Monthly Insights: April
Welcome to this month’s SDN Mesma Group insights and resources! Insights: the latest on Qualification Achievement Rates, contextualising maths and English, and insights into Ofsted inspections with the revised EIF Now ...
If professional development isn’t changing what learners experience, it isn’t working
We analysed 160 recent Ofsted inspection reports to understand what the relationship between professional development (PD) and teaching quality looks like in practice. The findings are useful for quality managers and senior leaders ...
Why Contextualising Maths and English Still Feels Hard
After training sessions, there is often a shared sense of clarity… “Yes, I can see where Maths and English fit.” “Yes, I understand why this matters.” But when it comes to planning the sessions… “I’m not sure how to turn that into an ...
Webinar recording: The Inclusion Index: What are the reports telling us? (16 April)
This free session focused on learning from inspections conducted under the revised Ofsted Education Inspection Framework. The discussions in the session were shaped by the first batches of inspection reports in January 2026. Lou ...
Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR), retention rates and pass rates – what does it mean for your organisation?
SDN Mesma Group Strategic Associate, David Lockhart Hawkins, recently published a series of LinkedIn posts on the latest Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR), retention rates and pass rates for 2018-19 to 2023-24. We have collated the ...
‘Meets expectations’ isn’t good enough if old mindset persists
This blog was written for FE News by SDN Mesma Group Co-Founder and Director, Lou Doyle. Lou is both an Apprenticeship and T Level Ambassador. She was awarded North East Skills Champion 2024 by the National Apprenticeship and Skills ...
Monthly Insights: March
Welcome to this month’s round-up of insights and resources! Insights: From Artificial Intelligence to pedagogy and inspection, these blogs help you get a clearer picture of what’s going on across the sector. Develop v3 (with ...
Why Ofsted care about pedagogy
This blog was written by Annie Coles – SDN Mesma Group Technical Education Specialist When Ofsted talks about pedagogy, they are not trying to add academic pressure to an already demanding job; they are simply trying to understand ...
Inclusion: More Responsibility, or the Opportunity We’ve Been Waiting For?
This blog was written by Annie Coles – SDN Mesma Group Technical Education Specialist We recently asked the Apprenticeships Conference audience which of the evaluation areas in the Ofsted toolkit had changed the conversation the most. ...
Confidence Before Capability: Why the North East’s AI Future Depends on Inclusion
This blog was written by Ruth Joseph – SDN Mesma Group Partnerships Specialist Artificial intelligence is no longer a future challenge for the skills system — it is already reshaping how organisations operate and how learners prepare ...