New “stepping-stone” learning to help thousands of pupils
9 Feb 2010 01:41 PM
More than 30,000 pupils aged 14 and 15 who need extra time and support to reach GCSEs, Diplomas or Apprenticeships are to benefit from personalised help after the Government announced a £20m investment in new Foundation Learning, a key part of the 14-19 reforms.
Every local authority in England will deliver Foundation Learning – dubbed “stepping-stone” learning because its bite-size, flexible structure is tailored to individual needs and gives pupils a boost to get to Level 2 (GCSEs, Apprenticeships and Diplomas) – from September 2010 after successful pilot schemes in 22 areas. (Local authority allocations are at the end of the press notice.)
The types of additional help pupils will get include:
• specialist teaching, often with a vocational focus
• personal tuition in school
• small-size classes
• extra support for maths, English and ICT
• learning mentors
• improved personal and social development opportunities
• off-site work-based provision, including with colleges and training providers
Many pupils will do GCSEs or a Foundation Diploma, for instance, alongside their personalised Foundation Learning programme, as well as elements of the national curriculum.
Schools Minister Iain Wright, who made the announcement today on a visit to Clapton Girls’ Technology College, an 11-19 school in Hackney, east London, said:
“We are making historic reforms at 14-19 level, and Foundation Learning is a vital element of this programme.
“It’s so important we give proper, personalised support to those young people who need it and the great strength of Foundation Learning is that pupils’ options are kept open – when they really start to achieve, and their ambitions grow, then they can move on to Diplomas, GSCEs or Apprenticeships.
“The pilots have shown us there’s really strong demand for Foundation Learning and there’s growing evidence that it has a very positive impact on young people’s attainment.”
Today’s £20m investment is development money, for Key Stage 4, to help get Foundation Learning established in every local authority. The allocations reflect the numbers of pupils not achieving Level 2 by age 16. In the longer term it is expected that schools will fund it from their Dedicated Schools Grant. Local authorities will work with schools and their 14-19 partnerships to decide how best to use the money in 2010/11.
Evaluations of Foundation Learning from a sample of students in 2008-09 have indicated that it has a positive impact on the engagement, motivation and attainment of students taking part in the programme.
Analysis indicates Foundation Learning could be appropriate for around a quarter of all young people aged 14 to 19 each year. All areas will be expected to deliver some Foundation Learning for 14 to 19 year olds by September 2010 with delivery scaling up from 2011/12.
The national roll-out of Foundation Learning is the Government’s latest move towards raising the participation age (RPA), which will see all 17-year-olds from 2013 and all 18-year-olds from 2015 staying in education or training. The RPA Delivery Plan was published in December.
Cheryl Day, head of Clapton Girls’ Technology College, said:
“Personalising learning to meet the needs of all of our students is the key to success at Clapton Girls’ Technology College. Our school provides a variety of pathways so that all learners can make excellent progress and ultimately gain the qualifications they aspire to. Foundation Learning is one pathway that offers appropriate provision for targeted students who respond to specific high quality learning opportunities. Other students will be following pathways that lead them to university or further learning via an academic or vocational route.”
Steve Belk, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Learning and Standards at the Learning Trust in Hackney, said:
“The quality of education available to 14-19 year olds in Hackney has improved dramatically over recent years, highlighted by the DCSF’s own data that showed the borough last year achieved the nation’s biggest improvement for 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C (or equivalent).
“To support continued and sustained success, Hackney is now using Foundation Learning to help students seeking a more tailored approach to their education. Our Foundation Learning pilot is a great success and we are already seeing students progress at an accelerated rate. We see Foundation Learning as a key strand of our 14-19 strategy in the borough and have already identified future cohorts likely to benefit significantly from this type of programme.”
Dr John Dunford, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said:
“ASCL members have welcomed the development of Foundation Learning and are keen to see it made available to all schools and colleges for students aged 14-19. We believe it has the potential to engage many young people in practical learning which is relevant to them and their future lives and, in particular, we like the flexibility it provides to tailor the curriculum to their individual needs.
