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This section is in two parts:

General guidance on securing effective progression, linked to case studies.

Discussion and guidance on the specific issue of pace of progression into, during and from the 14-19 phase.

In addition, several of the key stage 4 curriculum models in the case studies section include provision for differentiated progression.

If you have any experience of designing a curriculum that provides for different-paced learning, and would like to share it, please email us at 14-19@qca.org.uk.

Securing effective progression

Effective progression 14-19 means that, for all young people:

• their skills, interests, aspirations and preferences are known and taken into account
• prior attainment and experience is known and built upon
• the options available for progression are understood
• appropriate progression is discussed and identified, and the young person knows how to achieve the next step
• support is available, and the young person knows how and when to access it
• progress and choice of progression route are kept under review
• successful progression is made to the next appropriate stage.

Providers are responsible for offering young people the information, guidance and opportunities they need to progress into, through and from the phase. As the 14-19 phase becomes a reality and programmes are planned for the whole phase, young people will progress through it at different rates, without repetition or disruption to any part of their programme, although they might be working in more than one context.

Guidance for students

High-quality guidance is crucial to successful progression. The opportunities available within the 14-19 phase and the choices that need to be made mean that students will need even more informed and sustained guidance.

Tutors, subject specialists, careers advisers, mentors, personal advisers and family members might all provide guidance at different stages. This range underlines the importance of providing sufficient, accurate information for those providing guidance, and of having a system of quality assurance where possible.

Careers education personnel and programmes in schools and colleges have an important role in providing accurate, impartial information and helping young people to have achievable yet challenging aspirations. Guidance is particularly important at the key points or transition points during the 14-19 phase, for example when progress is being reviewed or decisions made.

Careers advisers can support the provision of impartial advice and guidance through their knowledge of local market trends and the full range of opportunities, including those in education, modern apprenticeships and employment.

One of the main reasons students give for not completing courses is that they find the courses on which they have enrolled are not suited to their needs, interests or aptitudes. This emphasises the importance of providing information, guidance and induction to enable a match between the demands of the course and the abilities and interest of the student.

Students see support and guidance during the first weeks of a programme as particularly important, to help them to settle into a new environment, such as a college, and to establish relationships with their peers. Sensitivity to the latter would mean, for example, consideration to the composition of tutor groups and work groups until students have had sufficient opportunity to get to know their colleagues.

Some colleges have developed their tutoring systems to maximise retention by:

• enhancing the role and status of the tutor
• emphasising the key role of monitoring and supporting students
• selecting the staff most committed to the role and using them with more than one group
• ensuring tutors have access to all relevant information about a student’s curriculum and progress
• allocating time for individual tutorials.

The benefits of induction courses

Progression to key stage 4 or to post-16 education begins during the previous stage of education. It is useful for teachers to be aware of, and to consider, students’ experience at the previous stage. They can then develop strategies that introduce students to any new approaches and provide them with the new skills they will need to cope with the programme they have chosen.

Many schools and colleges have an induction period across the institution and/or within subjects. This accustoms students to the level of demand, approaches taken and the skills needed. Students can also revise subject content and concepts from their previous learning and deepen their understanding.

Students can be introduced to the nature and demand of subjects and approaches before option choices are made, for example by using aspects of new subjects or types of qualifications within a PSHE programme, or introducing taster sessions of new subjects to the year 9 curriculum.

To maximise use of time and support progression across the stages, GCSE or vocational courses can be introduced during year 9. Although the national curriculum ensures progression in subject learning from key stage 3 to key stage 4, consideration should be given to induction for new subjects, to the demands of GCSE work and any other new types of learning and assessment the students will experience. The transition between key stages 3 and 4 is significant because of the change in teaching style and a focus on assessment and the terminal examination.

Preparatory sessions for advanced level courses can be held after the examinations at the end of key stage 4, allowing for guided individual work during the holidays. Bridging units can be used across a transition point, whether a change of institution is involved or not. These introduce the work in one context and complete it in another, supporting progression in several ways. Using summer schools or bridging units as an introduction to a course can provide students who have a range of previous experience with the knowledge needed to progress from a common base.

