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	Vocational provision at key stage 4
	Investigating the costs and benefits of vocational qualifications at key stage 4
	Choosing which vocational qualifications to offer in key stage 4
	Using NVQs in key stage 4

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Investigating the costs and benefits of vocational qualifications at key stage 4


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Introduction

Whether you are seeking to extend your existing vocational provision or thinking about vocational qualifications for the first time, it is essential that you take the time to develop a thorough rationale for your proposals. This should consider the strengths and weaknesses of existing provision, the benefits of proposed changes, the options available and how these might be financed. This guidance addresses these questions and will help you establish a case for change.

What is your current position?

The following questions can help you review how your curriculum is meeting current needs and establish a rationale for developing your vocational provision.

How has your school developed an informed understanding of the needs and aspirations of students?
How do students’ needs inform the curriculum/learning opportunities offered?
How does the school use labour market data to inform curriculum decisions?
How does the proportion of students achieving five A*–C grade GCSEs influence decisions about offering vocational qualifications?
How does the school ensure that sufficient emphasis, time and resources are placed on ensuring appropriate learning opportunities and progression for all students, compared to the efforts placed on achieving GCSE results?
How is the timetable managed to facilitate learning across all subjects and qualifications?
How are teaching staff and parents/carers informed about all of the learning and progression opportunities available to students?
What structures and staff are in place to support the development of Individual Learning Plans?
In addition to subject teaching, what curriculum provision is in place to foster personal development and how is it managed?
How does the school ensure that the consequences of not offering students an appropriate range of learning programmes are considered when setting school improvement planning priorities (for example the impacts on cost, achievement, behaviour and inclusion)?
How does the school plan to introduce and manage changes to the curriculum so that coherence and cost-effectiveness are maximised?

What are the benefits of developing vocational learning?

A number of measurable benefits arise from the involvement of students in appropriate vocational and work-related activities. These include:

improved motivation and engagement in learning
achievement of vocational/occupational qualifications
higher achievement in other qualifications being studied at school
improved behaviour and attitude towards school
improved attendance
higher retention rates and lower dropout rates from the 14–16 phase
enhanced progression into post-compulsory education and training
development of skills that support confidence, personal effectiveness and self esteem
development of a positive view of the future in terms of ambition and purpose
less time spent on pastoral support and behaviour management and associated cost savings.

These benefits do not arise for all students in all circumstances but they can be substantiated through a range of research and evaluation evidence.

There is no comparable research evidence regarding the impact of not taking part in vocational learning on students’ engagement, motivation and achievement. However, it is reasonable to suggest that more students would be disaffected, unmotivated and disengaged if vocational courses were not offered.

What types of vocational learning could you offer?

To encourage achievement and maximise opportunities for progression, it is important that courses offered to key stage 4 students lead to recognised qualifications.

Many such qualifications exist and these are often classified into three types.

General qualifications refer to those that relate to specific subjects such as GCSEs in science, history, music, design or technology. These mainly involve theoretical study and are designed for delivery within schools in key stage 4.

Vocational qualifications provide a broad introduction to a particular vocational area such as manufacturing, art and design or health and social care.

Examples of vocational qualifications include GCSEs in vocational subjects, BTEC Firsts and OCR Nationals. In general these awards provide a vocational context for learning theory and offer some opportunities for practical work.

Key stage 4 students take these awards through full-time attendance in school, part-time attendance at college or a training provider or a combination of school and college/training provider attendance.

NVQs and other occupational qualifications are related to specific jobs and based on the knowledge and skills needed in those jobs. These relate to occupational areas such as administration, commercial horticulture, food preparation and cooking, retail operations and use of information technology.

Courses leading to NVQs have a practical emphasis on developing the skills and knowledge required to carry out specified work-related tasks.

Key stage 4 students can work towards these awards through part-time courses at colleges or training providers and work based-learning and assessment. In some cases, schools can offer these learning opportunities.

The DfES approves awards that have been approved for use with pre-16 students. These are listed on the Section 96 website. Schools are strongly advised to check this website to ensure that only valid qualifications are considered for key stage 4 students.

What delivery options are available to schools?

The decision to offer courses within schools or in partnership with other institutions often depends on the resource requirements of the course and the likely number of students that would make such a course viable.
However, the learning preferences of students can have a significant impact on the success or otherwise of vocational provision. While many students may welcome the opportunity to undertake vocational courses in a familiar school environment, others may prefer the opportunity to study outside of school. These preferences can influence how motivated students are to learn and have an impact on retention and achievement levels.
The quality of the guidance and support provided to help students choose appropriate courses can improve the match between learners’ needs and appropriate provision and result in low dropout rates from courses. Schools need to monitor the effectiveness of the guidance provided whether vocational provision is offered within or outside the school.
The following discussion of options for providing vocational learning will help you consider the different strategies available and the implications of each.

