Collaborative Approaches to 14-19 Provision - Communities and ...

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEARhairdressing and beauty care courses. It provides dedicated accommodation on the collegecampus for 14-16 learners (although this does not preclude 14-16 year olds accessing otherareas of college provision). The skills centre has been built and equipped flexibly so that therooms can be reconfigured to take account of changes in student demand and/or labourmarket requirements. Connexions and Aim Higher advisors are also based at the centre.349. Transport is provided by Knowsley Community Transport and because the driversare volunteers and the schedule is arranged by another volunteer this is cheap. This appears towork reasonably effectively, although the fact that the buses have to go round all the schoolsresults in some students arriving late/leaving early for some lessons. There is also some useof commercial operators where community transport has reached capacity.350. There is an element of common timetabling with all schools agreeing to reserveWednesday afternoon for Collegiate courses. However, this is not sufficient time for most ofthe courses and so additional time has to be provided. NVQ courses are provided either ontwo half-days or one whole day. Thus there were a whole series of ad hoc and/or bi-lateraltimetabling arrangements between the college and individual schools. It is accepted withinthe Collegiate that while progress has been made in joint timetabling more still needs to bedone. A group has been set up to explore potential for further progress.351. A separate development (although still under the umbrella of the Collegiate) is thedevelopment of a work-based learning programme. This provides an alternativecomprehensive curriculum for disaffected and disengaged students, many of whom wereconsidered to be at risk of permanent exclusion from school. The programme makesextensive use of training providers and work experience placements to provide apredominantly vocational experience for the students. This programme continues to recruitstrongly and was praised by Ofsted during their recent LEA inspection. It is run by verycommitted staff both in the Collegiate and in the training providers. Students are supportedby a strong central team including a project coordinator, a basics skills tutor and aConnexions advisor. Staff are convinced that through this programme a significant numberof students who would otherwise have disappeared from the schooling system have beenretained, with the possibility of achieving some national qualifications at 16 and progressingto further education or training post-16.108