The Scottish Government

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1 Executive Summary

The research aims and approach

The study was commissioned by The Scottish Government (2007-08) and was intended to inform a series of papers on 'Building the Curriculum' being prepared as part of the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence ( CfE). The study had several key objectives:

• To identify and select five case studies of provision for young people who require More Choices and More Chances ( MCMC). These were selected to illustrate a range of provision in different contexts, and identified as examples of good practice by a range of key stakeholders across Scotland.
• To gain a detailed understanding of the activities and achievements of the organisations, partnerships or programmes within the case studies.
• To identify the factors influencing success in each case study and assess how any challenges had been addressed.

The research methods varied to suit the case study contexts but generally involved interviews with providers, pupils, and parents, and scrutiny of providers' own evaluations and monitoring information.

Policy context

The main focus of the More Choices More Chances Strategy is to reduce the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (Scottish Executive, 2006). The MCMC Strategy stresses that action is needed 'across the education and wider children's services to improve the educational experience of all children, especially those most at risk of disaffection and under achievement and of leaving school with few or any qualifications'. Flexible learning and support for groups requiring More Choices More Chances sits within CfE, which is about more than just the content of the curriculum and extends well beyond schools. The Getting It Right for Every Child Framework will work alongside CfE to support services at a local level to deliver a personalised, effective response for each young person. By signing the Concordat, the Scottish Government and Scotland's 32 local authorities have agreed to work in partnership to deliver improved outcomes for all young people.

The five case studies

The case studies are not intended to be definitive or exhaustive, rather they aim to be illuminative, highlighting examples of good practice from across the range of provision, to provide ideas and stimulate debate to help inform policy and practice. The five selected are as follows:

• Falkirk Council: Local authority-wide strategic approach, fully integrated with other services and involving multi-agency partnerships. Early identification of 'at risk' and spectrum of support to address needs.
• Kibble Centre and Reid Kerr College: Specialist school with a reputation for social and curricular innovation, in partnership with a local college. Flexible and individualised curriculum.
• Lochend Community High School and John Wheatley College: Provision includes 'Youth Start' programme in partnership offering selected pupils applied courses with intensive support, including anger management, counselling or esteem building.
• MPS Training Ltd., Paisley: Private specialist provision working with local employers and schools to re-engage disaffected young people. Strong focus on construction industry, but also includes an emphasis on academic achievement and providing broader key life skills to help access opportunities.
• YMCA/Scottish Borders: Innovative, intensive early-intervention mentoring programmes for vulnerable primary-age pupils. Particular focus on transition from primary to secondary school. Project works with closely with young people, their families and teachers and offers longer-term monitoring and support through the initial years of secondary school.

Key features of good practice

Those young people requiring More Choices and More Chances are extremely varied, and so are their needs. This means schools and their partner organisations have to be flexible and diverse in developing appropriate responses. However, there are certain overarching features that appear to characterise effective provision. The findings from this study show that good practice in provision for those requiring More Choices More Chances is characterised by being learner-centred, accessible, participative, engaging, flexible, relevant and credible to young people. It addresses core personal and social competencies and promotes self-esteem and aspirations. It is responsive to the views of young people and involves them in the design of approaches and the setting of targets. It is able to offer appropriate assessment to recognise learners' achievements and to provide nationally recognised qualifications to provide credible accreditation for young people.

Such characteristics are synchronous with the principles of Curriculum for Excellence and it is arguable that where schools and their partners are able to deliver teaching and learning that embodies these principles, the needs of all pupils, including those requiring More Choices More Chances, are more likely to be addressed.

Perhaps one of the most important findings was that good practice in provision for those requiring More Choices More Chances was facilitated by being embedded within a wider strategic framework involving various relevant local and national partners. These partners can include schools and colleges, community learning services, social work, educational psychological services, economic development and regeneration groups, and Careers Scotland. This strategic framework facilitates the sharing of ideas, deploying appropriate resources and skills to deliver holistic and flexible provision and to offer progression pathways. This holistic provision works best when all key stakeholders/ partners are represented in the planning and decision-making.

