Conclusions and recommendations
1. Providing more learning opportunities for
young people that integrate academic and vocational study is commendable,
but much remains to be done to achieve it.
Local authorities are leading the implementation of the reforms,
but there will still be a major role for the Department for some
years, for example in developing clear, consistent communications
about the reforms, helping consortia develop the capability to
implement them by 2013, and promoting transparency and local accountability
to demonstrate the cost-effective use of resources.
2. Diplomas could further complicate an already
complex system of qualifications for young people.
The benefits of providing more educational options will only be
realised if good-quality, comprehensive and impartial advice and
guidance are available and easily accessible. Young people and
their parents also need access to providers of information, advice
and guidance services with good knowledge of all the options from
age 14, otherwise there is a risk that many young people may not
select the best option for them.
3. Some consortia are much more advanced than
others in their preparations to offer Diplomas.
Most support has been provided to those consortia introducing
Diplomas in September 2008. Less advanced consortia may not develop
the capacity to provide all 14 Diplomas by 2013. To manage this
risk, all consortia need to have strategies to develop their preparedness,
involving, for example, self-assessment tools to help identify
areas for improvement, and secondments of people who have experience
of leading implementation in areas that are much further ahead.
The Department's support should be tailored to reflect local circumstances
and to meet specific requirements identified by consortia. The
Department should take care that general support and advice is
of practical use at local level.
4. Work experience is an essential part of
the Diplomas, but some 45% of consortia had not involved employers
in deciding how to provide this. All consortia
should demonstrate how they are involving employers, for example,
in providing actual or simulated work environments, and by consortia
specifying the work experience they will offer in their applications
to start providing Diplomas. They should assist small and medium-sized
employers in managing the workload that results from providing
work experience opportunities, for example, by providing help
with the processes around health and safety.
5. Providing the teaching and facilities to
support the broad curriculum is particularly difficult in rural
areas with dispersed communities. All
consortia covering rural communities should be required to demonstrate
that young people in those communities are able to gain access
to good teaching and facilities, and that every effort has been
made to minimise practical problems such as long travel times.
6. Diplomas have yet to be widely accepted
as credible qualifications. Understanding
and acceptance of Diplomas by employers and higher education
is essential to their success and appeal to young people and their
families. But full acceptance is some way off. All consortia need
to have in place strategies for engaging with employers and local
higher education institutions and securing their support. As Diplomas
are introduced, communications by the Department and consortia
should clearly identify student experiences and the benefits achieved.
Communications from consortia and the Department with employers
should be timely and focus on what employers need to know.
7. The Department does not know the full cost
of implementing the 14-19 reforms. The
Department should develop cost templates together with indicative
costs to enable consortia to draw up their own robust budgets.
As more reliable cost information becomes available, networks
should be established to help consortia benchmark their costs
and tackle underperformance.
8. The existence of two major capital funding
programmes creates a risk that a mismatch in timing could result
in capital projects not supporting the 14-19 reforms, or lead
to unnecessary expenditure. Local plans
for capital expenditure from the two major programmes, Building
Schools for the Future, and the Further Education capital programme,
need to be aligned with the 14-19 reforms. This should include
work to align the capital strategies of different institutions
within consortia to avoid unnecessary duplication and wasteful
use of resources.
9. Sufficient good-quality teaching staff
are needed to deliver Diplomas, but 45% of consortia had yet to
carry out a skills audit. Many teachers
and lecturers will require training to acquire new skills to teach
the Diplomas. The Department and local authorities should quantify
skills gaps and review whether each consortium has, or is developing,
sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled teachers and lecturers
to deliver the full range of Diplomas by 2013.
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