The planning decisions that are made help to shape the learning experiences of young people and the profiles of the following learners on this website illustrate what these decisions can mean in practice.

• Raj
• Daniel
• Raymond
• Jeevana
• Celine

These examples of learners in a range of educational and training contexts show how a planning decisions framework, that is a structure for curriculum decision-making, enables learners to make important progress and work towards or fulfil their aspirations. A key characteristic of these profiles is the sensitive and skilled support provided by a range of people, including staff, family members, co-workers and friends. The planning decisions framework provides an essential focus for this support that is systematic, flexible and learner focused.

Raj

Developing and exploring aspirations
Raj is 17 years old and attends an all-age special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties. He is now in year 14. He uses Makaton signs and symbols to support his verbal communication and has support from an Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) instructor. He uses Urdu at home. He loves physical activity, especially football and he really enjoys tidying up and helping.

At Raj's school students are supported in preparing for their annual reviews and transition planning meetings through the careers education and guidance programme. Students, their teachers and support staff work together to create individual profiles or wall-maps. Raj's map illustrates his likes and interests at home and school, what he wants to do in the long term and what the next steps for him will be. A range of teaching strategies is used to help create the map, such as role play and using symbol flash cards.

His likes and interests include swimming, cooking, bicycles, tidying up, friends, his brother and sister, and shopping and using money. At college he is doing metalwork, multi-arts and cars.

Through this process, it emerged that Raj's aspirations are to:

• go to college
• play football for a team
• go out with some friends.

Getting started on planning the curriculum
The meeting leads to the setting of targets linked to his aspirations. The targets are written in a style that Raj can understand. These are arrived at collectively in the class group and then agreed at the multi-disciplinary leavers' meetings. His targets are to:

• try to keep his mouth free when speaking
• use his communication book everyday
• help to find and put up football scores
• find out about what he is good at and tell other people
• choose and do two different jobs for two weeks
• help Selina and Beverley to remember their coats
• visit his local college
• practise finding the names of football teams.

Designing strategies to support learning
The components of Raj's programme were as follows.

At school

• home management - practising jobs to be carried out at home, keeping the sixth-form base clean and tidy, working collaboratively, shopping and practising key skills
• CV work - interviewing, building a CV using signs and symbols and editing it
• football - developing communication, literacy and number skills by working on the football premiership league (eg recording scores, reading team names, recognising strip colours and locating place names on the map)

In the community

• playing football with students from local mainstream school and old pupils at an after-school football club
• finding his way around the local newspaper (Evening Post), making presentations based on his own selection of articles and photo, looking at what is on locally and planning visits
• playing sports at the local prison - mobility and social skills
• attending a multi-arts project at the local day centre - socialising and getting to know a new placement
• visiting the local college - using public transport, using a vending machine and visiting the shop and café

A programme was developed which incorporated and built on Raj's interest in football.

Identifying resources to support learning

The staff used naturally occurring and community-based resources, eg the local college, a prison, a local day care centre, the local leisure centre and an after-school football club. Local transport is used to visit all these places. Other resources include:

• Widgit, an ICT programme to generate symbols
• Evening Post
• photographs, symbols and flash cards
• a Manchester United calendar
• pop music videos
• a touchscreen
• a camera.

Monitoring progress, recognising achievement and moving on

The records of progress show how Raj's interest in football was allowed to shape the content of his curriculum. Here are some extracts from his teacher's records:

10/9 'R went through the pink section of his communication book with me, so that we could talk about his interests - he said his favourite thing is football and that's not there!'
11/9 'R wanted football to be his symbol on the job sheet.'

His engagement in this process led to the teacher suggesting 'indicating needs and preferences' could be accredited in his programme in the following term.

Other methods of recording progress included:

weekly comments against targets in each subject/activity area
weekly comments recorded with him on his record sheets
photographic records.
Raj's work was accredited through the OCR Accreditation for Life and Living Skills (ALL) scheme.

Daniel

Developing and exploring aspirations
Not all learners will be able to express their long-term aspirations or wishes verbally and they may have difficulty in conceptualising their ideas. Here is an example of how a specialist college found out about one of its learners and gained insights into their learner's long-term aspirations.

