Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Last updated
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
StatusDepartment of the University of Cambridge
Founded1534;490 years ago (1534); 2021 (merger of Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment)
Headquarters location Cambridge, England
Key people
RevenueIncrease2.svg £1 billion (2022) [1]
No. of employees6,560 (2022) [1]
Official website cambridge.org
The Tower at the Triangle Building, part of the main headquarters of Cambridge University Press & Assessment Triangle Tower.jpg
The Tower at the Triangle Building, part of the main headquarters of Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge. It was formed in August 2021, when the University of Cambridge merged Cambridge University Press, the world's oldest academic publisher, and Cambridge Assessment. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The organisation operates in more than 170 countries around the world and has offices in 50 locations, [5] with its headquarters in Cambridge, England.

Its products include the Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge Core, IGCSEs, Cambridge Technicals, Linguaskill and hundreds of academic journals and books.

Two years on from the merger between Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment, the combined group now calculates that it reaches 100 million learners worldwide, with 85% of its revenues coming from overseas. It reported a turnover of £1 billion in 2023, up from £868 million the previous year. [6]

Being part of the University of Cambridge gives Cambridge University Press & Assessment a non-profit status. It is led by Chief Executive Peter Phillips who reports to the Vice-Chancellor of the university.

Organisation structure

Cambridge University Press & Assessment's operations include four main product groups in English, International Education, Academic and UK Education.

Products and services

Cambridge University Press & Assessment also works in partnership with Cambridge University on mathematics curriculum (Cambridge Maths) and on supporting education at a national level (Cambridge Partnership for Education).

Governance

The organisation is governed by a 'Syndicate' (Press & Assessment Syndicate) of 18 senior members of the University of Cambridge. The Press & Assessment Syndicate governs the group's activity and exercises oversight through the Press & Assessment Board and its committees. Day-to-day management of the business is delegated by the Syndicate to the Cambridge University Press & Assessment's Chief Executive Peter Phillips, working with its executive board. Updates from the syndicate are published by the official newspaper of the University of Cambridge, The Reporter.

In a 2021 discussion reported in the Cambridge University Reporter, Dr D.D.K.Chow of Trinity College, expressed concerns about the lack of academic leadership of the new body:

"For 323 years, the Press has been tightly controlled under the University's academic leadership through the Press Syndicate (formerly Curators)...However, the Council's report proposes a Press and Assessment Syndicate, without such academic leadership....The proposed change in composition of the Syndicate...is in stark contrast to the arguments used by the Press to obtain its current tax exemption. In a landmark letter to the Inland Revenue in 1975, Sir Geoffrey Cass, then Chief Executive of the Press, wrote: "The Press of Cambridge University is actually no more than a department of the University, with no independent status of its own, governed by academic senior members of the University" and that it was not "an almost semi-independent 'international publisher'....Without adequate academic leadership, it would be all too easy for commercial concerns to override academic values, removing public benefit....If the Regent House does zippo to provide leadership on the Press and Assessment Syndicate, treating Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment as cash cows, there is little reason for the University to continue owning them." [7]

History

Cambridge University Press & Assessment was formed on 1 August 2021. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II approved amendments to University of Cambridge Statutes, [8] which formally recognised the operational merger of Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press, presented at a Privy Council meeting on 15 December 2021. [9] The main changes to Statute J were to replace references to the University Press with references to the merged entity under the title of the Press and Assessment Department, and to update the name of the Press Syndicate to the Press & Assessment Syndicate. [10]

The two founding organisations have an entwined history, since December 1858 when Cambridge University Press first printed exam papers for UCLES. [11] [12]

At the 2022 Education World Forum, Cambridge University Press & Assessment Chief Executive Peter Andrew Jestyn Phillips warned of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' mental health, urging the gathering of education ministers and leaders to "put wellbeing at the heart of everything we do." [13]

Related Research Articles

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Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCSE</span> British public examinations, generally taken aged 15-16

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However, private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the English GCSE system.

An examination board is an organization that sets examinations, is responsible for marking them, and distributes the results. Some are run by governmental entities; some are run as not-for-profit organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations</span> British examination board

Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) is an examination board that sets examinations and awards qualifications. It is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards.

