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

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEARSOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE PATHFINDERThe local context475. The key contextual aspect of the South Gloucestershire Pathfinder is that it isbased on the Kingswood Partnership which leads the Pathfinder. Collaboration inKingswood began over 15 years ago when the LEA took a policy decision that allsecondary schools should have sixth forms. The six schools in the Kingswood area foundit difficult to sustain varied sixth form provision (particularly in languages) and togetherwith the local college there has been some sharing of post-16 courses ever since. Fullcollaboration, including blocked timetables, has been achieved within the last 5 years.476. South Gloucestershire is an area of relatively low unemployment. Youngpeople can obtain reasonably paid work at the age of 16 or 17 with little or no furthereducation or training. There are few large employers in the area but a high percentage ofself employed workers and small employers. There are hardly any training providers inthe area. A relatively low percentage of parents have experience of higher education.We were told that attitudes in the area are parochial and that many young people areunwilling to travel outside the area (even into Bristol) for further or higher education.These perceived cultural attitudes, as well as the characteristics of the employment basehave helped to shape the Pathfinder.Focus of the Pathfinder477. The over-arching aim of the Pathfinder is to develop a broad, inclusive andvocationally relevant 14-19 curriculum framework which will raise the levels ofachievement and participation of all young people in the Kingswood area.478. The specific focus which the Pathfinder has taken is the development of acurriculum structure that will be sustainable by building on the capacities of staff and thePathfinder institutions. Indeed the key word in the Pathfinder proposal is capacity.142