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SECTION 3
NATURE OF PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITY
3.1 Pupils of all abilities in
S3 and above will be able to be
considered for college courses. Options will be made
available to school pupils as they are with all other
students in further and higher education - on the basis of
available capacity. Given there is an inevitable limit on
capacity due regard will be paid to pupils who will benefit
most from activities that enhance their life chances.
3.2 In providing courses for pupils,
schools, pupils and parents or carers need to be satisfied
that course provision will not be withdrawn before pupils
complete the course without satisfactory alternative
arrangements in place. This is especially important for
courses that last two years. Schools, colleges and awarding
bodies should give such assurances.
Primary Pupils
3.3 We would expect any college
engagements with primary pupils to be limited to activities
such as special project work, including work to help
deliver Enterprise in Education under
Determined to Succeed. All school/college
activities with primary school pupils in colleges should be
supervised by schools in the same way as on any other
school excursion, including in respect of the ratio of
pupils to schoolteachers.
S1 and
S2 pupils
3.4 Similarly, for pupils in
S1 and
S2, we would expect the experience of
college to be limited, typically involving the provision of
Determined to Succeed and 'taster courses'
to engage pupils' interest in a course or particular
subject before embarking on a more extensive course of
study at a future date in college or elsewhere. Such
'taster' courses also have a particularly important role in
helping to break down gender stereotypes of occupations, as
they give opportunities which might otherwise not be
available to pupils to sample a field of learning and
discover what a subject is really about. All school/college
activities with
S1 and
S2 school pupils in colleges should be
supervised by schools in the same way as on any other
school excursion, including in respect of the ratio of
pupils to schoolteachers.
Pupils Under School Leaving Age
3.5 Pupils under school leaving age should
generally be taught in discrete classes in colleges. That
said, we know that there are many cases where interaction
between such pupils with adult learners is beneficial to
the pupils concerned. We also recognise that in some other
cases it may not be viable to offer discrete classes to
this age group. However, there are pupil welfare issues
that need to be considered. Where such pupils are not
taught in discrete classes, we suggest measures are put in
place to ensure that pupils under school leaving age are
not left in a class of adults for any significant period of
time without the supervision of a college staff member.
Pupils Over School Leaving Age
3.6 If a pupil over school age chooses to
stay on at school and wishes to undertake a part-time
college course, then we consider that to be a matter for
the pupil. Student-centred learning demands that the wishes
of that pupil should be accommodated as far as possible by
the school (though like any other potential student it is a
matter for the college concerned whether to enrol the
pupil). It is wholly reasonable for pupils over school age
to be taught alongside other adult learners.
Exceptional Circumstances for Pupils Below
S5 and 'Winter Leavers'
3.7 For most pupils, college learning will
be one aspect of their school-based curriculum.
3.8 However, as school/college partnership
is predicated on the identified needs of the individual
pupil, there may be exceptional circumstances where it is
considered to be in the educational interest of a pupil
below
S5 to attend a college full-time.
Procedures must be strictly controlled. They should rely on
a Partnership Agreement between the college, school and
local authority to ensure that full time attendance at
college is in the best interests of the pupil. It should
normally be pupils close to their 16th birthday who should
be involved. Circumstances where pupils below
S5 could exceptionally attend college
full-time are outlined in
Annex C.
3.9 Full-time college learning for 'winter
leavers' can also present options that may be more suitable
for some.
3.10 Only where it is in the best
interests of the pupil should vulnerable pupils attending
college full-time be taught alongside adult learners. It
requires the full agreement of all partners involved in the
care of the pupil, including the pupil themselves and their
parent or carer.
3.11 When pupils attend college on a
full-time basis, there will be a gap in the number of hours
they are expected to be in attendance. In colleges most
full-time courses for this level would require pupils to
attend for 21 hours teaching time. While at school pupils
are expected to be in attendance for approximately 30
hours.
3.12 Colleges which deliver a full time
provision for pupils below
S5 should make up the 1.5 additional
days necessary to provide a full timetable by building
timetables, which offer among other things, additional core
skills classes, flexible courses in college learning
resource centres and guidance classes. These classes will
complement the courses the pupil is undertaking and support
them by providing additional pastoral support.
3.13 Colleges should retain close links
with school guidance staff and Careers Scotland for
full-time pupils.
3.14 Full-time college attendance may
place obligations on the college to provide full pastoral
support to the standard required of schools. The college
and local authority should discuss the level of any funding
required on a case-by-case basis.
Independent Schools
3.15 Where colleges enter into partnership
arrangements with independent schools, colleges should make
them aware of the learning opportunities available to their
pupils. Pupils from independent schools are eligible to be
considered for college courses. As with state school
pupils, it is a matter for the college concerned whether to
enrol a pupil. Whether independent schools and specialist
schools wish to engage with colleges is clearly a matter
for them.
Home Educated Young People
3.16 Similarly, home educated young people
are eligible to be considered for college courses. As with
pupils, it is a matter for the college concerned whether to
enrol a home educated young person. There are a number of
home education organisations, such as Education Otherwise,
12 Schoolhouse,
13 and the Home Education Advisory Service,
14 which advise home educated young people of the
opportunities available to them and colleges should make
these organisations aware of the learning opportunities
available.
Work-Based Vocational Programmes
3.17 In the Executive's response to
Determined to Succeed we highlighted the
value of work-based vocational learning opportunities so
that pupils can apply their learning, and we remained
convinced of their important contribution. As part of
Determined to Succeed, pupils aged 14+
must have the opportunity to participate in work-based
vocational learning linked to a relevant qualification.
