Appendix 1

Strategic Area Review

Short report on 14-19 issues: June 2005

  1. Introduction

Colleagues will be aware that, following the Strategic Area Review consultation, the outcomes of the consultation process were published on the LSC website. With that process behind us, and the Area Wide Inspection of 14-19 education and training at an end, we are now in a strong position to drive forward the 14-19 agenda for the county.

This brief paper focuses specifically on 14-19 issues. The StAR outcomes in relation to adult learning and skills will be dealt with in a separate document which will be published before the end of June.

Both the Strategic Area Review and the Area Wide Inspection identified a number of key issues which need to be tackled if we are to deliver access to high quality, appropriate, provision for all 14-19 year olds in Hertfordshire. The key outcome which we seek to achieve, through working together, is that all young people, wherever they live in the county, and regardless of where they are engaged in learning or training, have access to the range of high quality provision that is right for them and that enables them to progress to the next stage of their learning or training.

The purpose of this brief paper therefore is to set the context for the next stage in our work to take forward the 14-19 Strategy: “Putting the Learner First” and to explain the key actions which we plan to take, with the support of all partners, to deliver the best possible provision and outcomes for young people in Hertfordshire. More detailed proposals will be published in mid-July.

  1. Key issues identified by StAR and AWI

Both the Strategic Area Review and the Area Wide Inspection highlighted a number of important strengths in the provision for 14-19 year olds. Overall, OfSTED’s judgement is that provision is satisfactory, but the inspection identified a number of key challenges that need to be tackled with some urgency in order to ensure that provision and outcomes for all young people are of high quality. In particular, StAR and AWI identified the need to:

–improve and extend the range of vocational learning opportunities for young people.

–tackle the wide variation in outcomes for young people in some communities, individual institutions and particular groups.

–improve the quality of provision and teaching and learning for 14-19 year olds in FE colleges.

–improve the quality, range and success rates in work-based learning provision.

–provide better value for money through reducing unnecessary duplication, improving collaborative arrangements and improving success rates.

–ensure that all young people have access to a wide range of high quality provision which is appropriate to their needs and which enables them to progress to the next stage of their learning or training.

–ensure that there is better access to alternative provision at Key Stage 4 for those young people for whom this is appropriate.

–secure the provision of impartial information, advice and guidance for all young people.

–accelerate the pace of change, particularly in those areas, institutions and amongst those particular groups of young people where access to appropriate high quality provision is more limited.

  1. The actions we plan to take

3.1The Learner Entitlement

Working with all our partners, we plan to establish a countywide Learner Entitlement which will set out the range of learning and training opportunities; the access to personal development and support and the provision of information, advice and guidance to which all young people will have access. The Learner Entitlement will be developed and delivered by partners at local level and will be supported by LSC and CSF. It is clear that the entitlement can only be delivered by partners at local level working collaboratively, and the expectation therefore is that all providers will be part of a collaborative group.

3.2Planning Areas

To facilitate the delivery of the Learner Entitlement, we intend to establish seven planning areas across the county. Each planning area will be supported by LSC, CSF and Connexions in setting targets for the delivery of the entitlement, for participation, retention, achievement and progression, and in establishing a three year plan, operational from September 2006, to deliver the provision, the opportunities and the outcomes for young people.

Each planning area will take forward specific actions that take account of the preferred options arising from StAR, which will be incorporated into the detailed proposals to be published in July.

The proposed planning areas are:

  • Stevenage and North Hertfordshire
  • Dacorum
  • South West Hertfordshire (Watford, ThreeRivers, and Bushey)
  • St Albans and Harpenden
  • Welwyn-Hatfield and East Hertsmere (including Borehamwood and Potters Bar)
  • The A10 corridor (Broxbourne, Hertford, Ware and Buntingford)
  • Bishops Stortford and Sawbridgeworth (working with West Essex).

These areas are based on travel-to-learn patterns and will comprise all secondary schools, special schools with secondary provision, education support centres, colleges and appropriate locally-based work-based learning providers. It is expected that each planning area will normally have within it two or more collaborative groups.

A toolkit to support the development and operation of the planning areas will be published in October 2005.

3.3Impartial information, advice and guidance.

The evidence from StAR, the Connexions inspection report and from AWI is that not all young people receive information, advice and guidance that is comprehensive and impartial. For some young people, the result is that they embark on learning or training programmes that don’t match their needs and they drop out of learning and training.

We will publish an IAG Protocol, linked to underpinning quality standards, which all partners will be expected to adopt as the basis for the provision of impartial IAG at institutional, collaboration group and planning area level. Partners should build the protocol into their institutional, collaborative and area plans.

