In response to the new 9-1 grade English GCSE, this Outstanding Teaching, Learning and assessment (OTLA 3) project in 2017/19, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (GBMET) wanted to raise standards in post-16 English. They wanted responsibility for developing English skills to be shared across curriculum areas by making a core group of staff confident of improving students' reading, research, planning and assignment writing skills.

This outstanding teaching, learning and assessment project in 2017/19 sought to prevent students new to vocational FE from developing self-limiting attitudes in the first few weeks of their courses because teachers knew that once established they often shaped students' experiences for the whole year. An important aspect of this was the lack of confidence and low expectations they frequently saw in students when they found out they needed to study maths and English again.

A booklet containing a summary and evaluation of the work undertaken by the North East and Cumbria team as part of OTLA Digital. Five projects were awarded funding with the aim to develop outstanding teaching, learning and assessment within a variety of contexts in the further education and training sector.

In their Outstanding Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (OTLA 3) project in 2017/18 Kendal College and HMP Haverigg built on a previous Education and Training Foundation (ETF) project piloting the 'Effective Practice Guidelines' (EPGs) for assessment and tracking.  They tested EPG-recommended approaches, such as ‘limiting assessment to what is necessary’ and ‘assessing for self-belief and motivation’. They focused on GCSE maths progress (or lack of it) at a microscopic level to enable learners to recognise, record and ‘own’ their progress.