Understanding the Education System in the UK

• Mathematics
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Element 2: Supporting Education

Session 5 

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson all learners will... 

•  Understand the different types of post 16 provisions. 
•  Explain why education is regulated, to include DFE, OFQUAL, OFSTED & OFS. 
• Engage in active learning through the duration of the session. 

Mind map (Connect)

Reflect on your sessions for element 1, mind map all of the different educational / early years provisions you have learnt about so far. 

Think outside the box  about educational facilities between 0 - 19 years. 

Regulators / Regulatory bodies. 

Regulators in education are responsible for ensuring educational institutions meet certain standards. 

There is an emphasis on quality of teaching and learning, providing guidance and enforcing regulations. 

Department For Education (DfE)

OFSTED 

Office for students

Research the following regulators of Education and create 4 mini mindmap's on your piece of paper. 

Ofqual

Department For Education (DFE) 

The Department for Education is responsible for the quality of Education for young people and children.

They have clear responsibilities for teaching and learning in Education, ensuring the quality and standard of learning is good. 

Along side this they also provide statutory guidance and legislation that influences our current educational practices.

Department of Education has published ' The Early Years Curriculum' & 'The National Curriculum.'

Can children leave education at the age of 16?

1. Yes they can.
2. Maybe
3. No they can not.
4. Not sure?

Regulations 

For educational provisions there are 4 types of regulations which contribute to the quality of Education.

When something is considered a regulation it is normally rules made by the Government  to ensure consistency. 

1. Department for Education 
2. OFSTED 
3. OQUAL 
4. Office for Students 

 OFQUAL & OFS

 OFQUAL is known to regulate qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. For example: all qualifications are checked and under go a quality assurance check. OFQUAL will consider the qualifications entry requirements, industry placement structures in order to prepare learners for the next stage.

Lets take a look at OFQUAL for T - Levels in Education & Early Years.

https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/students/subjects/education  

OFS is know as the office for students, genuinely they only focus on higher education in England to see the quality of learning in Universities and training centres. Regulators of Higher educational provision's. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/

OFSTED 

OFSTED are responsible to inspect all Educational facilities including Early Years to Higher Education (Universities).

They have 4 gradings when inspecting & they use OFSTED inspection framework (November 2025)

1 - Outstanding 

2 - Good 

3 - Requires improvement 

4 - Inadequate

Under OFSTED's framework reflects key legislation's:

The Childcare Act 2006

Education Act 2005 

Education and inspections act 2006. 

Education and skills act 2008 

The Education regulations 2014.

Learning Task  (2.2)

You will now create your own individual information booklet to explain the policies and debates that currently taking place in educational research. 

You are required to have a front page and a contents page. 

This will need to submitted on google classroom by 

the end of the session. 

I would expect a minimum of 4 pages in this booklet including the 

front page and contents page. 

Can we make sure that you are submitting the right document.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.