Last updated: 16 Jul 2008

The 14-19 White Skills Paper (February 2005) identified the need to offer a motivating and engaging route for 14-16 year olds who:

• find it difficult to achieve progress within the current curriculum
• are dissatisfied and disengaged with the other programmes available to them in their schools.

What are its aims?

The programme aims to:

• motivate students who are likely to be stimulated by a more work-focused learning environment
• encourage students to complete key stage 4 and progress to further learning, training or employment.

Meeting the needs of the learner

The Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme is a personalised programme. Learners continue to follow the compulsory elements of the National Curriculum, with a strong emphasis on functional skills. An important aim is developing personal and social skills as well as the attitudes and behaviours important to employers and for progression in learning. It also includes a work-focused component, preferably taking place in a work environment, and is underpinned by high-quality and regular support, advice and guidance from a trusted adult.

The programme is based on a template devised by QCA, which builds on the good practice that exists across the country. The template sets out clear principles for the programme but it is up to individual partnerships to devise personalised programmes, which meet the needs of their learners and are appropriate to the local employment landscape.

The national programme was piloted by 21 partnerships in 2006-07. The programme expanded to 15,300 young people in September 2007 with 71 partnerships. From September 2008 the programme will expand to 101 pilots which will provide 21,500 learner places across the country.

Guidance

Guidance for practitioners who develop, manage and deliver local Key Stage 4 engagement programmes is available from this page. Case studies exemplifying good practice can be accessed by the links on the left-hand side of this page. Additional guidance can be downloaded from the related documents section on the right ahnd side of this page. This guidance is based on the organisations involved in the pilot phase of development and includes:

• The Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme Template
• Key Stage 4 Engagment Programme: Making the programme work for your students (QCA)
• Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme: Ways to Accredit Generic Learning (ASDAN/DCSF)
• Guidance for Key Stage 4 engagement managers on equal opportunities in the recruitment process and challenging stereotypes (University of Exter/DCSF)
• Using non-formal awards in the Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme (NYA)