compulsory sector. 46 providers of initial teacher training reviewed the Standards Unit’s phase 1 and 2 curriculum resources. They were asked to identify resources that would support the development of generic skills, knowledge and understanding on the reformed initial teacher training awards that would come into effect from September 2007. The resources that they selected are presented on this website.