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Building the Foundations of A LIFELONG LEARNING SOCIETY
INTRODUCTION
REPORT OF SCHOOL/COLLEGE CONFERENCE - MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 2003
1.1 Ministers have asked an inter-departmental group of Executive officials to co-ordinate a review of collaboration between schools and further education colleges in Scotland. The review was launched on 20 October 2003 at a conference held in the Carlton Hotel in Edinburgh. The conference brought together 120 representatives from the school and further education sectors, as well as other interested parties and Executive officials to help frame the review group's consultation paper.
1.2 This report of the conference has been published to accompany the consultation paper. A summary of the consultation paper and a leaflet seeking specifically the views of school pupils are also available. The summary paper is available on request in alternative formats.
1.3 This report and other review publications can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at www.scotland.gov.uk/publications. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public Internet access point is.
1.4 The Executive has also published as part of its review 'Building the Foundations of a Lifelong Learning Society: The Experience of Motherwell College and Local Schools'. The brochure reproduces articles that first appeared in the spring 2003 edition of 'Broadcast', the journal of the Scottish Further Education Unit. It can be found on the Executive's website at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/bflls-00.asp.
1.5 All review publications are available from:
Margaret McLachlan
Scottish Executive
School/College Review
2nd Floor, Europa Building
450 Argyle Street
Glasgow G2 8LG
Email: margaret.mclachlan@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0141 242 0102.
1.6 A copy of the programme for the conference is at Annex A. The conference participants are listed at Annex B. A copy of the news release, which the Executive issued on the day, is at Annex C.
Conference Discussions
1.7 The syndicate groups were organised along the review's four key themes:
- the purpose of school/college collaboration;
- managing supply and demand and funding mechanisms;
- the implications for schools and colleges; and
- pupil welfare and support.
1.8 The purposes of the syndicate groups were to identify:
- the broad issues that the review should cover; and
- the specific questions that the consultation paper should pose.
1.9 Notes were taken of the syndicate discussions. The notes of each syndicate are in sections 2 to 17 of this paper. The note of the general discussion in the afternoon of the conference is in section 18.
1.10 The review group wishes to take this opportunity to thank the participants at the conference for their attendance and input. The team would also like to thank the speakers at the event - Martin Fairbairn, Deputy Director of Further Education Funding of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council; Linda McKay, Principal of Falkirk College of Further and Higher Education; Euan Robson MSP, Deputy Minister for Education and Young People; and Moira Dutton, the Depute Rector of Trinity Academy in Edinburgh.
Speech of the Deputy Minister for Education and Young People
1.11 The Deputy Minister for Education and Young People addressed the conference at the beginning of the afternoon session. Mr Robson's speech is reproduced below.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have had an enjoyable and productive morning, not to mention an equally enjoyable and nourishing lunch! I am very encouraged by the attendance at today's seminar - both in numbers and diversity.
I am certain that you have tackled this morning's agenda with substantial vigour, and I look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible once I have finished speaking. Those of you who have come here today expecting me to provide a blueprint for future school/college engagement are, I am afraid, going to be disappointed.
I am very much in the mood of listening. What I want to know from you - both today and during the course of the school/college review - are which issues and questions are the most important ones we need to address.
I am delighted to be here and to play part in what I am certain will turn out to be a highly significant event.
The purpose of today is to commence a review of an issue which is of growing importance and relevance to the opportunities we give our school-age young people, and to how we prepare them for life. Developing them as individuals and citizens - and as contributors to society and to the economy. In fact the population is set to decline drastically in Scotland over the next few years so it is essential, now more so than ever, that we make best use of every individual in society both for their own self-worth and the worth of the economy if we are to have the highly- skilled workforce we need in the future.
Our Lifelong Learning Strategy published in February announced our plans to produce a joint schools/FE strategy. The review will also consider how best to implement the Partnership Agreement (the document or set of commitments signed up to by both parties that make up the government in Scotland) made a commitment to vocational education for 14-16 year olds. You will have seen from the structure of today's proceedings that the Review has four main themes:
- the purpose of school college collaboration;
- managing supply and demand and funding responsibilities;
- implications for schools and colleges; and
- pupil welfare and support.
Our primary goals are to ease school leavers' transitions into further learning, training or employment and to broaden and deepen their learning opportunities.
The review builds on the solid foundation of the recent national debate on education and the review of enterprise in education. Both recognise colleges' important role in supporting schools to use the curriculum more flexibly, around a well-balanced core, and increasing access to vocational qualifications. They stress the need to strengthen the links between schools, colleges and workplaces.
Engagement between schools and FE colleges is, of course, nothing new. This collaboration is testimony to the way that both sectors have realised, and delivered, what is in the interests of our children's education. The Partnership Agreement - which forms the basis of the Scottish Executive's programme - has, however, now brought a much sharper focus to how each sector can deliver in favour of a common aim. In addition to the wide range of current school-college engagement, we gave a specific commitment in the Partnership Agreement to 'enable 14-16 year olds to develop educational skills ... by allowing them to undertake courses in further education colleges as part of the school-based curriculum'. Ministers are determined to work in partnership with you, the practitioners, to deliver that commitment in the best way possible.
But today's event, as I mentioned, is not about necessarily defining all the answers at this stage. Rather, our key task is to explore the questions, issues and priorities which the consultation exercise should look at.
What is best for young people; how the colleges can develop what I feel is already a very positive role; and very importantly, how government can ensure that the way forward is substantially guided by educational professionals rather than politicians. I see the role of government as being to set the policy framework, and then to ensure that the support is there. Listen to practitioners and those with expertise, give the relevant sector the support it needs, and then let people get on with delivery.
