Memorandum submitted by the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES)
The Case for Change in Post-14 Learning
1. The 14 to 19 years mark a critical phase in
young people's lives. It is the period when they build on their
earlier learning and prepare for adult life and employment. Many
young people make this transition well but too many do not.
2. The UK compares poorly with other countries
on measures of participation and achievement of 14-19 year olds.
Too many young people lose interest in learning before the
age of 16 and drop out with few or no qualifications and/or without
sufficient skills in areas such as literacy, numeracy and problem
solving which are essential for later learning, employment and
adult life. A significant minority, especially those most at risk
because of pressures at home, drop out altogether, disengaged
from learning and heading for low-skilled, low-paid employment:
a. Only half of pupils get 5 good GCSEs by age
16, one in twenty no GCSEs at all;
b. International league tables rank us as 27th
out of 30 among developed nations for participation of 17 year
olds in education and training (see Annex A);
c. There is a productivity gap between UK and
its economic competitors which a greater supply of skills can
help to address (see Annex B). Since participation is the key
to future attainment, it is a concern that participation rates
have stopped rising (see Annex C).
d. Those who remain in learning often fail to
reach their full potential. They often study post-16 programmes
that do not equip them fully for entering either employment or
further learning;
e. Achievement of qualifications above level
2 is not equal across our society. Half of those in the higher
socio-economic groups get level 3 qualifications compared to a
third of those in the lower groups; a young person from a professional
background is five times more likely to go into higher education
than one from an unskilled background.
3. Too many young people are disengaged from
education and drifting into low-status, low-paid jobs. This is
a waste of talent, perpetuates society's inequalities and diminishes
social cohesion. It limits our economic performance and contributes
to the productivity gap between the UK and its economic competitors
(see Annex B). Reform of the education system needs to ensure
all young people fulfil their potential.
4. An extensive consultation on the 2002 Green
Paper, 14-19: extending opportunities; raising standards confirmed
that the UK, and England especially, has for many years suffered
from two central weaknesses in our system of upper secondary education.
The first is a weak and undervalued vocational offer. The second
is a narrow academic track - narrow in who was on it, and also
narrow in what was studied.
5. These twin weaknesses in the post-16 offer
are critical causes of our low participation, low achievement
system. Despite reforms, the range of vocational courses leave
significant numbers of young people confused, and their parents
and peers unenthusiastic about the status and quality of the programmes
on offer. 234,000 young people are undertaking Modern Apprenticeships
(MAs) in England and the LSC is making good progress in expanding
the programme to meet the immediate target of 28% or 175,000 young
people to enter apprenticeships between the ages of 16 and 21
by 2004. There is much more to do though: it remains a priority
to focus on improving quality, engaging Blue Chip companies
and ensuring that parents, schools and Connexions are aware of
the information surrounding MAs to give the impartial and accurate
guidance that young people need. . The Curriculum 2000 reforms
have proved a helpful first step towards greater academic breadth,
but the programmes of many students do not offer a combination
of breadth and stretch that will develop their potential to the
full. The examination system struggles to balance the demands
of assessment of learning and assessment for learning,
to ensure assessment is appropriate for different courses, and
to calibrate the burdens on students and institutions.
6. The contrast with foreign systems is striking.
Other successful systems typically include a common curriculum
for all pupils in the lower secondary phase with an expectation
that students will continue with a broad range of subjects through
the upper secondary phase. They include vocational routes that
provide access to higher education as well as employment. They
have measures to encourage disadvantaged and disaffected students
to participate in learning; and they offer grouped awards, like
the French Baccalaureat and the German Abitur, to mark the end
of the upper secondary phase of education.
A Vision for a Coherent 14-19 Phase of Education
and Training
7. We are responding to our system's weaknesses
by reaching towards a vision of a coherent 14 -19 phase of education,
responding to individual need, offering choice to young people
and promoting progression at every stage through to further and
higher education and the world of work. That requires a system
suited to the needs of the individual, not a timetable suited
to the needs of the institution.
8. We are committed to raising the attainment
and achievement levels of all pupils - particularly those from
groups that have historically underachieved (including certain
ethnic minority groups and white working class boys). We want
to ensure that all young people have an experience of learning
which stimulates, motivates and stretches them so that they achieve
their full potential.
9. Our vision for the 14-19 phase is one where:
- all young people can choose from
a range of courses and qualifications covering a wide range of
subjects and skills from 14;
- they can start to develop their own mix of subjects
from 14, combining a broad range with more specialist choices
that meet their interests and aspirations. This should help them
to move on to more advanced learning at sixteen;
- they can easily see how their studies will lead
to further education and employment, whether they are involved
in general education or more specialised vocational courses. Students
must be able to switch courses too;
- all young people can develop essential practical
skills for life and work. Additionally, the curriculum and assessment
arrangements must emphasise and promote competence in analysis,
problem-solving and thinking, so that young people have the confidence
to explain and defend their conclusions;
- those with special needs or those facing difficult
personal, family or social circumstances are helped to overcome
any problems these present;
- regardless of where they learn, young people
have access to different types of provision, centres of excellence
and other relevant expertise; and
- schools and colleges are working in partnership
and innovatively to meet the needs of all learners.
Public Service Agreement targets
10. We will measure the success of the 14-19
strategy, at least in part, by the following Public Service Agreement
(PSA) targets :
a. Compared with 2002, the proportion of 19
year olds achieving 5 GCSE grades A* to C or the equivalent vocational
qualifications (Level 2) will rise by 3 percentage points by 2004,
and a further 3 percentage points by 2006;
Level 2 attainment has long been regarded as the
yardstick for employability. Those who do not have a qualification
equivalent to Level 2 are less likely to get secure, well paid
jobs and are more likely to suffer disadvantage and exclusion.
