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Building the Foundations of A LIFELONG LEARNING SOCIETY
ANNEX C - SCHOOL/COLLEGE CONFERENCE
NEWS RELEASE - MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 2003
Launch of School/College Review
A review of the role that further education colleges can play in the development of school pupils was launched today.
The review, which aims to improve partnership between schools and colleges, follows a commitment in the Executive's Partnership Agreement to enable 14 to 16 year olds to develop vocational skills and improve their job prospects by undertaking FE courses as part of the school-based curriculum.
Launching the review at a conference for representatives from both education sectors today, Deputy Education Minister, Euan Robson, said:
"The Executive is committed to helping young people fulfil their full potential. That means being forward-looking and providing them with the development opportunities they need, wherever these are. In particular, we have said we will ensure that 14 to 16 year olds have access to a college to develop their vocational skills and improve their employment prospects.
"In identifying new learning opportunities, we must employ the same imagination and innovation that we seek to instil in our pupils. Colleges already do marvellous work with schools to widen opportunities for many school-age children and each year thousands benefit from college courses. For example, academically gifted pupils can undertake to study subjects such as psychology and philosophy which their school may not teach, while those less suited to academic study have the option of undertaking a variety of vocational training.
"The review I am launching today will look closely at how we develop these school and college partnerships, ensuring that resources are channelled in a way which best supports the needs and interests of students. And of course we will need to make sure that colleges have the capacity and resources to meet any changes ahead."
Deputy First Minister, and Minister for Lifelong Learning, Jim Wallace, said:
"The Executive is determined to offer our young people a range of options to allow them to improve their skills and enhance their development. In many cases, giving pupils access to college education will allow them to reach their full potential and can be especially useful for those people who wish to develop vocational skills.
"However, this review is not just about improving vocational education. Where appropriate, a college education can expose young people to academic opportunities that their school may not offer.
"It is important that schools and colleges work together to secure the best deal for everyone in education. This review will play an important role in deciding how we can best develop this."
Education Minister, Peter Peacock, said the review would look in detail at a variety of important educational issues:
"This will be a wide-ranging and thorough review, and I expect its work to include consideration of important issues such as quality assurance, teaching qualifications, professional standards and options for the registration of staff. Therefore, until the review is complete, we will ensure that college activity with school pupils remains at its current level."
The school/college review arises from a commitment in the Executive's Lifelong Learning Strategy published in February. It will also consider how best to implement the Partnership Agreement commitment to 'enable 14 to 16 year olds to develop vocational skills and improvement their employment prospects by allowing them to undertake courses in FE colleges as part of the school-based curriculum'.
Today's conference, 'Building the Foundations of a Lifelong Learning Society: A Review of Collaboration Between Schools and FE Colleges in Scotland', brings together the two sectors to engage with them in the review process.
The four main themes of the event are:
- The purpose of greater school collaboration
- Managing supply and demand and funding responsibilities
- Implications for schools and colleges
- Pupil welfare and support
Arising from the conference discussions, the Executive aims to publish a consultation paper before the end of the year. It will not set out firm proposals, but will instead invite comment on the issues that arise from the review.
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