Daniel is a 21-year-old man who lives in a group home with eight other people in a large house near the centre of a south-London suburb. He attends a specialist day college five days a week and regularly does a range of other activities, eg dance classes, riding, trampolining and visiting the cinema. Until three years ago, he lived at home and he continues to see his parents and his grandmother on a regular basis.

Daniel relies on alternative communication and uses gesture and facial expression. He uses smiling and laughter; eye contact; moving towards people, places or objects that he likes and away from those he does not; reaching for something he prefers; expressing annoyance by vocalising; responding to Makaton signs; and other gestures. He has a significant hearing loss.

Getting started on planning the curriculum
While still at school, Daniel attended college on a link course for a morning a week for two terms, accompanied by a member of school staff. During the link course, college staff were able to build up a picture of him by observing him at work on a range of activities. They made visits to the school and talked to the school staff who accompanied him. A college tutor attended Daniel's annual review, which was held at his home and also attended by his:

• parents
• grandmother
• speech therapist
• care manager
• home manager
• key worker.

After Daniel joined the college on a full-time basis, there was a further assessment period of one term. By the end of this period, staff had discovered that Daniel:

• enjoys interacting with people
• is willing to try new activities
• can grasp what he needs to do to carry out a range of simple activities, eg peeling a banana or stirring a mix
• responds to clear, straightforward language
• enjoys creative activities and visits.

He needed to:

• develop his understanding of signs and symbols to help him make choices
• have more opportunities to do community-based activities, eg work
• develop his creativity through music and art
• develop his practical skills.
  

Staff also found out about Daniel's learning preferences - that he learns best through doing and that he needs a lot of support to access most activities. They built up a repertoire of strategies to use with him. These included:

• physical, gestural and verbal prompting
• demonstrating or modelling activities
• working within a predictable structure
• working with people he already knows
• using everyday objects and some objects of reference
• using activities that he likes
• using short activities with a clear beginning and end
• allowing for short breaks or rests within an activity
• letting Daniel dictate the pace at which he works.

Designing strategies to support learning

In designing Daniel's programme, staff used Daniel's interests and strengths to address his needs. Daniel's programme consisted of the following.

In college:

• ICT - operating a touch-screen computer, adapted switches to activate equipment (eg a tape recorder) and simple everyday equipment (eg a paper laminator)
• cookery - pouring and transferring ingredients, making choices, handing equipment to other people and developing sequencing skills
• keep fit - building an understanding of routines, developing independent movement, taking turns at leading, and listening to and observing others
• music - taking turns at playing the kettle drum
• sports - bowls, skittles and volleyball
• tactile art - exploring different materials
• setting up and running a café in college - shopping for items, preparing tables and serving customers
  In the community
• gardening - using a range of garden equipment independently at the local allotment
• using public transport - handing money to the driver, putting the ticket through the ticket barrier and finding a seat
• drama at a local mainstream college drama group - copying and initiating movements
• work experience at the local library - independent work skills
  Identifying resources to support learning

Daniel needs a wide range of resources to access activities and tasks, including:

• the internet, a mouse, switches and an overlay keyboard for interaction with the PC
• IT-based symbols, clipart and signs
• hard-copy materials, eg magazines, photographs and symbols
• time for peer reflection
• time for reflection with staff
• time for one-to-one support from staff
• objects of reference.
  

Monitoring progress, recognising achievement and moving on. An evaluation is carried out at the end of each session, including the Daniel's responses to the session however expressed. Progress is recorded during the session or immediately afterwards.

Daniel's overall progress is reported on a termly basis against the targets that have been set for each of these activities. Some examples of the progress he has made include:

remaining willingly with the group during a range of activities independently carrying out tasks during work experience, eg picking up books and carrying them to shelves for stacking. Initiating exercise moves during keep-fit activities and carrying them out independently
responding appropriately to an increasing range of Makaton signs, eg standing up to collect Nesquick when shown the 'drink' sign. Demonstrating confidence in the community by taking people to places he wants to visit
after looking at a photo of a trolley, standing independently and walking towards the door to collect the trolley. Planting bulbs independently at the allotment.