This requires a partnership approach between schools,
businesses and colleges to ensure that both practical
work-related learning is available in the work-place or in
a realistic work environment, e.g. within college; and that
the required underpinning knowledge is delivered to support
competence development. While our aim is for pupils to do
work-related learning in the work place, we recognise that
it will be considerable time before employer commitment to
Determined to Succeed is at a level to
manage pupil capacity. In the interim, and indeed where
there is a valid reason to use college provision in the
long term, colleges are well equipped to deliver learning
in appropriate simulated environments. Regardless of where
work-based vocational placements take place there is a
continuing role for colleges to provide underpinning
knowledge that supports skills development. It is important
that colleges continue to work with the business community
to ensure that learning content and its application are
relevant to employer needs.
Local Delivery Methods
3.18 In the Executive's Partnership
Agreement we sign-posted that 14-16 year old pupils should
be allowed to undertake college courses to develop
vocational skills. It is a matter for schools and local
authorities whether they wish to invest funding available
to them through
Determined to Succeed or other sources to
build vocational education facilities in schools. They may
also be able to provide the necessary teaching staff to
teach some vocational subjects. Local authorities and
schools are free to do this. However, we would be concerned
if this led to unnecessary duplication of facilities.
Undefined roles risk such duplication and the inefficient
use of resources. Community Planning Partnerships provide
the local mechanism for co-ordinating the work of education
authorities and colleges to ensure that these risks are
minimised.
Annex D outlines the role of Community Planning and
Community Learning and Development Partnerships.
3.19 In seeking to address pupils' needs
and build their capacities, school/college partnerships
should work closely with Community Learning and Development
Partnerships to ensure that all relevant and available
resources are used in a coherent way focused on the needs
of young people. This may be particularly relevant in
seeking to improve pupils' confidence, self-reliance,
self-worth, life skills and attainment, promoting lifelong
learning and re-engaging pupils most at risk of
disengagement with the education system.
3.20 Decisions on the best mode of
delivery in any given circumstance should be guided by the
interests of pupils and adult students and in achieving
best value. This may mean that school pupils learn in
colleges. It may also mean that it is more effective and
efficient for further education courses to be delivered by
college staff in schools (though we recognise that some of
the benefits to pupils derived from being taught in the
college environment would be lost. One of the findings of
the research the Executive recently commissioned into the
attitudes of school pupils to further education study was
that for many learning in college was itself the best thing
about the experience).
15 For some courses, a mix of both may be possible: for
example, delivering the theory in school with the practical
aspects delivered in college.
3.21 Colleges have well developed
work-based curriculum programmes and have established a
comprehensive network in the private, public and voluntary
sectors. This could be utilised to help deliver
school/college partnership activity.
3.22 Local authorities, schools and
colleges may also wish to consider joint-funding of
facilities in schools or in colleges. Colleges may also
wish to consider the possibility of setting up outreach
centres in schools.
3.23 In some areas consortia of schools
could work together with a range of colleges, including
colleges at a distance through online courses and outreach
delivery and accreditation arrangements.
3.24 One more lateral approach to
partnership working of which we are aware involved Banff
& Buchan College, which had noticed a steady increase
in demand for college activity from local schools. The
reason for the demand was the lack of teaching staff in
schools to teach technology courses. The local solution to
this problem was not to provide college staff to teach the
school pupils, but instead to educate students who
subsequently went to university to become teachers of this
subject. This has happened, and a teacher is now in
post.
3.25 There are instances where lecturers
are partially funded by colleges and schools.
3.26 Our suggestions are not meant to be
an exhaustive list, but are indicative of the different
sorts of partnership working that we want to see explored
locally.
Geographical Inaccessibility
3.27 Although the network of Scotland's
colleges is extensive - 90% of the Scottish population live
within 30 minutes of a college and 40% live within two
miles of their local college - we acknowledge that for some
schools and colleges partnership will be challenging
because of geographical inaccessibility. This is both a
rural and an urban problem.
3.28 Further modes of delivery may need to
be considered, principally in respect of the use of new
technologies to provide distance-learning, including open
and flexible learning and videoconferencing. Another
possibility is a travelling college workshop for more
remote schools. Dumfries and Galloway College, for example,
employs mobile facilities to provide demonstrations in
areas such as catering.
Dumfries and Galloway
College In order to overcome the significant rural
access problems and distances involved,
Dumfries and Galloway College uses a
combination of video conferencing, on line
support and flexible workshops as part of the
school/college programme. The Education
Authority purchased a video bridge, which
enables college staff to simultaneously reach
pupils in a number of the widely dispersed
schools. Pupils are able to access learning
material on the college's intranet from school
and receive ongoing support from staff in
school as well as college staff through
email. |
3.29 As part of the Scottish Schools
Digital Network project, the Scottish Executive has
provided a national broadband interconnect linking all the
32 education authorities and national bodies such as the
SQA and Learning and Teaching Scotland.
More than 70% of Scottish secondary schools have a
broadband connection of 2Mbps or better. This means that
there is potential for accessing
FE college online learning environments
from within secondary schools. However, achieving this in
practice will depend on the policies of the colleges and
the technical configuration of both college and local
authority networks.
3.30learndirect scotland branded learning centres are
not owned by
learndirect scotland but are varied - some are
owned by colleges, some are private learning providers,
some are community organisations, etc. Schools and colleges
may be able to work in partnership with appropriate
learning centres to support pupils' learning. The extent to
which they schools and colleges choose to engage and fund
learning centres is matter for them and the particular
learning centres to agree.
3.31 Arrangements for pupil welfare and
support will be informed by this guide for partnership.
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