Survey evidence has shown that getting to Level 2 is worth a
20% wage premium; also that overall 10% of 19 year olds are not
in education, employment or training, but that this rises to 22%
for those who haven't reached L2 at 19. For the current position
and action on this target see Annex D.
b. By 2004 at least 28% of young people will
enter a Modern Apprenticeship by age 22
A central part of both the 14-19 and Skills' strategies
is our commitment to continue to develop Modern Apprenticeships
to meet the needs of employers, so that they become the main work-based
learning vocational route for young people (and are increasingly
available to adults). This PSA target will be discussed in detail
in a separate Memorandum to be sent to the Select Committee when
it addresses Modern Apprenticeships later in the year.
c. By 2010 ninety per cent of young people
by age 22 will have participated in a full-time programme fitting
them for entry into higher education or skilled employment
Participation and achievement post 16 is still below
acceptable levels. At 73.6% our staying on rates at 17
place us 27th out of 30 OECD countries. The key challenge
we face in driving up the skills of the workforce and employer
engagement is tackling the culture of leaving learning at 16.
We know that a long period of non participation between the ages
of 16-18 is the most single powerful predictor of unemployment
at age 21. On the other hand we also know that the returns to
the individual and the economy from participation and attainment
in post 16 learning are considerable. And the stakes can only
get higher as the demand for higher skills in the economy increases
still further. For the current position and action on this target
see Annex E.
Interrelation between the 14-19 and Skills Strategies
11. The Department's paper Delivering
Results - A Strategy to 2006 identifies as a main objective
the need to enable all young people to develop and to equip
themselves with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities
needed for life and work. Our Skills Strategy White Paper 21st
Century Skills - Realising our Potential, published last year,
also recognises the need to ensure that learning programmes
enable all young people to develop the skills, attitudes and attributes
that employers seek, and that programmes of vocational education
and training from age 14 support progression through the
vocational route. A key priority in the delivery of a wider
range of opportunities at 14 is, therefore, to increase the scope
and quality of vocational options for all young people.
12. The Skills Strategy supports the 14-19 strategy
by:
(a) increasing the value attached to learning
by young people, their parents and the wider community, by encouraging
adults to reengage in learning, increasing the demand for higher
standards of attainment from business, and highlighting the importance
and relevance of vocational learning;
(b) providing information on skills gaps to contribute
to the advice and guidance available to young people in the 14-19
phase and enable young people to make informed decisions about
future learning pathways and careers;
(c) helping create a framework for employer engagement
in education which can be used to strengthen and increase the
involvement of employers in the 14-19 phase of learning;
(d) helping raise the profile of the vocational
offer and vocational progression routes into higher education,
which will encourage more young people to participate in vocational
learning;
(e) considering how the qualifications system
might be reformed to make it more flexible and responsive to the
needs of employers and individual learners.
13. The Skills Strategy in its turn is dependent
on the 14-19 strategy to:
(a) ensure that young people do not see 19 as
a cut off point at which they stop learning, but are committed
to extending and renewing their learning throughout their lives;
(b) deliver the improvements to Modern Apprenticeships
as recommended by the Cassels Committee;
(c) increase the number of young people with
skills in vocational areas of work through delivering a blueprint
for a stronger vocational offer and clearer routes of progression
into HE for young people following vocational programmes in FE,
especially through the work of the Working Group for 14-19 Reform
(see paras 103 to 113);
(d) inform young people about current skills
gaps in the economy to enable them to make informed decisions
about future learning pathways and careers;
(e) get employers involved in shaping the 14-19
phase of learning, so that it better meets their needs for workers
with the right framework of skills and competencies.
Delivering a coherent 14-19 phase in the medium
term
14. In January 2003 we set out in 14-19: opportunity
and excellence a range of medium term plans for reform which
we believed were necessary and achievable to provide a better,
more flexible experience to young people. Key aspects of these
plans and our progress with them are set out below.
14-16 (Key Stage 4) curriculum changes
15. Providing greater flexibility means giving
the opportunity for all pupils to have choices beyond the range
of subjects in the National Curriculum, to allow them to follow
programmes that develop their individual potential, including
making high quality vocational options available to all students.
16. The aim of the changes we are making (approved
by Parliament in November 2003) is that subjects should be mandatory
at KS4 only if they provide an essential basis for progression
in learning or personal development.
17. On that basis, from September 2004, mathematics,
English, science and ICT remain compulsory, alongside citizenship,
religious education, careers education, sex education and physical
education. There is also a new statutory requirement that all
young people will learn about work and enterprise.
18. There is a new statutory entitlement for
all young people to access a subject within each of modern foreign
languages, design and technology, the arts and the humanities.
19. In the light of the additional flexibility
within the 14-16 curriculum, the current arrangements for schools
to disapply some requirements of the National Curriculum at KS4
for individual pupils will, following a new programme of study
for science (to be available for first teaching from September
2006), be withdrawn.
20. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
have issued provisional guidance to all maintained secondary schools:
Changes to the key stage 4 curriculum Guidance for implementation
from September 2004; and Work-related learning for all
at key stage 4. Guidance for implementing the statutory requirement
from 2004
21. To help schools plan the practical arrangements
for implementation of the entitlement and work-related learning
areas QCA has produced:
- Web-based guidance with case studies
showing how whole-school curriculum models can accommodate the
entitlement requirements and how schools can provide an appropriate
range of courses in each entitlement area;
- Web-based information on the range of qualifications
in each area that meet the entitlement requirements in whole or
in part;
- Case studies of work-related learning at key
stage 4;
- Advice on maximising learning from work-related
experiences;
- Extended work-related learning programmes;
- Work-related learning resources; and
- Advice on using qualifications to support careers
education and work-related learning programmes.
22. There was extensive support in the Green
Paper consultation for the principle that students should be able
to progress at a pace that is consistent with their abilities.
The KS4 changes should allow the curriculum to better reflect
individual needs and circumstances. We want to build on the Key
Stage 3 strategy of motivating, stretching and supporting young
people so that they are ready to proceed at a pace that reflects
their abilities later in the 14-19 phase. Pace should therefore
be seen in the context of the full 11-19 phase.
Work-related and enterprise learning
23. 14-19: opportunity and excellence
announced that all pupils will be required to undertake some work
related learning (WRL) at KS4 from September 2004.
24. WRL is defined as planned activity that uses
work as a context for learning. It encompasses a broad range of
activities that allow students to experience working life. It
involves learning about working practices, experiencing the work
environment, developing skills for working life and learning through
activities and challenges set in work-related contexts.
25. WRL will be offered as a range of suitable
experiences through and across the curriculum (rather than as
a separate subject with a programme of study). QCA issued guidance
to all schools in September 2003 and will be producing further
guidance.
26. The aim of the new work-related learning
element is to enable all young people to:
a. fulfil their academic and vocational potential;
b. apply their learning in a work context;
c. acquire the skills, attitudes and behaviours
required in the workplace, including those necessary for health
and safety;
d. be enterprising and to support enterprise
in others;
e. develop other skills, knowledge, understanding
and motivation for a well-rounded and balanced adult life, contributing
to the country's economic well-being and becoming a responsible
citizen in the world beyond work.
27. Good quality work experience has a key role
in promoting students' personal and social development, building
skills and attitudes essential for success at work. Over 95% of
pupils aged 14-16 currently go on work experience placements.
Most are positive about this work-related learning but there is
variability in quality and we need to work harder to ensure that
every placement is productive, both for individuals and for the
employers who provide it.
28. Following the Howard Davies review, Enterprise
and the Economy in Education, the WRL requirement will include
the development of enterprise capability as an important outcome.
The Government is determined to promote an enterprise culture
and wants to help schools to give students a better understanding
of their future opportunities and responsibilities in the economic
community, with stronger links between business and schools.
We intend that this enterprise capability will be a clearly articulated
outcome of work-related learning.
29. By 2005-06, £60m will be made available
for every secondary school to offer five days' enterprise activity
to pupils. To prepare for that national roll-out, Enterprise
Pathfinders will develop effective approaches to enterprise learning.
151 successful Pathfinder projects, covering nearly 400 secondary
schools, started last term and another 22 projects are due to
start around Easter 2004. There will be a further tranche from
September 2004.
30. The appointment of Enterprise Advisers will
encourage enterprise practice among teachers and pupils. In a
£16 million two-year pilot scheme, Enterprise Advisers will
work with about 1,000 secondary schools in deprived areas to help
bring in enterprise skills to the school. They will advise head
teachers on the delivery of the enterprise entitlement, improve
links with business, and encourage the use of enterprise techniques
in school management.
Increased Flexibility for 14-16 year olds and
GCSEs in vocational subjects
31. The new Key Stage 4 arrangements aim to do
three things: challenge all students whatever their ability; use
curriculum flexibility to motivate students and encourage achievement;
and encourage institutions to work together to deliver programmes
suitable for each student.
32. As part of this, the Increased Flexibility
for 14-16 Year olds Programme has created enhanced vocational
and work-related learning opportunities for local 14-16 year olds,
by enabling FE colleges to form partnerships with schools and
other agents to provide young people with the opportunity to study
at a college, or with a training provider, for one or two days
a week to work towards worthwhile qualifications.
33. To date, 286 partnerships
have been formed - largely between colleges and schools. In 2003/2004,
1,800 schools are expected to be involved, with over 80,000 young
people participating.
34. More than 60 % of students participating
in the Increased Flexibility Programme are working towards at
least one GCSE in a vocational subject. GCSEs were introduced
in September 2002 in Applied Art and Design; Applied Business;
Engineering; Health and Social Care; Applied Information and Communication
Technology; Leisure and Tourism; Manufacturing; and Applied Science.
35. In the first year,
we expected the new GCSEs to be taken up mainly by schools and
colleges with prior experience of vocational learning. We expect
take-up to spread beyond this group in 2003/04 - building on experiences
of the first year. Final details of which schools and colleges
have introduced these new GCSEs will not be available until entries
are made in Spring 2004.
36. These GCSEs have been designed to provide
young people with opportunities to explore vocational learning
in a distinctive and innovative way - by developing understanding
of a particular vocational area, and by investigating the "world
of work".
37. We will widen the range of vocational options
at GCSE in future years. Developments will include: a range of
new titles (Construction and Performing Arts from September 2004);
single GCSE equivalent awards; and hybrid GCSEs with a common
core and optional vocational or general units.
38. All these qualifications will be high quality,
fit for purpose and of the same standard as existing GCSEs. To
avoid any suggestion of a two-tier system, they will not be labelled
as 'vocational'. They represent a major extension of vocational
education - giving young people a positive choice and not a second-class
fall back and will appeal to young people of all abilities.
