HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS & FAMILIES EDUCATION PANEL

THURSDAY 19TH JANUARY 2006 AT 2.00PMSUBJECT: IMPLEMENTING THE 14 TO 19 STRATEGY
Report of the Director, Children, Schools and Families

Author:Mike Griffin

14 – 19 Development Manager

Tel: 01582 830250

Executive Member:Robert Gordon

  1. Purpose of the Report
    To provide members with a detailed report on progress in implementing the county 14-19 Strategy following the LSC’s Strategic Area Review of post-16 provision and the Ofsted Area Wide Inspection of 14-19 provision in Hertfordshire.
  2. Summary

2.1The County 14-19 Strategy: Putting the Learner First, is a joint Strategy involving the County Council, the LSC and Connexions, delivered at local level by schools, colleges, work based learning providers, the Connexions Service and other partners.

Following the LSC’s Strategic Area Review (StAR) of post-16 provision, and the more recent Ofsted Area WideInspection (AWI) of 14-19 provision in Hertfordshire, the lead partners (CSF, the LSC and Connexions), after extensive consultation, have revised and updated the county strategic action plan to incorporate the issues and recommendations in StAR and AWI. The action plan has been submitted to the DfES, who will forward it to Ministers for their comment. A considered response is expected from the Department by 20th January.

2.2A key feature of the delivery of the updated plan is the establishment of seven Strategic Planning Areas (SPAs) for the delivery of the 14-19 education and learning across the county. In each of the seven SPAs, a Strategic Area Partnership Group (SAPG) has been established. The SAPGs have the key role, with the support of CSF, LSC and Connexions, in ensuring that, by September 2008, all 14-19 year old learners in the county will have access to the range of high quality provision that meets their needs.

  1. Conclusion

3.1Members are invited to note the progress made during the past six months following StAR and AWI.

3.2Members are invited to note the detailed action plan which was submitted to the DfES in December for approval, and to endorse the plan as providing a clear framework to implement the 14-19 Strategy.

3.3Finally, members are asked to advise on any further action to assist in the effective implementation of the strategic action plan by HCC, LSC, Connexions, schools and other partners.

  1. Background

4.1.Putting the Learner First: The 14-19 Strategy for Hertfordshire

The Strategy, prepared by CSF and the LSC in consultation with a wide range of partners, was published in March 2004. The plan set out the vision, principles and actions for the delivery of high quality, appropriate learning opportunities for all 14-19 year olds in the county. The key actions set out in the plan include:

  • the development of an effective collaborative planning framework
  • overcoming barriers to success
  • improving the quality of provision
  • developing appropriate learning opportunities
  • securing impartial advice and guidance for young people
  • providing value for money
  • tackling the underperformance of individuals and groups.

Partners – schools, colleges and work based learning providers – were encouraged to reflect these key actions in their institutional and collaborative plans. Specific actions were included in the CSF Service Plan, the LSC Business Plan and the Connexions Business Plan. A countywide Action Plan was agreed in the Autumn of 2004 and published in the Spring of 2005.

4.2.Strategic Area Review (StAR) and Area Wide Inspection (AWI)

Both the Strategic Area Review and the Area Wide Inspection highlighted a number of important strengths in the provision for 14-19 year olds. Overall, Ofsted’s judgement is that provision is satisfactory, but the inspection identified a number of key challenges that need to be tackled with some urgency in order to ensure that provision and outcomes for all young people are of high quality. In particular, StAR and AWI identified the need to:

  • improve and extend the range of vocational learning opportunities for young people
  • tackle the wide variation in outcomes for young people in some communities, individual institutions and particular groups
  • improve the quality of provision and teaching and learning for 14-19 year olds in FE colleges
  • improve the quality, range and success rates in work-based learning provision
  • provide better value for money through reducing unnecessary duplication, improving collaborative arrangements and improving success rates
  • ensure that all young people have access to a wide range of high quality provision which is appropriate to their needs and which enables them to progress to the next stage of their learning or training
  • ensure that there is better access to alternative provision at Key Stage 4 for those young people for whom this is appropriate
  • secure the provision of impartial information, advice and guidance for all young people
  • accelerate the pace of change, particularly in those areas, institutions and amongst those particular groups of young people where access to appropriate high quality provision is more limited.

4.3.Government policy drivers

4.3.1.The 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper: February 2005

The White Paper sets out the DfES agenda for improving provision, participation and outcomes for 14-19 year old learners. There is a particular focus on developing vocational learning opportunities for young people, with clear progression routes to further learning and training.

Key messages in the White Paper include:

  • 14-19 provision is to be built around the needs of the learner, rather than of individual institutions.
  • area by area, institutions will need to come together to decide how to make an offer which best meets the talents of young people.
  • each area, with the support of the LSC and the LA, will be required to identify gaps in provision and barriers to effective collaboration.
  • the LSC and LA will produce a prospectus for each area, setting out for young people what is available for them.
  • there will be flexible funding to support the development and delivery of 14-19 provision at local level.

