Course Description
These courses are designed for adults who want to become more confident in maths and English, to help them embark on a dedicated programme of learning and enhance their career prospects.
Our Functional Skills maths and English qualifications are designed to help learners of all ages and levels, supporting them to develop and demonstrate the practical skills needed in real-life situations confidently.
About Functional Skills
Functional Skills are widely accepted as alternative qualifications to GCSEs.
Favoured by employers as they focus on the ability to problem solve and apply skills to contextualised and real-life situations.
Our interactive learning offers you a tailored study plan that will cater for your needs, whilst following the syllabus from Pearson, our awarding organisation partner.
Our programme gives learners all the required learning to pass a Functional Skills exam in either maths, English or both.
Development of skills in English will be supported with modules on reading and comprehension techniques, writing composition and spelling/grammar plus skills in speaking, listening and communication.
Development of skills in maths would include working with numbers, measure and space, and skills in handling data. Giving learners all the required learning to pass a Functional Skills exam in either maths, English or both.
We use two online portals to assist in the teaching and learning of maths and English:
- Skills Builder: An assessment and diagnostic tool which can also provide 24-hour maths and English access to online learning modules.
- Moodle: Our virtual learning environment which has been designed by our Functional Skills team to contextualise and present all topics with innovative ways to prepare you for the examination
Online learning is supported with tutor support online via MS teams that will help learners overcome any challenges as well as help them to progress with your studies.
Our offer supports learners to progress one level in Functional Skills based on their previous qualification and assessments completed.
How we get you there
We take the planning stage by using your diagnostic assessment we plan a way through the syllabus that focusses on your skills gaps whilst strengthening skills with which you are already familiar.
Your learning will be guided by using your Individual Skills Plan, together with your course tutor to make sense of what needs to be learned, taking your learning preferences into account.
|
Assessment / previous qualification level |
Level to progress to through the course |
|
Entry Level 2 |
Entry level 3 |
|
Entry Level 3 |
Level 1 (equal to GCSE E-D / 2-3 |
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 (equal to GCSE Grade C-A / 4-9). |
|
Level 2 |
Level 2 (equal to GCSE Grade C-A / 4-9). |
Equivalences for Functional skills:
|
Working Level (Functional Skills) |
Equivalences (School) |
|
Level 2 |
GCSE A*-C (9-4)) |
|
Level 1 |
GCSE D-G (3-1) |
Delivery Model - planned over a six month period
- Initial Assessment and diagnostics to identify the specific need in English and or maths
- 121 planning session with Specialist Functional Skills Tutor (MS Teams)
- Planning the programme (MS Teams)
- Introduction to Functional Skills and use of Skills Builder assessments and diagnostics
- Discuss and plan delivery to achievement including individual needs
- Structured learning using a plethora of online resources
- 121 tutor support via MS Teams to meet programme content
- 3 x 90 minute 121 online tutor sessions using MS teams (per maths / English level)
|
|
Maths |
English |
|
1. |
Working with Numbers |
Reading & Comprehension |
|
2. |
Measure Shape & Space |
Speaking & Listening |
|
3. |
Handling Data |
Writing |
- Direct access to our online workshops either live or recorded (1.5hrs to 2hrs per workshop)
- Benchmark skills ongoing to ensure embedding of new skills
- Assessment of skills and completion of past papers
- Feedback of assessment and past paper with plan to progress to Test (MS Teams)
- Test* - online exam or paper based.
*Free resit for each programme as required.