Option 1 Offer vocational courses and qualifications within school or in partnership with other schools

Many schools offer courses leading to qualifications such as GCSEs in vocational subjects, BTEC Firsts or OCR Nationals to key stage 4 students.

In some cases there will be a demand to run vocational courses in schools but either insufficient numbers or inadequate resources to do so. In such cases schools may wish to investigate opportunities to work in partnership with other schools. Schools can recruit external key stage 4 students to existing vocational courses or arrange opportunities for internal students to attend vocational courses in other schools.

Wherever partnership arrangements are developed, care must be taken to specify and record the roles of partners and individuals with respect to learner support, guidance, learning and assessment and associated administration.

Development and review questions

Which vocational courses best suit the needs of key stage 4 students?
Would students prefer to study vocational courses within or outside of school?
Do student numbers make running such courses within school viable?
What staffing and physical resources are required to offer these courses?
How do the physical resources of the school and the experiences and expertise of existing staff compare with these requirements?
What plans are in place to address any gaps in resources?
How many lessons will be timetabled for these courses to ensure that adequate opportunities for vocational learning are provided?
What opportunities will students be given in the courses to directly access relevant vocational contexts in order to make the learning realistic?
How will vocational courses be integrated with other courses taken by students?
What arrangements are in place to monitor the effectiveness of course guidance and investigate course dropout?
What opportunities exist to work with other local schools to increase the range of vocational courses available for students and/or achieve greater economies of scale?
Where schools are working together, what partnership arrangements have been agreed?

Option 2 Offer NVQs or other occupational qualifications within school or in partnership with other schools

Occupational qualifications, such as NVQs, recognise the skills and knowledge that people use in the workplace. At key stage 4 most learning associated with NVQs is delivered through colleges and training providers, with assessment taking place during work placements.

However, in some cases NVQs can be delivered through work environments that naturally occur within schools. For example, school administration offices, IT help desks, canteens and kitchens can provide opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate occupational skills and knowledge, given an appropriate level of resources.

In some cases schools build their own facilities to enable vocational learning, for example construction workshops. Students can combine learning within these settings with work placements and work-based assessment. Such facilities are sometimes supported by colleges, in particular where colleges can offer key stage 4 students only limited access to college facilities.

As with NVQ programmes run by colleges, training providers or employers, it is essential that staff involved in school-based delivery have relevant occupational expertise and assessment. In most cases, existing teaching staff will not be able to offer this. In such cases, schools may consider employing instructors with relevant occupational experience and assessment qualifications to run in-house schemes. Where existing teachers do have relevant occupational experience, opportunities to update competencies can be fostered through the use of teacher placement schemes.

Where effective NVQ provision has been established within schools, opportunities may exist for offering access to this provision to other schools. This can help widen students’ access to these awards and offer schools opportunities for maximising economies of scale.

As with Option 1, schools are encouraged to consider whether students would prefer taking NVQs within or outside of the school and investigate which environment would likely lead to higher student retention and achievement.

Development and review questions:

How does the quality of physical resources and experience and expertise of teaching staff compare to that required to meet occupational standards?
What plans does the school have to address any gap between existing resources and qualification requirements?
How might the school recruit staff with appropriate occupational expertise? For example, has the school considered buying in additional resources from colleges or training providers, employing individuals with specific occupational skills (such as crafts people) or employing peripatetic trainers and assessors who work across a number of centres?
If people such as engineers, construction supervisors or hairdressers are recruited to ensure the application of real-world experience and knowledge to courses, what training and development would they need to ensure a full understanding of current qualifications and assessment requirements?
What arrangements have been established to ensure appropriate access to work placement, work-based learning and assessment?
How has the need to appoint staff with more occupationally relevant skills than qualified teachers contributed to management of staff costs and workforce reform?
Would students prefer to work towards NVQs within or outside of school?
Would student attainment and achievement likely be higher if NVQ courses were delivered within or outside of school?
What arrangements are in place to monitor the effectiveness of course guidance and investigate course dropout?
What opportunities exist to work with other local schools to widen access to courses leading to NVQs, increase the range of vocational courses available for students and/or achieve greater economies of scale?
Where schools are working together, what partnership arrangements have been agreed?

