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

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEARtechnology, hair and beauty, construction. In addition these schools have agreed totimetable ‘core’ provision in two linked blocks which will also provide time for aPersonal Challenge pilot.492. There is a willingness to increase common timetabling across the schools butan awareness that this decreases flexibility at 11-14 and post-16.493. A key feature of the Pathfinder is the development of the Personal Challengewhich is intended to have a central place in the 14-19 curriculum. This is being piloted inseveral schools. At a basic level the Personal Challenge encompasses the statutory coreelements of the 14-16 curriculum (e.g. RS, PE, citizenship) and is the means throughwhich at post-16 the key skills are continued. However, the Personal Challenge is morethan this since it may also include some accelerated learning for very able students aswell as a personal research study. This development has obvious resonance with some ofthe proposals of the 14-19 Working Group. Personal Challenge models are being pilotedat either pre- or post – 16 with some students in all of the Pathfinder centres. Appropriateaccreditation is also being piloted.494. Another important strand of development in the Pathfinder is in ICT and e-learning. A powerful Extranet is seen as being vital to the Pathfinder’s needs. ThisExtranet is being developed by an Australian company, who are willing to customisetheir product for the Pathfinder. The Extranet is currently housed on a large capacityserver run and supported by LEA technical staff. Each school centre has a high capacitylink to this server.495. The Extranet will allow, for example;‣ each user to have individualised access to data‣ the development of a library of resources‣ students to use resources in more than one centre and from home‣ access to powerful flexible learning materials‣ teachers to create interactive learning materials which can be used in all centres‣ parents and support staff to have access to some teaching materials and selectedinformation146