Last updated: 30 Sep 2008

QCA produces information and guidance to help schools, colleges and consortia to deliver the Diploma. It includes curriculum guidance for Diploma practitioners and curriculum managers and information for exams officers.

Diploma curriculum guidance

Curriculum guidance for delivering principal learning in the Diploma

This web-based guidance for teachers and curriculum planners is designed to underpin all awarding body specifications and to fully articulate Diploma development partnership line of learning statements in a way that supports teaching and learning in centres. It is organised in a similar way to the statutory key stage 3 and key stage 4 programmes of study and covers the following areas: curriculum aims, the importance of the Diploma, the structure of the Diploma, the importance statement, key themes/concepts, key processes, range and content, curriculum opportunities, and unique Diploma features.

Opportunities for co-learning: Foundation and Higher Diploma

This guidance explains the importance of recognising the foundation Diploma as a qualification in its own right but recognises the need for co-learning for the foundation and higher Diplomas in some contexts. Emphasising the importance of personalising learning, it gives one example from each phase 1 line of learning to show how co-learning might be achieved.

Guidelines on recording personal, learning and thinking skills in the Diploma

QCA has produced guidelines for recording personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS) in the Diploma. These guidelines will help people involved in planning and delivering Diploma programmes to record PLTS in teaching and learning, enabling learners to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to develop their skills.

Progression illustrations

Progression illustrations provide examples of possible progression routes from phase 1 lines of learning into higher education, apprenticeships and employment. They use examples of student profiles to show curriculum planners and those advising young people how the Diploma package can be tailored to meet individual progression needs. They can therefore be incorporated into information, advice and guidance packages.

English, mathematics and science content in principal learning

Guidance on the delivery of English, mathematics and science content in principal learning in construction and the built environment, creative and media, engineering, information technology, and society, health and development will support curriculum planners and practitioners in understanding the English, maths and science content, its relationship with the key stage 4 programme of study, GCSEs and A levels and the prior learning needed to access the content.

Design for success: shaping your curriculum to incorporate the Diploma

This guidance provides useful suggestions for the successful implementation of the Diploma. It consists of a generic booklet on curriculum planning and three inserts: the Diploma within the key stage 4 curriculum, progression through the Diploma (14-19) and whole-school examples.

Building on the success of the original publication, three new inserts are available on creative approaches to key stage 4 curriculum planning, functional skills delivery and post-16 Diploma delivery.

Guidance for managing foundation, higher and extended project delivery

This guidance provides background information for delivering the project component of the Diploma for management teams and curriculum planners in schools and colleges. It provides detail on the differences between the foundation, higher and extended project and the resources required for the delivery of each in terms of teaching time and additional materials.

Forthcoming Diploma curriculum guidance

Mathematics and science content in principal learning

Scheduled release date: October 2008

Further guidance, supporting the delivery of mathematics and science content in phase 2 Diplomas will be available in October. As with the phase 1 English, mathematics and science guidance this will support curriculum planning and ongoing Diploma development, helping to inform practitioners and curriculum planners.

Skills at the heart of the Diploma

Scheduled release date: November 2008

Transferable skills are at the heart of the learning that will help transform the curriculum, maximising learner motivation, individual development and employability. In this guidance reference will be made to functional skills, personal, learning and thinking skills, and the skills involved with the project. The emphasis will be on an overarching introduction to the unified skill curriculum and how this can be achieved across all the different components of the Diploma qualification. The second part of this guidance will give examples from consortia drawing on different lines of learning.

Applied learning in the Diploma

Scheduled release dates: November 2008

This hard-copy guidance will include an overview of applied learning and also cover specific guidance for applied learning in engineering, construction and the built environment, creative and media, society, health and development, and information technology. .

Additional and specialist learning guidance

Scheduled release dates: November 2008 (leaflet) and February 2009 (guidance)

The web-based guidance will explain the role of additional and specialist learning within the overall Diploma qualification and illustrate how additional and specialist learning can be utilised to personalise learning. It is directed at Diploma deliverers and those advising learners within consortia, to help them to understand the types and categories of additional and specialist learning qualifications and the impact that different choices may have upon learner progression into further education, higher education or employment. It will also support curriculum planning both pre- and post-16.

Design for Success: Consortia planning

Scheduled release date: November 2008

This will be the fourth and last illustration for the Design for Success publication, which will look in detail at a number of whole consortia models for Diploma delivery

Progression illustrations

Scheduled release date: November 2008

Further progression illustrations, exploring possible routes into higher education, employment and apprenticeships from phase 2 and phase 3 lines of learning, will be published on the QCA website. These will take the same format as the phase 1 progression illustrations and support information, advice and guidance for individual progression needs.