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	Using NVQs at key stage 4

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Toynbee School


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The school

Toynbee School is an 11 to 16 school with 1,048 students located in Eastleigh, Hampshire. In 2004/05 there were 221 students in year 10 and 215 in year 11. The school runs an Increased Flexibility Programme and has specialist status in sports.

Vocational curriculum

Vocational provision has developed over the past seven years in response to students’ needs. During the first phase the school focused on meeting the needs of those students who were least engaged with school-based education. Over the years vocational provision has been extended to all students on an optional basis. In 2005, 83 per cent of year 10 students took at least one vocational subject. Achievement across the range of vocational courses is good and students on vocational courses enjoy their studies and would recommend them to others.

The vocational curriculum offered by the school has developed in partnership with Sparsholt and Eastleigh Colleges. While the school recognises that vocational courses would benefit a wide range of ability, its initial focus was on providing NVQ courses for students who were disaffected, at risk of exclusion and had been struggling with the statutory curriculum for three years.

Since 2002, Toynbee has recognised four groups of learners within each year group:
· gifted and talented (GOATs, 30 per cent of year group)
· middle-ability students (54 per cent of year group)
· less-able students (14 per cent of year group)
· emotionally and behaviourally disturbed students (Blue Sky programme, 2 per cent of year group).

Groups 1 and 2 are offered the same core and option subjects but with differing levels of learner support. Group 3 students are offered a pathway of five core GCSEs plus two optional subjects as well as the ASDAN Bronze Youth Award. Since 1998, some of this group have been invited to join Club 2000, and in 2005 year 11 completed Club 2005.

The Group 4 programme runs throughout years 10 and 11 and initially involves one day off site to take NVQ courses at college plus additional support lessons in school. These students undertake qualifications as part of their work-related education programme in school, such as certificates in health and safety, basic food hygiene and first aid and ASDAN’s bronze award and foundation for work.

As the programme progresses, more time can be spent in college or on work placements. Flexibility is the hallmark of this provision with the aim of ensuring that students are kept motivated and engaged until the course is completed. The rich programme of accreditation makes these students more employable and is valued by students who are aware that these options are only available to those students opting for the work-related learning pathway.

Emotional and behaviourally disturbed students are targeted by a work-related coordinator for the Blue Sky programme, which is similar in content to Club 2000. Those students who are not ready for college are offered an alternative curriculum within school and may eventually move to college and work experience as the course progresses.

The school currently offers a wide range of NVQs (level 1) through local colleges, including horticulture, horse care, agriculture, motor vehicle, perfuming engineering operations, built environment operations, beauty, administration and CLAIT, public service, hospitality and catering, care and sport and leisure. There are 37 students in year 10 and 31 in year 11 involved in the NVQs.

The school welcomed vocational GCSEs as ‘stretching’ awards that offered vocational relevance for middle- and higher-ability students. The school offers GCSE in applied art and design and has been running engineering GCSE in conjunction with a local college since September 2005. In addition, 140 students in year 10 and 84 students in year 11 currently are taking GNVQ information and communication technology (ICT); of these, around a third (generally the more able students) take this as an additional option and attend after-school classes.

The range of vocational provision within the school ensures that vocational qualifications are not seen as being of lower status, suitable only for lower achievers. The GCSE in applied art and design is timetabled as two options (ie two double and two single 50-minute lessons) and seen as a demanding course for more-able artists and students. The engineering GCSE planned for next year has been targeted at more-able students who have indicated an interest in higher-level technology education through their careers education.

The school uses the Varndean scheme to support the delivery of ICT GNVQ and timetable the course as a single option. This strategy has the full support of the ICT team and has enabled students to undertake more optional subjects within school time. It has also lead to a considerable expansion of take-up of ICT subjects, which is now seen as a subject for everyone rather than the domain of technologists. Next year the school plans to withdraw the GNVQ and offer students Edexcel’s diploma in digital applications, which it will timetable as a double award.

Strengths and successes

Understanding students’ needs

The success of Toynbee’s vocational provision stems from the school’s thorough understanding of students’ needs and its willingness to respond to them. The school endeavours to do its best for all its key stage students, whether this means developing extension AS classes for more-able students or ensuring that Club 2000 students get access to the NVQ courses that motivate them. Students recognise this commitment and respond positively to it.