39. We'll have the first formal evaluation findings
on the programme in the Spring, but early reports are positive
and indicate that that these GCSEs are being offered by large
numbers of schools and are popular with young people.
Modern Foreign Languages
40. A reduction of the core subjects at KS4 is
essential to giving young people more flexibility to fulfil their
potential. But pupils who want to study a modern foreign language
from 14-16 will still have an entitlement to do so.
41. Our National Languages Strategy, which was
published on 18 December 2002, clearly sets out our commitment
to language learning and how we intend to take forward our work
to transform the nation's language competence. We want young people
to develop an interest in learning languages at an early age and
have the opportunity to continue their language learning throughout
life. Through the strategy we will inspire people of all ages
to value and participate in language learning and reverse the
cycle of national underperformance.
42. We recognise that the UK has a poor record
of teaching and learning modern foreign languages. We are committed
to addressing this long-standing problem, but do not believe that
requiring schools to teach languages to every young person beyond
the age of 14 is the best way to transform the nation's capability
in languages, particularly where students struggle with a subject
in which they have little interest or aptitude. Instead, we will
introduce an entitlement to language learning at Key Stage 2,
to engage and enthuse young learners and then provide them with
opportunities at Key Stage 3 and beyond that will motivate them
to continue learning languages throughout life.
43. A new voluntary qualifications system for
language learners will provide recognition opportunities so that
achievement from beginner to advanced level can be recognised
in a national form.
Modern Apprenticeships
44. Modern Apprenticeships provide work-based
learning for young people to achieve qualifications at level 2
(Foundation) and level 3 (Advanced). They are a key rung in the
vocational ladder that enables young people to progress from GCSEs
towards their chosen profession and, if they are able, to Foundation
Degrees.
45. Apprenticeships almost disappeared in the
1980s. We are now building them up again, in a modern way that
meets today's skills needs. They cover all sectors of the economy
- from engineering to social care and IT.
46. Currently 234,100 young people are undertaking
MAs in England - 113,300 on Advanced MA and 120,800 on Foundation
MA (SFR March 2003). Over half of those entering are young women.
Almost all young people on Advanced MA have employed status and,
of those young people who have left Advanced MA, 87 per cent were
in employment 6 months after leaving.
47. We are now upgrading Modern Apprenticeships
by introducing technical certificates, alongside the NVQ and Key
Skills. Technical certificates will deliver broader knowledge
and understanding, laying the basis for able trainees to progress
to Higher Education.
48. We will also implement the main recommendations
in the Cassels Report, including:
a. expanding employer places so that by 2004/05
more than a quarter of young people will enter before they are
22 years old;
b. putting in place £16m three-year marketing
campaign;
c. introducing from September 2004 an entitlement
to a place for every young person who reaches the required standard.
49. A new employer led MA Task Force was launched
on 25 February 2003 and will focus on increasing the supply of
employers and young people involved in MA. It is chaired by Sir
Roy Gardner, Chief Executive of Centrica (a leading employer of
MAs) and the task force includes high level representatives from
both the public and private sectors.
50. Modern Apprenticeships will be discussed
in detail in a separate Memorandum to be sent to the Select Committee
later in the year.
Advice and Guidance
51. As a result of the changes at KS4, more young
people will be making choices from a broader range of options.
They will be making these choices earlier, at 14, and focusing
on outcomes at age 19, rather than 16. We need to provide additional
support and guidance to help them do this.
52. All schools have a duty to provide a planned
programme of careers education - through the curriculum - to all
young people in years 9-11. This is designed to give young people
the skills they need to become independent careers managers, able
to: investigate learning and career opportunities; make informed
judgements about learning and career options and understand how
these choices will help them to achieve their aspirations; and
enable them to successfully manage key transition points.
53. To drive up the quality and consistency of
career education programmes, the Department has issued a national
framework for careers education, with recommended learning outcomes
for each stage. It covers the 11-19 age range, providing support
to post-16 learning providers to continue to develop young people's
career management skills in post-16 provision.
54. We are also developing further measures to
improve the quality of careers education programmes, including:
extending opportunities for careers co-ordinators and careers
teachers to gain a recognised careers qualification; recruiting
advanced skills teachers to act as champions for careers education:
and establishing a national support programme to develop innovative
classroom materials for use by careers education practitioners
55. In recognition of the need to provide young
people with timely advice and support, we have extended the duty
on schools to deliver careers education down to years 7 and 8,
recognising the need for young people to develop career management
skills earlier, so they are better prepared to take their first
set of key decisions (their key stage 4 options) during year 9.
This will come into force from September 2004.
56. Alongside the support from school based staff,
individually tailored and impartial advice and guidance will be
available from the Connexions Service. Connexions is a universal
service available to all 13-19 year olds, with a particular focus
on giving extra help and support to those with barriers that represent
a risk to young people's participation and achievement in learning.
57. Connexions Partnerships also offer consultancy
support to schools, colleges and work-based training organisations
on the design of curriculum programmes and provide INSET support
to staff based in schools, colleges and work-based training organisations
on careers education and guidance issues.
58. All schools will be encouraged to hold a
review with each young person at the end of Key Stage 3 (involving
the young person's parent/carer), leading to the development of
an individual learning plan for the 14-19 phase. Connexions Personal
Advisers will support this process where it is agreed that they
can add value, for example where on-going personal support is
needed to ensure completion of the programme. Connexions Personal
Advisers are also well placed to provide specific information
on the broad range of learning options and personal development
opportunities available, which are often based outside school
in the community.
59. A key feature of this planning process will
be to raise the aspirations of young people who had not previously
considered higher education and to increase the participation
of those with no family history of HE.
Education Maintenance Allowances (EMA)
60. Financial difficulties can be a barrier to
young people's ability to remain in education beyond 16. EMA are
a means-tested allowance available for young people who need financial
support to remain in education. EMA is currently available in
56 pilot LEA areas.
61. The effectiveness of EMA has been assessed
by independent researchers. There have been very encouraging
findings on their impact on participation (an increase of 5.9
percentage points) and retention. Early findings from the third
year suggest that more young men in particular have been encouraged
to enter HE because of EMA.
62. In the light of this, we will extend EMA
nationally from September 2004. The national model is drawing
on the evaluation evidence and lessons learned from the pilots
to make it as effective as possible.
63. The national EMA
will enable young people to receive up to £1500 per year
in weekly allowances and bonuses as long as they adhere to the
terms of their EMA Contract. EMA will be available for longer
for those young people who did not achieve many qualifications
at 16 or who have other barriers to participating in further education,
to help them reach their full potential. Some young people will
still need other support such as for transport and childcare alongside
EMA.
64. In the spring 2003 budget, the Chancellor
announced that a Treasury led cross-Departmental group should
review the financial support available to young people aged 16
to 19. The objectives of the review are: social equity; to bring
sense and order to an area that is complex and riddled with oddities;
and to utilise financial support better to promote learning /
a skilled workforce.
65. The Review Group is scrutinising the benefits,
support and incentives available to young people, and their families,
as well as associated issues such as administration and guidance
and how these might be changed to simplify systems and make them
more accessible and coherent for young people. DfES and DWP are
on the Review Group (with DTI, LSC, Devolved Administrations,
Social Exclusion Unit and others). The Review Group is due to
report in spring 2004.
Local management and collaboration
66. We said in 14-19: opportunity and excellence
that we would not seek to impose a single national blueprint for
delivery of our vision. An effective 14-19 system with good links
to the labour market will look different in different places.
This should reflect not only the needs of the local labour market
but also the differing patterns of learning institutions and traditions
in each locality, and the increasingly distinctive specialisms
of local schools and colleges. This local innovation and dynamism
will help bridge the gap between security and stability in the
current framework and long-term reform.
67. Increased collaboration is vital to deliver
the new opportunities that the 14-19 agenda offers. Schools,
colleges and other providers need to respond better to the needs
and circumstances of individual young people, and no single school
or college can expect to offer the full range of 14-19 options
on its own.
68. In particular, new partnerships will need
to be developed between learning institutions to meet the student
entitlement at 14-16, to enable coherent curriculum planning,
to provide wider choice throughout the 14-19 phase and to smooth
the transition between pre- and post-16 learning. Collaboration
will also be required between learning institutions and employers
to support the greater emphasis on work-related and enterprise
learning.
69. We expect the development of increased collaboration
to be characterised by:
a. more coherent area-wide planning - bringing
together diverse providers from different sectors and backgrounds;
b. provision that is tailored to local factors,
such as the geography of different areas and the distinct local
needs of young people and their communities, the local economy
and local employers;
c. innovative, locally-devised arrangements.
70. We will encourage every school and college
to develop dynamic and innovative partnerships with local employers
of all types, using education/business links partnerships and
other local and regional partners, including the nine regional
Government Offices and RDAs.
14-19 pathfinders
71. 14-19 Pathfinders have been set up to test
local delivery of 14-19 education and training in a range of settings
building on the increasingly distinctive specialisms of local
schools, colleges and training providers. They are a key means
of identifying and spreading good practice and will inform the
development nationally of 14-19 education and training from 2005/06.
Pathfinders will also help assess the scale and costs of new patterns
of 14-19 provision.
72. Twenty-five Pathfinders established in 2002/03
made a start on testing the medium term changes set out in 14-19:
opportunity and excellence, introducing more flexibility and
choice so that students' programmes could be better tailored to
their needs and aptitudes.
73. A further 14 Pathfinders in 2003/04 continue
that process, but will also be providing 14-19 education and training
in more radical and innovative ways than was possible in year
one. Some are engaging employers in innovative partnerships to
provide greater opportunities for work-based learning for young
people. Others are addressing key skills shortages in specific
professions; offering new packages of learning opportunities and
work experience to provide clear pathways into particular occupations.
Yet others are using e-learning to offer flexible access to learning
and preparing young people for the demands of the knowledge economy.
A list of all 39 Pathfinder areas is at Annex F.
74. The Learning and Skills Council has offered
matched funding for pathfinders alongside the Department, with
the result that £46 million is being invested over the three
years to 2004/05 (£10/16/20m)
Local Strategic Leadership
75. We expect LEAs' Chief Education Officers
and Local Learning and Skills Executive Directors to give a forceful
joint lead in ensuring that provision in their areas seizes the
opportunities that the 14-19 agenda offers. We are not persuaded
that wholesale institutional reform is either necessary or desirable.
The variety of cultures, structures and institutional arrangements
is a distinctive strength. It can respond well to local needs
and circumstances, including very varied local labour markets.
That is why we want to see the necessary changes delivered through
locally-devised arrangements that exploit local strengths and
meet distinctive local needs.