3.4Governance

In due course, we intend to establish a joint governance groupcomprised of elected members and Council members from the major funders of learning provision in Hertfordshire – the County Council and the LSC. The Joint Governance Group will be the overriding strategic body. It will oversee the work of the 14-19 Strategy Group and the development of the learner entitlement and its constituent parts. It will do this by focussing on developments within each of the Planning Areas:

  • Setting standards
  • Monitoring progress
  • Agreeing support, or other intervention

Pending the establishment of this group, the LSC and CSF will work together to provide leadership, support and challenge, working through the 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group and the Hertfordshire Adult Learning Partnership.

The Joint Governance Group will also oversee development of the Adult Learning Plan and monitor progress.

3.5The timetable for implementation

  • Launch of the next steps of the 14-19 19th July 2005

Strategy, including publication of key

documents

  • Publication of Area Planning ToolkitOctober 2005
  • Workshops in each of the seven November 2005

planning areas to identify local actions

and support needs

  • Preliminary approval given to area End of February

plans by LSC and CSF2006

  • All planning Areas to commence September 2006

operation, with 3-year plans in place

  • Final approval of 3-year area plans October 2006

by LSC and CSF

Appendix 2

14-19 Learner Entitlement for Young People in Hertfordshire

Establishing an Entitlement for Young People 14-19

The Hertfordshire 14-19 Strategy commits all partners to work together to create and develop in each of the seven strategic planning areas a 14-19 learning framework that places the learner at the centre. The Strategy entitles young people to access high quality learning opportunities, relevant to their personal talents, needs and aspirations, which will enable them to realise their full potential.

Every young person in Hertfordshire aged 14-19 is entitled to participate fully in learning and to achieve high standards in as many areas of educational life as possible. All have a full entitlement to a coherent and comprehensive learning programme.

The Learner Entitlement is designed around three core strands:

The development of learning structures and processes to embed the Hertfordshire Learner Entitlement will support the implementation of the five outcomes of Every Child Matters 2004 at county and at strategic and local planning area levels. The five key outcomes are:

This entitlement relates in particular to the third and fifth outcomes.

By September 2006 strategic area planning groups will have established a clear framework and timetable for the development and delivery of the curriculum provision and young people’s access to it, including young people with learning difficulties and disabilities. This will be extended progressively over the following two years and will be fully implemented in all local planning areas by September 2008. It will reflect the local response to the government’s objectives set out in the DfES Five Year Strategy, 2004, and the 14-19 White Paper, 2005.

Entitlements

1. Curriculum and learning provision

Each young person 14-19 is entitled to a personalised and planned learning programme that meets their talents, needs and aspirations and leads to outcomes that they value and that are valued by others. Young people are entitled to access a variety of general, specialist and vocational options that provide breadth and depth in their chosen learning pathway and opportunities for progression from entry level to level 3.

Curriculum

In Key Stage 4 young people have a statutory entitlement to:

  • a broad and balanced curriculum which must include a compulsory core of English, mathematics, science (leading to the equivalent of two GCSEs), PE, citizenship, RE and sex education
  • learn about careers and experience work-related and enterprise learning

and an entitlement to:

  • study a modern foreign language; a humanities subject; a design and technology subject; an arts subject
  • a careers education programme underpinned by the national framework for Careers Education and Guidance 11-19

At Post 16 young people have an entitlement to:

  • study functional literacy and numeracy, with support from providers to achieve at least level 2 functional literacy and numeracy
  • access to ‘Success for All’ materials available through National Learning Network Online from 2006

All young people are entitled to access a range of curriculum provision within their strategic planning area that is inclusive and that offers:

Engagement
  • the opportunity to participate in the review, evaluation and shaping of their own learning in order to become independent learners
Challenge and choice
  • a diverse range of learning programmes, activities and opportunities that reflect the needs, talents and aspirations of all learners within a strategic planning area
  • a choice of high quality, coherent and relevant programmes that lead to nationally recognised qualifications
  • learning programmes and qualifications that have clearly defined learning pathways and lead to progression and differentiated outcomes
  • opportunities to mix academic, practical and work-based courses across the 14-19 phase and to learn in a range of different settings
Personalisation
  • a flexible and personalised approach to the 14-19 curriculum that matches their learning styles, individual ability and special needs and enables them to progress at their own pace and complete courses successfully when ready
  • a strategic, coordinated 14-19 timetable structure that promotes flexible learning pathways and ease of access to programmes of study
  • the ability to switch pathways or programmes and transfer work to another learning provider through shared and consistent processes
  • access to the full range of Key Stage 5 courses available within their strategic planning area
Standards and success
  • high quality teaching and support with regular assessment which informs their progress, with relevant attainment and other data available to set purposeful and challenging targets
  • courses delivered with the appropriate levels of staffing, resources, facilities and time to ensure that each course is of the highest standard, represents value for moneyand that all learners have the opportunity to achieve and succeed

