What does 16+ Learning Choices mean to More Choices, More Chances?
Encouraging all young people to stay in learning post-16 is the best way of ensuring their long-term employability and contribution to society. That is why positive and sustained progressions post-16 are one of the indicators in our national performance framework. 16+ Learning Choices is our model for supporting this within Curriculum for Excellence. We are working with local authorities and their partners to ensure that every young person has an appropriate, relevant, attractive offer of learning made to them, well in advance of their school leaving date. There are three key elements:
- the right learning provision must be in place - a range of options, including staying on at school, entering further or higher education, participating in the national training programmes, or taking part in personal and social development opportunities offered through community learning and development, must be available to each young person. None of those are default options - the needs of each young person should determine the learning available, and a very tailored package designed for a vulnerable young person is as mainstream an offer as staying on for S5 and S6 or going to FE is for young people on an academic pathway, or participation in the national training programmes is for young people who are interested in a specific trade.
- the right financial support must be available to ensure that young people make choices based on the most appropriate learning for them, rather than on the amount of money offered;
- the right information, advice and guidance must be available to make sure that young people know what opportunities are on offer, how those fit with their own needs and ambitions, and how they will progress.
The flexibility which local partnerships will have in the design of the local model, will see a number of key, common, elements:
- identifying every young person (in school; not attending/excluded from school; in alternative provision) before they reach their school leaving age, at a time most appropriate to their needs, and ensuring they receive the information, advice and guidance they need to secure an appropriate opportunity to progress post-16;
- where the young person has additional support needs, using the statutory measures in the ASL Act, and the advice in the code of practice, to ensure the arrangements for school to post-school transition are planned well in advance; that these arrangements are clear and well-understood by all involved;
- making an offer, well in advance of a young person's compulsory school leaving date, of a place in learning - which would include staying on at school - taking into account their individual learning and support needs and appropriate financial support;
- for those who, despite best efforts, do not have an offer, providing continued, targeted support to help them find a suitable progression route;
- ensuring there is sufficient, appropriate provision to meet the needs of all young people in the local area; in particular, identifying and filling gaps between what young people want and the interventions currently available; and
- supporting the point of transition and providing continued support to monitor and sustain positive progressions, including early warning systems to prevent drop-out.