76. Our vision demands new forms of partnership
and collaboration between schools, colleges, employers, training
providers and universities. These must build on existing good
practice. Both LEAs and local LSCs have considerable scope to
support such developments and to remove the concerns of some headteachers
and principals that their arrangements are bureaucratic and obstructive.
Working collaboratively, as many now do, they have the potential
to harness the energy and creativity to generate worthwhile innovation
in every area.
77. We are also encouraging the independent schools
sector to play a greater role in local partnerships. Two of the
2002/03 and ten of the 2003/04 pathfinders involve independent
schools. We believe there is scope for others to be involved as
part of our drive to support more diversity. We are working with
more LEAs to help them think creatively about the opportunities
to incorporate independent schools into their local provider networks.
78. Enabling and supporting those at local level
- in schools, colleges and other providers - to seize and take
forward the opportunities to offer greater choice and flexibility,
and to drive up achievement, is essential to the success of our
14-19 strategy. A number of measures, in hand or in prospect,
will help develop the confidence and competence of institutions
and their leaders to understand and deliver change. At the same
time we will ensure the agenda is reflected in accountability,
inspection and funding arrangements, and supported by our policies
for institutional specialisation and diversity. Some of the key
supporting measures are set out below.
Local 16-19 planning
79. Under our Success for All reforms from April
2003, the LSC will comprehensively review local post-16 provision
to improve its range, quality and choice and better meet learners'
needs. The LSC began strategic area reviews from 2003 to determine
the configurations of 16-19 provision that best meet local needs.
80. The LSC has the power to propose the establishment
or closure of FE colleges and it can manage the supply of training
through its contracting arrangements with training providers.
81. The Education Act 2002 gave the LSC new powers,
which came into force on 1 April 2003, to bring forward reorganisation
proposals in respect of 16-19 institutions, including school sixth
forms. Such proposals can only be made where the LSC can demonstrate
that the proposals will raise achievement, increase participation
or expand opportunities for 16-19 year olds. Regulations and guidance
will ensure that the views of relevant interest groups such as
schools, LEAs, parents, students are taken into account.
82. The final decision on all such proposals
will rest with the Secretary of State and not the School Organisation
Committee (SOC).
83. Ministers have made clear their expectation
that the LSC will spearhead major improvements in 16-19 provision,
including reorganisation of existing provision where there is
evidence that it is necessary to improve learner access to a broad,
high quality curriculum and to raise participation and achievement.
This might include the development of new sixth form colleges,
new school sixth forms, 16-19 schools, distinct 16-19 centres
within general FE colleges, school/FE consortia, or other innovative
arrangements - as appropriate for the particular locality. Ministers
have no presumption of anyone of these options being preferable
over another; what matters is that the chosen solution meets local
needs.
84. A successful programme of Strategic Area
Reviews should lead to a transformed learning and skills sector.
We expect that in 5 years time every young person will have access
to the quality and choice of learning opportunity needed to improve
participation and attainment.
School Performance Tables
85. To support the changes we are making in the
14-19 phase, some changes will be introduced to Performance Tables
at the earliest practicable date, subject to successful piloting.
These include reporting a wider range of qualifications and ensuring
that AS Levels taken early are recorded in secondary school tables.
We will continue to work on further complex issues around pace
and progression and where responsibility for students' progress
is shared between institutions.
Counting a wider range of qualifications
86. We promised that performance tables would
report a wider range of qualifications, so that institutions would
have no disincentive to offering a full range of opportunities
tailored to individual student needs.
87. Throughout 2003 we have been working with
around 250 volunteer schools to test national collection of entry
level qualifications and vocational qualifications, and the processes,
methodology and presentational issues which will enable the reporting
of all approved qualifications (including early AS) in the secondary
tables.
88. We will publish pilot performance tables
at the end of March 2004 showing performance indicators re-cast
to include the wider range of results and using a new point scoring
system.
89. We will also release shadow data to all schools
and LEAs with similarly re-cast (though unchecked) performance
indicators, thus allowing thorough evaluation and consultation
on implications of these significant changes.
90. Following successful evaluation and consultation
we hope to extend this practice nationally in the 2004 secondary
school performance tables.
Pace and Progression
91. So as to avoid closing off flexible new approaches
to meeting the needs of individual pupils, we also promised we
would explore the complex issue of protecting against disincentives
to varying rates of pace and progression for students (particularly
in relation to slower progression), and to consult on options
in due course.
92. The 2004 secondary tables will record AS
levels taken early so as to remove a possible disincentive to
accelerated progression.
93. We have this year been working with Focus
Groups of schools to develop a means of adapting performance measures
to ensure flexibility in pace and progression is not discouraged
- especially in respect of those pupils skipping GCSEs, or taking
exams later than normal.
94. Some promising solutions have been found.
We will now work up some more detailed proposals to be consulted
upon next year, with a view to introducing change to the 2005
performance tables.
Collaboration
95. Finally, we promised we would explore how
results might be reported where institutions shared responsibility
for the education of individual students, recognising that collective
performance measures could encourage collaboration.
96. We have been told, in particular, that
institutions would be reluctant to share responsibility for the
education of individual students unless they received appropriate
credit in the tables for doing so.
97. We take these issues seriously and have begun
to explore in depth what the specific barriers in performance
tables are and how we might deal with them.
98. We have not ruled out further change to the
way tables are compiled, beyond those already planned and in train.
But the issues are complex and will need to be carefully thought
through: for example, the implications for post-16 tables of recognising
in the secondary school tables the performance of students who
progress on a slower track. We hope to develop some solutions in consultation
with educational partners next year.
