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Using NVQs at key stage 4

School 1: Tailoring courses to maximise student achievement

This 11–18 school has 115 students in year groups 7 to 11. It has taken a work-focused approach to study with an emphasis on providing individually tailored courses to meet the needs and aspirations of young people. Students involved – about 20 per cent of key stage 4 students – have responded well to this approach.

At school, those on the work-related vocational course study: GCSE English, mathematics, French, science single award and religious education short course, careers, games, information and communication technology (ICT), skills for working life (Edexcel), applied GCSE business or health and social care.

The school benefits from strong links with a college that provides work-related learning for 350 key stage 4 students and another college specialising in land-based courses. Students spend a day a week in college studying one of the following: childcare, motor vehicle engineering, small animal care, construction (timber and brickwork), motor vehicle studies, hospitality/catering or hairdressing.

Students travel up to 17 miles by coach to college and are accompanied by teaching support assistants. Senior school staff have invested time in discussing with the students the correct way to behave on these long journeys and students have cooperated well.

Students obtain places on college courses following consultation interviews with the students, parents/carers, staff and Connexions service advisers. The Connexions personal advisers play an important part in this process. Year 9 students spend a day in college before choosing their courses. The Increased Flexibility Programme budget and the school cover travel costs and college charges.

Students are also timetabled for half a day a week in school for the teaching of skills for working life (Edexcel) by school staff.

Learning and assessment out of school is arranged to maximise opportunities for student achievement.

· As well as gaining the National Skills Profile, entry-level qualification (OCR) in hairdressing, two students achieved NVQ level 1 hairdressing units by joining a post-16 group on an ‘in-fill’ basis.
· Students taking childcare units of CACHE are awarded college certificates of achievement for units completed, which the college then credits if the students join the CACHE course post-16. The school considers this to be a very successful procedure.
· Students taking motor vehicle studies National Skills Profile (OCR) have the opportunity to achieve units of NVQ level 1 vehicle parts operations.
· Construction students taking the basic carpentry and joinery award (City & Guilds) spent a day a week in college and a further day a week on work placement and have achieved units of NVQ level 1 wood occupations.
· Hospitality and catering students achieve units of NVQ level 1 food preparation and presentation. As well as a day in college, two students attend a local training provider and are achieving further units by assessment in the workplace.

College 1: Reducing dropout through improved initial guidance and induction

This college provides land-based programmes from entry level to level 4. It offers realistic working environments in which students can learn, including a garden and public garden centre and a farm that provides experience in raising animals and using farm equipment. The college also has a lake, climbing wall, high ropes and working stables.

The college has offered programmes to 14- to 16-year-olds for more than 15 years. It decided to use its facilities to offer NVQ level 1 to this age group through the Increased Flexibility Programme. Ten local schools and employers joined the college in planning the provision. The schools are mixed comprehensives with students ages 11–18. The nearest school is six miles away and the farthest is 25 miles away. The college provides transport for the students.

The college initially offered NVQs in agriculture, horse care and sport and recreation (outdoor pursuits) to younger students attending one day a week and later extended the NVQs to include animal care, land-based operations and horticulture.

The students’ experiences are supplemented by visits to local businesses, including farms, garden centres, smallholdings, a country house and a donkey sanctuary. When students plan their two-week work placement, they are encouraged to seek a place in the same occupational area as their NVQ.

The college intake of key stage 4 students has grown to around 90. Groups vary in size between eight and 12. Students wear their school sweatshirt when travelling to the college and thereafter change into appropriate attire to comply with health and safety regulations.

There was some dropout among the first cohort of students. The college has since developed a system to improve the initial guidance that students receive before embarking on their chosen programme. The college held a ‘Taster Day’ for 150 students from local schools, during which they provided introductory sessions to all of the programme areas on offer. All college staff who are involved in the programmes participated. Students were expected to attend at least three introductory sessions in different programme areas. They then discussed their preferences and ideas with their teachers. Following this, they applied and had interviews with college staff.

