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One of the stated aims of government policy in England is to put teaching, training and learning at the heart of the learning and skills system. This paper provides a critical review of policies on teaching, learning and assessment in the learning and skills sector over the past five years. It draws upon data collected and analysed in the early stages of an ESRC-funded Teaching and Learning Research Programme project.1 Using evidence from policy sources, we argue that despite policy rhetoric about devolution of responsibility to the 'front line', the dominant 'images' that government has of putting teaching, learning and assessment at the heart of the learning and skills sector involves a narrow concept of learning and skills; an idealization of learner agency lacking an appreciation of the pivotal role of the learner-tutor relationship and a top-down view of change in which central government agencies are relied on to secure education standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of teaching assistants studying for a Foundation degree programme and the perceived impacts such a programme has on their job role and self-esteem. A review of the related literature gave rise to three research questions that were addressed via focus groups with teaching assistants employed across four different local authorities in the Midlands. Key findings were that whilst many teaching assistants are given additional responsibilities in their workplace, these are rarely acknowledged through financial recompense or enhanced status. Consequently, teaching assistants feel significantly discouraged about the lack of recognition their Foundation degree study brings them. Further, despite Foundation degrees being promoted as having employer relevance and having been formulated with employer engagement, many teaching assistants felt unsupported by their employer. One implication of the findings is that although some benefits to the individual and their workplace are evident, their experiences of Foundation degrees are contributing towards the creation of divisions within and frustration levels among teaching assistants. To address this, the study recommends that the medium to long term impacts on teaching assistants and the form and function of the Foundation degree provision need to be examined and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on data from secondary sources and in-depth interviews to explore the question: What is the impact of policy on teaching, learning, assessment and inclusion in Adult and Community Learning (ACL) Skills for Life (SfL) provision? In particular, it focuses on the government's use of five policy-steering mechanisms - funding, inspection, planning, targets and policy initiatives (in this case SfL). The design of the study allows us to use evidence from four sets of interviews with teachers, learners and managers of ACL in eight sites of learning (four in London and four in the North East) over a period of 26 months of considerable policy turbulence. We argue, first, that there is a symbiotic relationship between ACL and SfL provision; and second, that while the combined effects of targets and funding have the most powerful effects on tutor and manager actions, inspection, planning and tutors' and managers' own professional values also have an important role in shaping the teaching of literacy and numeracy in ACL sites. We conclude by suggesting that professionals at the local level should be allowed to play a greater role in SfL policy-making to ensure effective policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]