E.S.F. Project 2005-07
Student Achievement Year One
One of the key targets of the ESF Pathways to Vocational Achievement Project for the 9 Project schools was to ensure that 20% of students achieved a Basic Skills unit or qualification in Year 10 and that 25% of students achieved a vocational qualification, or units towards such a qualification in the first year of the project
Project schools successfully met and often exceeded these expectations when reporting their achievements. Students from Sir Jonathan North Community College took their GCSE Maths a year early, 71% achieving a passing grade at Level one (D-G).
Project schools are making good use of the variety of Basic Skills programmes available, to them to encourage students' achievement in English, Maths, Science and ICT. These range from the ASDAN COPE Awards, to using PLUS Materials, to the more conventional GCSE routes. 58% of students having already achieved a level one qualification in English and 40% in Maths across the 9 project schools in year one of the project. Depending on their other commitments this leaves students the opportunity to develop these skills into level 2 qualifications during the second year of the programme.
Vocational unit and qualification results obtained from the schools and their associated Colleges, whose off-site provision often leads to Vocational achievement, demonstrates the wide variety of courses the students are taking across the programme. These range from Construction to Holistic Therapies, Performing Engineering Operations in Fabrication to BTEC Hospitality and Catering. The level of course also ranges from Entry level, to Level 2 qualifications, such as the BTEC Hospitality and Catering that students at William Bradford Community College are taking, where units were achieved in Year one of the programme.
Overall the year one qualification data provided by the schools demonstrates the excellent progress students have made on the ESF Project. Indeed Guthlaxton's students were deemed to be the most qualified students in the school when they achieved their Food Hygiene Certificate in the Autumn term of Year 10.
Year two of the programme promises that the project students will go on to make further achievements in Basic Skills and Vocational qualifications at Entry level and beyond, not only fulfilling the criteria of the project, but hopefully enabling the students to progress into full-time education and training post-16, that they may not have considered a possibility before this project.
In all an excellent achievement for the students and their teachers involved in the project, providing an excellent springboard for further success!
E.S.F. Pathways to Vocational Achievement - Studies of Success!
Last September saw 120 students from 9 schools (Babington, Bosworth, Burleigh, Countesthorpe, Fullhurst, Guthlaxton, Sir Jonathan North, and William Bradford) embark on a new ESF project entitled 'Pathways to Vocational Achievement'.
The aim of the project is to provide a vocationally relevant curriculum to students identified in KS3 as at risk of becoming disengaged and/or underachieving at KS4.Many of the students are involved in vocational courses at FE Colleges, or with Training Providers.In addition to the vocational courses nearly all the students have been involved in a variety of team-building activities, and some have participated in a range of outdoor pursuits activities.
Mentoring has also been arranged by the LEBC for approximately half the students.As part of the project, School Co-ordinators were asked to produce a case study about a student, or element of the project that they feel has worked particularly well, or been of great benefit to the students. The range of topics include, improving students Basic skills using PLUS Strategy, improving students personal skills through mentoring, and using vocational programmes to re-engage students.With the project entering into its second and final year these case studies have been made available on the VESA website to highlight the successes of the project to the wider public and inspire project partners, and other schools to make use of the variety of resources available to them to develop their students' motivation and potential to succeed.
CASE STUDIES
Please click here to view schools' case studies 
For further details on any of the information above please contact Graham Conway.
graham.conway@vesa.org.uk