“ASCL has always believed that young people should be able to progress through this period of education at a pace which is right for them and Foundation Learning will help some of them to take the time they need to develop their skills as well as enabling them to progress to other courses, such as Diplomas or Apprenticeships, when they are ready.”
Sue Hawthorn, Chair of LEACAN, the 14-19 local authority network, said:
“All young people should get the opportunities and the support they need to achieve and progress. The successful development of Foundation Learning across the 14-19 phase is crucial in order to ensure that the overall learning system has something to offer for everyone. Foundation Learning is designed so that there is an expectation that, wherever possible, learners are able to move on to Level 2 programmes – Diplomas, GCSEs and Apprenticeships.
“Local Authorities’ new responsibility for commissioning 16-19 learning creates a unique opportunity to make a reality of this vision, with learners being able to follow coherent pathways that continue to meet their needs and aspirations as they move from one institution/setting/phase to another
Paul Warner, Director of Employment and Skills at the Association of Learning Providers, said:
“The development of Foundation Learning, as a key part of the 14-19 reforms, is crucial to the vision around the raising of the participation age: bringing coherence and recognition to provision for those young people who need more time or support to reach Level 2 and the lifelong benefits that follow.
“These learners often respond best to the kind of practical, engaging and innovative approaches adopted by the wide range of learning providers we represent. Together, we are ready and willing to play our full part in making a reality of Foundation Learning, the wider 14-19 reforms and the raising of the participation age.”
Peter Little OBE, Chair-designate of Skill, National Bureau for Students with Disabilities said:
“Foundation Learning offers disabled young people real opportunities to realise their aspirations. Learners with special educational needs or learning difficulties and/or disabilities will benefit from an inclusive and flexible learning offer tailored to their needs and recognising their achievements. They will be able to make progress in manageable steps and consolidate their learning within a national programme.
Skill wants to work with DCSF and other partners to ensure schools and post 16 providers make the most of this opportunity, for the benefit of all learners whether in mainstream or specialist settings.”
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. Young people on Foundation Learning are expected to follow tailored learning programmes that will lead them towards a specific goal, wherever possible GCSEs, Diplomas or Apprenticeships. (Together, these are the 4 learning routes at the heart of the 14-19 reforms.) Broad, coherent and personalised Foundation Learning pathways include vocational or subject learning, personal and social development, and Functional Skills (maths, English and ICT). The Qualifications and Credit Framework allows for flexible and inclusive recognition of learners’ achievements. For more information, see http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/foundationlearning
2. The funding will be used in a range of settings including mainstream schools, pupil referral units (PRUs) and special schools. About half of those 14-19 year olds who could benefit from Foundation Learning have special education needs or learning difficulties or disabilities, while others may be at risk of disengaging from learning.
3. The £20m allocated for Foundation Learning at Key Stage 4 in 2010/11 builds on previous funding for the Key Stage 4 Engagement programme. This was a precursor to Foundation Learning, delivered in almost all local authorities but focused only on disengaged young people aged 14 to 16 in the bottom third of the cohort in terms of attainment, and with less emphasis on recognition and progression.
4. The Foundation Learning 14-19 pilots are running in 22 areas – Barking and Dagenham, Birmingham, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Devon, Doncaster, Durham, Hackney, Hampshire, Knowsley, Leicester, Leicestershire, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Sheffield, Southwark, Surrey, Swindon, Wigan and Wirrall.
5. In the post-16 sector, Foundation Learning has been phasing in since 2008/9. From September 2010, all post-16 provision this level is expected to be delivered as Foundation Learning, supported by LSC/YPLA demand-led ‘Learner Responsive’ funding.
6. The delivery plan “Raising the Participation Age: Supporting all local areas to deliver” follows on from the Education and Skills Act 2008, which placed a duty on young people to participate in education and training until 17 from 2013 and until their 18th birthday from 2015. It can be found here: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-01134-2009
7. See also http://www.guardian.co.uk/participation-age for an overview of RPA and the 14-19 reforms, including Foundation Learning.
click here for table of LA allocations for KS4 Foundation Learning in 2010/11
Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk