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SECTION 5
PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
5.1 We want to ensure maximum local
flexibility. Therefore we recognise that in particular
areas, the local authority may decide that it is more
appropriate, with its agreement, that a college prepare a
local strategy. As long as appropriate synergies with other
related initiatives are maintained, this a matter for local
decision. Similarly a local authority may wish to develop
sub-local strategies or plan jointly with another
authority. Again we leave that matter to be determined
locally.
5.2 It is important to ensure that other
strategies, such as
Determined to Succeed, should be delivered
in a complementary, joined-up way. Whether partnership
agreements to deliver the Enterprise in Education agenda
are adapted to cover school/college partnership
(recognising that such partnership extends beyond
Enterprise in Education, and not all pupils participating
in Enterprise in Education will do so through colleges) or
other existing strategies are modified, is a matter for
local decision. We require only that local strategies exist
in whatever form to support the full spectrum of
school/college partnership.
5.3 Within the framework of the local
strategy, Partnership Agreements between relevant schools
and colleges outlining the detailed arrangements should be
developed as appropriate.
Importance of Planning
5.4 Effective planning and management
strategies should be at the heart of partnership activities
between schools, colleges and other stakeholders.
5.5 There are examples of college
programmes in Scotland which show that a strong level of
strategic planning can deliver:
- improved attainment;
- improved vocational preparation;
- options for further and higher education; and
- enhanced social and personal development.
Reid Kerr College, Paisley Reid Kerr College work in partnership with
Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council,
local employers, Careers Scotland and council
services departments offering a variety of
subjects in the College's vocational programme
for pupils. These include office technology,
child care, construction, hotel and catering,
retail skills and sport and recreation courses.
The strong strategic direction for these
courses involves the full range of stakeholders
meeting regularly and this has proved very
effective in establishing and achieving
objectives. |
Lochend Community School and John
Wheatley College, Glasgow The YOUTHSTART programme is an initiative in
which disengaged youngsters in
S4 attend a full-time
vocational course at the College. Effective
planning and communication strategies between
the School and the College ensure the pupils
have good attendance, behave well and progress
on their courses. The programme has proved very
successful with one pupil going on to win an
SQA Gold Award for the
College Candidate of the Year in 2004 and the
school won the
SQA Centre of the Year Award
in 2003 in recognition of the vocational
partnership arrangements that exist between the
School and the College. |
West Lothian College,
Livingston West Lothian College incorporates a policy
on vocational education for pupils over
14 years within their Access and
Inclusion Strategy. The policy is based upon
significant collaborative activities with a
range of partners. This approach offers a
strategic element to their 14-19 policy on
developing vocational programmes for school
pupils as it is part of the college's Strategic
Plan which determines a set of operational
objectives. |
Strategic Planning
5.6 Local school/college partnership
strategies will be developed within the overall framework
of community planning to cover all secondary and special
schools in each local authority area and appropriate
colleges. This means that colleges like local authorities
should be involved at the strategic as well as operational
levels of community planning. Community Planning
Partnerships provide the local mechanism for co-ordinating
the work of local authorities and colleges to ensure that
the risks of unnecessary duplication of facilities are
minimised.
5.7 Local authorities will take the lead
in preparing local strategies. A partnership approach needs
to be taken with colleges to meet the challenge of
delivering locally relevant learning opportunities and
matching needs with the available provision of courses by
colleges (whether inside or outside the area boundaries of
the local authority). Several schools may be able to send
pupils to college at the same time to provide viable class
numbers. Ongoing dialogue will no doubt be required
consulting with, for example:
- Careers Scotland;
- Trade Unions;
- local or national interests of pupils, parents,
carers and adult students;
- chambers of commerce and other representative
organisations of employers (including small and medium
sized enterprises);
18
- the local enterprise company;
- and Community Learning and Development
Partnerships;
- community planning partners involved in the
development and delivery of Regeneration Outcome
Agreements;
- health and social work departments;
- disability organisations; and
- voluntary organisations.
