Delay in ESOL qualifications

SFA and BIS announced on Tuesday that as new ESOL qualifications will not be ready for September, colleges can use current qualifications and enrol students as and when the new qualifications are ready.. Funding will be a mixture of national rates with the shortfall made up with a calculation of the number of hours needed to deliver. This is a practical solution for 2014/15 as the delay in the new qualifications would have left colleges without time to plan or consider funding implications for a smooth transition for students and college staff. AoC has worked very closely with SFA and BIS to make sure that ESOL provision was protected this year.