Building the Foundations of
A LIFELONG LEARNING SOCIETY
A REVIEW OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES IN SCOTLAND
Summary of Consultation Paper
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Introduction
1. Given the outcomes of both the recent National Debate on Education1 and the Review of Enterprise in Education, 2
the Scottish Executive considers that the time is right to embark on a review of collaboration between schools and further education colleges. 3 Ministers have asked an inter-departmental group of Executive officials to co-ordinate the review. The review was launched on 20 October 2003 at a conference held in the Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh. It brought together 120 representatives from the school and further education sectors, as well as other interested parties and Executive officials, to help frame the consultation paper.
2. This paper is a summary of the consultation paper for the review of collaboration between schools and further education colleges in Scotland. This summary is available on request in alternative formats. A report of the conference and a leaflet seeking specifically the views of school pupils have also been published.
3. The Executive has published as part of its review Building the Foundations of a Lifelong Learning Society: The Experience of Motherwell College and Local Schools.
The brochure reproduces articles that first appeared in the spring 2003 edition of 'Broadcast', the journal of the Scottish Further Education Unit.
4. This paper and other review publications, including the full consultation paper, can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications.
You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public Internet access point is.
5. All review publications are available from the following contact point or by telephoning 0141 242 0102.
How to respond to the consultation:
By post to: Margaret McLachlan
Scottish Executive
School/College Review
2nd Floor, Europa Building
450 Argyle Street
Glasgow G2 8LG
By email to: scrt@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
When by: Responses to this paper are required by 1 June 2004.
6. Responses will be made available to the public on the Scottish Executive website and in the Scottish Executive Library 4 unless confidentiality is requested. Any confidentiality disclaimer generated by your computer system in an email will not be treated as such a request. Confidential responses will be included in any statistical summary of numbers or comments received or views expressed. All responses not marked confidential will be checked for any potentially defamatory material before being logged in the library or placed on the website.
Strategy and Implementation Plan
7. The Executive's lifelong learning strategy, Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life5 published in February 2003 said that the Executive would:
"develop a joint schools/FE strategy and implementation plan, including review of funding mechanisms to ensure flexibility of delivery, so as to encourage locally relevant links between schools, FE colleges and local employers to ease school leavers' transitions into further learning, training or employment".
8. The Partnership Agreement, A Partnership for a Better Scotland6 published in May 2003, which forms the basis of the Executive Parties' current Programme for Government, said that the Executive would:
"enable 14-16 year olds to develop vocational skills and improve their employment prospects by allowing them to undertake courses in further education colleges as part of the school-based curriculum".
Key Themes
9. The review has four key themes:
- the purpose of school/college collaboration;
- managing supply and demand and funding responsibilities;
- implications for schools and colleges; and
- pupil welfare and support.
10. It will also encompass how best to implement the Partnership Agreement commitment.
Main Conclusions of the School/College Conference
11. As previously mentioned, a school/college conference was held on 20 October 2003 to help frame the consultation paper. Participants at the event generally agreed that a national strategy for school/college collaboration, underpinned by local strategies involving delivery partners, would be welcomed. However, the review group was cautioned not to raise unrealistic expectations. It was emphasised that collaboration should not be treated as a short-term initiative, as both sectors required long-term stability, particularly in respect of transparent funding arrangements in order to plan effectively. The review group was urged to place the needs of the pupil at the heart of its work, recognising that there was no one model of collaboration that could adequately deal with pupils' differing needs in terms of, among other things, age, ability, aspiration, geographical accessibility or learning support. It was also emphasised that the pattern of engagement across further education colleges needs to reflect local circumstances, and that the particular needs of rural schools must be fully considered. It was suggested that it may not always be appropriate for school pupils to go through college doors; it may be more effective and efficient in some circumstances for further education to be delivered by college staff in schools. However, as well as ensuring sufficient flexibility, the review group was asked to consider whether a consistent approach to matters such as responsibilities for transport and free school meals should be taken across Scotland.
Lifelong Learning Strategy
12. As the full title of the school/college review suggests, the Executive considers the overall purpose of collaboration between schools and further education colleges is to build the foundations to help realise its vision of a lifelong learning society in Scotland. In its lifelong learning strategy, the Executive articulated its vision and five people-centred goals:
"The best possible match between the learning opportunities open to people and the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours which will strengthen Scotland's economy and society.
Five goals:
- A Scotland where people have the confidence, enterprise, knowledge, creativity and skills they need to participate in economic, social and civic life
- A Scotland where people demand and providers deliver a high quality learning experience
- A Scotland where people's knowledge and skills are recognised, used and developed to best effect in their workplace
- A Scotland where people are given the information, guidance and support they need to make effective learning decisions and transitions
- A Scotland where people have the chance to learn, irrespective of their background or current personal circumstances."