5.8 A key issue for local dialogue is to
facilitate the effective delivery of partnership activity.
Local strategies should consider how best to co-ordinate
school and college timetables taking into account
travelling time. Other key matters for local
decision-making are to:
- identify clearly the respective responsibilities of
each of the partners;
- agree the modes of delivery of partnership
activity;
- establish a timetable for the management of
partnership activity; and
- consider how best to present college options to
pupils.
5.9 Careers Scotland has its own
partnership agreements with each school and college
outlining the range of services that Careers Scotland
provides, including career guidance support. They outline
each organisation's respective roles and responsibilities
and highlight areas of mutual benefit to achieve joined up
delivery for pupils and students. Each partnership
agreement should be informed by local strategies for
school/college partnership.
5.10 Local authorities and colleges will
by 2007 review all local school/college partnership
activities to ensure that it matches the framework for the
3-18 curriculum for school pupils set out in
A Curriculum for Excellence.
Partnership Agreements
5.11 Within the framework of the local
strategy, Partnership Agreements between relevant schools,
colleges and local authorities outlining the detailed
arrangements should be developed, as appropriate.
5.12 A partnership agreement should allow
partners to work closely together in planning, implementing
and managing partnership activities and help ensure these
meet the needs and aspirations of pupils.
Lauder College,
Dunfermline Lauder College has led the development of
formal partnership arrangements for three
partner secondary schools. The partnerships
allow schools to focus on priorities and local
needs. Each partnership includes scope for: - increasing curriculum breadth for all
year groups;
- progression to further and higher
education;
- transition support for vulnerable
learners;
- innovative use of
ICT; and
- staff development.
Partnerships are monitored and reviewed
twice a year with feedback and evaluation
influencing future strategy. The partnership
approach offers a robust mechanism for
developing responses to the needs of individual
schools and their students. |
Aberdeen College The College has a practical and
comprehensive
College-School Collaboration
Policy which staff can access from the
College intranet. The policy establishes how
partnership arrangements are to be managed by
College staff and partner organisations and
sets out clear lines of responsibility for each
partner involved in the programme. Also
included is a document
Working in Partnership with Aberdeen
College produced by the College with
very helpful information for schools and local
authorities on the aims and objectives of the
partnerships. |
5.13 Discussions should be informed by a
range of labour market intelligence and from the experience
of organisations familiar with providing college
educational to opportunities to pupils. Local strategic
objectives should form the core of the partnership
agreement between schools, colleges and local authorities.
In many instances the strategic objectives are recorded
formally in a partnership agreement. A model partnership
agreement is included as
Annex E.
5.14 Employers should be involved from an
early stage. This is because they can:
- offer valuable advice on the most appropriate
vocational training in response to local labour market
needs; and
- act as consultants or mentors to teachers and
pupils by offering support such as industry days, work
placements and supplying guest speakers.
5.15 The report of the Scottish Funding
Councils for Further and Higher Education
Learning to Work19 emphasises the key role of employers in the learning
process at college. Employers would have a specific role
in:
- informing the curriculum;
- informing learners; and
- providing opportunities for experience.
5.16 In Glasgow, the Construction Industry
Training Board (
CITB) look upon their partnerships with
the Glasgow colleges as providing a rich source of new
entrants for the construction trades with a foundation of
basic skills in the trades and able to demonstrate
proficiency in numeracy and communication.
5.17 Ensuring pupils have the appropriate
information to make informed choices is an essential
element of any programme. This process will ensure pupils
are being supported through the school guidance system into
the most appropriate courses. Careers Scotland, as a key
player in the national network of careers guidance, should
be consulted during the planning stage of the development
of school/college partnership arrangements to help support
the personal development of the pupil by assisting pupils
to prepare for the world of work.