Following an induction course, some providers introduce aspects of the post-16 curriculum gradually over the first half term, so that students’ timetables are complete by the end of that period and they have time to accustom themselves to the demands of their programmes. Examples might include key skills programmes; courses such as free-standing mathematics units; study skills and the organisation of learning; or personal development and enrichment programmes.

Local progression agreements

Progression agreements or accords might be drawn up between pre- and post-16 providers, between post-16 providers and higher education institutions (HEIs), or between providers and employers. These agreements are based on knowledge of partner institutions and confidence in their standards and procedures, developed through working in partnership. They usually include some advantage to learners progressing from one provider to another, for example in accepting applicants who meet criteria set out in the agreement. The initiative in setting up partnership or progression agreements can be taken by any of the parties.

The number of providers collaborating within an area can vary, depending on geography and on local educational and training structures. Where HE is involved, a wide area might be included. The case study examples show different models.

Pace of progression

A key feature of the new 14-19 curriculum will be that individual students can progress at an appropriate pace. All young people are entitled to the opportunity to achieve and develop as much as they can during the phase.

Diversification and differentiation

To provide for individual pace of progression a curriculum needs to be diverse (to offer different opportunities) and differentiated (the opportunities should be at different levels). In practice, this means choice of learning programmes that:

• are general or specialist, eg:
  • comprising a range of general (GCSE or GCE) qualifications
  • having a focus on an area of learning such as science, languages, business and ICT, or sport and recreation
• lead to different sizes and levels of qualifications, eg:
  • using entry level, short course, single and double award GCSEs, three-, six- and twelve-unit VCE or six-, twelve- and eighteen-unit BTEC qualifications
  • enabling students to take mixed level programmes appropriate to their strengths and weaknesses
• offer different types of qualification and the ability to combine them in different ways, eg:
  • combining GCE and VCE, NVQ and GCSE
  • combining GNVQ with GCSE and/or vocational GCSE or with AS/A level
  • including AS in a BTEC programme
  • choosing between key skills and GCSE to meet the new post-16 entitlement
  • embedding work for first aid, food hygiene and ICT certificates in courses
• offer a range of teaching and learning approaches and styles, eg:
  • practical, skills-based, experiential, teacher-directed, working with others, using independent learning, e-learning
• are assessed in different ways, eg:
  • by assessing competence, by terminal examination, by portfolio, by oral test, by practical assessment, by coursework, or by combinations of these
• take place in one or more places of learning, eg:
  • school, college, with a training provider, with an employer, with a youth organisation
• include activities and experiences that do not necessarily lead to qualifications, eg:
  • using ASDAN awards, Sports Leader Awards, Trident Skills for Life programmes, The Prince’s Trust, ASDAN xl Award, Youth Achievement Award, citizenship, media and music activities, experience of work
• take account of students’ gifts and talents, eg:
  • by offering extension and enrichment activities, ICT vendor qualifications, advanced extension awards (AEAs)
  • by enabling students to spend time on their areas of interest and expertise
  • by supporting the achievement of graded music qualification
  • by giving access to artists and writers, scientists in residence
  • by training them to support their peers
• are of different volumes, eg:
  • aiming for different numbers of qualification
  • occupying different numbers of hours per week, or over a learning year
  • using periods of work placement
• enable progression at different rates, through a whole programme, or some parts of it, eg:
  • by starting key stage 4 early
  • by enabling students to take qualifications early or to spend longer securing their knowledge and skill
  • by completing courses at a faster pace
• lead to differentiated outcomes and progression opportunities, eg:
  • modern apprenticeship
  • further education
  • foundation or other degrees
  • employment.

Differentiated pace and progression

Accelerated or fast-track programmes

These might be introduced for more able students, individuals or groups, or for those who have considerable experience in a subject, for example, a mother tongue language.

