NICIE Annual Report 2010/2011 - Northern Ireland Council for ...

18
NICIE ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011
THE ENTITLEMENT FRAMEWORK
At its commencement, this Department of Education development project was named ‘Entitled to
Succeed’— known colloquially as E2S before becoming known as the Entitlement Framework.
The aims are simple — to enhance the curriculum opportunities of all our fourteen to nineteen
year olds; to give them real choice in option subjects from year ten onwards; and to give our
pupils real career pathways. This should benefit individual students as well as our society and
economy as a collective.
The Minister of Education’s recent statements about “putting pupils first”, “shaping our future”,
and “the importance of access to a choice of courses that meets the needs, interests and career
aspirations of young people” stresses the importance of the Entitlement Framework and school
collaboration. Soon, legislation will be triggered that will put the Entitlement Framework (EF)
on a fully statutory basis. The provisions relating to Key Stage 4 and 16+ education will be
commenced by 16 December 2011, phasing into full implementation from September 2013. 24
subjects at KS4 and 27 at 16+ remain the eventual targets; however, there will now be slightly
lower minimum targets for both (i.e. 18 subject choices at GCSE and 21 at 16+ by 2013, rising to
24 and 27 respectively by 2015).
Furthermore, in the future there is to be greater clarity given by the DE on applied courses and
general courses. The aim of the EF is to provide real choice for pupils, putting their needs and
aspirations before those of institutions.
This re-statement of the importance of the Entitlement Framework and Area Learning
Community (ALC) collaboration should confirm the good work of many of our integrated colleges
within their ALCs. For many, the new collaborative thinking is well-embedded. Groups of
teachers have worked well together to improve, develop and secure wider curriculum offerings
for young people in their geographical areas.
As has been stated in past reports, integrated colleges are very significant participants in ALC
work and shared course development. Integrated colleges have been pioneers of inter-school
collaborative courses at A Level, AS Level and GCSE. Their vision of the future in ALCs, one in
which cooperation enhances provision, has enabled them to be compliant or almost compliant
with the Minister’s 2013 targets.
But reaching the target course offering is only part of the picture. Integrated colleges’
collaborations with schools from other sections not only provide new or additional applied
courses, but enhances social interaction and deepens the learning of the pupils involved.
In parallel with Entitlement Framework activity at NICIE, the newly initiated ‘Sharing Classrooms:
Deepening Learning’ project has the potential to take many teachers and schools into a new
development area. They will be working directly with pupils in shared classes and in an ALC,
addressing key issues such as diversity, cooperation, learning methods, a variety of teaching
styles, the economic imperative, and strategic thinking in a truly collaborative approach.
Ivan Arbuthnot