13. It is within this context that a joint schools/FE strategy and implementation plan will be developed.
Existing College Provision
14. The current reasons for further education colleges offering courses to school pupils include:
- providing a curriculum for which schools do not have the relevant expertise (typically in vocational and non-traditional academic subjects) or the numbers of pupils to justify delivering the course themselves;
- providing an alternative for young people disaffected with traditional 'academic' subjects and thus improve achievement and employability;
- improving access to a wide range of education opportunities to develop social inclusion;
- encouraging young people to see the value of post-school education and understand the 'lifelong' nature of learning;
- improving retention rates at school and the acquisition of qualifications, both of which have a positive impact on pupils' lifetime earnings;
- promoting interest in a particular industry that faces skill shortages; and
- encouraging interest in sports, art, theatre and dance, partly consistent with a local focus on the development of the creative and cultural industries.
15. College provision to school pupils includes:
- vocational education;
- 'taster' courses;
- non-traditional National Qualifications;
- after school clubs; and
- evening classes.
Differences between Schools and Further Education Colleges
16. We would suggest at this stage the following features of further education colleges that differ from the school environment:
- less direction and greater 'self-sufficiency' - there are fewer rules to be followed with a greater expectation that students own their learning;
- size _ there are typically more students, more tutors/lecturers and support staff, bigger buildings, increased resources (library, etc.);
- varied student population - there is far greater age mix and students have a variety of motivations and reasons to be at college; and
- curriculum and teaching - there is a more varied level of courses from access to professional, both theoretical and practical courses, vocational opportunities, modular approach, varied course durations, and greater variety in teaching and learning methodology.
Next Steps
17. Given that our review of collaboration between the school and further education sectors in Scotland is at an early stage, the consultation paper is necessarily discursive, and does not contain firm proposals. We therefore plan to consult on a draft joint schools/FE strategy and implementation plan by autumn 2004. The aim is to publish the joint strategy and implementation plan by the end of April 2005 with a view to implementing the strategy from academic year 2005/06 onwards. There may be a need for some transitional arrangements for the first year of implementation.
Review Questions
Scope of Strategy and Imp lementation Plan
Q1. What issues should the review address? What issues are best determined locally?
Purp ose of School/Colleg e Collaboration
Q2. How should the joint schools/FE strategy articulate the purposes and scope of school pupil participation in college?
Q3. Where should school/college collaboration sit alongside other further education priorities and college programmes?
Q4. How can we enhance the value placed by pupils and parents on vocational subjects to achieve parity of esteem across vocational and academic learning?
Q5. How best should school/college collaboration engage with the delivery of joined-up services through the community planning process and Community Learning and Development?
Q6. Should the nature of collaboration be different for distinct cohorts of pupils, including different age groups, for example:
- Primary children;
- 12-14 years;
- 14-16 years;
- 16+;
- 'winter leavers'?
If so, what should those differences be?
Q7. Should the powers of colleges to engage with various age groups of school pupils differ (and if so, how should they differ)?
Q8. Are the existing further education curriculum choices available to school pupils sufficient to meet the purposes of school/college collaboration? If not, what additional support (if any) should we be giving to the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Learning and Teaching Scotland to develop them further?
Q9. Should we develop, in addition to the lifelong learning strategy indicators, specific indicators for school/college collaboration? If so, how should the success of collaboration be measured?
Manag ing Supp ly and Demand and Funding Resp onsibilities
Q10. Should responsibility for pupils' curriculum remain entirely with the relevant education authority (and school)?
Q11. Should further education colleges remain entirely responsible for the courses offered to school pupils and the pupils they accept on to them?
Q12. To what extent should school pupils generally expect their desire for experience of college be realised?
Q13. Given the Executive's Partnership Agreement commitment, to what extent should 14-16 year-old pupils expect to undertake a further education course to develop vocational skills if they so choose?
Q14. Should any special arrangements be extended to older school pupils?
Q15. How can we best make clear that we expect all schools to have links with colleges and ensure that colleges make appropriate provision for school pupils?
Q16. How should colleges engage with the independent school sector (and what are the possible implications of this for public funds)?
Q17. How should the p otential role that further education colleges may play in a pupil's curriculum choices best be identified? What role should Careers Scotland play in this process?
Q18. How should the suitability of pupils for college be assessed?
Q19. Can Personal Learning Plans be a useful vehicle to support school pupils who make use of learning opportunities in colleges?
If so, should they be mandatory for such pupils?