Skills and commitment

The main strength of the school is the commitment and skills of its management and staff, all of whom make distinct contributions to the success of the vocational curriculum. The school managers identify the future learning needs of students, develop appropriate curriculum to meet these needs and involve motivated staff in delivering the curriculum. Subject teachers make efforts to extend their own vocational experiences in order to develop vocationally relevant lessons. The work-related learning coordinator has championed the need for more flexible approaches to learning delivery with college partners who are unfamiliar with the learning needs of 14–16 students, many of whom have behavioural problems.

Targeted learning support

Most important, teachers and coordinators provide targeted support for students on different vocational courses. School management plays its role in this, for example by ensuring that work-related learning coordinators are not timetabled to teach in school when students attend college courses, so that they can support these students as necessary. The shared vision and commitment of staff create a strong sense of team spirit and respect within the school.

Partnerships with colleges

The school has developed excellent partnerships with the Sparsholt and Eastleigh Colleges and these are sustained through regular liaison between the colleges and their respective coordinators within the school. In particular the school has been impressed by conscientious and caring college staff from Sparsholt College who keep the school informed of students’ progress and by college leaders who have fostered developments towards increased flexibility. Sparsholt College has received an award for outstanding increased flexibility provision.

Careers education

Careers education activities within the school build up through years 7 and 8 to a decision-making course in year 9, which looks at implications of course choices for progression. This process appears to familiarise the students with the prospect of vocational provision from an early stage. As key stage 3 progresses, theatre groups come in to school to look at course options and the school runs inter-tutor group quizzes on courses and careers through assemblies, tutorial time and question-and-answer sessions. Students use computer programmes (eg KUDOS and S-cool) to help develop their self-awareness and knowledge of their own skills. This leads on to a programme in year 10 called ‘Plan-IT’ through which students plan work experience that builds on their previous careers education activities.

Evaluation

The school evaluates its vocational provision. Students on ICT GNVQ achieved a 100 per cent pass rate. Students taking NVQs completed their courses and achieved their qualifications; many progressed to further courses and apprenticeships. Student surveys show that 96 per cent of students got all four of their option choices. This is a positive reflection of the effort that is put into ensuring that the school timetable meets students’ needs.

Student surveys have provided the school with powerful information regarding areas for improvement and development. For example the survey of the current year 9 students revealed that six students were interested in doing engineering related occupations. This information enabled the deputy head teacher to suggest that the technology department might wish to offer the vocational GCSE in engineering GCSE for the more-able students.

Timetabling

Where possible, the school aims to timetable students on work-related learning with other students for the core subjects so they have an opportunity to mix with the wider community of students. This means that the school has to run all other option subjects on the same days that Club 2000/Blue Sky students are at college, so that they do not miss out on any of their core subjects when in school. While it would be easier to timetable core subjects for NVQ students separately, this would not be in keeping with the school’s inclusive ethos and its commitment to ensuring that the transitions between school and college and back to school run smoothly.

Budgeting

The school invests heavily in its vocational provision as increased flexibility funding is limited. Vocational GCSEs are timetabled as two options, which leaves time to develop the vocational relevance of courses. Group sizes are kept to 14 to 15 for Club 2000/Blue Sky students, resulting in increased staffing costs. Also, teachers often escort these students when they attend college courses to provide them with additional support and also provide support for college staff, who are less familiar with the needs of learners in this age group.

After-school programme

An extensive after-school programme offers opportunities for extension studies, additional subjects and catch-up lessons and plays a considerable role in providing access to vocational education to students who have selected four academic options. The ICT GNVQ has proven a popular course among students and staff and has achieved a 100 per cent success rate. It has offered a significant opportunity to extend vocational options for all students through the after-school courses.

Effective recruitment

Students on the work-related learning programmes express a high level of satisfaction with their college courses and the high completion rates suggest that the school is recruiting the right students to these programmes. The staff investment in identifying the right students to target has been central to this success, as have the efforts of the work-related coordinators with partner colleges. As a result, students who might have been expected to drop out of school are evidently now enjoying their vocational courses, keen to recommend NVQ courses to others and committed to taking further college courses or apprenticeships on leaving school.

