Education Sector

Conference: The Regulatory Landscape
Wednesday November 26th 2008, London

Entity in Education

In the Education Sector, Entity provides services and solutions to the regulatory and unitary awarding bodies. Our services include business consultancy, project management, application development, process modelling and forecasting across academic and vocational systems, including the national curriculum tests.

Over the last 8 years, Entity has built a range of solutions to address many of the key business applications that deal with pupil registration, examiner recruitment, script marking, script management, results capture, results enquiry, and performance monitoring and control. More recently, Entity has also been engaged in the development of on-line testing and marking solutions.

The cyclic nature of the academic year, culminating in the issue of test papers, marking, results capture and results dissemination presents its own challenges, too. The inherent peaks of activity that this cyclic process generates is extremely difficult to manage, and thus requires careful planning. Entity's skills at process modelling, forecasting and performance monitoring are highly appropriate to this cyclic process, and enable management to model various operating conditions, resource levels, and strategies, etc, and to then implement them and monitor progress throughout each stage.

Clients

Clients include Edexcel Foundation (formerly BTEC and ULEAC), the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), Sheffield University and Hamlet Computer Services, another service provider to the education sector.

The Future is Change

The UK has experienced strong growth in Internet adoption in recent years and is now one of the world's most 'connected' economies. In 1998, less than 10% of UK households had internet access. By the middle of 2002 that figure stood at nearly 45%. Virtually all schools are now 'wired up' and almost 95% of businesses are online. In total, 57% of the UK adult population (26.3m people) have now used the internet, and the Government has targets to achieve by 2005 to make the UK the best place for e-commerce, which include ensuring everyone has access to the internet, that all government services are delivered electronically, and to co-ordinate their e-agenda across all the UK government departments.

The growth and availability of the Internet presents considerable opportunities and challenges to the education sector, both in the provision of education services, and in the regulatory role. Entity's cross industry experience of building solutions for the Internet (E-Commerce, Internet, Intranet and Extranet solutions) can help exploit it's potential, and avoid it's pitfalls.

UK Professional Bodies: The Regulatory Landscape

Wednesday November 26th 2008
Mayfair Conference Centre, London

Speakers | Who Should Attend? | Programme | Fees

Professional bodies have for many years been guardians of professional standards in their relevant industries, guaranteeing quality, reliability and continued relevance. However, they now need to respond to the:

growing pressures of external regulation, as evidenced by Ofqual’s recent initiative on reliability;
increasing litigious candidates and employers;
opportunities afforded by developing professional domains and new technologies

The seminar allows professional bodies to share their experiences in responding to these pressures, to access regulatory thinking and to hear about contemporary methods and solutions.

We have brought together an expert panel of speakers with experience and deep knowledge of all the areas of regulation and compliance from the statistical and educational aspects, the implications for staff training and development, the impact on public perception to the understanding of the qualifications market and CPD.

With senior speakers from Ofqual, SQA and respected experts – this will be a fascinating and rewarding day. We do hope you or your colleagues responsible for qualification development and compliance and regulation will be able to join us.

Speakers

Chair: Professor Gordon Stobart, Institute of Education, University of London

Institute of Education, University of London

Isabel Nisbet, acting Chief Executive of the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual)

The acting Chief Executive of the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual). From 2005 – 2008 Isabel was Director of Regulation and Standards at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. In July 2004 she led the establishment of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) and in 2003 she set up a new regulatory body, the Council for the Regulation of Healthcare Professionals, and was its acting Chief Executive. Before that she held Director posts at the General Medical Council, at a time of comprehensive reform. From 1995 - 1999 she was Deputy Health Service Commissioner (Ombudsman) for England, Scotland and Wales. Isabel was a senior civil servant, with a career in Government spanning the Scottish Office, the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health. Isabel lives in London, but was brought up in Glasgow and retains links there. She is a keen musician when time permits.

Dr. Michael Kingdon, Assessment Consultant

Accredited by UNESCO and IAEA as an international expert in assessment and he has over 25 years of experience of designing, developing, managing and evaluating professional qualifications. His assessment research, management and consultancy experience ranges from SATS, GCSE and A/AS examinations, to vocational and professional qualifications. His qualifications span education, mathematics and management, and he is a chartered member of two professional bodies. Currently, Dr Kingdon is a Principal Education Consultant for Entity

John Lewis, Development Manager (SQA)

The Project Manager for advanced level Professional Development Awards (PDAs) at the Scottish Qualifications Authority. He has responsibility for developing policy and guidance on PDAs specifically, but also contributes to (and sometimes leads on) the development of policy and guidance on HNC/HNDs, assessment, work-based learning and workplace assessment, quality monitoring, and articulation.

Colin Robinson, Independent Consultant with QCA and DCFS

Independent Consultant with QCA and DCFS - details to follow

Jeremy Tafler, Assessment Consultant

BA, MA, PGCE, Dip Design of Educational Materials, Dip Advanced Educational Studies, Ofsted Inspector, Associate Institute of Education, London, PRINCE2, OGC Risk Management Practitioner. Jeremy Tafler is one of the country's most original thinkers on educational issues plus an exceptional communicator, writer and editor. His career spans teaching, administration, research, plus curriculum and assessment development. He has worked for SCDC, SEAC, Edexcel, QCA and was Head of the Addington Education Action Zone from 1999 to 2000. He has participated in many of the innovations of the last 20 years including the KS1 to KS3 tests, World Class Tests and most recently KS3 Teacher Assessment. An ongoing theme in his work has been how institutions must develop to gain the advantages offered by successions of educational developments.

Who should attend?

Qualification Managers
Professional Associations and Bodies
Awarding Bodies and Assessment Providers
Those involved in the Regulation, Compliance Control and Quality Assurance of Qualifications and High Stakes Examinations

Programme

08:30 to 09:30		Registration and welcome

09:30		Opening Address by Chair: Professor Gordon Stobart, Institute of Education, University of London

09:40		Keynote Plenary Session

		'The Changing Regulatory Landscape'
		- Speaker to be announced

		'Where regulation is heading and the factors driving it'
		- Isabel Nisbet, acting Chief Executive of the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual)

		‘The view from Scotland’
		- John Lewis, Development Manager (SQA)

11:10		Coffee then session on ‘The Implications for Professional Bodies‘

		'The Drive for Professionalism - how we got to where we are'
		- Jeremy Tafler, Assessment Consultant

		'Grading and Awarding'
		- Colin Robinson, Education Consultant

		'Beyond self-assessment'
		- Jeremy Tafler and Dr Michael Kingdon, Assessment Consultant's

12:45		The workshop tasks followed by lunch

13:45		Workshops - covering RISKS, ISSUES, THREATS looking at two case studies, one on the threat of litigation from a candidate and the second on an allegation from a provider that too few distinctions are being awarded for a qualification

14:45		Tea followed by closing plenary session

		'What can go wrong?'
		- Dr Michael Kingdon, Assessment Consultant

		How fit for purpose are your professional qualifications?
		- Julian Potter (Entity)

16:00		Chair's closing address including feedback from workshops
		- Distillation of key points

Fees

Registration Fee: £300 + VAT (total £352.50) per delegate
Early Booking Discount of £50 per delegate for those bookings received by 15th October 2008

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