Learning provision

All young people 14-19 have an entitlement to:

  • continue learning until the age of 19
  • develop personal skills including research, thinking and learning skills
  • develop employability skills and attitudes and enterprise capability
  • specific courses and overall learning programmes that lead to a progressive set of qualifications at entry level, level 1 (foundation), level 2 (intermediate) and level 3 (advanced) as set out in the Framework for Achievement and identified in Sections 96 and 97 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000
  • basic skills provision
  • preparation for entry programmes
  • entry level certificates and general certificates of secondary education
  • literacy and communication, application of number and information communications technology programmes (as key skills or their equivalents) to level 3
  • vocationally-related subjects in the same range of subjects and areas offered at level 1, level 2 and level 3 in GCSE and GCE subjects
  • vocational subjects up to level 2 for all areas identified as alternatives to the GNVQ successor provision
  • access to the specialised diplomas (ICT, engineering, health and social care, creative and media) which will be available from 2008
  • a range of apprenticeships in nine occupational areas related to skills requirements

The curriculum entitlements will be reviewed in line with changes to the statutory requirements.

2.Information, advice and guidance (IAG)

A fundamental feature of the Learner Entitlement is that each young person 14-19 should have easy access to impartial information, advice and guidance that enables each to make choices that are right for them, to progress along the right learning pathways, to succeed and to remain in education and training.

Information

Each of the partners will ensure that all young people in the strategic planning area have access to information that:

  • is up-to-date, comprehensive, accurate and impartial
  • is clear and accurate in formats readily understandable to all users
  • includes guidance on financial and other arrangements to support individual students and their parents, including access to written policies for the application for financial support, arrangements for means testing, and a procedure for learners to appeal if refused funding
  • sets out all the provision available in the strategic planning area through a prospectus that includes
  • entry requirements for courses within a strategic planning area
  • the duration of courses and programmes
  • theprogramme and course content
  • assessment, reporting and recording arrangements
  • opportunities for work placements
  • learning pathways to further and higher education, apprenticeships, work based learning and employment opportunities
  • enables them to access details of provision further afield
  • encourages them to consider learning programmes that do not conform to gender stereotypes
Advice

Each of the partners must ensure that all young people in a strategic planning area will have access to:

  • a high quality, coherent programme of careers education (as part of a wider Personal Development Curriculum) which will enable them to manage their learning and career progression through developing the skills required to make informed decisions about choices and options
  • a careers education programme that will follow the National Framework for Careers Education Guidance 11-19
  • IAG delivered by those with relevant up-to-date knowledge and kite marked training
Guidance

Each of the partners will ensure that young people in a strategic planning area will have access to high quality guidance:

  • at key transition points in their learning programme when decisions have to be made and in particular at ages 13, 16, 17, 18, and 19
  • from a tutor who can provide appropriate guidance, advice and support without fear or favour during their learning programmes
  • from sources independent of their institutions
  • through one-to-one sessions according to need and circumstance

In addition, young people whose first language is not English are entitled to support to enable them to access the full range of education and training opportunities.

In each strategic planning area there will be detailed monitoring systems to track the progress of all young people towards and in to appropriate destinations.

3.Personal development and support

Every young person 14-19 is entitled to:

Programmes and provision
  • an induction or transition programme to enable them to access the next level in their learning pathway
  • a programme of personal development which will assist them in becoming independent and confident learners
  • learning provision which fits young people’s travel-to-learn patterns within and beyond each of the seven strategic planning areas (with support for travel at 16-19 as detailed in the Hertfordshire 16+ Travel Policy)
Individual learning plans and core skills
  • an ICT based individual learning plan which identifies both their programme of learning and a statement of responsibilities
  • an appropriate level of learning support for literacy, numeracy and ICT
Enhancement
  • a wide range of enrichment activities which will complement their individual learning programme and supports their personal development
  • an opportunity for work related learning including a work placement or experience of work which complements or supplements their learning programme
  • opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge that will prepare them for transition to the next stage in their learning pathway and contribute to their preparation for adult and working life, including community work and voluntary activities.

Appendix 3

HertfordshireChildrenSchools and Families and Hertfordshire Learning and Skills Council

Information, Guidance and Advice Protocol

March 2005