14-19 Area Inspection
99. Area inspections are a key part of the Government's
raising standards agenda. They assess the quality, coverage and
cost-effectiveness of education and training across an area and
identify what improvement action is needed, in order to improve
learner opportunity and success.
100. Since April 2001 they have been jointly
undertaken for 16-19 provision by OfSTED and the ALI in line with
the common inspection framework, with OfSTED leading. From 2003
the area inspection programme has been extended to cover 14-19
provision and will bring the whole of England into scope.
101. To date 56 Area Inspections have been undertaken
- 52 have been 16-19; the most recent 4 have been 14-19. The findings
from 14-19 Area Inspections will help support and inform both
local and national strategy by providing an objective consideration
of current arrangements for the full 14-19 phase. After an area
inspection, local partners, led by the Learning and Skills Council
and the LEA, are required to develop and publish an action plan
setting out how they will address the issues identified, build
on good practice and ensure there is sufficient quality provision
available for all learners.
102. Following consultation, Ofsted published
a revised framework for Area Inspection on 22nd September 2003.
Revised Departmental "Area Inspection Action Planning Advice"
and the LSC's "Guidance for Post Area Inspection Action Planning"
have also been published to support the revised framework.
The Longer Term Transformation of 14-19
103. All the measures set out above are important
changes which will be of benefit to young people. But we believe
that they will not be enough to achieve the lasting transformation
of young people's opportunities that is needed. For the longer
term, for the benefit of today's older primary school students,
we need to discuss and implement reform that will put in
place a system that will be fully effective for the 21st
Century. Teaching in the future must serve 3 functions: the transmission
of knowledge for a society built on information, the broadening
of horizons in a country still scarred by socioeconomic disadvantage,
and the development of learning skills, so students can go on
to learn more in adulthood, as they respond to the demands of
social and economic change.
104. There are three core issues we need to address
if we are to achieve the right 14 -19 system to meet these three
challenges. First, the curriculum - what we teach, above
all the quality of the vocational offer. Young people need choice
and a clear sense of progression. They also need programmes that
contain a coherent blend of general and specialist content tailored
to individual needs. Some programmes already provide this. But
too many vocational programmes lack coherence and opportunities
for progression, are not respected by employers or universities,
and fail to motivate students. Nor can we be complacent about
more academic programmes. Despite recent reforms they do not always
offer as much breadth and demand on the students as they should.
105. Second, assessment, above all its
fitness for purpose, but also the burden on students, teachers
and institutions. We need to focus on whether assessment methods
match up properly with the purposes of courses, and ensure recognition
of achievement across the board.. We need to look at the frequency
and volume of external assessment, which is more extensive in
England than in almost any other developed system. At present,
there is too much emphasis on traditional written examinations,
sometimes at the expense of wider learning, skills and personal
development.
106. Third, qualifications - above all
recognition of achievement, but also incentives to progress.
We want a qualifications system that upholds rigour so that no
one is in any doubt that they have earned their award, but also
that promotes progression so that it helps fulfil the potential
of all. And through our consultation last year there was a clear
developing consensus that the aims of breadth and stretch, of
raising the status of vocational provision and of raising student
motivation would be best driven forward by a unified framework
of qualifications, open to all learners.
107. The Working Group on 14-19 Reform was established
in March 2003 under the chairmanship of Mike Tomlinson to consider
long-term development of the framework for 14-19 learning programmes
and qualifications.
108. The terms of reference identified three
strands for the group's work:
a. coherent 14-19 learning programmes
b. 14-19 assessment arrangements
c. a unified framework of qualifications
109. In July, the working group published a progress
report setting out broad principles for a new framework for 14-19
learning programmes and diploma qualifications to build on young
peoples' learning at earlier stages to:
a. enable them to acquire the general learning,
skills, knowledge and attributes that they will need for effective
engagement in further learning and adult life;
b. provide the specialist learning, knowledge
and skills which they will need in order to progress to their
chosen destinations in further and higher learning, training and
employment; and
c. provide opportunities and motivation to pursue
their own interests, ideas and vocations in a rigorous and creative
manner.
110. The report and summary of proposals have
been made available to the Committee. These proposals formed the
basis of a consultation process, which closed on 16 October 2003.
The proposals found strong support among the majority of respondents.
111. Subsequent work of the group has focused
on developing more detailed proposals for a curriculum and qualifications
framework including:
a. the overall template for 14-19 learning to
ensure that all young people are able to follow a balanced programme
of generic and specialised learning;
b. a structure of diploma levels, grading and
and progression routes to ensure both that all young people are
stretched and motivated to progress to the full extent of their
potential, and that different levels of achievement are identified
clearly;
c. development of a range of diplomas and programmes
to meet the needs of various employment sectors, and progression
within higher and further education; and
d. principles for 14-19 assessment arrangements
which: are effectively matched to the style and content of different
professional and academic learning; are manageable for learners
themselves and schools, colleges and training providers; and meet
the selection and recruitment needs of employers and higher and
further education institutions.
112. The results of this further work will be
set out in an interim report, submitted to the Secretary of State
and published early in 2004. The working group's final report
is expected to follow in the late summer.
113. Ministers will consider carefully the findings
of both the interim and final reports and will respond as appropriate.
Any reforms introduced in the 14-19 phase as a result will be
introduced in carefully planned steps, taking account of what
it is feasible for schools and colleges to deliver.
