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’Education for Life’ An Education, Skills and Participation Strategy for Young People

aged 11-19 in Buckinghamshire 2012-2015

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‘Education for Life’ An Education, Skills and Participation Strategy for Young People aged 11-19 in Buckinghamshire

Changing Landscape Now more than ever, the importance of relevant, meaningful, high quality education and training for young people aged 11-19 is clear. The learning, experience and skills young people develop through their educational journey must enable them to gain appropriate meaningful employment, long term economic stability and achieve a fulfilling life in the broadest sense. In an economy of shrinking youth employment; education and training provision must recognise that young people will change jobs very frequently and are likely to continue to do so over the course of a lifetime within a labour market and economy which is also in constant flux. The most valuable learning a young person can obtain is ‘core’ subject knowledge coupled with transferable employability skills, such as self confidence, motivation and communication. Young people are more likely to learn these essential skills through ‘doing’ and not just learning ‘how to do’, increasingly a practical application of learning is the key to not only to getting a job but essential in developing skills for life. The Government’s continued commitment to the Raising of the Participation (RPA), which requires young people to stay in education or employment with training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17 from 2013 and until their 18th birthday from 2015 will help to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to gain skills and qualifications that help them progress to higher education, work and adult life.

A Strategy for Buckinghamshire

The ‘Education for Life’ strategy outlines the key priorities for education and training provision for young people aged 11-19 (to 25 for those with a learning difficult assessment S139a) in Buckinghamshire for the 3 year period 2012 to 2015. The priorities outlined in this document directly support and contribute to those outlined in the Buckinghamshire Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-2014. Priorities associated with the local planning and implementation of the Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) are also integral to this strategy. In Buckinghamshire we want to ensure that the needs of young people aged 11-19 are central to the planning, commissioning and delivery of education and training. We also want to ensure that the learning opportunities available locally are relevant and valid in today’s employment market and that young people have the opportunity to develop a wealth of valuable transferrable employability skills, and life skills, through practical experiences and volunteering as well as through the attainment of qualifications.

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Roles, Responsibilities, Partnerships The Local Authority role is to champion the needs of children and young people. It has a responsibility to ensure that the educational needs of young people aged 11-19 (to 25 for those with a learning difficult assessment S139a) in Buckinghamshire are met as an integral part of Local Authorities responsibility for children and young people 0-19 by maintaining a strategic overview of the local education and training, supporting services and facilities. In addition, the Local Authority has a statutory duty for securing education and training for young people aged 16-19 and Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning (ASCL) Act 2009 The Strategic Area Networks (SANs) will ensure the educational needs of young people aged 11-19 in their locality are met effectively. The SANs have identified 6 overarching priorities:

• To improve attainment and achievement.

• To develop vocational learning opportunities.

• To develop curriculum collaboration.

• To develop the quality of learning for all learners.

• To share good practice across the SAN.

• To develop specialist support for the vulnerable. The SANs will develop plans on an annual basis outlining activity for the given academic year based upon the SAN and the ‘Education for Life’ Strategy priorities. Providers are, and will remain, responsible for the planning and delivery of learning provision within their individual institutions and for using rigorous self assessment and improvement strategies to ensure that young people’s learning experience is positive, meaningful and of the best possible quality. Providers may choose to work collectively or individually in the interests of improving outcomes for young people. It is universally acknowledged that positive educational experiences pre 16 motivate young people to participate in education and training post 16, reducing the risk of them becoming NEET which often results in poor outcomes in later life, such as unemployment, low pay and depression. 11-16 providers have a vital role to play in meeting the RPA as positive experiences the transition to post 16 learning is a pivotal point.

We will deliver the ‘Education for Life’ priorities through a multi partner and provider infrastructure; using local intelligence to find local solutions to meet identified local needs for our young people. We believe that all young people, regardless of ability and aspiration, have potential and that with the right learning opportunities, support and guidance, to achieve and make a successful transition into adulthood.