University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge, which operates under the brand name Cambridge Assessment, and is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. It provides educational assessments, which include the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) examination board, Cambridge Assessment International Education, Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, and Cambridge Assessment English for learners of the English language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment</span> Educational body in Northern Ireland

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department of Education. Its function and purpose is described in Part VIII of the Education (NI) Order 1998.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations and qualifications to 10,000 schools in more than 160 countries. It is a non-profit and non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International General Certificate of Secondary Education</span> English language based academic qualification

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attainment. It was developed by Cambridge Assessment International Education. The examination boards Edexcel, Learning Resource Network (LRN), and Oxford AQA also offer their own versions of International GCSEs. Students normally begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 10 and take the test at the end of Year 11. However, in some international schools, students can begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 9 and take the test at the end of Year 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-level</span> British educational certification

The A-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. The A-level permits students to have potential access to a chosen university they applied to with UCAS points. They could be accepted into it should they meet the requirements of the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GCE Ordinary Level</span> British educational certification

The O-Level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It began in the United Kingdom and has been adopted, often with modifications, in several other countries.

In the United Kingdom, an awarding body is an examination board which sets examinations and awards qualifications, such as GCSEs and A-levels. Additionally, these Awarding Bodies provide professional awards in the form of tertiary level Certificates, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Graduate Diplomas, and Post Graduate Diplomas. There are seven main examination boards in the United Kingdom:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofqual</span> United Kingdom government department

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is a non-ministerial government department that regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England. Colloquially and publicly, Ofqual is often referred to as the exam "watchdog".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Examining Group</span> Former exam board in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Midland Examining Group (MEG) was an examination board, operating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It offered a range of GCSE and Certificate of Achievement qualifications. It became part of OCR in 1998.

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Examination boards in the United Kingdom are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, Standard Grades, A Levels, Highers and vocational qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom.

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Cambridge Nationals are a vocational qualification in the United Kingdom introduced by the OCR Examinations Board to replace the OCR Nationals. These are Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications for students aged 14 to 16 and are usually awarded after a two-year course. Students can progress to A Levels, apprenticeships or other Level 3 vocational qualifications within the national qualifications frameworks in the United Kingdom.

Cambridge Technicals are vocational qualifications, offered by Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) in the United Kingdom, and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) internationally; both are part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. These qualifications are intended for secondary school students age 16 to 18 who want to study a practical, work-related curriculum. In the UK's Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) a Tech Level 2 qualification is equivalent to a GCSE, and a Level 3 is equivalent to an A Level. The qualifications are designed with the workplace in mind and provide a high quality alternative to A Levels, supporting progression to higher education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC Swindon</span> University technical college in Swindon, Wiltshire, England

UTC Swindon is a University Technical College (UTC) in Swindon, England that opened in September 2014 for students of ages 14–19. The college specialises in engineering and is sponsored by Oxford Brookes University and Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells.

References

  1. 1 2 "Annual Report 2022-2023" (PDF). Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. "Cambridge University Press to join with Cambridge Assessment". University of Cambridge. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. "Cambridge University Press to merge with Cambridge Assessment | Business Weekly | Technology News | Business news | Cambridge and the East of England". www.businessweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  4. Shepard, Gabriel (5 August 2021). "Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment merge". CambridgeshireLive. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. "What we do". Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  6. "Cambridge University Press & Assessment hits £1bn in revenue". The Bookseller. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  7. Dr D.D.K.Chow, statement in a discussion on the report of the council, Cambridge University Reporter, 17 March 2021, 238-9
  8. "University of Cambridge Statutes & Ordinances". University of Cambridge.
  9. "Issue 6642: Wednesday 12 January 2022". Cambridge University Reporter.
  10. "Statutes & ordinances: Statute J" (PDF). University of Cambridge.
  11. Black, Michael (2000). A Short History of Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-77572-4.
  12. "Our Story - Timeline". Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. "Global education in "worst crisis in a century" following pandemic". thepienews.com. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.