Good practice is also characterised by being:

• Informed by monitoring that can inform strategies and approaches but which also provides 'early warning' data on attendance, behaviour and other characteristics, to identify pupils at risk of falling into the More Choices More Chances category.
• Able to use target setting for pupils and Individualised Education Plans.
• Able to draw on youth work models that are informed by expertise from working with young peoples and the challenges they face on a daily basis.
• Able to offer progression routes sideways as well as upwards.
• Able to provide small tutor-to-learner ratios.
• Supported by parents. Parents are often very supportive when they see their child's prospects and motivation improve.
• Able to offer placements for teachers and other providers to visit examples of good practice so that successful approaches can be mainstreamed.
• Able to deploy staff who have appropriate skills to deliver content and are motivated to work with young people with complex needs.

Sustaining good practice

Effective approaches to promoting the sustainability of provision for young people requiring More Choices More Chances were characterised by providers and partners working together to explore ways to embed provision with existing structures and funding streams within a wider context of the Single Outcome Agreement. Where this was working well it was usually because of leadership and direction from strategic stakeholders. While the availability of funding was seen as a key factor in sustaining practice, local authority personnel and some Headteachers highlighted that effective communication and allocation of resources were also important.

In addition to sustaining existing good practice, the case study partners were looking at ways to further develop and enhance provision for young people requiring More Choices and More Chances. These included: more personal support approaches that would track and support individuals after their participation in courses; more early intervention measures; and expansion of links to partners who can provide support and progression routes for those leaving provision.

Challenges facing provision

Young people can have chaotic lives, and provision must have the capacity to respond to such complexity, including intensive approaches and multi-partnership working. Deploying appropriately skilled teachers/lecturers/ workers, requires co-ordination, time and resources and, for some groups, specialised skills.

Promoting progression and positive transitions/ destinations is extremely important but there can be challenges in ensuring that there is sufficient and appropriate follow-on and step-down support.

Curriculum for Excellence has potential to help schools introduce flexibility to address the needs of those requiring More Choices More Chances, but schools require support from local and central government to encourage them to 'take risks' to introduce innovative provision.

Innovative provision that is particularly suited to addressing the needs of young people can be provided by partners whose organisational protocols and ethos can cause tensions with those of schools and local authorities, e.g. those youth work models that place an emphasis on the young person's agenda.

Young people requiring More Choices More Chances are attracted to more practical and applied learning with a clear vocational focus. While such education can engage with target groups, providers need to ensure that broader educational outcomes and generic skills are also addressed.

There is a perception among many providers and strategic stakeholders that the range of qualifications and awards that are useful to accredit pupils' achievements such as ASDAN and Duke of Edinburgh Awards 'do not have parity of esteem with those in the SCQF Framework'. Some have, therefore, adopted a tariff score approach to recognise the accumulated qualifications and awards and allocated standardised points.

Issues for consideration

The case study providers are exploring the opportunities offered by Curriculum for Excellence to create a flexible and innovative curriculum that can engage with, and address the needs of, all pupils, in other words 'trying to build a curriculum around individuals'. Curriculum for Excellence has the potential to help schools introduce flexibility to address the needs of those requiring More Choices More Chances but schools require support from local and central government to encourage them to 'take risks' to introduce flexible provision.

The provision highlighted in the case studies is very much a snapshot and it is
clear that the landscape of policy and practice concerning provision for those requiring More Choices More Chances is moving quickly. While the case studies demonstrated an impact on young people's abilities and capacities, it is apparent that there is scope for developments to further enhance their provision to better meet the needs of young people and reflect the ideal models and objectives being espoused by policy.

The research raises a number of questions and issues for consideration by providers, their partners and policy makers. These include:

• What can practitioners learn from the case studies? The research highlights strategies and models of provision that can, with some care, be adapted to suit other contexts. The findings, however, perhaps also emphasise that effective provision for those requiring More Choices More Chances has also much do to with providers and their partner organisations taking risks to develop flexible approaches suited to a range of needs.
• How can we move towards a more integrated, as opposed to an alternative, delivery model? For example, young people requiring More Choices More Chances are often attracted to alternative programmes of learning that are focussed on specialised or vocational topics. It is important that these young people also get the opportunity through learning that is integrated with wider curriculum goals to develop broader skills that will enhance their capacity to cope and actively participate in a changing world.
• How can we move to a more personalised model of delivery? The case studies show that models of provision that take into account an individual's needs and circumstances and provide tailored support are effective, but this requires committing resources and often multi-agency working.
• Can we move beyond a reliance on initiative funding for the type of provision required to meet the needs of those requiring More Choices and More Chances? By signing the Concordat, the Scottish Government and Scotland's 32 local authorities have agreed to work in partnership to develop services at a local level to deliver a personalised, effective flexible curriculum and deliver improved outcomes for all young people.

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