Glasgow College of Nautical
Studies An Agreement Document has been drawn up
between Glasgow City Council and Glasgow
College of Nautical Studies. This agreement is
similar to those the Council has with other
Glasgow colleges as part of the Glasgow
Vocational Programme. This agreement provides
clear parameters within which the partnership
will operate. It sets out, in contractual
format, what the College agrees to provide, the
meetings to take place and what shall be
discussed, progress reporting, the welfare of
pupils, accommodation issues including health
and safety, risk assessment and induction
arrangements, costs, obligations of the
Council, confidentiality and Data Protection
and termination issues. Accompanying the
Agreement are five schedules which explain in
depth the nature of the coursework,
administrative and guidance arrangements, code
of conduct and incidence reporting and the
overarching principles on confidentiality and
Data Protection. |
Borders College, Scottish
Borders Borders College has developed a Vocational
Training for Schools Working Group under the
auspices of the Borders Learning Partnership
which is composed of the major public service
organisations in the Borders. This makes
partnership work with the education authority
part of a much wider and coherent strategic
view providing a strategic direction for
vocational programmes. |
Coatbridge College,
Lanarkshire Coatbridge College is the only designated
Scottish college to currently pilot the Skills
For Logistics (Supporting The Transport
Industry) programme which is aimed at
addressing the shortfall of labour in various
areas of the transport industry. This project
is supported by the Scottish Executive, Careers
Scotland, the Road Haulage Industry, North
Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Enterprise
Lanarkshire. The programme is designed to be a
3 year pilot with the 1st year at school and
College, the 2nd year with college and industry
and the 3rd year as a
VQ in
Driving Goods Vehicles in
Industry which will be assessed by the
college. |
Stow College and All Saints
Secondary, Glasgow In a development in Glasgow, Stow College is
currently piloting a new national award to a
group of
S3 pupils from All Saints
Secondary Glasgow. Glasgow Education and
Building Services departments are actively
supporting this pilot programme. The model being used is joint delivery of
the programme by teachers and lecturers from
the College, with delivery of the programme in
school and college. The award covers Bench
Skills and a mix of Electrical/Electronic
Engineering units; with industrial visits built
in as core to the overall 'Engineering
Experience'. |
5.18 To ensure a strategic direction for
partnership it is important the agreements have a clear
vision of:
- the needs and aspirations of pupils;
- the skills and experience required by employers and
society;
- the curriculum required to achieve these
objectives;
- the establishment of appropriate health and safety
arrangements;
- care and welfare procedures which will ensure
pupils are supported;
- progression arrangements into further learning,
training or employment; and
- arrangements to support training and development of
staff.
North Ayrshire Council A new initiative in North Ayrshire has led
the local council, community organisations,
James Watt College, Kilmarnock College, Careers
Scotland, the
SQA and local schools to
form two sub groups to improve strategic
planning. One group considers post-14 courses
and the other post-16 courses. It is the
intention to merge both sub groups to form a
School/College Steering Group to develop a more
strategic approach and build closer links with
community planning processes. |
Lauder College,
Dunfermline Lauder College holds a series of annual
curriculum framework meetings between school
guidance staff and college and school subject
specialists to help improve the level of
awareness of the range of opportunities
available at college. The meetings concentrate
on: - improving communication between
partners;
- providing information to enhance pupil
guidance;
- joint curriculum development and
delivery; and
- future efficiencies in curriculum
design, development and delivery.
|
5.19 Progression arrangements are vital
for the success of school/college partnership. They should
inform the planning process to help provide a strategic
direction for courses and offer a range of opportunities
for progression.
5.20 Good progression arrangements will
ensure pupils can make informed decisions on the types of
career they wish to pursue and help develop pupils'
employability skills. They should lead to further learning
or training, personal development or employment
opportunities appropriate for the pupil. Partnership
working should deliver a range of options for pupils
following these courses, including career planning for
pupils that want to undertake on leaving school higher
education courses at
HNC and
HND level in college.
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