Shaping the future of sixth form education

Esher Sixth Form College welcomed Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, for a day of discussion with staff and students about the opportunities and challenges facing sixth form education.

Following an engaging presentation at the Sixth Form Colleges Winter Conference, where Sir Ian explored topics including V Levels, onscreen assessment and the use of AI in non-exam assessment (NEA), he spoke about the importance of visiting sixth form colleges and hearing directly from those working and studying in them.

Taking up the opportunity, Sagar Patel, Deputy Principal at Esher, arranged for Sir Ian to spend a day at Esher, with discussions focusing on three key areas:

• The impact of AI on coursework and assessment.
• The practicalities of delivering examinations in large sixth form colleges.
• The development of new vocational qualifications.

The first part of the day brought Sir Ian together with Esher staff and a panel of students, who shared their experiences, insights and perspectives. The afternoon then widened the conversation, with Sagar inviting leaders from other S7 colleges across Surrey and Sussex to join the discussion and share their views.

There was a real appetite among staff to contribute to the national conversation. As Sagar explained:

“We don’t want to be on the sidelines. I want our staff, who are experts, to be part of national conversations, to have a say, to have influence and to help shape the future of education.”

The visit provided a valuable opportunity for our staff and students to have their voices heard, exchange ideas and contribute to discussions that could influence the future direction of sixth form education.

It was a real pleasure to welcome someone so knowledgeable and, importantly, so willing to listen. A huge thank you to Sir Ian for giving us his time and engaging so openly with our enthusiastic staff and students.