Although a lengthy process, the results of this guidance and induction have been worthwhile. The students are highly motivated and focused on their work, and there has been hardly any dropout since its implementation.

All college staff that provide the NVQ programmes volunteer to teach this age group. College staff are designated to provide supervision of the key stage 4 students and some PGCE students support the programmes as part of their practical work. This provides valuable support for the 14- to 16-year-olds and good experiences for the trainee teachers.

A steering group, including a senior manager from each of the 10 schools, oversees the whole programme and meets once a term. In addition, schools have a telephone hotline to the college’s business development manager and the schools’ links coordinator to deal with everyday issues, such as absent students or late arrivals.

The views of the business development manager are:

‘There have been clear benefits to these programmes. Perhaps most importantly, it has raised the self-esteem of the students. They are there because they have chosen to be; they like the “grown-up” atmosphere, as well as the serenity of the college itself. Students also have access, under supervision, to the college’s wider facilities, like the library, computers and the swimming pool. There is also a certain status to their attending college when they return to their fellow students at school. A recent HMI report notes that student behaviour in college is good and that the college is very effective at managing students who, at other times, display poor behaviour.’

The college has also benefited. It has widened the range of skills of its staff, and the programme is expected to support recruitment. The college is also benefiting through the sharing of resources.

There are early signs that students are progressing to related vocational studies post-16.

School 2: Collaborating to offer work-related learning to more students

 This coeducational 11–18 community comprehensive is a specialist sports college and has 720 students on its role. The school is located in a neighbourhood regeneration area and has received related funding for a new sports complex and work-related learning programme. The school was lead partner in a consortium of two schools, a local college and a training provider. The consortium has been expanded to embrace all local secondary schools as part of a collaborative strategy being developed in the town.

The school provides a work-related programme coordinator and assistant head teacher, who liaises with all partners and oversees the year 11 programme for all schools, checking attendance and dealing with day-to-day issues. About 60 students from different schools take part in each of the year groups in the programme.

At the school, all key stage 4 students are timetabled for the compulsory part of the national curriculum for 80 per cent of the week. During the other 20 per cent of the timetable, some students follow the work-related programme, which is timetabled against two optional GCSEs, games and personal and social education.

In year 10 the work-related programme is timetabled over two days: two hours each week are spent at college or with the training provider and the other three hours in school on the work-related programme.

In year 11 the work-related programme is timetabled for one complete day, which is spent in college or with the training provider.

All students work towards the National Skills Profile, Entry Level (OCR). This provides a flexible structure, which can be adapted to meet the needs of individual students. There are six key skills – communication, information technology, learning, number, personal and practical work skills – which are taught mainly in school.

There are 13 vocational skills available in the qualification, of which seven are currently being offered: motor vehicle, hairdressing, and beauty and catering are offered at the college; construction (carpentry/bricklaying/painting and decorating), plumbing, retail, and garden design and landscaping are offered at the training provider.

Students choose two vocational areas to study and spend 18 weeks on each area. These are seen as taster courses. There are five modules in each course, each of which is assessed through a portfolio. Students can gain awards for modules or for the whole course, and are able to achieve at their own pace. Students choosing catering usually gain the essential food hygiene certificate (RHS) as well. Some students complete the National Skills Profile Award before the end of year 10 and start the year 11 programme early.

In year 11 students choose a vocational area on which they would like to focus. It is usually, but not always, one of the vocational courses studied in year 10.

At the training centre, the qualifications available are:

· NVQ level 1 building crafts occupations (CITB)
· NVQ level 1 wood occupations (CITB)
· NVQ level 1 trowel occupations (CITB)
· Intermediate construction award decorative occupations (CITB)
· basic painting and decorating skills award (C&G)
· basic bricklaying skills award (C&G)
· basic woodwork skills award (C&G)
· basic carpentry and joinery award (C&G) 
· NVQ level 1 distribution occupations (C&G).
 