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Children and Young People’s Trust Vision Statement: “In Buckinghamshire we want all our children and young people to have the best start in life and to be able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives, and to be able to make a positive contribution to their communities and to society. Our aim is to ensure access to a range of universal services as well as developing more targeted services to meet their specialist needs.”

The priorities outlined in the Buckinghamshire Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-2014 are: 1. Closing the Gap - working with the children and young people that most need extra support - to improve their learning at school/college, and their understanding of how to be healthy and where to get help if they need it. 2. Transitions – providing extra support to children and young people at times of change in their lives, such as: • starting at an early years setting or school • changing school • moving from secondary school to further education, training or employment • when family arrangements change (e.g. when parents separate or a parent dies). 3. Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention – providing help to children, young people and their families as soon problems begin, to stop things getting worse or out of control. 4. Family Focus – providing individual help and support to a family so that they can provide the best home for their children. 5. Children and young people’s involvement in decision making – using the opinions and ideas of children and young people to make sure the services provided for them are what they really need.

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Priorities for 11-19 Education, Skills and Participation 1. Literacy and Numeracy for all (CYPP 1. Closing the Gap and 3. Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention)

• Ensure all young people have opportunity to gain Level 2 English and Maths via a delivery method appropriate to their learning style.

11-19 Education, Skills and Participation Vision Statement: ‘Every young person in Buckinghamshire, regardless of ability and aspiration, will have access to education and training that will equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to gain meaningful employment, economic stability and a fulfilling life in the broadest sense: an education for life’

2. Support and Opportunity for the Vulnerable (CYPP 1. Closing the Gap and 2. Transitions)

• Ensure that young people from deprived areas, minority groups or those who are vulnerable have equality of opportunity and appropriate levels of support, to enable them to achieve in line with their peers.

• Reduce the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions at KS3 and KS4. Where exclusion is necessary ensure access to appropriate levels of support and educational provision to meet learner’s needs and promote reintegration.

• Enhance preventative engagement programmes at KS4 and develop KS3 offer to reduce exclusion levels.

• Ensure sufficient capacity and specialism to meet the rising volume and changing needs of young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) aged 11-25.

• Develop local 16-25 learning provision for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) with integrated access to supporting services, such as care, health services and housing, to allow young people to remain in their local community and minimise the number of out of county residential placements required.

• Sustain the development of pre Level 2 (foundation learning) provision locally, acknowledging that many young people will continue to need this level of provision to meet their needs and achieve their aspirations

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3. Growth in Apprenticeships (CYPP 1. Closing the Gap and 2. Transitions)

• Develop high quality Apprenticeship opportunities ensuring they are relevant to the Buckinghamshire economy and are viewed as a long term investment in building the future workforce and addressing skills shortages.

• Increase the number of apprenticeship placements made available to young people with local employers and encourage the use of apprenticeships as first choice for recruitment and workforce development.

• Convert young people in jobs without training or locally recognised training into apprentices.

• Develop provision within the 14-25 apprenticeship “family” to ensure a local progression pathway through to Higher Apprenticeships (Level 4) for young people taking the apprenticeship route

4. Reduce NEET, Increase Participation

(CYPP 1. Closing the Gap, 2. Transitions and 3. Early Intervention and Secondary Prevention)

• Reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).

• Ensure the local sufficiency in terms of capacity and appropriateness of post 16 learning provision to meet the raising of the participation to age 18 in 2015.

• Seek to develop flexibility in delivery of learning provision to allow for individualisation and rolling starts for those young people who have multiple and complex barrier to participation.

• Through the provision of high quality impartial information, advice and guidance, ensure young people are aware of the full range of appropriate and realistic opportunities available to them post 16 and the wider range of options that qualify as participation to the age of 18.

• Ensure positive progression at age 16 into RPA compliant learning or employment with training and at 18 into HE or employment through effective use of the KS4 and KS5 Destination Measures

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5. Skills for Work, Skills for Life (CYPP 1. Closing the Gap and 2. Transitions)

Skills for Work:

• Increase the number of young people achieving Level 2 by 16 and Level 3 by 19.

