KEY SKILLS

Why Bother?

You have to. All students are expected to follow Key Skills courses as part of timetables lessons at the Kett. Attendances are monitored and registers kept. Key Skills is included in the reporting process.

The Three Key Skills that are taught to A-level students are considered to be...'the essential skills that people need in order to function effectively as members of a flexible, adaptable and competitive workforce. They are also invaluable in helping people function within society — and for lifelong learning.' (DfEE 'Key Skills Explained')

The development of the Key Skills as we now know them was due to concern from employers in the 1980s that their young recruits did not have the general skills needed in effective employees. The skills identified deliberately went beyond basic literacy and numeracy. Their focus was the ability to use skills in a wide range of contexts and to make judgments about what skills to use and when. The 1996 Dearing Review of post-16 Education recommended that key skills should be available across both work-based and academic routes.

Convince Me Some More...

The Goverment believe that EVERYONE should be studying key skills- see here. But it's not just employers that like Key Skills qualifications though. Universities like them- and will count them towards your point-total to get on their degree courses- see here.
The general assessment criteria used across all three key skills can be examined here.

What will I study?

Two year students are advises to study Key Skills as guided by their tutor according to their individual needs. We are working towards the aquisition of Key Skills Level 2 I by all students. Level 3 opportunitiesin all 3 Key Skills exist for those students choosing to access them. All AS students with a C or above in GCSE English Language or Maths are required to take Level 3 Communication and Application of number providing classes are available for every student.
Key Skills are passed by:
1. Building a portfolio
2. Passing an exam

IT
We do level 2 here at Sprowston.
Go here if you want the 4-page outline detailing the course requirements.
There is a test for this qualification. Details of the test are available here.
Basically, the test is one hour long, contains 40 multi-choice questions, and you should be aiming to get 30 or more correct. You can get example tests from school, or download some from here.

Application of Number
We do both level 2 and 3 here at Sprowston- check with your KS tutor.
Level two course guidelines are avilable here. If you are looking for level three course details, go here.
As with IT, there is a delightful test to satisfy part of the Key Skills Application of Number qualification.
Go here for example level 2 tests for downloading.
Alternatively, level 3 tests are available from here.

Communication
We do both level 2 and level 3 communiction here at SHS- again, check with your KS tutor.
Course specification for level 2 is here.
Those entered for level three should follow this link.
Examples of level 2 tests that you can download and complete canbe found here. Level three examples are here.