Supporting practical English and maths development

Curriculum spotlight

Functional Skills Level 1 and Level 2

Supporting practical English and maths development

For many students, a GCSE pathway is not always the most appropriate route, and Functional Skills is often used as an alternative. For some learners, the challenge is not just curriculum coverage, but confidence, gaps in foundational knowledge, or difficulty applying English and maths in practical contexts. In these cases, continuing with GCSE study can sometimes reinforce disengagement rather than support progress.

Some students may need to strengthen core literacy and numeracy skills before progressing to higher level qualifications, apprenticeships or employment. Others may benefit from a qualification that focuses on the practical application of English and maths in everyday life.

Functional Skills qualifications provide a recognised pathway that supports students to build confidence in the skills they need for work, further education and independent living.

What are Functional Skills qualifications?

Functional Skills qualifications focus on the practical use of English and maths. Rather than concentrating solely on academic theory, the curriculum supports students to apply these skills in real-world situations, building usable, transferable skills that support both immediate engagement and longer-term progression.

This includes how to:

Communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken forms

Read and interpret information encountered in everyday life

Solve everyday mathematical problems and apply maths in practical contexts

This approach removes some of the barriers associated with traditional qualifications and supports students to re-engage with learning through a more accessible curriculum. It provides a recognised outcome within a shorter or more uncertain timeframe, while helping students see the purpose and relevance of what they are learning, building both competence and confidence in core skills.

When to consider
Functional Skills

The right time for

the student

Deciding whether Functional Skills is the right pathway is often less about the qualification itself and more about where the student is in their learning journey.

In some cases, starting a GCSE pathway may not provide the most effective route to progress, particularly where gaps in foundational knowledge or confidence are limiting a student’s ability to engage. Introducing a more applied approach at the right point can help stabilise learning and create a clearer path forward.

Functional Skills is particularly useful where students:

Are unlikely to achieve a GCSE within the available timeframe
Have significant gaps in core skills that are impacting wider learning
Are disengaging from English or maths due to lack of confidence
Need a recognised qualification to support post-16 routes
Would benefit from a more applied, less exam-heavy approach

The benefit of Functional Skills

Widening

opportunities

Without access to a recognised English and maths qualification, many students face a significant barrier to progression at the point they leave education.

For some, this means limited access to further education courses. For others, it can restrict entry into apprenticeships or employment, where a Level 1 or Level 2 qualification is often a minimum requirement.

Where a GCSE pathway is not achievable within the available timeframe, the risk is that students leave year 11 without a clear next step in place. By securing a recognised qualification in English and maths, students are better positioned to:

For many students, this is not just about gaining a qualification. It is about maintaining a viable pathway beyond compulsory education, at a point where that pathway may otherwise narrow.

Assessment without barriers

One of the challenges with key stage 4 qualification pathways is the reliance on fixed timelines and physical exam centres. GCSEs require students to follow a set programme of study and wait for a specific exam window, which does not always align with when a student is ready to learn or be assessed.

Functional Skills offers a more flexible alternative.

With remote invigilation available through Open Awards via Tute, students can complete their assessments online under secure conditions at a point that aligns with their individual readiness.

In practice, this means:

No requirement to wait for a fixed exam series

The ability to assess students when they are academically ready

Reduced reliance on external exam centres

Fewer logistical barriers around travel and supervision

This creates a pathway where teaching and assessment can move at a pace that reflects the student, rather than the structure of the academic year.

For partners, this can remove some of the delays and constraints associated with traditional qualifications, making it easier to plan provision around need, timing and readiness.

Timetables and exam board options

Functional Skills courses are available through two exam boards, Pearson Edexcel and Open Awards, allowing partners to select the most appropriate option based on their students’ needs and assessment requirements.

Both options follow the same Functional Skills framework. The key difference relates to how assessments are delivered.

Where remote invigilation is required, students must be enrolled onto Open Awards, as this is the exam board that supports secure online assessment. This allows partners to plan provision more flexibly, particularly where access to an exam centre is limited or where students benefit from completing assessments in a familiar environment.

Planning your Functional Skills provision

If you would like to discuss how Functional Skills can be used within your provision, or how remote invigilation can support assessment planning throughout the year, please speak with your account manager.