(Sue Dunn, Joint Head of 14-24 Unit invited to speak on this item, yet to be confirmed)
Minutes:
(1) Mrs Dunn, Joint Head of 14-24 Unit, addressed the Forum on the complexities surrounding the 14-19 Curriculum. She informed the Members that this started in 2005 and that there were 17 new lines of learning at the moment. Mrs Dunn acknowledged that this process could be confusing for parents with children aged 11. She advised that there was a pilot base scheme and that the DCSF circular looked at a gradual rolled out programme. The construction money was quoted as an example. The Members were informed that it was important that young people adopted the right learning style for their needs and that they take the right path which could involve an apprenticeship, diploma or GCSE. Mrs Dunn emphasises that individual schools were not expected to be able to deliver an entire complex curriculum. She reported that the intention was to share it across schools, colleges and work based environments. This would include spreading the curriculum over consortia so that if the home school could not offer the line of learning required, the pupil could access it at another school. Mrs Dunn confirmed that the scheme was being piloted in Thanet and Gravesend, and that she expected trialling to last 2/3 years. She acknowledged that it was important for Parents/Carers to have robust information to help make informed choices and that there was also the need to look at the option of lateral movement. The pupil may start a line of learning at 11 and then want to change it. Mrs Dunn also pointed out that the Diplomas were pilot qualifications being trialled on the Government’s behalf.In her view the challenge lay in evaluating the impact of the curriculum and liaising with Parents/Carers to look at why a particular pathway was chosen. She felt that the critical point was when the child reached 14. There would need to be a series of procedures and protocols produced for those pupils going off site from the home school.
(2) Mrs Dunn invited questions from the Members and those are recorded as follows:-
(a) Mrs Truelove asked whether Mrs Dunn was confident that teaching staff would be able to deliver specialist subjects. She replied that she was not aware of delivery issues and that in fact there were significant positives with Kent having put in huge support/training programmes.
(b) Reverend Canon Smith referred to the shared timetable issues. Mrs Dunn confirmed that this required a lot of additional work and energy. At the moment the maximum time out of the home school was one day per week. Schools are starting to purchase courses for pupils requiring these subjects. She was aware that not many consortia had been able to produce an effective shared timetable yet.
(c) Mrs Denson expressed her concern about the continuity of provision for mobile children and that she had already started to address this with DCFS but had not received a response yet. Mrs Dunn anticipated that modules would be transferable.
(d) Mrs Cottham confirmed that her school’s cluster did involve some common timetable arrangements but at the moment this was only one day out of school.
(e) Mr Vye asked how the complex arrangements for 14-19 would be displayed in the Secondary booklet. Mrs Dunn confirmed that she would be liaising with Mr Bagshaw regarding collective information that will need to be agreed with schools. Mrs Denson felt that this was a complex issue with more schools becoming Federation Schools.
(f) Dr Craig advised the Forum that there were fluid times with 14 year olds looking at pathways not even thought about three years ago. He hopes that rationalising and co-ordinating 14+ courses would be easier in the future but schools would need to look at providing joint timetables in the future.
(g) Mr Vye commented that the Policy and Overview Committee would need to look at the transport policy regarding 14-19s.
(h) In response to Mrs Bentley’s question, Mrs Dunn confirmed that core subjects would still have to be done.
(3) Mr Vye thanked Mrs Dunn on behalf of the Forum for her very informative session on the 14-19 curriculum.