At the local college, the awards available are:

· NVQ level 1 preparing and serving food (C&G)
· Progression Award motor vehicle repair and maintenance skills (C&G)
· NVQ level 1 hairdressing (C&G)

Staff from each school accompany the year 10 students to the college and training provider. At least one school staff member stays with students in each vocational area. They oversee the updating of the students’ portfolios and are responsible for some of the key skills teaching on return to school.

Year 11 students make their own way to the college or training provider. One member of staff has one session on her timetable to ensure that all is going well. All programme delivery and student assessment is carried out by staff at the college or training provider.

Funding for the extra costs of the work-related provision was first met through regeneration funds and then through a Learning Skills Council project. School budgets pay for school staff involved. In the initial five years, no Increased Flexibility Programme money was used directly to pay for this scheme.
 

College 2: Providing Guidance for tutors and promoting courses

College 2 has 1,000 full-time students and facilities to offer NVQs up to level 3 in hairdressing, catering, beauty therapy and many other vocational qualifications. The college has been involved with accredited work-based learning for 14- to 16-year-olds since 1997.

Over 200 key stage 4 students attend the college from seven schools, generally spending one day per week. Some year 10 students are taught partially in school and partially in college.

Together with another further education provider, the college has produced a comprehensive ‘Staff Handbook for Tutors of Pre-16 Students’, which considers topics such as budgets, free school meals and managing behaviour. It also explains its pre-16 policies regarding duty of care, child protection and discipline and the Service Level Agreement that it co-signs with all of its partner schools.

All key stage 4 students who attend the college one day per week undertake the skills for working life programme (Edexcel) at entry level in year 10 and at NVQ level 1 (or equivalent) in year 11. In year 10, students are involved in three generic units, including the health and safety unit of skills for working life and three specialist vocational units chosen from hairdressing, beauty therapy, hospitality and catering, health and social care and sport and recreation. Providing students make good progress and complete the prescribed units, they are registered for one of the following in year 11:

· NVQ level 1 hairdressing
· NVQ level 1 hospitality and catering
· BTEC Introductory Certificate in sport
· CACHE foundation in childcare or BTEC Introductory Certificate in health and social care
· NVQ level 1 in beauty therapy

The majority of year 10 students completed Edexcel’s skills for working life certificate within one year and embarked on an NVQ. The others achieved the certificate in year 11, also completing units towards an NVQ. In year 11, all practical elements are taught with the requirements of the NVQ level 1 in mind.

Up to five different schools send students to the college each day. Options are timetabled for key stage 4 students on a daily basis. Students are organised into teaching groups of 15. Part of the Service Level Agreement is that each school will provide teacher support in college for approximately 40 per cent of the time their students are in attendance.

The Increased Flexibility Programme budget met most of the costs of providing work-based learning in previous years but recent expansion of provision has meant that schools now have to meet a proportion of the costs. The schools are responsible for transport costs.

Students who are taught both in school and college take: NVQ level 1 food preparation and service units, the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene (RIPHH) basic food hygiene certificate, and GCSE food technology. This is a one-year programme (two hours per week). It culminates with the students preparing and serving a meal to their invited guests in the college bistro.

Realistic working environments are provided by the college’s own hairdressing salon and training restaurant. By the end of their two-year course, all year 11 students achieved hairdressing NVQ level 1 and skills for working life (hairdressing) entry level and 93 per cent progressed to further education or training.

In catering, access for key stage 4 students to the training restaurant is limited because post-16 students take up most of the college’s capacity. However, all 14- to 16-year-olds taking catering achieved level 1 NVQ and some achieved level 2 during their two-year course.

Guest Week

This innovation started as Guest Day and was so successful that it has now been expanded into an even more successful Guest Week (in January 2005 it was actually two weeks). During Guest Week, students are offered the opportunity to invite into college a family member to participate in the kind of activities in which the 14- to 16-year-olds are involved, or to be a client for them. For example, parents/carers might have their hair done by hairdressing students or be served a meal by catering students. Parents or carers also view students’ portfolios, talk to tutors and learn about post-16 college courses as well as possible course for themselves. Students take great pride in this event, parents and carers enjoy it and the college enhances its reputation and recruits more adult learners. Mid-January has proven to be the best time for this event.