Daniel has received public recognition for his achievements by gaining the ASDAN World of Work and Music and Movement Award at the college's annual awards ceremony.

Raymond

Developing and exploring aspirations
Before entering the college, Raymond came on a link course from his school for one day a week during the summer term. A member of staff also visited his home and helped him and his mother to complete a personal profile. She also went to his school to talk to his teachers and to observe him in class.

Raymond joined the college in September and took part in a six-week induction programme. This gave staff a chance to work with him and to observe him in a variety of situations.

At the end of the induction programme, staff completed the first part of his individual learning plan (ILP).

Getting started on planning the curriculum
During the induction period, it was identified that Raymond's aspirations were to set up a youth club and organise various leisure activities for other people. He would also like a job.

The skills, knowledge and understanding that he would need to develop in the short and long term were entered into his ILP as:

to use his headswitch to make choices and so increase his autonomy
to develop his working and social relationships with his peers by achieving a better understanding of how he might work as part of a group, including the responsibilities he might assume to take a greater part in planning his own learning, including being encouraged to acknowledge his achievements and celebrate his successes.

Raymond's strengths include that he enjoys being with others and interacting with a wide range of people. He is open, patient and tolerant. For example, if people do not understand him at first, he is willing to repeat himself several times. He is also supportive of others and encourages them to participate.

After talking to Raymond and getting to know him better, staff agreed that he could work on becoming more assertive in everyday situations and on recognising his rights as an individual. He is working to make better use of alternative ways of communicating and so develop greater autonomy in his learning.

Raymond prefers to learn through doing and trying things out for himself, talking through anything he finds difficult. He also likes to mentally rehearse tasks and activities before he starts them, again talking out loud. Sometimes he likes to observe other people doing the task first, as this gives him a basis on which to ask questions and work things out.

Designing strategies to support learning
It has been important to create a safe environment for Raymond to try things out in college, before moving into the wider world. So staff have used simulations, role play and 'what if' games.

Staff have also identified contexts in the college where he can begin to make links, eg the students union, where he is now a representative. He has planned social events, he greets and accompanies visitors and runs a tuck shop with other learners.

Raymond is involved with staff and other learners in planning his own learning programme. This programme took Raymond's strengths and areas for improvement, alongside the need for him to work towards realising his aspirations, as the starting point.

Incidental learning during the course has included Raymond having to cope with risk, eg being rejected when he asked someone out, and developing autonomy and recognising his rights when he insisted on being seen by a particular consultant at the hospital.

Identifying resources to support learning
Resources that have proved vital in planning for and meeting Raymond's ILP have included:

Deciding together (King's College Development Centre, 2001)
Self Advocacy Action Pack (Department for Education and Skills, 2001)
the NIACE Charter for Learning
Headswitch/Widgit/time from the ICT technician.
Monitoring progress, recognising achievement and moving on
A record of Raymond's targets and his progress towards them is maintained for each subject area and his progress is reviewed:

daily - during each subject session a few learners are assessed against their targets
weekly - assessment opportunities are built into the teacher's planning record and notes are annotated onto a form which comments on Raymond's progress towards his targets and other issues (eg his level of involvement in a range of activities and tasks, and any tensions observed)
termly - targets are reviewed in discussion and negotiation with Raymond and all college staff who work with him
annually - during annual reporting procedures which involve parents/carers and other professionals who work with Raymond.
Raymond now takes more of a role in recognising his achievements and takes time, with staff, to acknowledge the progress he has made.

Examples of the progress made by Raymond include:

making choices, sometimes through IT media, eg to choose an activity he would like to do; at other times Raymond will make choices using symbols in a paper-based format
working appropriately with other learners, eg when working with students and staff to make food for his group, he took responsibility for helping to clean up afterwards
taking a greater part in the news sessions by telling other learners about things he is about to do or has recently done, eg when he was given responsibility, along with another learner, for showing visitors around the college buildings (he was later praised for this work).
Raymond is now working, in collaboration with a facilitator, on developing his own record of contributions during sessions.

His increasing willingness to socialise and take a greater part in planning activities are leading him towards the realisation of his aspirations.

