Who is this guidance for?

This guidance is on planning the curriculum for learners aged 16 to 24 who are operating mainly or entirely below level 1 of the national qualifications framework. These learners may be in a school, college, training or voluntary environment.

The guidance is for senior managers, teachers and trainers who are working directly with this group of learners, or those who have a strategic role in planning curriculum provision to meet these learners' education and training needs.

What is this guidance about?

This guidance offers a model for planning a curriculum for an individual learner. It is meant to fit in with what providers are already doing, not create extra work. The materials are based on good practice. It does not cover the national curriculum, since this is not statutory for the post-16 phase.

Provision

Institutions generally have developed their own curriculum according to the number and kind of learners they provide for and the function of the institution:

• colleges tend to focus on accredited programmes and qualifications
• schools tend to develop experiences gained through the national curriculum
• training providers tend to focus on vocational provision.

But regardless of the setting, providers plan the curriculum to meet the needs of the individual learner.

In this guidance, QCA suggests that planning the post-16 curriculum needs to start with the learner's aspirations, wishes and needs. This will help providers:

• avoid making assumptions about what is best
• open up and extend the learner's horizons and possibilities
• help the learner prepare for adult life.

Programmes should also acknowledge what a learner has already done and provide opportunities for development of skills. In this guidance, examples of building on prior attainment include:

• Amy's accreditation
• Involving learners
• Work experience.

In curriculum planning and teaching there is always a balance to be maintained between being learner centred and programme or subject centred. An example of a balanced programme is the Individual Education Plan shown in this guidance.

Institutions may use these materials at any stage in their planning cycle. For example, using the materials in a staff development exercise may be a good starting point. Staff could carry out an audit, using the individuals described (in the Learner profiles section) and the 'Benchmarks' (in the Evaluation section). If this were done as a group activity, staff could develop a common language for discussing issues and reaching understanding before they apply the materials in actual practice.

Readers may find 'Designing strategies' (in the Planning section) particularly helpful for guidance on 14-19 education and skills.

Other relevant websites are:

• for guidance on developing skills, Key Skills Support and Basic Skills for Inclusive Learning (BASIL)
  Assessing pupils, students and trainees with learning difficulties
• the general guidance and developing skills sections of Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties.

How do I use these materials?

The site has been organised around four topics. These topics are part of a cycle and should inform one another. You may choose to start with any topic.

• Values that underpin planning: These are values that reflect current thinking about how best to ensure that adults with learning difficulties can participate in society as active citizens with associated rights.
• Planning: This section helps providers make planning decisions about developing curriculum content and programmes.
• Evaluation: This section helps providers evaluate practice and conduct self-reviews. It is organised around benchmarks, which are based on the planning decisions and describe effective practice. The benchmarks are suggestions only.
• Learner profiles: These are profiles of individual learners. The profiles illustrate the effects on planning decisions on learners.

Glossary: This section includes terms and common teaching strategies.

Links and resources: This section includes relevant legislation and government guidance..