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 Live: Draft 2026-2027 Apprenticeship Funding Rules
Watch the recent free Ofsted revised EIF & inclusion webinar
The latest AI rollouts across the Mesma improvement software
Apprenticeship provider professional development
The Quality Professional Awards Shortlists 2026

We also share our regular round-up of highlights from the news in the FE and skills sector.

Grab a cuppa, have a read, and as always, do share with your friends and colleagues.

Now Live: Draft 2026-2027 Apprenticeship Funding Rules

This year’s provisional rules include notable positive provider changes of simplified pricing (with no requirement to break down training costs) and new employer incentives. But there are also changes with significant risk: updates to progress review frequency and, most importantly, subcontracting rules and alignment to IR-35, which will affect any provider with freelance or associate staff.

As is always the case, several changes could carry audit risk if implemented ineffectively. A detailed review of the change before implementation is essential to assess the impact across your systems, processes, and employer engagement approach.

That’s why we run an annual 3-part series to take in the draft rules and final versions, and develop a detailed implementation plan. Join the series so we can do much of the heavy lifting for you! The first session is FREE for the benefit of the sector.

We will walk you through the updates, operational implications for your teams, where new risks might arise and practical ways you can mitigate them.

Join the series here.

Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR), retention rates and pass rates – what does it mean for your organisation?

Qualification Achievement rates are improving, but what’s driving the shift, and how should you interpret the data?

This blog collates insights from funding and compliance specialist David Lockhart-Hawkins, who breaks down the latest QAR, retention, and pass rate trends, helping you benchmark performance and understand what the numbers do (and don’t) tell you. Get the latest insights into QAR.

Catch up – The Ofsted Inclusion Index: What are the reports telling us?

This session focused on learning from inspections conducted under the revised EIF, shaped by the first batches of inspection reports in January 2026.

Lou Doyle was joined by Chris Quickfall (Cognassist), for an evidence-led exploration of how inclusion is being interpreted and reported. Using Cognassist’s analysis of inspection report data and recent inspection experiences, the session highlighted emerging trends and what they mean for how providers plan, lead and demonstrate inclusion.

If you missed the session, you can access the recording for free here.

This is part of our ongoing series of free webinars on the revised Ofsted inspection framework. With a focus on what matters most, you’ll leave these sessions with a clear, practical understanding of the changes – ready to apply them with confidence

Find out more in this blog from Lou Doyle

Why Contextualising Maths and English Still Feels Hard

Many educators understand the importance of contextualising maths and English — but turning that into practical teaching is where it often stalls.

This blog, by functional skills specialist Christine Edwards QTLS, explores the common barriers and how tools like AI can help bridge the gap between knowing what to do and doing it well in everyday practice.

Mesma’s AI rollout encompasses observations of practice

Mia: Mesma’s Intelligent Assistant is an AI tool built for quality assurance and improvement that summarises and analyses unstructured data, flags improvements, predicts risk, and surfaces strengths at lightning speed.

In April, the Develop product that supports observations of practice was relaunched with Mia. We are holding a relaunch demo on 14th May for anyone to attend. We will also present Track the home for your CPD plans.

Mesma helps you to improve more quickly and with greater impact for professionals, learners and service users. Mia AI is secure, research-informed, and works with your human experience and professional judgment to enhance quality practices. You stay in control, while Mia does the heavy lifting.

Save your seat on the relaunch demo.

Upcoming SDN Mesma Group professional development:

Our professional development will take you through the details of a topic and move you from theory to practice. If you are looking for multiple places, we offer group bookings and can also host bespoke sessions tailored to your organisation’s needs:

We offer group bookings and bespoke sessions tailored to your organisation’s needs. Can’t make the live date? Most sessions are recorded. Register your place and we will send you the recording and/or resources once the sessions have taken place.

You can also register your interest in future dates. Visit our Professional Development page for full details.

The Quality Professional Awards 2026

The shortlist for 2026 is here! The number of nominations this year has been staggering – it’s wonderful to see so many people recognising the hard work and dedication of colleagues across the sector.

Visit the QPA website to take a look at the full list of finalists and get ready to celebrate in Manchester on the 19th June!