Six months after the introduction of the new 14-19 diplomas, teachers involved in their delivery talk about their experiences and the lessons they have learned, in this video on assessment for school leaders and teachers.
Also see interviews with diploma champions Sir Mike Tomlinson and chairman emeritus of Toyota, Sir Alan Jones.
The diplomas initially covered creative and media, IT, construction, engineering and society, and health and development. They were introduced in just under 150 schools in September 2008 amid controversy over their content and worth.
Much has been learned since then, including the need for painstaking planning, careful timetabling and allowing sufficient time for the consortia to gel. There are also continuing concerns around assessment.
Worries were expressed prior to launch about rural schools and the distances some diploma students needed to travel. Now there's evidence of pupils in urban schools being unwilling to travel to different postcodes.