School 3: Offering three routes to vocational qualifications and units

This is an 11–16 mixed comprehensive school of 504 students. One of the school’s principal aims is to enable all students to leave with at least five GCSEs and vocational and/or work-based qualifications and experience.

All students study English, mathematics and science to GCSE and their national curriculum entitlement in all other areas, such as careers. Optional subjects are GCSEs in business studies, French, geography, history, music, art, drama, physical education and graphics.

Following extensive discussions in year 9 among students, parents/carers and school staff, students start year 10 on one of three different routes, according to their aspirations and abilities. 

· Route 1 students (10 per cent of the cohort) study up to four more GCSEs and a vocational qualification. Some of these students will only complete units of the vocational qualification before leaving school but will have the opportunity to complete the full qualification post-16.

· Route 2 students (60 per cent) pursue seven GCSEs and a full vocational qualification.

· Route 3 students (30 per cent), who are academically more able, choose double award applied GCSE business or manufacturing as two of their nine GCSEs.
 
The vocational courses are allocated three hours per week out of 25 hours of teaching time. This is timetabled in one session with one hour before lunch and two after. After trying various other divisions of time, the school has found the one session split by lunch to be the best, since placement providers want the students/trainees in one session. The hour before lunch is in some cases suitable for teaching underpinning knowledge.

The work-based and vocational qualifications offered are:

NVQ hospitality and catering levels 1 and 2

In the first year this qualification was based entirely at a local college. In the second year half of the new students were placed with a local training provider and, by the third year, all year 10 students had been placed with the training provider. One week in four the students are based in school, where they are taught the underpinning knowledge (theory) by instructors from the training provider. The other three weeks are spent in work placements, which are found and vetted by the training provider. Training provider staff make on-the-job assessments.

Of 18 students in one cohort, five completed level 2 by the end of year 11, eight completed level 1 and four left with unit certification.

NVQ retail levels 1 and 2
This course is offered through a national training provider with many local bases: students attend the training providers centre for underpinning knowledge and receive extensive on-the-job assessment by training provider staff. This course has been particularly successful with students who are not keen on school. In one cohort of 11, six students left with level 1 qualifications and four completed units.

NVQ administration level 1
This qualification is run in a similar way as retail. The take-up rate is low and the few students ‘in-fill’ to a training provider’s existing apprenticeship provision.

Childcare
The CACHE qualification is offered in partnership with the national training provider. The course takes two years to complete, meaning that some students may achieve units rather than the full award. Students alternate every week between work placements and school, where training provider staff teach the underpinning knowledge. The school prefers this qualification over GCSE health and social care because it provides students with better preparation for a post-16 childcare qualification.

Construction
The school initially offered the building craft occupations construction award (City & Guilds) in partnership with a local college but the course is now entirely based in the school. The college has helped the school to build its own construction centre in two classrooms, where all of the facilities are now available for joinery, painting and decorating and bricklaying. The school now employs two instructors and offers the use of their construction centre and staff to other secondary and primary schools.

College 3: Establishing systems for encouraging achievement

This is a large further education college with 2,800 full-time students and 12,000 part-time students. The college offers specialist vocational courses in many areas and has provided work-based learning for 14- to 16-year-olds for many years.

The college provides 12 vocational courses for key stage 4 students with 12 and 18 places available on each course. Key stage 4 students come from 25 local schools and spend one full day a week in college timetabled for two years.

When students go on their work placement from school, for one or two weeks, they are required to undertake a place in the same occupational area as their course if at all possible.

The college provides any essential materials or clothing required for the course. There is a closing date for applications in April. All applicants are interviewed in May/June to assess their suitability. The college always receives more applications than there are places available. Students do not receive any special supervision at break or lunch times, unless provided by the schools (this normally occurs for students from special schools). This is made clear to schools, parents/carers and students as part of the Learners Agreement (to be signed by students and parents/carers) and School/College Service Level Agreement.
 
College staff have written a handbook for tutors teaching 14- to 16-year-olds in college.

