Learning and Skills Council Skills for Life Quality Initiative 200506

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• Learning and Skills Council Skills for Life
  Quality Initiative 2005-06
• Leading colleges to deliver
• successful Skills for Life Further Education
  sector

FE/PRES/v.01
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Structure of the day

• Where are we now?
• issues for the sector
• Where do we want to be?
• features of outstanding practice
• How do we get there?
• learning from the best
• managing the change

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Aims of the day

• The day will enable participants to
• share experience in leading Skills for Life and
  managing a whole organisation approach
• compare these experiences with outstanding and/or
  beacon colleges
• identify achievable improvements to participants
  own systems and procedures
• action plan to improve.

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LSC funded Skills for Life
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Targets and needs

• 750k by 2004
• 1.5 million by 2007
• 2.25 million by 2010
• 5.2 million adults (16) below literacy Level 1
• 14.9 million adults (46) below numeracy Level 1

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Progress against targets 2001-2005

• 300 growth in provision
• 7.8 million learning opportunities
• delivered to 3.7 million adults
• gaining 1.1 million qualifications
• 2005 milestone exceeded by over 10

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Progress against expectations

• The Skills for Life strategy has been highly
  successful
• LSC Priorities for Success
• one of our most successful strategies
• DfES Stephen Marston, SfL Conference 2005
• a qualified success
• Ofsted Skills for Life One Year On
• much of the foundation provision is going
  nowhere fast
• ALI CIAR 04-05

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Towards 2010

• What stays the same?
• remains top priority no quick fix
• Phil Hope
• where economic and social policies best align
• Stephen Marston
• What changes?
• Skills for Life ? Functional Skills
• discrete ? embedded
• success for all ? priorities for success
• growth ? impact

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Functional skills the 1419 White Paper

• Achieving functional skills in English and maths
  must be at the heart of the 1419 phase. These
  skills are essential to support learning in other
  subjects and they are essential for employment.
• Functional skills are those core elements of
  English, mathematics and ICT that provide an
  individual with the essential knowledge, skills
  and understanding that will enable them to
  operate confidently, effectively and
  independently in life and at work.

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Functional skills the Skills White Paper

• Too many adults lack the basics in literacy,
  language and numeracy, and do not have the
  platform of wider skills and qualifications to
  support sustained productive employability.
• Individuals of whatever age who possess these
  skills will be able to participate and progress
  in education, training and employment as well as
  develop and secure the broader range of
  aptitudes, attitudes and behaviours that will
  enable them to make a positive contribution to
  the communities in which they live and work.

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Embedding

• functional skills through GCSEs, diplomas,
  apprenticeships
• workplace delivery
• NETP roll-out
• TU links
• building on success (Sainsburys, Walkers)
• flexible and responsive delivery
• extending access and reach
• different settings extended schools
• different agencies BBC RAW
• different experiences e-learning

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Priorities for success

• Progress on Skills for Life must be sustained
  in the context of
• 1419 reform, employer engagement, raising
  standards
• reduction in funded adult provision
• no growth planned in Skills for Life target
  outputs 06/07, 07/08
• increased contribution of employers and
  individuals in line with benefits received.

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Priorities for success

• Funding rate and eligibility unchanged
• Review balance and mix
• Shift funding from short programmes
• Remove funding for standalone tests
• Council to review the basis for future funding
  of ESOL
• ESOL change in 200708?

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Impact

• Focus funds where they will
• have most effect
• and contribute to target
• Priorities for Success
• Comprehensive Spending Review
• concerned with what works

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Standards and quality 20012005

• Overall effectiveness all 51 good or
  outstanding
• Overall effectiveness LN 32 good or
  outstanding
• Overall effectiveness ESOL 45 good or
  outstanding
• Teaching in FE 27 excellent/very good
• Teaching in LN 22 excellent/very good
• Teaching in ESOL 26 excellent/very good
• Chief Inspectors Report 04/05

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Foundation performance 04/05

• WBL
• 38 good or outstanding
• 19 unsatisfactory
• Two grade 1s
• Clear improvement
• ALI CIAR 04/05

• Colleges
• 40 good or outstanding
• 9 unsatisfactory
• Six grade 1s
• Worse grade profile than 2002

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FE matters

• Most colleges have reacted swiftly to the Skills
  for Life initiative
• It is harder to be successful in literacy and
  numeracy
• particular difficulty in securing adequately
  qualified teachers of the basic skills.
• Skills for Life qualified success
• too few specialists
• vocational teachers lack necessary skills
• too much unsatisfactory teaching.
• LN 21 of all areas judged as unsatisfactory
  or weak.

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2003 Joint review continuing themes

• Management responsibility not clearly allocated
• Weak links between LLN and vocational curricula
• Underdeveloped and poorly skilled tutors
• Rigorous, learner-centred delivery
• Inadequate quality assurance

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Skills for Life in colleges one year on

• 1/5 literacy and numeracy unsatisfactory
• 1/3 ESOL unsatisfactory
• Lack of teachers with necessary skills
• Leadership and management of the Skills for
  Life provision are weak

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Skills for Life in colleges one year on

• LM are weak
• implementing agreed strategy?
• targets?
• updating and sharing?
• local planning?
• QA is a significant weakness
• monitoring targets?
• data?
• comprehensive observation?
• dissemination?

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Skills for Life in colleges one year on

• Setting and monitoring of individual targets
  using ILPs are major weaknesses.
• IA ? targets ? progress review?
• clear and specific targets?
• language learners can understand?
• verification and standardisation?
• Workforce development
• vocational tutors?
• generic training?
• workplace mentors?

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Recent inspection weaknesses

• Ineffective initial assessment process
• Insufficient attention paid to individual
  learning needs
• Delays in providing LN support in a few areas
• Weak target setting with students
• Inconsistent use of individual learning plans
• Unsatisfactory teaching of LN in vocational
  areas
• Insufficient vocational emphasis on LN courses
• Poor attendance in some lessons
• Low pass rates for Key Skills

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Recent inspection strengths

• Wide range of provision to meet community needs
• Effective strategies to widen participation
• Effective use of diagnostic assessment
• Good teaching and learning
• Good learning and pastoral support
• Effective monitoring of students progress
• Good student progression and achievement
• Effective curriculum management
• How many are now a norm?

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Strengths of outstanding providers (1)

• Very high pass and retention rates
• Very effective use of value added measures
• Excellent student progression
• Very good, and some outstanding, teaching and
  learning
• Rigorous assessment, target setting and
  monitoring of progress
• Well-qualified staff with relevant training in
  LN
• continued

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Strengths of outstanding providers (2)

• Accomplished team of exceptionally skilled and
  experienced teachers
• Very good resources and accommodation
• Outstanding partnership working
• Excellent individual support for students
• Very good LLN support for students across the
  college
• Outstanding management of LN across the college

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Why colleges succeed

• Very good retention and pass rates
• Highly effective teaching
• Excellent support and guidance for students at
  all stages of their programme
• Exemplary response to educational and social
  inclusion
• Outstanding strategic leadership and governance
• Rigorous quality assurance processes
• accurate self-assessment
• detailed and regular focus on classroom practice
• effective performance management of staff

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What do successful colleges share?

• Sustained commitment to Skills for Life and to
  doing it really well
• Strong, senior lead and coherent Skills for Life
  structure
• Devolved responsibility ownership across the
  curriculum
• Shared framework of standards and core processes
• Focus on outcomes and solid evidence of learner
  gain
• Flexible and tailored delivery to fit and embed
• Powerful systems to improve teaching and learning
• Creative schemes to grow Skills for Life staff
• No hiding place QA
• Clarity about whats ahead and what must done