Option 3 Provide vocational and/or occupational courses through partnerships with colleges, training providers or employers

Partnering arrangements between schools and colleges vary considerably. In general, colleges offer students opportunities to access occupationally specific provision, such as NVQs, but many also offer more general vocational courses such as BTEC Firsts or OCR Nationals.

There has been an increase in the number of school/training provider partnerships recently as the demand for 14–16 places has exceeded college capacity. Local Learning and Skills Councils can provide schools with information about the local training providers.

Recent changes to the achievement and attainment tables mean that the outcomes of vocational courses are likely to be of greater significance to schools than they had been previously. This means that schools may wish to monitor closely the levels of accreditation offered by external courses as well as the likelihood of attainments within the time available.

The quality of the advice and guidance process can improve the match between learners’ needs and appropriate provision and can result in low dropout rates from courses. Schools may wish to investigate the effectiveness of current arrangements by following the progress of students placed with partner institutions, investigating course dropout and ensuring that arrangements are in place to update advice and guidance provision.

Many of the benefits arising from vocational learning can be linked to the fact that some students are kinaesthetic learners who respond well to ‘learning by doing’ in practical situations. Most vocational awards offer some opportunities for practical activities, although some have a more theoretical focus. Schools may wish to ensure that courses offered to key stage 4 students include appropriate opportunities for practical activities and learning by doing.

Development and review questions:

What is the process for agreeing which courses to offer through partnerships?
Does this process strike an appropriate balance between what can be offered by the partner provider(s) and learners’ needs?
What levels of accreditation are offered and what is the prospect for completion and achievement in the time available?
How do advice and guidance arrangements help students choose the right courses?
Are arrangements in place to investigate course dropout and update advice and guidance provision appropriately?
What arrangements are in place to ensure that courses offer appropriate opportunities for practical activities and learning by doing?
Is the curriculum support available in school appropriate for students involved in out-of-school learning?
Have steps been taken to ensure that students involved in out-of-school learning are not disadvantaged?

How can these courses/programmes be financed?

Schools need to consider how to integrate vocational provision with other strategic initiatives within the school and how this provision will be funded. There are a number of different ways in which courses can be funded, with differing implications for their sustainability and management. The following section outlines some of these options and possible implications. You can use them to help you consider which option presents the most appropriate approach for your school. Bear in mind that many schools use a combination of models to fund different vocational courses.

Option 1 Depend on external funding from short-term projects and grants

Planning for such an approach is short-term and does not support the development of long-term strategies for vocational learning.

Option 2 Prioritise support for vocational provision from core funding

This funding model reflects the greatest level of commitment to making vocational learning available to all and is likely to maximise benefits for learners and schools.
Broadening learning opportunities results in real additional costs arising from management, coordination, transport and smaller group size.
This option requires a coherent approach to implementing major change.
This option increases the importance for schools of integrating vocational provision with other strategic initiatives, such as the 14–19 agenda, inclusion, personalised learning, work-related learning, the personal development curriculum and reform of the workforce.

Option 3 Use non-teaching staff to manage, coordinate and provide student support for programmes

This can be done through the use of support staff, industrial mentors, teaching assistants or youth workers.
This option offers potential cost savings on salaries.
It provides a means of involving staff who have recent vocational experience acquired in the workplace.
There are training and development implications to this option, as all staff involved in course delivery need to be fully aware of the course learning and assessment requirements.
Staff who do not have a background in education may relate to students and employers/placement providers in different ways than teachers.

Option 4 Agree costs and coordinate out-of-school provision to achieve savings on teacher salary costs

The costs of out-of-school provision for vocational/occupational courses vary considerably, but these costs must be realistic and affordable if provision is to be sustainable.
Schools need to consider the full range of alternative suppliers, for example local training providers as well as colleges.
To support sustainability, a saving on current teacher salary costs often has to be made. This could result when a group of at least 20 students is involved in out-of-school learning on the same day.
- For example, with a notional teacher salary plus on-costs of £40,000, the cost of a teacher for one day a week per year (.2) equals £8,000.
- At a rate of £400 per student for one day of out-of-school learning, this saving on teacher salary costs could pay for a group of 20 students.
However, with small numbers of students involved in out-of-school provision, savings on teacher salary costs are unlikely and provision will remain an additional cost.
Provision is effectively coordinated to achieve viable numbers and facilitate a saving on salary costs.
Timetables have been aligned within and across institutions (where an extended partnership is involved) to allow students following different programmes to be out of school at the same time, therefore achieving some economy of scale.

Next steps

The focus within this section of the guidance is on developing the strategic case for vocational provision.

For guidance on choosing appropriate types of vocational qualifications to offer pre-16.

Also see

> Choosing which vocational qualifications to offer in key stage 4