4.3.2.14-19 Education and Skills: Implementation Plan – December 2005

The DfES has recently published the Implementation Plan which is intended to drive forward the Government’s vision for 14-19 education and training. The executive summary is attached at Appendix 1. The Implementation Plan sets out in detail the actions required at national and local level, together with an implementation timetable, to deliver the reforms to 14-19 provision. The key issues include:

  • the development of Specialised Diplomas, with the first five introduced for first teaching in September 2008
  • additional challenge to be brought into advanced level study, with first teaching in September 2008
  • GCSEs in English, Mathematics and ICT to be altered to include new functional skills content
  • a duty on the LA and the LSC to ensure that there is sufficient provision at local level to meet the needs of 14-19 year olds
  • a duty on schools to ensure that young people on their roll have access to all the Diplomas available locally
  • every area to establish a 14-19 partnership, led by the LA and the LSC
  • LAs and LSCs to draw up a prospectus during 2006, which sets out the full range of learning opportunities available to young people in their local area.

The issues set out in the Implementation Plan do not present any surprises, and the countyStrategic Action Plan, together with the supporting documents (see Appendix 2), align well with the key DfES priorities. The 14-19 Partnerships, for example, have already been established, and work is under way to develop the local 14-19 prospectus.

4.4.The County 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group.

4.41The 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group is the county’s key strategic 14-19 education and training group. It brings together the key stakeholders – the LSC, CSF, Connexions, Higher Education, schools, colleges and training providers and has a key role in promoting the needs of all 14-19 year olds, including those not in learning. The principal focus of the group is to ensure that through partnership working at strategic level, all stakeholders are able to promote and support the county 14-19 strategy.

4.42The group meets six times a year, and is chaired by the Executive Director of the LSC. Membership comprises representatives from schools, colleges, training providers, higher education, LSC, CSF and Connexions. The group has a key role in:

  • overseeing and steering the implementation of the strategic action plan
  • monitoring and evaluating progress of the implementation of the 14-19 strategy
  • advising CSF and LSC on flexible funding opportunities for 14-19 provision
  • acting as champions for the delivery of high quality, cost effective learning and training opportunities for all young people in Hertfordshire.
  1. Implementing the 14-19 Strategy in Hertfordshire: Progress in recent months

5.1.Vision and direction.
Following the Area Wide Inspection, the County 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group considered and approved a range of key documents which, taken together, set out the vision and the direction of travel for all partners in the county to drive forward the development of 14-19 provision. The documents comprised:

  • Putting the Learner First: from Strategy to Delivery
  • The Planning Framework
  • The Learner Entitlement
  • Information, Advice and Guidance Protocol,

and they were launched at a conference for headteachers, college principals, elected members and governors in July 2005. There was a strong consensus at the conference for the proposals in the documents.

All the documents were subsequently circulated to schools, colleges, work based learning providers and other partners in September 2005. They are included as part of the Strategic Action Plan at Appendix 2.

5.2.Strategic Action Plan.

5.21An additional significant piece of work in recent months has been the production of the Hertfordshire Strategic Action Plan. The Strategic Action Plan has been revised and updated following StAR and AWI. Schools, Colleges and other providers were consulted on the draft plan in October and November, and the final plan was approved by the County 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group in December 2005 , prior to sign-off by CSF Board, the Executive Director of the LSC, the Chief Executive of Connexions, the HCC Executive Member for Education and the Chair of the LSC Council.

5.22The plan, which has been submitted to the DfES for comment and approval, is attached (hard copy only) at Appendix 2. It responds to all the recommendations in the AWI report, and sets out the actions and milestones for delivery up to August 2008. It is envisaged that once the plan is approved, additional funding will be made available through the LSC National Office to support delivery.

5.23The key difference between the earlier action plan and the revised plan submitted to the DfES is that the revised plan deals fully with the issues arising from the LSC Strategic Area Review and with the recommendations in the Area Wide Inspection Report. Each section of the revised plan is cross-referenced to the relevant recommendation in the AWI report.

5.24Implementation of the plan will be monitored and evaluated at regular intervals by the County 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group, and the proposed Joint Governance Group will have a key role in scrutinising and approving the 3-year action plans which the seven SAPGs are required to produce.

5.3.Local Strategic Planning.

5.31Central to the implementation of the 14-19 Strategy is the establishment of the seven Strategic Planning Areas (SPAs) to ensure that the full range of learning opportunities is available for all young people within reasonable travelling distance. A Strategic Area Partnership Group (SAPG) has been established in each area, with membership comprising headteachers of secondary schools, special schools with secondary provision and ESCs, college principals or their nominees, and a work-based learning representative. The groups are supported by CSF/LSC officers and Connexions managers.

All seven SAPGs have held their first meetings and are beginning to make preparations, with the assistance of LSC/CSF officers, to develop their 3-year action plans for the delivery of the 14-19 learner entitlement at local level.

