The Department has not spent any money on implementing Burgess recommendations.
The Burgess Group’s final report on proposals for national credit arrangements was published in December 2006 and the Group’s final report on measuring and recording student achievement was published in October 2007. The Burgess Group was an HE sector group and the recommendations are for implementation by the HE sector. Work on the credit recommendations is being taken forward by a sector-led Credit Issues Development Group. Universities UK and Guild HE are currently considering their response to the report on measuring and recording student achievement.
On recording achievement, I welcome the proposal to develop a Higher Education Achievement Report, to help present a more complete picture of a graduate’s skills and knowledge than is captured solely in the overall degree classification. However, I believe progress can best be made by building on the current system, and certainly not by replacing degree classifications. The HE sector will need to consider carefully the best way to provide the additional information, while maintaining stability in the system.