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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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Using NVQs in key stage 4


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Introduction

Many young people are attracted to work-based qualifications because of the opportunity they offer for skills development within the workplace. For such students National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) can offer an appropriate qualification target.

NVQs are sometimes described as occupational qualifications as they relate to the knowledge and skills required for a specific job. NVQs are awarded to students who provide evidence of competence in a work-based situation. They are based on national occupational standards and are not time-limited or age-restricted.

NVQs can be taken by employees, including apprentices, or by school and college students who have a work or training placement. Assessment takes place in the workplace. The qualification is unit-based, and the number and size of units vary among occupational areas. A unit is achieved when a candidate is assessed as competent in applying the skills and knowledge specified in that unit.

The implementation of the Increased Flexibility Programme and Young Apprenticeships has led to an increase of interest in NVQs among the 14–16 age group. This in turn has led to an increase in the number of awards being approved for use with this group. By February 2006, 44 level 1 NVQs and 37 level 2 NVQs were approved for use with pre-16s.

Details of these and other awards approved for use in schools for different age groups are available at the DfES Section 96 website. Further details about NVQs in general can be found on the qualifications section of QCA’s website.

The following sections highlight different ways in which schools and colleges have offered NVQs at key stage 4.

Collaboration and partnerships

Although arrangements vary, schools are likely to develop partnerships to offer awards such as NVQs that they would find difficult to deliver themselves. Such partnerships offer schools the opportunity to offer a broader range of qualifications to their students and share resources with partners.

The learning preferences of students can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of vocational provision. While some students may welcome the opportunity to undertake NVQ courses in the familiar environment of their school, others may prefer the opportunity to study within a college, training provider or workplace. Such preferences can influence how motivated students are to learn and affect retention and achievement levels. Schools may therefore want to consider the likely impact of learning location on student achievement in decisions regarding partnerships.

School/college partnerships

In partnerships between schools and colleges, colleges often organise the whole scheme, drawing upon their NVQ provision for post-16 students. Key stage 4 students may use facilities such as a college’s hairdressing salon or motor vehicle workshop, or go on work placements that have been arranged and vetted by the college. College staff carry out the work-based assessments and deliver the underpinning knowledge, sometimes in college settings and sometimes in school. In some arrangements, school staff deliver some of the underpinning knowledge.

School/training provider partnerships

Arrangements between schools and training providers have increased as the demand for places for 14- to 16-year-old has exceeded college capacity. Local Learning and Skills Councils often provide schools with information about the local training providers. While arrangements vary, it is common to find school staff closely involved in the monitoring of students but training provider staff carrying out most of the teaching of underpinning knowledge and assessment.

School-based training

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 other cases schools build their own workshops, for example to enable construction-based vocational learning. These are sometimes supported by colleges, in particular where colleges can offer key stage 4 students only limited access to their own facilities.

As with NVQ programmes run by colleges, training providers and 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 their own 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.

Schools collaborating together

Where effective NVQ provision has been established within schools, opportunities may exist for such schools to offer access to this provision to other schools. This can help broaden students’ access to these awards and offer schools an opportunity for maximising economies of scale. For example, schools could recruit external students to existing key stage 4 NVQ courses.

Developing good practice

While collaboration and partnership arrangements may vary, some features have been identified as examples of good practice. These features provide the basis for the following questions, which can be used to help review existing arrangements for the delivery of NVQs to key stage 4 students and identify areas for improvement.

Has the school/partnership ensured that only qualifications that are appropriate for the age group are considered?
- Does DfES Section 96 indicate that qualifications are approved for use with pre-16s and are up to date?
Have students’ preferred locations of learning been considered in developing partnership arrangements?
Have Service Level Agreements been written with delivery partners? Do these agreements cover:
- guidance arrangements
- selection/interviewing procedures
- contact arrangements
- provision of essential materials and/or clothing
- student supervision during break times
- attendance monitoring
- enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks
- dates of course, days of the week, times
- work placement arrangements
- travel arrangements
- costs of course, travel, etc
- arrangements for learning support
- arrangements for reviewing progress
- arrangements for course evaluation, including analysis of retention, achievement and progression?
Is adequate guidance in place to support students in choosing courses?
- Is guidance on course location, content, qualifications, learning, assessment and progression available for students in year 9?
- Are taster courses available?
- Will Connexions assist the briefing and guidance of students?
- If students are unhappy with their choice, will they be given an early opportunity to change courses?
Will students be given opportunities to gain more than one vocational award within key stage 4, according to their individual needs?
- Will some students be offered the opportunity to achieve an introductory award by the end of year 10 and the full NVQ by the end of year 11?
- Will others be given the chance to progress from level 1 NVQ in year 10 to level 2 NVQ/units in year 11, depending on their abilities and aptitudes?
What opportunities will be offered for unit certification?
- Will students who do not complete the full award during key stage 4 be offered unit awards?
- What opportunities exist for students to complete the full award post-16?
- How are students advised of these opportunities?
Are staff qualified to deliver vocational qualifications to key stage 4 students?
- Do course staff have appropriate levels of occupational competence?
- Do they have appropriate expertise in work-based assessment?
- What arrangements are in place to ensure that only volunteer tutors from colleges and training providers are used to teach pre-16 students?
- What training on teaching the key stage 4 age group is available for these staff?
What opportunities are being developed to involve parents/carers in courses so as to raise awareness of them and increase support for students (eg as clients of a college hairdressing salon or training restaurant)?

Case studies

A number of case studies relating to providing NVQs to key stage 4 students are available on this site.

Case studies

> Using NVQs at key stage 4

Also see

> Collaboration