5.32No two meetings have been the same. There have been markedly different levels of engagement with the key issues, which was both expected and understandable, given the variation in existing levels and history of partnership working the seven SPAs. Importantly, however, there was no disagreement with the key drivers for change – both national and local – which were set out at the meetings, and it was generally acknowledged that the issues set out at the meetings are the right ones.

5.33The key issues emerging from the first meetings of the seven SAPGs include:

a) Data
All groups agreed that the curriculum and achievement data are of central importance in enabling the SAPG to understand the range of provision, identify duplication and gaps, and plan future provision.

b) Funding

Most groups raised concerns about the levels and sustainability of the development and delivery of more expensive vocational provision.

c) Transport
This was raised as a significant issue in most groups. Heads are worried that they might embark on a further expansion of collaborative working for September 2006, only to discover that funding for transport is no longer available.

d) Inclusion
Concerns were raised by SpecialSchool and some ESC headteachers about the needs of the most vulnerable young people, who often have to leave school at 16. Issues raised included access to appropriate, affordable provision at KS4, progression, pastoral support and the narrow range of opportunities available at Level 1.

e) Linking of plans
It was recognised that individual institutions need to develop plans which contribute to the planning at local level (collaborative group), which in turn contribute to the delivery of the priorities identified by the SAPG. The SAPG has to do the gap analysis, then determine how and where any new delivery takes place.

f) Cross-border issues
Several groups identified the need to capture the curriculum data from colleges outside Hertfordshire’s boundaries – e.g. Barnet, Harlow, Dunstable, Amersham and Wycombe colleges.

g) Timescales
All centres are already at the advanced planning stage for September 2006. It will be important that these plans are shared at SAPG level so that they can inform the SAPG’s plans. It is likely that major changes, unless already planned, will not take place until September 2007.

h) Coordination
Most groups felt that it would not be possible to appoint a coordinator before September 2006. In the meantime, there is much work to be done, as each SAPG has to produce a 3-year action plan by April 2006. It is envisaged that future flexible funding will be allocated to SAPGs on the basis of their 3-year plans.

i) Priorities
In all groups, the key priorities identified were:

  • increased vocational provision for 14-19 year olds.
  • increased Level 1 and Level 2 provision for older learners.

In addition, a number of groups identified:

  • the need for shared professional development opportunities across centres, including school/ college staff training together
  • the need to develop quality assurance measures across centres
  • training for timetablers.

The key issues raised in the meetings are picked up in the revised action plan as follows:

  • data: Section 2: Action 2•1
  • funding: Section 1: Actions 1•3; 1•4

Section 2: Actions 2•2; 2•5

Section 3: Actions 3•1; 3•2

  • transport: Section 3: Action 3•5
  • inclusion: Section 3: Action 3•7
  • linking plans: Section 1: Actions 1•1; 1•3; 1•4
  • cross border issues: Section 2: Actions 2•2; 2•5
  • timescales: All sections
  • coordination: Section 1: Actions 1•1; 1•3; 1•4

Section 2: Actions 2•2; 2•5

  • priorities: Section 2: Actions 2•2; 2•5

Section 3: Actions 3•2; 3•3; 3•5; 3•7

Section 4: Actions 4•1; 4•2

Section 5: Action 5•4

Section 7: Action 7•1

5.4.Vocational learning opportunities.
It is important to note that, whilst recognising the need to rapidly accelerate the provision of and access to vocational learning for 14-19 year olds in the county, a significant number of schools have been developing their provision in recent years. More particularly, some two thirds of secondary schools have taken advantage of the programmes made available at the 4 FE Colleges through the Increased Flexibility Programme (IFP), funded through the LSC. The number of 14-16 year olds accessing the IF Programme has more than doubled since its introduction in 2002, and the numbers are set to grow further in September 2006.

Further details of the development of vocational provision, which is supported by a range of training and networking opportunities through Standards and School Effectiveness (CSF) are set out at Appendix 3.

  1. Next steps

6.1.The Strategic Area Partnership Groups.

It will be critically important in the months ahead to win the support of all governing bodies and schools for the implementation of the local and national 14-19 Strategy. LSC, CSF and Connexions officers will provide all SAPGs with further curriculum data in early February to support the construction of their three-year plans. Funding has been made available to each of the groups to support the development of their plans, and a CSF/LSC officer will support each of the groups with their planning.

6.2.The role of the FE colleges.

All four colleges have made a real commitment to the implementation of the 14-19 strategy. None of the colleges is now in an Ofsted category, and indeed WestHertsCollege has been judged to be “good” at its inspection in November. There are now very real opportunities for schools and colleges to work in partnership, particularly in relation to the development and delivery of vocational learning.

6.3.Funding.

6.31A key criticism from schools is that the funding to support vocational learning has been both limited and inadequate. Part of the solution clearly has to be with schools and colleges, since most available funding is delegated to them. Money can be saved, for example through the elimination of unnecessary duplication of post-16 provision, and schools with Specialist Status (currently 63 of 76) for which they receive significant additional funding are expected to develop vocational learning opportunities in their specialist area.