Key features of the provision include:

· all courses are certificated
· acceptance to a course is by application and interview
· all tutors responsible for interviewing applicants are issued with guidelines for the interviews
· schools are issued with guidelines covering selection criteria for applicants and a Service Level Agreement is in place between schools and the college
· all referrals are made through the Schools Agency
· the application process and all stages of students’ progress are managed by the Schools Agency
· discrete groups are set up for day release provision
· the college provides set days for year 10 and year 11 students, and this schedule is kept for two years
· learning support is provided, where necessary
· attendance is monitored daily and reports are sent to schools at the end of each week
· unauthorised absentee students are normally contacted by telephone the same day
· standard forms are used for recording issues/problems that arise
· schools and parents/carers are made aware of any problems through a telephone call or letter
· a formal review system is in place, with reviews taking place at least four times a year
· a clear line of communication is in place, with key contact established at each school
· unit achievement is encouraged and certification made for achieving individual units
· good attendance is rewarded with a College Certificate of Achievement; there is also a Student of the Month recognition and prize of a gift voucher
· retention, achievement and progression of students are monitored and reported to college governors
· all staff are required to undertake an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check
· a range of funding sources is utilised, including Education Business Partnership, Increased Flexibility Programme and schools’ funding.

Courses offered include:

· Bakery – All students start at Certificate in food studies, Edexcel Entry level and receive a good introduction to both catering and bakery. Those who make good progress move on to the City & Guilds NVQ level 1 in food manufacture (bakery). Products made go into the college’s bakery shop for sale to paying members of the public. About 20 per cent of the time is spent in the classroom.

· Catering – NVQ level 1 food preparation and cooking involves the students preparing and serving food to paying customers in the college bistro. About 20 per cent of the time is in the classroom and the rest is practical work.

· Engineering – NVQ level 1 performing engineering operations is college-based and 20 per cent of the course is written work in a classroom. Assessment is by completion of a portfolio and practical work. Students’ project work is the building of a go-kart. A good understanding of mathematics and measurement is essential.

· Motor Vehicle – Students in IMI NVQ level 1 vehicle fitting spend one day a week for one term in college and the remaining time on placement in a garage that is found and checked by college staff. Assessment is by practical assessment in the garage and production of a portfolio.

· Motor Vehicle – Students on the ABC Technical Award in motor vehicle studies (light vehicle route) attend college for two years. The course is 50 per cent practical in the college workshops and 50 per cent classroom work. Assessment is by completion of a portfolio, two exams and practical assessment.

· Carpentry and Joinery – CITB’s foundation construction Award in carpentry and joinery is college-based, with 20 per cent of the time in the classroom. Assessment is by practical work, a portfolio and a one-hour written exam.

· Bricklaying – All students start on the Open College Network bricklaying course using the college’s bricklaying workshops. Students who make good progress move on to the CITB foundation construction Certificate in building craft operations, during which 15 to 20 per cent of time is classroom-based. Assessment is by practical work, portfolio and a one-hour written exam for the foundation craft award.

· Hairdressing – All students start on the Edexcel Entry level hair and beauty course in the college’s own salons and those who make good progress move onto City & Guilds NVQ level 1 hairdressing, normally in year 2. Over half of students progress to NVQ level 2 programme post-16, either through full-time college attendance or apprenticeships.

· IT – All students attend college one day a week in the first term to work towards NVQ level 1 using IT. For the remainder of the programme they go on work placement in an office found and vetted by the college staff. Assessment is carried out in the workplace by college staff and through completion of a portfolio.

· Childcare – The level 1 foundation in childcare CACHE is taught in the classroom and is not a practical course. Student assessment is carried out by assignments and an exam. In the last two years, 16 students have achieved the qualification.

· Step 2 Edexcel entry level 1 – This skills for working life course is for 14- to 16-year-olds with learning difficulties. The course combines basic catering (ie, making and serving food) with life skills. There is full support provided on the programme utilising both college and school support staff.

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Page updated: 12 June 2008
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