Challenging issues

Funding and costs

Funding is a major issue for the school. Increased Flexibility funding only partially funds NVQ and Blue Sky courses, so these are a considerable drain on school resources. Toynbee has falling school rolls, which also places considerable budgetary pressure on the school. As a result, the school has had to reduce by nearly half the number of places available on the work-related education programme next year and may face some staff redundancies.

Other cost-related issues include the cost of transport to venues and paying for visitors. Frequent requests for donations cause resentment among students and have a negative effect on equality of access. Such problems may be overcome by a dedicated school vocational fund that would not place additional demands on the arts capitation, as is now the case. However, this is unlikely at present given other budgetary restraints. ICT resources within the school have been stretched to their maximum and are now in need of complete replacement; this is due to take place over the summer.

Lack of exemplar material

Within the applied art and design GCSE the most challenging problems have been a lack of good exemplar material at the start of the course and a lack of industrial experience among staff. The latter was addressed through day placements for staff in an advertising agency organised by Solent Skillsquest, the local education business partnership.

Location of college partner

Although the partnerships with local colleges have been exemplary, the rural location of one college raised issues about the advisability of sending unsupervised students (some of whom have behavioural problems) on a coach to college. The school now sends teachers to accompany students on the coach and is looking at whether groups in the future should travel by minibus. This would mean an increased commitment in terms of teacher time and costs and the minibus would not be available to the rest of the students during such trips.

Recognition of vocational qualifications within attainment tables

While the achievement of students on NVQ courses is highly valued, these achievements have not as yet contributed to the school’s attainment in league tables. Students taking these courses also take fewer GCSEs, so that, in terms of league tables, offering these awards may have a slightly negative impact on the school’s overall attainment. However, this situation will be rectified when these achievements are recognised in school league tables next year.

Developing work-related curriculum within all subjects

Finally, the school would like to develop the work-related curriculum within all subjects as this would be motivating for many of its students. Poor literacy among boys is an ongoing issue for the school and this could be tackled effectively through work-related learning within, for example, English or drama subjects. However, this would take additional investment to develop and deliver, which is not possible within current budgetary restrictions.

Future plans

ICT developments

The school has replaced the ICT GNVQ with Edexcel’s diploma/certificate/award of digital applications. Certification in digital applications will be offered through key stage 4 after-school classes. The full Diploma in digital applications will be delivered as a double option (ie six sessions of 50 minutes). The school is keen to prioritise the development of appropriate work placements in order to increase work-relatedness of the course and intends to use Varndean materials as these become available.

Key stage 3 acceleration

Key stage 3 acceleration is an area for ongoing development within the school. The school intends to deliver the Award in digital applications to year 9 students with the opportunities for early accreditation. The school is likely to extend these opportunities to media-related awards as the new vocational qualifications become more established.

Engineering GCSE

The school has offered engineering GCSE since September 2005 and delivers the course mostly on site, with one unit being delivered in the summer of year 10 through a local college. This will be targeted at the more-able students, as feedback from colleges and schools in local vocational steering groups suggests that the engineering GCSE suits those students with level 5+ SATs.

ICT key skills

The school plans to reintroduce ICT key skills for students who are taking only one ICT course one period a week, as colleges value ICT key skills more than the short course GCSEs.

Work experience for teachers

The school would like to provide work experience opportunities for teachers through use of Solent Skillsquest/EBP links with employers, while not wishing to disrupt student’s learning through excessive use of teaching cover.

Extend work-related curriculum

The school plans to extend the work-relatedness of other subjects as a means of motivating students and has the support of its partner colleges in this effort. For example, the school is involving Sparsholt College in its science curriculum by encouraging students to collect data about cow’s milk as part of investigation.

Outdoor education

In the medium to long term, the school would like to maximise use of its outdoor education resources, deliver outdoor education and personal development courses to other schools and colleges and act as a hub for such activities locally, for example by offering day or residential courses.

Offer more NVQs on site

In the longer term, the school would like to offer more NVQs on site. With appropriate investment, the school could envisage opening a travel and tourism centre, a beauty parlour and an engineering workshop within the school grounds. Partner colleges have expressed a willingness to help deliver more of this curriculum within schools as some students find college attendance unsettling. However, additional funding would be necessary to develop facilities and appropriate expertise.

Also see

Vocational provision at key stage 4