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Building the Foundations of A LIFELONG LEARNING SOCIETY
SECTION 6: PUPIL WELFARE AND SUPPORT
Additional Support Needs
6.1 Our consideration of school/college collaboration generally is informed by the HMIE report Moving on from School to College: Helping young people with additional support needs to make a successful transition: evaluating and improving practice18 published in February 2002. That report focuses on school leavers with additional support needs as they plan their next steps, and particularly as they move to the different environment of a further education college.
6.2 We recognise that in some cases the support needs of students cannot be met by the college alone. Many students have individual needs for a range of services including intensive support, therapy and health care. These needs are likely to be best addressed by adopting a person-centred approach where different agencies provide a seamless client-focused service. Establishing and developing partnerships between further education colleges and key agencies, such as local authorities, health services and the voluntary sector must be a priority.
6.3 The Executive is currently consulting on new guidance designed to provide clarity, to everyone involved in making and managing support arrangements for students with additional needs, on the roles and responsibilities of the agencies involved. Supporting Students with Additional Needs in Further Education Colleges: A Guide to Partnership Arrangements19 emphasises the importance of collaboration and partnerships between all agencies and offers a number of examples of good practice.
Q44. What further measures are necessary to develop an inclusive, collaborative approach to school pupils with additional support needs attending further education colleges?
Re-engaging Disaffected Learners
6.4 The practical or non-traditional nature of the courses that may be offered by further education colleges extends the notion of inclusion to learners of school age who have become disaffected with school. However, focusing on this aspect of provision may present dangers that college-based opportunities become labelled, or labelling.
6.5 The report Better Behaviour - Better Learning, published by the Discipline Task Group in 2001 20 made a recommendation on curriculum flexibility, encouraging authorities and schools to develop flexible programmes of support for pupils who may become disaffected if faced with an inappropriate full academic curriculum. Authorities and schools have responded positively to this recommendation with a variety of alternative programmes and expansion of learning opportunities developing many in partnership with further education colleges. It would be expected, therefore, that many of the pupils involved in such provision are those who might otherwise be described as disaffected learners.
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?
PILOT STAKEHOLDER PLATFORM SCOTTISH QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY This paper pilots a possible new approach to consultations by the Scottish Executive by giving some key stakeholders interested in its subject-matter a platform within the paper to help shape the consultation process. Annex D outlines the pilot in more detail and invites views on the success or otherwise of the pilot to help evaluate it. This is the platform of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). SQA welcomes the opportunity for debate on how collaboration between schools and colleges can best be developed and implemented so as to enhance and extend participation in lifelong learning. SQA is particularly keen to see a thorough debate on issues which are of particular relevance for us as the national awarding body for Scotland. Whilst the issues themselves are not new - and are already being addressed in a number of ways - they will always benefit from fresh discussion and from past experience. These issues include: Promoting parity of esteem and breaking down the artificial barriers between 'academic' and 'vocational' subjects. Achieving parity of esteem is one of the positive (if sometimes indirect) effects of initiatives designed to build better progression routes and enhance vocational provision. The link between parity of esteem and participation is important. Experience in most European countries shows that increases in staying-on rates and in qualifications obtained depend strongly on the capacity of the education and training system to engage young people. Moreover, there are examples of how the increase in the percentage of young people obtaining qualifications has been achieved through the development of better progression routes for those following vocational courses. A contributing factor is the ability to demonstrate that vocational routes can, and will, lead to qualifications which are respected in the labour market and which improve job prospects and career development. Ensuring that the design, delivery and assessment of qualifications offer flexibility and are responsive to the needs of candidates, centres and employers. The new National Qualifications are explicitly intended to allow all learners to achieve and progress according to their abilities. Added to this the SQA Core Skills framework allows individuals to acquire those skills which are critical if they are to succeed in the labour market and as active members of society. However, concerns have been expressed regarding a lack of awareness of Core Skills among teachers, learners and employers and about the value of what is being certificated. Thus, Core Skills are currently under review by SQA but further insights into how they can be improved are always welcome. A closely-related issue is how to ensure that young people are adequately prepared for the world of work. Recent research (carried out by Futureskills Scotland) revealed that young people entering the labour market straight from schools were considered by employers to be less prepared than those entering from college or university. Whilst maturity is undoubtedly a contributory factor we do need to understand the different ways in which schools and colleges approach this and learn from those experiences. Meeting the needs of learners in less geographically-accessible areas. The use of ICT to support e-learning and e-assessment is an area of particular interest to SQA as we explore how best to support learners whilst harnessing the best that new technologies have to offer. Indeed, the potential of Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) extends beyond just geographical accessibility and, as an indication of its strategic commitment SQA has established a dedicated CAA Team. SQA's CAA strategy aims to improve assessment and quality assurance and to bring about: - more flexibility in, when, and where assessments are taken
- improved access, especially for candidates with additional assessment needs
- enhanced validity and reliability of assessment
- more cost-effective processes and enhanced practicability
- enhanced reporting and feedback to students and centres.