Jeevana

Developing and exploring aspirations
Jeevana, who is 23, works for 16 hours a week in a large supermarket close to her home. Before starting her job as a shelving assistant on the 'shopfloor', she had worked on a supported employment scheme and had experienced a prolonged period of unemployment. Having been introduced to this employer through a training provider, Jeevana really wants to keep her job, to increase her hours and to work on checkouts. She has a clear view of what she wants to be and her current aspirations are focused on the workplace and her role there.

Getting started on planning the curriculum
Jeevana enjoys mixing with people and helping them. At work, this is reflected in the confident way in which she works with colleagues and in the way that she interacts with customers. This was apparent from the first day, when she identified her confidence as a good quality 'for the job' during induction. Her line manager and the supermarket's personnel manager subsequently confirmed this 'strength' through observation and conversations with her. The training provider has also indicated her developing confidence in the workplace.

Jeevana is well motivated, committed to her work and determined to make progress and achieve her goal, if possible, of working as a checkout assistant. At the same time, she has discussed the possibility of failure and has been realistic about this. Importantly, she recognises that her wish to make progress at work does not guarantee that it will happen.

Jeevana's mother works in the same supermarket, and is supportive as well as realistic about her daughter's aspirations.

Jeevana also has particular needs that might affect her ability to work as a checkout assistant. One of these is linked to a physical impairment that makes it difficult for her stand or to sit in one position for a prolonged period of time. The checkout environment needs to be looked at using an ergonomic assessment. From this it should be possible, if necessary, to provide Jeevana with an adapted seat that is both comfortable and easy to get in and out of.

She might also need help to consider whether working longer hours will make her tired and have a detrimental effect on her health. Working longer hours may also have implications for the amount of state benefit she receives. These needs should not be seen as barriers to work, or to Jeevana's aspirations, but they warrant scrutiny so that problems can be anticipated and overcome. Jeevana recognises that she learns new skills slowly and will need to learn 'checkout tasks' in small chunks over quite a long period of time.

Designing strategies to support learning
The supermarket uses a detailed starter assessment with new employees, reviewing their progress on a number of occasions during their first three months with the company. Jeevana's line manager, aware of her ambition to work on a checkout, has helped to identify what Jeevana needs to know to do this, including:

how to handle money
how to handle customer queries
how to manage the technical operations of the checkout till
the legal requirements of retail sales
how to help with other aspects of till transactions.
These challenging requirements are assessed through the use of practical exercises, self-managed tests and one-to-one discussions with in-house trainers.

Staff with a managerial and training responsibility for Jeevana recognise that she will benefit most from training and assessment that are practical rather than 'theory or classroom based'. Their strategies to make this fairly intense training programme more accessible to Jeevana include:

breaking down the components of the training into manageable 'chunks' that she can master and do automatically
delivering the training programme in short sessions, acknowledging the fact that she finds it particularly difficult to pay attention for long periods when learning demanding tasks
repeating tasks and activities frequently so that she can acquire skills and knowledge, and then practise these to a level where they are firmly established
extending the standard training period (normally 16 hours over two days, plus two weeks' support when going 'live'), giving her more time to absorb information and to use it in the workplace
phasing the going 'live' work on the checkout carefully, building from 15-minute periods.
For some trainees, these strategies might give rise to fragmented learning and lose the overall sense of purpose. However, Jeevana is determined, well motivated and supported by colleagues, including her mother. Regularly revisiting and repeating aspects of the training programme is an effective way of learning for her.

Where she might 'miss out' is through the lack of experience of group learning. Other employees undergo aspects of training in small groups and can learn from each other. However, the compensation for Jeevana is that she has the opportunity to learn with the support of a jobshadow (mentor) supplied by the training provider. This colleague provides important scaffolding, and can reduce support in response to Jeevana's growing capability and confidence.

Overall, careful planning decisions are made together with Jeevana, and these relate directly to the things she wants and needs to do to fulfil her aspirations in the workplace.

Identifying resources to support learning
Jeevana receives well-considered and carefully targeted support. This includes:

the availability of in-house training staff
supportive line management
a supportive personnel manager
informal support from her mother
the involvement of an external training provider (job shadowing/mentoring)
training materials (eg simulations, video and written/pictorial work packages) that are 'mediated' by training staff to make them easier to access.
Monitoring progress, recognising achievement and moving on
For Jeevana, as with other new employees, information about progress and performance is gathered systematically through the use of assessment forms. These are linked to the training programme and focus on aspects of the job Jeevana has been studying 'in the classroom' and through her daily work.