• Ensure young people have access to a range of high quality, economically relevant vocational and applied learning opportunities at both KS4 and post 16.

• Ensure that vocational learning opportunities have strong progression pathways and have a value of equal standing to academic qualifications, enabling learners to achieve to Level 3 and aspire to Level 4 and beyond.

• Provide a variety of opportunities for all young people to develop transferrable employment relevant skills and aptitudes through work related learning, enterprise activities, interview training and work experience at KS4 and post 16.

• Develop opportunity for employers to become involved in education and skills planning and delivery locally.

• Support and encourage progression to higher education (HE), particularly with young people who do not aspire to HE and/ or have a family history of progression to university.

Skills for Life: Ensure all young people, in particular the vulnerable, have support to take up opportunities to develop important life skills that will prepare them for adulthood and family life by:

• Preparing all young people for adult life by giving them opportunities to learn about money management and budgeting, housing and independent living, and parenting.

• Supporting the roll out of the National Citizenship Service and other community based projects to help young people develop life skills that will support their personal development and help them make a positive contribution in their local communities

• Encouraging young people to take part in informal education and self development programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, to enable the development of life skills, and subsequently improve employment prospects and social mobility.

• Encouraging young people to take part in volunteering programmes at evenings, weekends, and during school holidays.

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What young people said……? We asked young people attending a range of providers in years 7 to 13 how the education and training they currently receive could be improved.

“Work experience activities in school and outside of school” “Mentoring schemes with employers and university students” “Get employers to come in and work with the students” “Enterprise days held within schools” “Apprenticeship taster events….” “Develop interactive lessons using more IT” “…..make lessons more fun and interactive so it’s easier for us to learn” “Taster days on each of the options you can do when finishing year 11” “Math and English – have to get at least a C….incentive to work harder” “Learning skills you need in the workplace in school, like communication skills and confidence with job searching, interviews.”

We asked the same cross section of young people to consider a variety of statements which related to the “Education for Life” priorities and rank them in terms of importance. 1. Literacy and Numeracy for all “Math and English are basic skills that everyone needs in their future….” “You need Maths and English…..at least grade C to go on to Level 3 courses or University so it’s really important” “Literacy and numeracy needs to be more interactive…..we should use a variety of learning methods” 2. Skills for Work, Skills for Life “Hard for young people to get jobs so we need more help preparing for this” “This should also be focussed on during A Levels….” “Everybody should be allowed to have the chance to do a work related course, including going to college and work placements….”

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3. Growth in Apprenticeships “It’s really important to explain the benefits of Apprenticeships in all schools including Grammar’s and doing tasters with real life employers” 4. Reduce NEET, Increase Participation “Everyone has the right to education, especially with the current economic climate” “Because everyone needs to have the opportunity to work and learn” 5. Support and Opportunity for the Vulnerable “Already a lot of support for this group of students in school” “By reducing the number of exclusions there will be an increase in disruption in class…..” “It doesn’t matter what course you want to do……everyone should be supported to do the course they want” “It shouldn’t matter what you do...you are getting educated...it will help you in your later life”

Summary of Young People’s views

The young people we asked all agreed that the ‘Education for Life’ priorities were important; but those which were related to vocational education, work skills, work experience/encouraging employers to work with schools, increasing number of Apprenticeships and adapting Literacy and Numeracy to meet students learning styles, were most important to them.

When considering skills to prepare them for work young people wanted to learn more about the following kind of skills/opportunities:

• How to look for voluntary work

• Filling in job application forms

• CV writing skills

• Interview skills

• ICT skills

• Work experience to develop confidence and experience to add on CV

• Visits to different work places to help to decide which work place would be best suited.

Young people in years 7 to 10 were also concerned that they will be leaving school with no work experience on their CV and wondered whether this will jeopardise their chances of getting accepted onto an Apprenticeship and/ or into employment. They also suggested making numeracy more fun in lessons, using interactive activities, IT and group work.