VII. Views are invited on the platform of the Scottish Qualifications Authority. |
Duty of Care
6.6 During syndicate discussions at the school/ college conference, we were asked to consider where the duty of care for a pupil's welfare lies - with the relevant school or college or with both. We will consider the implications of the legal concept of 'in loco parentis' (acting in the place or position of parents), which the courts have used as a starting point when considering teachers' responsibilities for pupils in their charge, for college staff in charge of under-16s.
6.7 Both schools and colleges have a duty of care in relation to pupils under 16 and the review will consider the requirements of the duty of care in relation to pupils' care and welfare, and the implications for both schools and colleges to fulfil their duties by mutually agreed responsibilities. The review will also consider pupils' and parents' reasonable expectations of the duty of care and how responsibilities of pupils, parents, schools and colleges are communicated and agreed.
Pastoral Care and Vocational Guidance
6.8 The balance of time spent in the school or college has implications for the co-ordination and delivery of pupil support, and provision for care and welfare.
6.9 Key features of pastoral and vocational guidance provision in schools include guidance on course choices and preparation for school leaving, as well as provision of welfare support. It has also included liaison with pupils and families on welfare and on attendance and discipline when necessary. In recent years, the development of learning support and behaviour support roles has expanded and strengthened the breadth of support offered to pupils and parents beyond the traditionally conceived school guidance role, which now reflects the co-ordinating and management role as well as 'first-level' (teacher to pupil) support.
6.10 Further education colleges have developed student support services and have successfully accommodated an increasingly diverse student population. However, learning and welfare support may be the stronger element of these services, since the voluntary nature of further education perhaps means there is less emphasis on dealing with disruptive students.
6.11 The report Better Behaviour - Better Learning recommends the integration of the roles of behaviour support, learning support and pupil support (school guidance) to ensure a co-ordinated approach to meeting pupils' (and their families') needs, to prevent disaffection and effectively tackle behaviour, attendance or other problems as they arise. Although this recommendation focuses primarily on schools, the increased partnership working between schools raises the question of how such co-ordinated support follows the child wherever they take on learning opportunities, and how effective delivery of pupil support can be achieved between two institutions.
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?
Pupil Safety
6.12 Further education colleges are essentially institutions of adult learning, although in recent years the drive for inclusion has involved them in meeting the needs of some vulnerable groups. However, expectations of appropriate measures to ensure the safety and protection of children within schools are perhaps different to those in colleges.
6.13 National guidelines for child protection in education are being revised, and there is a programme of child protection reform that will lead to national standards for child protection.
6.14 The expectations of schools and authorities is of clarity of roles for all staff, with clear routes for concerns to be raised and referrals made for investigation, co-ordinated by key staff within schools liaising with other agencies (social work and the police) and their authority. It is expected that all staff would be trained in the appropriate action to take if they observe signs of potential abuse (including neglect) or hear a child's disclosure.
6.15 The recruitment process within education authorities, and their expectations of contractors' recruitment processes, ensures that all staff with significant or unsupervised access to children and young people would have been subject to the necessary Disclosure Scotland checks on their background and suitability for working with children. It is a condition of registration with GTCS that teachers (and lecturers) obtain an Enhanced Disclosure. 21 In addition, codes of conduct ensure propriety in the relationships between any adults employed to work in schools and the young people there.
6.16 As a matter of policy, colleges ask staff to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure when they are being considered for appointment to a position which involves regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of a person or persons under 18 or vulnerable adults. We are unaware of any checks being made of adult learners who may be studying alongside a pupil, something which is not normally an issue in a school. That said, under the existing terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order (SSI 2003/231), 22 unless a student was studying for entry into one of the excepted professions listed in the 2003 Order, only a Basic Disclosure, which shows no more than unspent convictions could be obtained (it is available to anyone for any purpose).
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?
