Ed Balls announces plans to give students a bigger voice
Ed Balls announced plans today for a package of measures to take forward the 14-19 reform agenda, including a new scheme to ensure the views of young people are properly taken into account.
The latest developments include:
• launching the Government’s implementation plan “Delivering 14-19 Reform: Next Steps” which includes making sure all local consortia have to take on board the views of young people in their area when diplomas are being planned and delivered;
• an update on the number of students taking diplomas this autumn;
• news that all of the prestigious Russell and 1994 groups of universities now say they will consider applications from students with Diplomas;
• an expansion of the network of Diploma Employer Champions to include more than 80 champions, including household names such as Land Rover, Vodafone and Toshiba;
• plans for independent Wellington College to offer the new Diploma in Engineering as early as September 2009;
• criteria for funding of exemplar projects for high quality Diploma facilities; and
• unveiling a world class JCB Academy near their Staffordshire HQ which will cater just for 14-19 Diploma students;
Mr Balls said this cohesive package of changes to the educational landscape, including new Diplomas and more Apprenticeships, will ensure all young people reach their potential while meeting the needs of employers and universities.
Ed Balls, Children, Schools and Families Secretary, said:
“Young people are savvier than they are sometimes given credit for and have the ideas and energy we need to ensure the great changes we make are relevant, inspiring and demanding enough.
“In fast-changing times we need to give the next generation the power to shape their education and training because they have a vested interest in their success. As a country we can’t afford to let anything hold them back.
“Young people are often at the cutting edge when it comes to the latest music, gadgets and fashions – already evidence at local level shows they’ve got great ideas and lots of enthusiasm for their education and I want to make sure we use it.
“Every employer knows that the most enthusiastic and motivated workers often get the best results because they really care and I want the same ambitious spirit in our new education system with lessons that are loved rather than endured by the iPod generation.
“There are some good examples already of local partnerships getting young people on board in designing websites with information that appeal to them, such as Newham’s ‘Sussed’ or Salford’s ‘Where2nxt’. Designed by young people or featuring their own views, these contemporary and fast-moving sites appeal to teenagers and get used by them and that’s what it’s all about.”
Examples of Student Voice
Mr Balls will launch a pilot scheme involving some of the areas involved in delivering these reforms from September 2010 to test how effectively “student voice” can be used, including a firmer requirement for Diploma consortia to show how they will take their views into account. This good practice will then be shared across the country.
A national 14-19 learner panel, which will give young people a key role in feeding in views which will shape national policy, will also be set up by Spring 2009.
Diploma consortia have already been paying attention to the views of students and the best applications to the Diploma Gateway show young people engaged in design, delivery, evaluation and advice and guidance. Mr Balls wants to build on the best local examples and make it widespread practice.
Examples include:
• Salford engages young people in the design of its 14-19 Area Prospectus to make sure it appeals to their age group;
• Sunderland conducts regular “student voice” surveys;
• Bolton held a “Future Search” initiative, involving an inter-generational community conversation between students, head teachers, local authority and voluntary services, and the local authority changed its 14-19 strategy to put learners at the centre after students told them what was needed;
• Swindon uses student feedback as part of its quality assurance process and Newham has a magazine and website called “Sussed” aimed at young people and containing their views; and
• Many schools and colleges already have Student Councils.
Next Steps for 14-19 Reform
Mr Balls today gave MPs a progress check on education reforms for teenagers. Last month saw the start of some of the biggest changes to the school and educational system in a generation, including the first year of pupils starting secondary school who will remain in education and training until at least 17 under new legislation going through parliament.
He also told MPs the latest figures from local consortia show that around 12,000 young people started Diplomas this September.
Jim Knight, Minister for Schools and Learners, said:
“I want us to win the marathon, not get tripped up in a foolhardy sprint - we are focussing on quality not quantity. You don’t make the momentous changes to opportunities for 14-to-19 year olds we want to achieve overnight but we are making good progress, as last month’s positive Ofsted report confirmed. Ofsted inspectors said our new strategies were already raising achievement, increasing participation and keeping learners in education and training – good news since it is such early days.
“Also last week we had a very constructive Public Accounts Committee report, with its Chairman Edward Leigh commending the Diploma for the opportunity it provided young people to study for qualifications integrating academic and vocational learning. The PAC said these 14-19 changes are so important we must get them right and I agree.
“Our partners, including local authorities, employers, universities and colleges, understand our evolutionary approach to slowly but surely build a system that will suit the needs of all young people staying in education and training, whether they do an Apprenticeship or study a Diploma or A level. That’s why, as I have said before with the Diploma, we have focused on quality not quantity rather than going for a big bang launch.