Q20. What further measures, if any, are required to consider labour market needs when planning school/college collaboration, and what role could the Enterprise Networks play in this process?
Q21. How should the further education needs of pupils in less geographically accessible areas be met when it is not practicable for pupils to attend college?
Q22. How should education authorities, schools and colleges work together to plan further education provision in appropriate colleges (or schools) for school pupils?
Q23. Which body should assume lead responsibility for preparing any local strategies?
Q24. In partnership with which bodies should local strategies be developed?
Q25. Should partnership agreements to deliver the Enterprise in Education agenda be adapted to cover the full spectrum of school/college collaboration?
Q26. How should issues of over-demand for courses be managed?
Q27. How should pupils' on-going engagement with further education be monitored and evaluated?
Q28. Should there be some form of statutory duty on incorporated colleges and education authorities to encourage school/college collaboration?
Q29. Similarly, if SFEFC (or any successor body)7remains the principal source of funding for school enrolments (see below) should this be incorporated into its duties?
Q30. Should primary funding responsibility for school enrolments continue to rest with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council? Or should funding responsibility rest with education authorities or schools? Are there other bodies this responsibility should be given to?
Q31. How can colleges be appropriately reimbursed for their partnership working with schools, while safeguarding the integrity of the concept of 'enrolment'?
Q32. Should colleges receive fee income for enrolments undertaken by pupils as part of their school-based curriculum? If so, from which public body should they derive that income?
Q33. What scope might there be for releasing funds dedicated to school pupils' school education when those pupils undertake college courses?
Imp lications for Schools and Colleg es
Q34. What measures should be taken to retain the central ethos of further education colleges as centres of voluntary learning for adults?
Q35. Are there particular issues that the training and development of (a) further education lecturers and (b) teachers need to address in order to facilitate more effective collaboration between the school and further education sectors?
Q36. What training do guidance, teaching support and other staff in further education colleges need to be able to provide effective support to under 16 year olds?
Q37. Should there be a common framework for the recognition of the qualifications for lecturers and teachers?
Q38. Are there any unnecessary overly-prescriptive barriers concerning teaching qualifications that prevent effective collaboration between the school and further education sectors?
Q39. To what extent, if any, should the further education sector reflect (and/or adapt) for the teaching of school pupils in colleges the requirements for the teaching of school pupils in school? If so, how can this be done in a way that retains the existing strengths of the further education sector?
Q40. What responsibility should the Funding Council have for assessing and assuring the learning experience of school pupils (including for provision not funded by the Funding Council)?
Q41. How can college programmes become more flexible to take account of units students have gained while they were at school?
Q42. How should examination statistics be reported to reflect school/college collaboration?
Q43. Where should responsibility for transport and for lunch vouchers for pupils eligible for free school meals lie?
Pup il Welfare and Supp ort
Q44. What further measures are necessary to develop an inclusive, collaborative approach to school pupils with additional support needs attending further education colleges?
Q45. To what extent should school/college collaboration focus on choice and opportunity for all pupils, or target support for a narrower section of the pupil population?
Q46. What successful mechanisms exist to ensure appropriate co-ordination and communication between schools and colleges to deliver effective learning support, behaviour support and pupil support?
Q47. What safeguards are in place in further education colleges for safe recruitment practices, codes of conduct, and awareness of issues in relation to child protection procedures? Do agreements between schools and colleges make respective roles and responsibilities explicit in relation to the safety of pupils? What further measures should be taken?
Q48. What arrangements are made by further education colleges to safeguard vulnerable groups, and does this extend to school pupils? What measures are appropriate and effective?
Q49. What is the current practice between schools and colleges of sharing information? What aspects can be improved?
Q50. How do further education colleges successfully manage the needs of different groups, and ensure their safety? Do the needs of some groups preclude engagement of other groups?
Conclusion
Q51. Are there any other matters not referred to in this consultation paper which you wish to bring to our attention?
Scottish Executive School/College
Inter-Departmental Review Group
February 2004
Footnotes
1 The Scottish Executive's response to the National Debate on Education, Educating for Excellence can be found on its website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/ndser-00.asp.
2 The report of the review Determined to Succeed can be found in the Scottish Executive's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/reie-00.asp. A copy of the Executive's response to the report can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/dtsr-00.asp.
3 There are 46 further education colleges in Scotland. One of them - Newbattle Abbey College - is an adult residential college.
This college is not therefore expected to help deliver the Executive's policy on collaboration between schools and colleges.
4 K Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD. Telephone 0131 244 4552.
5 A copy of which can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/llsm-00.asp.
6 A copy of which can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/pfbs-00.asp.
7 The Scottish Executive has announced plans to merge the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.