6.17 There are many complex areas to consider in making institutions safe environments for children and young people, beyond checking of staff. Access to the institution by the public, interaction between people of all ages within the institution, the management of space, access to supportive staff and the provision of a supportive framework for all staff who may report concerns. The revised guidelines for education authorities will cover these and a wide range of other issues relating to the child's abilities and circumstances (such as pupils with disabilities, ethnic minority pupils, etc.), and the range of activities in which they might be exposed to some level of risk which must be assessed and appropriately managed (e.g. on school transport, on school visits).
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?
Guidelines for Schools on Supporting and Managing Pupils
6.18 There are expectations in relation to the national collation of statistics, that authorities and schools will provide information in relation to every pupil on:
- attendance and absence (authorised and unauthorised);
- exclusion;
- recording incidents of violence and anti-social behaviour against staff; and
- recording of incidents against pupils and anti-bullying strategies.
6.19 There is also a need for the effective sharing of information between schools and colleges about individual pupils to support their needs and the needs of other students and teaching and other staff effectively, having due regard to pupils' confidentiality.
Q49. What is the current practice between schools and colleges of sharing information? What aspects can be improved?
PILOT STAKEHOLDER PLATFORM SCOTTISH TRADES UNION CONGRESS This paper pilots a possible new approach to consultations by the Scottish Executive by giving some key stakeholders interested in its subject-matter a platform within the paper to help shape the consultation process. Annex Doutlines the pilot in more detail and invites views on the success or otherwise of the pilot to help evaluate it. This is the platform of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). The STUC believes the successful development of the collaboration between schools and FE colleges requires the effective engagement and involvement of all stakeholders in the process. Representing over 630,000 working people and their families throughout Scotland, the STUC speaks for trade union members in and out of work, in the community and in the workplace. Through our affiliates in the education sector we represent thousands of workers in school education and further education colleges, including teaching and support staff in schools and academic and support staff in further education. The STUC wants to see the highest quality education and learning experience for all young people in Scotland, one that motivates all young people to continue to engage in learning, one that gives them the social skills required for life, and assists in their progression to the workplace. Giving pupils experience of learning through school/college collaboration can be a positive way of providing high quality education, if it is well planned, resourced, staffed and supported. Whilst supporting the collaboration, the STUC recognises many issues and challenges need addressing to ensure it is a success. First, it is essential that school/college collaboration addresses educational need. The collaboration has the potential to focus too narrowly on disaffected pupils who are not currently succeeding in the school environment. Whilst the opportunity to learn new or vocational subjects, work more flexibly, at different times and in a less formal environment may be appealing to some pupils, the STUC is clear that the collaboration should not provide a dumping ground for children not wanting to be at school. It remains essential that we strive for a positive experience of school education that encourages young people to continue to engage in learning throughout their lives. A number of practical issues have to be considered for pupils to operate successfully in colleges, such as ensuring the suitability of all premises for use by school age pupils. FE colleges may need to make adjustments to their environments for them to be appropriate places for younger people, in terms of size, layout, hygiene, and health and safety measures. Partnerships between schools and FE should be constructive for young people and the institutions themselves, and reject a hierarchical approach to study and learning. Issues of pupil maturity, curricular coherence and pupil workload need to be considered. The adult ethos of FE colleges should not be undermined by an influx of younger people. There are a number of employment relations' consequences to the collaboration. The STUC recognises the distinctive training, qualifications and professional standards achieved by teachers, lecturers and support staff to deliver quality school and college education. To safeguard quality and safety all FE lecturers should hold a teaching qualification within a reasonable timescale following employment in the sector, and it should be mandatory for all teacher qualified lecturers to be registered with the General Teaching Council Scotland. Collaboration will raise a number of issues on pay parity which need addressing, between teachers, lecturers and support staff in the two sectors, who are carrying out similar roles. The financing of the initiative requires careful consideration. It is already the case that FE provides funding for around 65,000 school age children within its sector. Collaboration will mean developing appropriate mechanisms for delivering funding to the areas where it is required whilst maintaining democratic accountability. The role of local authorities in providing funding to schools should be continued, however, FE colleges will need additional resources to facilitate the entitlement of school pupils to access vocational education. VIII. Views are invited on the platform of the Scottish Trades Union Congress. |
Diversity of the College Population
6.20 Many further education colleges fulfil an important role in working with ex-offenders and young-offenders to provide skills and learning opportunities, including giving prisoners the opportunity to attend college via temporary release on a daily basis. This takes place alongside the work on inclusion in which vulnerable groups with additional support needs are also part of the college community. School pupils add a further dimension to the task of meeting the needs of, and taking responsibility for, a diverse population.
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?
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