“There are a lot of necessary changes happening but it is being done in an exciting but sensible way, making sure we build up capacity and that change is no excuse for compromising on the quality of teaching, which must come first. Support for the Diploma from businesses and universities continues to grow and I believe there is now a wide consensus behind this phased introduction.
“We have already received extensive positive feedback from young people taking the Diploma, saying how exciting and enjoyable they found their studies. Teachers have also told us they are delighted by how successfully the combination of theory with practice has engaged their students.
“We need to build on this good start for our 14-19 reform package. Our priority is to create the best support at local level to deliver our reforms and that’s why I’m publishing our latest implementation plan today, setting out in detail the journey we and our partners will take between now and 2013 to ensure the full 14-19 programme is successfully delivered. “
Also published today are the criteria for bids for £55 million worth of funding available for the development of world class showpiece Diploma facilities across the country to share excellence in teaching.
Local authorities can lead consortia of schools, colleges, employers and higher education institutions to bid for the money from the capital funding pot by coming up with innovative ideas for these exemplar projects.
TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said:
“Diplomas offer an important new route to learning, with the potential to benefit generations of new learners and the economy as a whole. Employers have a key role to play in making Diplomas work, especially in providing a wider range of work placements for young people, and it is crucial that they take up this challenge. Unions are already working to help implement Diplomas and we look forward to building this role further in the coming years.”
Innovative New Academy for Diplomas sponsored by JCB
Also today, Ed Balls announced another innovative development in the Academy programme opening in 2010 solely for new Diploma students and led by internationally-known JCB, which could blaze a trail for others.
The Academy, intended to be a local and national centre of excellence, will serve a wide area including Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Derbyshire and Derby City. The curriculum will be broad and balanced, combining theoretical and practical skills, and pupils will follow the core national curriculum with a focus on key elements like languages, maths and physics plus additional subjects like maths for engineering.
Mr Balls said:
“This proposal marks a coming together of the Academies and Diplomas programmes and shows our commitment to driving forward progressive education policies remains unabated.
“JCB are a hugely successful world-wide business who, in partnership with local educational experts, would be able to provide a first class specialist education. This is a great example of how our ambitious, joined-up programme of educational reform, including our innovative Academies and exciting Diplomas, is improving opportunities for young people.”
Minister for Schools and Learners, Jim Knight, added:
“This school has the potential to be at the forefront of both Diploma development and innovation in the Academies programme. Manufacturing, engineering and international business are all central to the future success of our country’s economy and it’s crucial we have the best students at every level.
“The way Diplomas are put together means students would have the opportunity to pursue work-based Apprenticeships, high level jobs or progress to university. As an Academy it would provide a top class education through a broad curriculum to children from a wide local area, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Part of JCB’s stated ethos is ‘we want to help build a better future for our children, where hard work and dedication are given their just reward’ – and these are sentiments I wholly endorse.”
Paul Pritchard, Head of the JCB Academy Project, said:
“The JCB Academy will help nurture the engineers and business leaders of tomorrow. It will develop expertise in the new specialised Diplomas in engineering, manufacturing and international business for the region and will not be a training facility for JCB. However, the company’s close proximity and the JCB global network, will facilitate access to a wealth of learning resources through a vibrant working environment, a highly specialist workforce and real workplace challenges.
“The Academy aims to work closely in cooperation and partnership with other schools and colleges in the area to provide the specialist resources and expertise needed to deliver the new Diplomas in Engineering and Manufacturing. The project will also bring immense benefits to the local community as it is the intention of the JCB Academy Trust to make the facilities available to the residents of Rochester during evenings and weekends.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. “Delivering 14-19 Reform: Next Steps” is published today and available at
2. Further details on the criteria for bidding for £55 million funding for showpiece Diploma facilities can be found at (DN – please insert website link here)
3. Salford consulted with young people to find out what they wanted in the 14-19 Area Prospectus and how it should look. Salford are now planning to work with local students who are studying for the new Creative and Media Diploma, to design their own webs pages and add their own news stories. They have already started a Diploma Diary which will feature students from participating schools in the city.
4. Five Diplomas were introduced in September: Society, Health and Development; IT; Construction and the Built Environment; Creative and Media; and Engineering.
5. Five more Diplomas will be available from September 2009: Business, Administration and Finance; Hair and Beauty; Hospitality; Environmental and Land Based Studies; and Manufacturing and Product Design. Another four lines will be available in September 2010: Public Services; Retail; Sports and Leisure; and Travel and Tourism. Three additional Diplomas in Science, Languages and the Humanities will be offered to young people from 2011.
6. In March 2008, we announced that we would be offering extended Diplomas. These will also be introduced from 2011 and will be offered across all 17 lines of learning and at all three levels.
