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

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEAR127. Finally, in this sub-section we reported in our report on the first year of 14-19Pathfinders that there was:little evidence that pathfinders have given priority to preparing for the requirement, tobe introduced in September 2004, under which it will be a statutory for all schools toprovide all students at Key Stage 4 with work-related learning.(Higham et al., 2004)128. This continued to be the case in the second year. Some respondents expressed theview that the current mandatory requirements for work-related learning were not sufficientlybroad to require schools to extend their current provision. However, despite this caveat the14-19 Pathfinders have brought about a significant broadening of the curriculum, largelythrough the development of vocational courses and the promotion of work-related learning.Innovative approaches to vocational learning129. Having established the extent to which the 14-19 curriculum had been broadened,largely through the expansion of vocational courses, we also explored some of the ways inwhich this vocational learning was practised in the pathfinders. We were particularlyinterested in innovative approaches, especially in the light of the invitation in the 2003/4prospectus to Phase Two Pathfinders to explore arrange of radical options.130. While there was no hard-and-fast distinction, there was in the Phase Two Pathfindersa greater emphasis on innovation and the enhancement of curriculum and pedagogy than wasevident in the Phase One Pathfinders. Thus the promotion of a series of radical options bythe DfES did influence the character of the proposals, although as we showed (see paragraph20) these were taken up quite selectively by the pathfinders. There were many instances ofinnovative approaches some of which are detailed in the case studies.131. These more innovative approaches, while being responses to DfES encouragement,may also have been a product of the timing of the Phase Two Pathfinders. Many of the areasin which the Phase Two Pathfinders were located had already been involved in other 14-19reform initiatives. Thus, in several of the case studies, structures and patterns of provisionwere already in place and the pathfinders were able to focus upon enhancing and developing43