In the 14-19 context, this could mean that some students:

• start their whole key stage 4 programme early
• start some aspects of a key stage 4 programme early
• take some subject qualifications in a shorter time
• take more subjects
• bypass some qualifications and aim towards a higher level
• have time to explore other aspects of experience
• experience some level 3 work and/or take level 3 qualifications early
• progress to a level 3 programme early
• take a level 3 programme that includes some level 4 work
• complete their level 3 learning and progress to HE early
• complete their level 3 learning and spend some time gaining other experience before progressing to HE.

Students following an accelerated programme in a specific subject might :

• bypass GCSE
• take GCSE early
• take one GCSE early and move onto another
• take both GCSE and AS assessment at the end of year 11
• take an AS qualification at the end of year 11
• begin to study AS units during key stage 4 for assessment in January of year 12.

In schools with sixth forms, timetabling to enable acceleration is facilitated if timetable blocks pre- and post-16 are proportional, for example if GCSE blocks are half the size of AS blocks, and if the curriculum structure always has the same blocks set against each other.

A post-16 curriculum designed for students who previously followed an accelerated programme clearly needs to provide appropriate progression in the subjects taken early. The positive motivation resulting from early exposure to advanced level learning and qualifications could be lost if students have to repeat the same or very similar work. 11-16 schools considering the use of advanced level qualification should discuss their choice of specifications with colleagues in local colleges. Local partnerships could decide to use:

• one agreed specification
• different AS specifications, checking they are compatible with the A2 offered in local colleges
• different qualifications, for example, free-standing mathematics qualifications, AS critical thinking or other free-standing AS levels
• qualifications that attract relatively small numbers post-16, so giving students a wider experience and perhaps encouraging them to consider taking the subject to full A level later. Examples are philosophy and ethics, archaeology or electronics.

Early entry for GCSE

In some schools, students taking GCSE early can choose whether to progress to advanced level work or use the time for other purposes, such as independent or supported self study for their other subjects, enrichment or community activity. In one school, students who take mathematics GCSE early have the choice of a range of mathematics-related activity, ICT or the opportunity to spend time on their art or performing arts work.

Some schools are interested in using early entry for a wider range of students than has been traditional. The rationale is to motivate students by giving them the opportunity to achieve and then to decide whether they wish to take a subject further or to use the time for other activities. Examples include:

• using entry-level qualifications in year 9 or year 10 as a motivator towards GCSE achievement
• entering a whole year group for a qualification early
• using early entry for students following a work-based pathway, to consolidate their achievement and provide time for work and college placements.

Planning for slower progression

Planning a curriculum that enables slower 14-19 progression can prove more challenging in some respects. It demands:

• thorough understanding of the student, based on data and subjective judgement
• confidence that the student will not leave learning during the phase and be disadvantaged by earlier decisions, for example to defer entry for qualifications until a specific level is likely to be attained
• a curriculum that spans the 14-19 phase with no significant break at 16, within one school or in partnership.

As yet, there are few examples of this to provide case-study material. Post-16 programmes planned to take three years are the most common form of planned slower progression and there is some suggestion that these are increasing. Students who attain basic entry requirements for level three learning might not be ready for a full level 3 programme. They might need to consolidate their level 2 learning, particularly in English, mathematics and ICT, take a post-16 programme that combines level 2 and level 3 work, or follow a smaller programme than some of their peers. Students who take foundation or intermediate GNVQ and progress to advanced level, or take BTEC First qualifications and progress to BTEC National, also follow a planned progression route over three years.

We would be interested to hear about examples of such programmes. If you have developed one, please email us at 14-19@qca.org.uk and help us build this aspect of guidance.

Also see

> Pathways within the key stage 4 curriculum
> Collaboration

Case studies

> Progession

Other web links

> Gifted and Talented 
> Connexions
> Apprenticeships 

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Page updated: 12 June 2008
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