What are Diplomas?
Diplomas are qualifications for 14 to 19 year olds which were launched into the curriculum in 2008. They cover general knowledge and skills within an applied context. There are 14 Diploma subjects available, linked to sector-focused lines of learning. They will be offered at Levels 1, 2 and 3 (see note 1 below).

The Diplomas are divided into three components: 

• principal learning (learning relevant to a specific sector/subject)
• generic learning (learning for employment and personal development including a project and work experience)
• additional/specialist learning (a variety of options, consisting of full qualifications, endorsed by employers in the sector concerned).  

Full details of the Diploma subjects, the timetable for their delivery and the makeup of the Diplomas is available on the Diploma website.

When and where will the Diplomas be available?
There are currently ten Diplomas being taught in schools and colleges around the country alongside the current offer of GCSEs and A levels. A further five will start teaching from September 2010.

All consortia involved in teaching will have passed successfully through the government’s Gateways Diploma process (see note 2 below).

What are the Diploma subjects?
Teaching began of the first five Diploma subjects in September 2008 (Construction and Built Environment, Engineering, IT, Society, Health and Development, and Creative and Media) with a further five being introduced in September 2009 (Environment and Landbased, Manufacturing and product Design, Hair and Beauty, Business Administration and Finance and Hospitality) and Public Services, Sport and Active Leisure, Retail Business and Travel and Tourism beginning in September 2010. 

What are the opportunities for languages within the Diplomas?
Languages are an option within the additional/specialist learning component of the Diplomas. Currently, any qualification on the Section 96 Qualifications page of the DCSF website can be offered as an option including languages qualifications. There are a range of language qualifications available such as NVQ languages, Asset Languages, ABC Awards or indeed GCSE or A Levels. Information and case studies based on all of these qualifications can be found on CILT’s 14-19 Reshaping languages website.

The number of Guided Learning Hours (GLH) for each Diploma varies according to component and level: but there is enough time available at any level within the additional/specialist component to teach a language. For example, in the Construction and Built Environment Diploma at Level 1, there are 120 GLH available within the additional/specialist component. However, only full qualifications can be offered as part of any Diploma, so institutions would need to check how many GLH were needed to teach any particular qualification which they chose to offer.  Information on GLH for all qualifications can be found on the National Database of Accredited Qualifications. You can get an overview of all of the language qualifications for post 14 by downloading the excel spreadsheet on the qualifications page of CILT’s Reshaping languages.

Does the language option have to be at the same level as the main Diploma?
Currently, whichever language qualification you choose must be offered at the same level as the main Diploma. However the QCDA has carried out a consultation about the possibility of languages being offered at a lower level and the findings are still under consideration.

What can language teachers and managers be doing now to prepare?

• Speak to whoever is responsible for the development of Diplomas in your institution (probably the Deputy Head in a school or the 14 to 19 Director or Vice Principal for Curriculum in an FE college) and find out which consortium you are in. Also find out which Diplomas your institution is intending to offer
• Make senior management aware that a language qualification can be offered as part of the additional/specialist component of the Diplomas
• Highlight what kind of applied/vocational language teaching your institution is already doing or has done in the past and raise awareness of the expertise which already exists within your institution or consortium
• Negotiate how and when that language learning might best be offered (eg as preparation for a Leonardo da Vinci supported work experience period abroad, as the basis for a student's extended project)
• Keep up to date on developments via this section of the CILT website.

Can languages as part of a Diploma count towards performance indicators and benchmarks?
Yes. Any full language qualification offered as part of a Diploma and which amounts to the required percentage contribution can be counted in the MFL Level 1 and Level 2 performance indicators. Guidance on the percentages attached to qualifications and how they can contribute to performance indicators can be found in the guidance ‘Languages at Key Stage 4: Ten Questions and Answers for School Leaders’, provided by the DCSF. Therefore if languages are included in Diplomas, they can count towards the required benchmark of 50% to 90% of pupils at Key Stage 4 taking a language.

What resources are available to support the development of languages in the Diplomas?

1. CILT’s latest Languages Work materials tie into the new Diploma lines and highlight the benefits of languages in the workplace.
2. On behalf of CILT, various practising teachers have designed Schemes of Work in line with the first ten Diploma subjects. These Schemes of Work can be linked to any qualification suitable for offering as part of the additional/specialist component of a Diploma. Four more are being developed in line with the next four Diploma subjects and these will be ready in time for first teaching in September 2010. 
3. The Diplomas and work-related section of CILT’s 14-19 Reshaping languages microsite offer case studies, principles of teaching and advice on organisational issues related to linking languages to vocational and other curriculum subjects.
4. The QCDA has produced several very useful sets of guidance on delivering languages in the Diploma; Teaching and Learning Languages (pdf, 114KB) gives information on important aspects such as timetabling languages in ASL, good practice in teaching and learning, using ICT to support learning, link with enterprise, work experience, links with PLTS (Personal Learning and Thinking Skills) and collaborative delivery. Student profiles and case studies (pdf, 89KB) talks about tailoring language provision and gives examples of student profiles at Key Stage 4 and Post -16; Languages for Work (pdf, 48KB) outlines the importance of languages in the workplace.
5. The Language Work Placement Toolkit
   This is a popular resource which has been produced by CILT to support teachers, language learners and others involved in language work placements and can also be used for designing teaching courses and Schemes of Work. It was updated in 2010 and now includes tips for in-company mentors in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese as well as in English. In addition it includes signposting to teaching resources in all of these languages. Download the Work Placement Toolkit Information Flyer (pdf, 122 KB) or download the Language Work Placement Toolkit (pdf, 1.80 KB).
   

Note 1: NQF equivalences can be found on the Languages Ladder page of the DCSF website

Note 2: The Gateways process is a system whereby all schools and colleges wishing to offer a Diploma subject are required to send bids to Local Authorities, together with named partners, saying which subjects they want to offer within their consortia. Consortia are only allowed to offer Diplomas if they successfully pass through the process.