The title of today's event was chosen deliberately - 'Building the Foundations of a Lifelong Learning Society'.
In any sphere of life, if you don't get the foundations right, you cannot sustain a lasting structure. That is the basis of our approach, and what the review - of which today is a crucial part - will seek to get right. We must rid ourselves of the idea, held by many, that education is something that is 'done' to you at school.
We must introduce pupils to the idea that education is being delivered outside the school gate. And more to the point - it is relevant to them. If we instil a sense that education does not end - it is available for all - after the period of compulsory schooling, then we can indeed begin to look forward to a lifelong learning society.
I am told much of what you talked about this morning considered the breadth of the issues which we require to get exactly right to ensure that we can deliver for our young people in a way which is relevant, motivating and, obviously, safe. We need to make sure that the right provision is in the right places, while ensuring that the more conventional aspects of our FE colleges are still able to develop, improve and meet local and national economic needs.
That consideration needs to recognise the inter-relationship between a wide range of factors. Not least:
- we need to be clear about the nature and purpose of the provision which we will ask colleges to make available for school students; and
- we need to keep track of the likely demand which this stimulates, and the consequent repercussions on the colleges and on funding streams.
These are only some of the significant issues at which we want you to help us look at.
For example, the welfare and support of our children in what is essentially an adult environment. The skills and qualifications of those we ask to teach our youngsters in a college setting, as well as the expectations and responsibility which will remain on schools and education authorities.
In short, the arrangements need to make sense and be clearly understood.
As I said earlier, I am very keen to make clear that the fact we are undertaking a review does not in any way imply that schools and colleges are not already working closely together in a way which is both innovative and commendable.
Significant numbers of school-age students currently benefit immensely from what colleges can, and do, offer. That takes place in a wide variety of circumstances, and yields important benefits in different ways. On vocational education, colleges are delivering at both the tester level and indeed in recognised courses. They are helping to build that crucial, yet so often elusive, quality of self confidence in many of our young people.
It is also undoubtedly the case that some of our youngsters relate better to the more adult and vocational environment provided by the FE colleges. For some pupils, the schools curriculum and ethos is inappropriate.
Some FE colleges already provide creative alternative curriculum options which schools support, and which 'at-risk' pupils find attractive. This is producing some encouraging results, but equally is very resource intensive. It is important to recognise, however, that engagement between colleges and schools does not, and should not, relate solely to less academic pupils.
Above all, the emphasis on school students taking courses in FE colleges needs to be a positive one. It should be because our youngsters identify the college as providing a motivating educational experience - not for negative reasons such as they want to escape from school, or indeed that the school wants to escape from them.
Clearly we need to consider other issues too. What is the opportunity cost? To what extent do we wish to see, or are we prepared to see, the nature of schools and colleges change? What complementary activity do we need to co-ordinate or integrate? Should collaboration extend to estates issues, or even staffing issues? And are there other assumptions we need to challenge, such as that which reserves university for able youngsters and FE colleges for the rest?
The increasingly productive contact and collaboration between individual colleges and nearby schools has been incremental and usually tailored to individual circumstances. But Ministers feel the time is now right to introduce a strategic overview and, of course there is a wealth of valuable experience and examples to inform the current Review. Many of you here today play a significant part in delivering that already.
Our aim has to be to achieve the best possible collaboration and partnerships to allow integrated planning of programmes at both the cohort level and at that of the individual young person.
Parallel to the review we are also undertaking work to expand and update provision for the professional training and development of FE lecturers.
This is to ensure that lecturers have the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to teach an increasingly diverse range of client groups - which includes not only children of school age but also people with disabilities and refugees and asylum seekers.
Secondary schoolteachers are subject to some rules which do not apply to FE lecturers. We plan to have discussions with school and college managers, colleagues in the General Teaching Council for Scotland and with the teaching unions to determine whether existing arrangements are sufficient. While we want school/college collaboration to be as effective as possible we also want to make sure that standards are maintained and that proper safeguards are in place.
I would now like to say a few words about the Order which, as some of you will be aware, we recently laid before the Parliament.
The Order would give incorporated FE colleges an explicit discretionary power to teach children of school age. It is being been made for no other reason than to dispel any doubt about the current powers of colleges to undertake existing work.
However, having clarified the legal position, we will ensure that the Order does not to lead to any increase in school age enrolments funded by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council until we have had the chance to consider the outcome of the review of school/college links.
And, of course, one key aspect of the review will be to address closely the range of issues which have been flagged up by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and others.
Both I and Peter Peacock very much recognise the important role of GTCS in the review. We believe that it is sensible to await the review's conclusions before developing school/college links further. My colleague, Jim Wallace, will therefore issue guidance to the Funding Council in due course to ensure that current levels remain steady for now.
And one aspect the review will also consider is the long-term adequacy of college's amended powers to educate this group of students.
It is now commonplace that the Scottish Executive, in delivering our programmes, seeks to move forward in partnership with those who have an interest in our policy proposals, and with those who have the skills and expertise to make sure Ministers make the right choices for a better Scotland. Our vision is of a Scotland which cares for its people and where opportunities are increasing for everyone.
May I thank you again for your participation in today's event, and hope that you will continue your engagement throughout the course of the review. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day here. In the meantime, if you have any points you wish to make at this stage, I am as ever very happy to listen.
Thank you all very much."
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