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14 TO 19 REFORMS
The 14 to
19 reforms,
especially the
new Diplomas,
Working
have led to a new emphasis
on how schools and other
organisations collaborate to
deliver education. Gerald
together
Haigh explains
HERE IS nothing really new about
T
schools getting together to improve
choice for students.
The Nuffield Review of 14 to 19
Provision reminds of the long history
of schools working together on A level
courses, for example.
It stated: “From the mid-1990s, government
programmes began to encourage collaboration between
schools and colleges in the provision of work-related
learning opportunities for 14 to 16-year-olds as part
of a more flexible key stage 4 curriculum, aimed at
motivating those disaffected by traditional courses and
classroom learning.”
What is happening now with 14 to 19 reform
however is of a different order. The Diploma entitlement
alone takes the need for collaborative working to a new
and more inclusive level.
The Nuffield Review sums up the change as being:
“From weakly collaborative 14 to 19 partnerships to
strongly collaborative local learning systems.”
So while there are clearly lessons to be learned from
existing collaborative arrangements, and it makes sense
to build on them, the revolution in 14 to 19 educational
provision (and it really is that) calls for a considerably
more serious approach to building what Nuffield calls
“local learning systems”. For them to work properly needs strong local In some consortia, the priority, especially at the start, Or, at parents’ evening: “I’m sorry, I don’t have the
To meet the demand, groups of institutions are leadership, “buy-in” by parents, openness about is to keep the movement of students to a minimum by complete picture for arts and media because she doesn’t
joining together to create consortia or “collaboratives”, attitudes to inter-school competition, secure funding, making every effort to deliver what is needed in their do it here you see.”
agreeing between them on how best to provide the enough of the right staff, and the sustainability to keep own school. If institutions collaborate at teaching and It will not do will it? You do not operate like
necessary menu of courses for their young people. going when the original enthusiasts move on. management level – through CPD, mutual planning and that within your school, so you cannot allow cross-
intelligent use of resources – maybe students will not institution working to involve any downgrading of your
need to do so much moving around. standard of pastoral and academic care.
That said, nobody denies that student movement is Quite apart from anything else, as collaborative
Asbestos
inevitable, with all that is implied. working increasingly includes students younger than
Schools pride themselves on looking after their 16, there are clear duty of care issues.
students. They have pastoral teams, tutors, mentors, What is needed goes something like this (the school
attendance monitoring, behaviour tracking. Does all names are made up, just in case you think you recognise
that care and attention have to slack off when students yourself).
in Schools:
go off to study somewhere else? Suppose Stephanie, a student whose “home” is
The aim must be to see that it does not, and that in Rita Sullivan High does arts and media at Deirdre
brings some challenges. There is the obvious problem Barlow 6th Form College.
of tracking attendance, for example, but that is surely The data held on her by the management
only the start if the co-operating institutions really information system back at Rita Sullivan needs to
the silent killer
are going to become Nuffield’s vision of “strongly be updated with arts and media performance just as
collaborative local learning systems”. quickly as if she were doing the subject there.
Today’s schools and colleges depend heavily on Conversely, Stephanie’s arts and media teachers at
a wide range of performance data to which school Deirdre Barlow must have the same level of access
12 March 2009 � Institute of Physics, London
leaders and teachers have quick and easy access – and to her personal, performance and attendance data as if
collaboration cannot be allowed to compromise that. they were on the staff of Rita Sullivan.
Effective partnerships recognise that, according And, of course, in many cases that is going to
to Phil Cumming, head of Stafford Collegiate. He involve more than two partner schools or colleges.
� Do you have asbestos in your school?
said: “The government has been banging on about Post-dated summaries or reports and periodic updates
collaboration, but slow to appreciate that good will not do – there has to be equal secure access to live
� Do you know where it is?
collaboration requires excellent data transfer.” data. Anything else is a backward step from what is
Stafford Collegiate is a well-established eight- available already in the student’s own school.
sided partnership of six high schools, Stafford College The answer, unsurprisingly, lies in the technology
� Do you know what to do about it?
and the Chetwynd 6th Form Centre. The Collegiate’s – in the case of Stafford Collegiate, a product called
brochure offers a huge range of course options, and “SIMS Partnership Xchange”.
large numbers of students travel to study. It was piloted in three collaboratives during 2007/08,
� Do you know it can cause potential
Mr Cumming continued: “We’ve found that they and chosen by Stafford Collegiate because the majority
will travel to get the courses they want.” of the partnership members were already SIMS users.
harm to you and your pupils?
Right from the start, though, Mr Cumming knew Other collaborations will be developing their own
that data transfer was going to be a real challenge. solutions. Bromley’s authority-wide consortium has
He added: “Putting the learner at the heart of its own web-based learning tracker for example.
the organisation means offering the greatest range of Technology, though, is only part of the answer.
Our conference brings together leading speakers,
choices, but if you don’t back up what you’re doing What is important is first to realise the full extent of
medical specialists, MPs and government representatives
with good systems, then the bigger the collaboration the what is needed, and then make sure that the processes
more holes it will have in it. are right so the technology can do its job.
to give you an idea of the scale of the problems faced with “My first fear for the Collegiate was that we’d create Mr Cumming’s advice, based on hard experience,
asbestos in schools and what YOU can do about them.
something with holes that students might fall through.” is that partnerships starting down the road of data
So what was it that Mr Cumming was looking for to exchange need to spend time first making sure that
If you would like more information
ensure effective co-operation? the procedures are robust in the individual schools and
“The fundamental thing,” he said, “is to be using colleges.
on the conference or how to book,
live data. To support our students effectively we need If there is not, there will certainly be tears before
to make timely interventions. You need accurate, bedtime. SecEd
please contact Fiona on 01722 717027
immediate and up-to-date information to see if anything
is going wrong or if students are on course to succeed. • Gerald Haigh is a former teacher, head and governor
This data is of crucial importance to the partnership’s and works now as an educational writer and consultant.
This is your chance to fi nd out
success.”
In association with
Clearly, it is not enough to depend on phone
Further information
what is really going on
calls, or emails, or bits of paper or any other bit • Nuffield Review, issue paper 2, entitled 14 to 19
of seat of the pants improvisation. Imagine it. “Hi. Partnerships: www.nuffield14-19review.org.uk
– don’t delay, contact us today!
I’m Stephanie Johnson’s form tutor and I’m just • For Details of Partnership Xchange, visit
doing my reports. Can you give me an idea how www.sims.co.uk
Stephanie’s doing in the course she’s on over there • For general information on the 14 to 19 reforms
TOMORROW’S THINKING TODAY
at your place please? Oh really? I wish you’d told and Diplomas, visit www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19 and
me that before.” www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/14to19
SecEd • December 11 2008 15
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