Annex D
Level 2 achievement at 19 for 2004 and 2006
targets
Current position
1. Achieving the 2004 target of a three percentage
point improvement over 2002 in level 2 attainment at 19 will be
challenging. Latest information from the autumn 2002 Labour Force
Survey (LFS), our baseline for the target, indicates that attainment
by the young people whose achievements will be measured for the
2004 target is stalling, contrary to earlier trends. Results from
the autumn 2003 survey which will be the first indication of progress
over baseline, will not be available until later this month. However,
the rigorous programme of action being delivered by the Learning
and Skills Council (LSC) in conjunction with the Connexions Service,
specifically focused on young people at risk of dropping out of
level 2 programmes, should enable us to reach the 2004 target.
2. After 2004 we expect a return to the earlier
trends of rising attainment in level 2 at 19, reflecting improvements
in GCSE attainment at 16, and the increasing impact of our policies
to improve young people's participation and attainment post -16.
We therefore expect to achieve our level 2 target for 2006.
Action to accelerate progress
3. Targeted action is in train by LSC in conjunction
with local LSCs (LLSCs) and Connexions Partnerships in each local
area to drive up level 2 attainment among the target cohorts,
including:
- LLSCs giving very high priority
to level 2 attainment in their operational plans; this is supplemented
by an additional programme of LLSC action specifically targeted
at increasing the attainment of young people on level 2 programmes
of learning, with active dissemination of best practice across
the network;
- close monitoring of progress and the impact of
actions currently in train to inform further intervention to accelerate
progress towards the target;
- joint local action by LLSCs and Connexions Partnerships
to retain in learning young people who left school during the
summer of 2003, including targeting those just failing to reach
level 2 at 15 to bring them over the level 2 threshold; and
- from August 2003 the 'Choices 2003' national
media campaign to encourage young people to stay in learning,
informed by feedback from local qualitative studies on improving
attitudes to learning.
Annex E
2010 Participation Target
Current Position
1. This is a very challenging target. We estimate
that currently about 79% of 16-21 year olds participate in programmes
which count towards the target. To reach a 90% participation rate
will require drawing in increasingly hard to help groups of young
people who have hitherto not participated in such programmes.
On the basis of our current policies and levels of funding we
estimate we can achieve an 85% participation rate by 2010. Achieving
the additional 5 percentage point improvement to hit the target
will depend critically on the outcome of the current spending
review (SR2004). We will also be reviewing the target in the light
of the recommendations of the Tomlinson Working Group. In the
meantime we are setting a milestone for the participation rate
to be achieved by 2006 within current levels of resources and
through the delivery of the policies and actions set out below.
Action
Measures to maximise the impact of our policies
on participation
2. We are taking action at both policy and delivery
level to secure an effective transition from compulsory education
to post 16 learning. Our measures include:
a. Securing improvements in level 2 attainment
at 16: in particular through a programme of action targeted at
underachieving schools;
b. Action on the to improve behaviour and attendance
in schools. This is critical, given the lower propensity of truants
and young people excluded from school to participate post 16;
c. Maximising the impact of the national Connexions
Service from 2003-04 focusing on prevention of disengagement pre
-16 within the schools behaviour strategy, and an outcome driven
focus on young people not in education, employment and training
(NEET) post 16;
d. Maximising the impact of Education Maintenance
Allowances (EMA) roll-out from September 2004: with a focus
on local support targeted at young people most at risk;
e. A more flexible and coherent 14-19 phase of
learning: increasing post 16 participation rates will be a critical
indicator of success of 14-19 reforms;
f. The roll-out of
the Entry to Employment (E2E) programme from August 2003
designed to propel learners into Foundation Modern Apprenticeships,
employment preferably with training or further vocational training
at an appropriate pace.
g. engaging employers to improve the quality
and quantity of Modern Apprenticeships towards the 2004 PSA target
through the MA Task Force; and
h. continuously reviewing the effectiveness of
current policies and the need for new measures to ensure we secure
maximum value for money from our SR2002 investment.
Local action to improve participation
3. There is much activity in train at local level
by LSC and the Connexions Service including:
- LSC delivering their statutory duty to fund
the learning of 16-18 year olds;
- Locally targeted funding focused on securing
progression to and attainment on level 2/3 programmes, including
bringing young people nearly at level 2 above the level 2 threshold;
- Connexions Partnerships work to track vulnerable
young people and deliver their targets for the reduction in the
numbers of young people who are not in education, training or
employment (NEET);
- collaborative activity between Connexions Service
partnerships, LLSCs and schools, including pre-emptive action
to support young people in school at risk of not making a successful
transition to post - 16 learning;
- the roll-out of our Success for All strategy
from 2003/04, focused on improving the quality and responsiveness
of the post -16 learning sector.
Annex F
14-19 PATHFINDERS YEAR ONE & YEAR TWO: REGIONAL
DISTRIBUTION
Eastern (3)
Bedfordshire & Luton
Hertfordshire
Norfolk
East Midlands
(5)
Derby City
Derbyshire
Lincolnshire (Boston College)
City of Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
London (7)
Harrow
Islington
Lewisham
Newham
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
City of Westminster
North East (3)
Durham
Gateshead
Stockton
North West (6)
Cumbria
Knowsley
Manchester
Oldham
Stockport
Warrington
South East (2)
Hampshire
Southampton
South West (3)
Plymouth
Somerset
South Gloucestershire
West Midlands
(5)
The Black Country
Coventry
Shropshire
Warwickshire
Wolverhampton
Yorkshire and Humberside
(5)
Doncaster
North Lincolnshire
Sheffield
Wakefield
York
| 