A manager evaluates her progress, but Jeevana also has the opportunity to assess her own progress. Targets to support further development needs are also identified and prioritised by Jeevana and her manager.

Beyond this initial training programme, with its integrated assessment, Jeevana's progress will be monitored and assessed through regular observation of her work on the checkout. This information will be shared with her and also used as part of a six-monthly appraisal. What the employer wants from Jeevana - and other employees - is good and consistent performance.

Today, Jeevana is enjoying her work and making progress towards achieving her aspiration of becoming a checkout assistant in a supermarket. Her success is not guaranteed, but a number of key factors are in her favour:

her strengths are recognised by the supermarket line manager and personnel manager
barriers to progress have been identified and solutions sought
strategies to help her succeed in achieving her goal have been carefully planned, with particular attention being paid to learning style and mentoring needs
assessment has been modified and made more accessible, but not diluted in any way.

Celine

Developing and exploring aspirations
Celine transferred to college from a special school last September. Celine lives at home with her parents and brother, where she enjoys helping to look after her aunt's children who live locally. She now sometimes brings them along to the college youth club.

Celine quickly settled into her new environment and is a popular and outgoing member of her group. During the induction period, staff discussed Celine's aspirations with her. She said that she wants to:

continue to have work experience placements in childcare
eventually work in crèche connected to either a supermarket or leisure centre, including being able to read stories to children.
Getting started on planning the curriculum
Staff negotiated goals with Celine, which took account of her aspirations and addressed the skills, knowledge and understanding she would need to work on. Goals were set in each subject area and included:

to improve her willingness to read her written work out loud
to take part in group discussions and give feedback on the main points
to use more complicated budgets, eg estimating the cost of ingredients when shopping to make a meal for a group of people and calculating how much money she will need to make a trip into the nearby city
to take greater responsibility for planning her own work-experience placements, eg speaking up for herself about the specific age group of the children she would prefer to work with
to work on recognising more clearly the boundaries between work and social relationships.
Celine's strengths lie in her interpersonal skills. Although she has a speech impairment, she communicates well and, if she is not understood at first, she will patiently repeat herself. She enjoys and is comfortable when meeting new people and, for example, will often anticipate what they need to know and offer information.

However Celine's 'need to be liked' can lead her into difficulties at work and college. She will sometimes engage in socialising when there are tasks to be completed and this can bring her into conflict with her employer on work experience or with a tutor.

Other children teased Celine as a child and she can show a high level of sensitivity to criticism, which can lead to defensive approach when challenged.

Designing strategies to support learning
Staff are aware of the difficulties Celine has in coping with criticism and confrontational situations. They have built time into her learning programme to have planned and frequent discussion with her to help her examine her responses to criticism. Celine has proved to be very willing and open in these discussions and is making progress in these areas.

Celine has been encouraged to examine her childhood experiences of being teased through work that is part of her ASDAN personal safety course. She has worked closely with another student and they have produced a poster showing strategies for coping with any difficulties they might encounter at college or in the wider community. This has not only given her a platform to consider her difficulties, but has also raised her self-esteem as her work is seen and commented upon positively by other students.

Identifying resources to support learning
Important resources in working with Celine include:

access to the local community, eg for shopping and work-experience placements
access to a Connexions personal advisor
time for tutors and support staff to offer opportunities for one-to-one discussions with her
an appropriate level of budget to pay travel expenses to work-experience placements
the Self Advocacy Action Pack (Department for Education and Skills, 2001).
Monitoring progress, recognising achievement and moving on
A record of Celine's goals and her progress towards them is maintained in her individual education plan for each subject area. Progress is reviewed:

daily - during subject sessions, tutorials etc
weekly - assessment opportunities are built into her programme and are monitored, eg as part of her ASDAN course
termly - goals are reviewed, in discussion and negotiation with Celine
annually - during annual reporting procedures, which include parents/carers and all college staff and other professionals who work with Celine.