Creating a Skillbased Curriculum at KS4

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Creating a Skill-based Curriculum at KS4

• Friday 27th March 2009
• Mary Hurlstone, 14-19 Adviser
• mary.hurlstone_at_hertscc.gov.uk
• 07785 594701

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The Programme and Context
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Today has been set up for you to

• Research and gather information on units and
  qualifications to meet the needs of your learners
• Focus on ways to engage your learners and
  celebrate success in small steps
• Consider models of delivery that you could
  implement
• Find out more about local and national
  initiatives and developments to support the
  learners in demonstrating and developing skills

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The Creative Contributors are

• The Awarding Bodies
• The Charities
• The Practitioners
• The Entrepreneurs
• The 14-19 Team
• And the most creative people of all
• YOU!!!

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The programme will cover.

• Linking skills development with the curriculum
• Thinking about the Foundation Learning Tier and
  what this means for you
• Starting with the Learner and mapping learning
  outcomes to accreditation
• Exploring what is available
• Using enterprising people
• The Solihull experience
• Integrating alternative provision and education
  business link activities

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The context in which we are working

• Implementing the National Strategy Every Child
  Matters
• Be healthy
• Staying safe
• Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Achieving economic wellbeing

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Hertfordshires Putting the Learner First

• Ensuring that every learner 14-19 (25)
• Has realistic and yet challenging goals
• Develops life and/or employability skills
• Realises their full potential and demonstrates
  progression
• And that they are
• Successful learners
• Confident individuals
• Responsible citizens
• From QCA Curriculum Big Picture

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QCA and the Big Picture
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(No Transcript)
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Question to think about

• What does this picture mean for you and your
  learners?
• What are you trying to achieve?
• How are you organising learning?
• How well are you achieving your aims?

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What do we want learning to be?

• Personalised, relevant and appropriate
• Well-planned, coherent, documented, regularly
  reviewed and changed
• Using accredited provision where relevant and
  appropriate
• Self-empowered involvement of learners from
  planning, delivery and in evaluation
• Engaging, motivating and rewarded by recognition
  and attainment

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• What are the Skills?

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So what are the skills?

• Personal, learning and thinking skills
• Career, work-related and enterprise skills?
• Personal wellbeing?
• Functional skills?
• Key skills?
• Employability skills?
• Sector specific skills?
• Or a mixture of all of these? What else?

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Personal, learning and thinking skills

• For ALL learners 11-19, not just those on Diploma
  courses
• Embedded into all qualifications
• Six groups of Skills that are interconnected
• Independent enquirers (evaluate, investigate,
  research)
• Creative thinkers (generate ideas, try out
  alternatives)
• Reflective learners (assess themselves, deal with
  praise, criticism)
• Team workers (collaborate, contribute, consider
  others)
• Self managers (organise, take and manage risks,
  challenge, respond positively to change
• Effective participators (actively engage,
  negotiate, identify improvements)

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Careers, work-related and enterprise

• Framework to support economic well-being and
  financial capability with nine elements,
  suggested minimum provision and learning outcomes
  (11-19)
• Ranging from
• 1. Recognising, developing and applying skills
  for enterprise and employability to
• 9. Engaging with ideas, challenges and
  applications from the business world
• Order ref QCA/08/3980 orderline_at_qca.org.uk

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Personal wellbeing (skills?)

• Personal identities
• Personal qualities, attitudes, skills,
  achievements
• Healthy lifestyles
• Understanding physical, mental, sexual and
  emotional health
• Risk
• Developing confidence to try new ideas and face
  challenges
• Relationships
• Multiple roles and responsibilities
• Diversity
• Race, religion, culture, ability or disability,
  gender etc

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Key skills

• Communication
• Application of number
• ICT
• Particularly the wider key skills
• Working with others
• Improving own learning and performance
• Problem solving

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Functional skills

• Practical skills in mathematics, English and ICT
• Full qualifications will be introduced for first
  teaching in September 2010
• Accessible to ALL learners as
• Standalone qualifications
• A component of GCSEs (English, maths, ICT)
• A component of the Diplomas
• As with all curriculum trials this may change

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Employability skills
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A skills-based curriculum

• To include
• Personal/Social Development
• Vocational or subject learning
• Functional skills
• Anything else?

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Integrating vocational learning

• Some of the common vocational programmes with
  sector specific skills
• Construction
• Motor Vehicle
• Hair and Beauty
• Horticulture
• Catering and hospitality
• Business administration
• Information Technology
• Creative and media

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Dont forget the Diploma

• They include
• A mixture of theory and practical application
• Visits to and learning in the workplace and
  varied environments
• Realistic environments eg workshops, kitchens
• Skills development eg project management
• Plus
• Functional skills in English, maths and ICT
• Personal, thinking and learning skills
• Learning through experience eg experiences of
  work
• and enterprise
• A project (skills of creativity, independent
  learning, research)

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And where does Applied Learning fit?
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Definition

• Applied learning is
• The acquisition and practical application of
  knowledge, skills and understanding through tasks
  set in work or sector contexts. These tasks must
  be relevant and meaningful to real work in the
  sector. The tasks may be set in the workplace.

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The main features of applied learning

• Links understanding and learning activities to
  job roles
• Provides interaction for learners with
  professionals from outside of the classroom
• Encourages real life investigations and active
  enquiry
• Emphasises learning through doing
  experiential and enterprising
• Enables interaction with other learners through
  group work and team activities
• Involves learning in different environments and
  different contexts

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Applied learning
Relevant
Using real-life examples in teaching and learning
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The Foundation Learning Tier and Qualifications
and Credit Framework
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The Foundation Learning Tier (FLT)

• Is not alternative education
• Allows for relevant and appropriate choices at
  Entry and Level 1 to enable progression
• Now five progression pathways
• Foundation Diploma or GCSE
• Skilled employment including apprenticeship
• First full level 2
• Supported employment, independent living
• Employment with accredited training
• Fully phased in during 2010/2011
• See FLT catalogue for current qualifications and
  credits

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QCF FRAMEWORK
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The key features of QCF

• Is relevant for everyone
• Involves schools maintained and special,
  colleges, education support centres, training
  providers, universities
• Replaces NQF being phased out from September
  2008
• A flexible and simpler system provides for
  demand-led and skills agenda
• Currency for recognition and achievement in small
  incremental steps
• More relevant to the needs of employers
• More accessible to all learners

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The Framework

• Every unit, every qualification has a credit
  value
• Each credit 10 hours of learning time (the
  amount of time it takes to complete)
• Transfer of credits to build up qualifications
• Three sizes of qualifications
• Awards (1 to 12 credits)
• Certificates (13-36 credits)
• Diplomas (37 credits or more)
• Nine levels from entry to level 8
• For further information see
• www.qca.org.uk/qca_19674.aspx

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Before we move on
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Remember - Existing Provision

• Programmes delivered in collaboration with FE
  colleges and WBL providers e.g. Practical
  Learning Opportunities
• Whole curriculum personal development frameworks
• e.g. SEAL
• Learning on employers premises e.g. extended
  work experience
• KS4 Engagement programme e.g. Herts Youth and
  Princes Trust XL Clubs
• Learning outside of the classroom with
  non-teachers e.g. KS4 Alternative provision
• Work-related learning programmes e.g. activities
  set in a work context (challenge days)