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	Using NVQs at key stage 4

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Writhlington School


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The school

Writhlington is an 11–18 comprehensive school with 1,100 students. The school has Business and Enterprise Specialist status and is situated in Radstock, a rural market town 10 miles from Bath.

Vocational curriculum

Because of the school’s Business and Enterprise Specialist status, all students take vocational courses at key stage 4. The curriculum is organised in six pathways: three specialist (creative and performing arts, business-related and industry-related), two non-specialist and one skills for working life pathway. Together with 15 periods of core subjects, these pathways give students a coherent programme of study.

Range of awards

The school offers a range of vocational qualifications at key stage 4, including GCSEs in applied business, applied information and communication technology (ICT), engineering and applied science; GNVQs in business, health and social care and ICT; and entry level BTEC qualifications in hospitality and catering and sport and recreation. In addition, within the skills for working life pathway, students follow OCR preparation for employment and BTEC skills for working life and accredited courses in key skills, young enterprise and first aid. Currently, the pre-16 curriculum is offered completely in-house.

Degrees of vocational specialism

GCSEs in applied business and applied ICT are offered as less specialised, ‘smaller’ alternatives to GNVQs within the business- and industry-related specialist pathways. GNVQs in business, ICT, engineering and health and social care provide a more specialised option. Applied science GCSE was introduced following the success of VCE Science post-16 and is targeted at students identified as high achievers on the single science course and low achievers on the double science course. GCSEs in vocational subjects are allocated between three and six timetabled periods, which compares to the time allocated for one to two GCSEs. Staff feel that this amount of time is adequate.

Entry level BTEC courses in hospitality and catering and sport and recreation were introduced to provide the new skills for working life pathway, with the aim of improving the achievement and retention of these students. In its first year, the skills for working life pathway was offered to students at risk of disaffection, but generally no distinction was made between the various pathways in terms of ability.

Achievement and progression

The success of both AVCE and GNVQ in raising achievement has certainly been a major factor in determining the school’s curriculum offer. However, establishing progression routes up and across the National Qualifications Framework has been of equal importance and is the first factor to be considered when introducing new courses. Every course offered is externally accredited and devised to improve student success. Option blocks are organised within pathways to give students choices among traditional and vocational GCSEs in a range of subjects. The vocational offer is funded entirely from the school’s budget though, in the case of science, funding has also been gained from Royal Society Partnership grants and Crest awards.

Strengths and successes

A number of factors contribute to the success of the school’s vocational provision.

Choice of courses

One of the guiding factors in the vocational provision is to keep the qualification structure simple. Key criteria in selecting alternatives were: a high degree of continuous assessment with short-term feedback; a good balance between coursework and examination; teacher control and flexibility in designing courses; component accreditation; an appropriate level of specialism and progression from levels 1 to 3. The BTEC courses have all been viewed as successful so far in reengaging students, improving their behaviour and attendance and in encouraging them to reevaluate their post-16 progression. All students understand that they are developing useful skills through their GNVQ and applied GCSE courses.

Student guidance

The success of these courses is largely due to targeting the right cohort of students. Students are guided in year 9 towards the most suitable pathway through a long process of both objective and subjective data analysis and parent, student, senior management and teaching staff interviews. This process seeks to identify the pathway that will give students the greatest success in terms of results. Courses are not advertised internally or externally as vocational or academic, so there is no stigma attached to vocational qualifications.

Staff expertise

The staff all have relevant teaching experience and either vocational experience in or close links with a related sector, as well as a flexible approach to teaching and learning. The school has introduced the Trident ‘Leading from the Middle’ management system. A mentoring system for staff is in place whereby a key member of staff, the head of enterprise, supports colleagues in the delivery of vocational courses. Awarding body training and visits to centres of good practice are also seen as key to staff development.

Resources

The head’s investment in success, with clear accountability for results placed on faculty heads, means that the required resources have always been made available to run courses well. Using IT resources, especially the internet, enabling independent learning and providing access to information have been important factors in the successful delivery of these courses. Designating sufficient time for course planning, allowing for changes over time as the content becomes familiar and evaluating delivery have also been critical to this success.

Vocational relevancy

All students in key stage 4 are guaranteed at least one week’s work experience over the two years linked to their vocational course. The high level of business-related enrichment on offer also introduces vocational relevance. Science courses use resources developed with specific organisations such as Kew Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Society. In business, the focus is on learning from actual businesses through speakers, work placements, business awareness days, business dynamics and young enterprise.

Timetabling

Timetabling is much easier with the pathway rather than subject option approach. The school adopts a blank page approach to timetabling so as not to limit possibilities and begins by establishing progression up and across the framework.

Retention

Student retention post-16 has improved enormously as the vocational curriculum offer has developed. In 2005, there were 130 students in the sixth form compared with a previous low of around 80. Teaching groups are thus viable in a broader range of subjects and attract particularly high numbers in VCE courses. For example, 48 per cent of post-16 students take VCE science.

Results

A*–C achievement has improved and continues to do so. Applied GCSE is seen as contributing to this achievement in a similar way as have GNVQs. For example, the 2004 target A*–C for applied ICT was 64 per cent, with achievement actually reaching 76 per cent, while in applied business the A*–C target was 40 per cent, with achievement actually reaching 54 per cent. GCSEs in vocational subjects and GNVQs have also given better value-added scores.

Challenges

The school identified the following challenges for vocational provision at key stage 4.

Vocational relevancy

Accessing resources for these courses through businesses has been challenging. Arranging quality work placements that are curriculum-related is seen as one of the major challenges for these courses at key stage 4. The school is adopting a number of strategies to tackle this challenge. Rather than all year 10 students going out on a work placement for one week at the end of the summer term, the school undertakes to provide all students with a two-week work placement linked to their business and enterprise vocational course during key stage 3. This means that a smaller number of students are out on work placements at any one time, enabling the careers teacher to find quality work placements directly linked to vocational areas that are being studied by the students. This also enables the students to complete pieces of coursework linked to their level 2 courses. The school develops stronger partnerships with a smaller number of businesses, who are in turn better able to work with the school over a longer period of time.

Cost

All courses are currently funded from the school’s budget. As a rural school, Writhlington is not able to bid for inner-city funding despite having challenging students in an area of industrial decline (mining). The organisation and cost of transport in this relatively remote rural area have been major issues. Increased flexibility funding did not meet the costs of this provision. The BTEC courses have been expensive to offer. Distance and the cost of travel were also issues in allowing staff to attend external training.

Staff attitudes

Developing staff support for vocational provision at key stage 4 has been vital to its success.

Assessment

Complicated assessment approaches and the administrative demands on students in managing their coursework portfolios are also challenges for the school.

Increased Flexibility Programme

Recent attempts to offer a GCSE in engineering in collaboration with the local college did not achieve the desired results and the course is now delivered in school.

Lack of flexibility

A full understanding of the course and the scope of subjects is essential to inform students’ choices. A lack of options within the course and an overemphasis on health and safety have detracted from the applied science course. Choosing the right first unit is critical in engaging students. Teaching units in an integrated way, as in GNVQ, is important to create variety.

Future plans

The school is looking towards a period of consolidation for the key stage 4 vocational curriculum. GCSEs in vocational subjects will be evaluated before further change is introduced.

GNVQs are being retained as long as possible in ICT, business and health and social care. It is likely that they will be replaced by OCR Nationals, which are felt to be more appropriate for school delivery than BTEC awards. These will be offered alongside GCSEs in applied business and applied ICT. The school will also expand the number of pathways to include design, technology and ICT and media arts specialisms.

Also See

Vocational Provision at key stage 4