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

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEAR174. In our report on the first year of the 14-19 Pathfinders we stated that:and thatPathfinder activities were mainly targeted on disaffected/disengaged/lower achievingstudents and higher achieving students.(Higham et al., 2004)What was noticeable in the survey responses, the case studies and indeed in theoriginal pathfinder proposals, was the lack of reference by the majority of pathfindersto the large group of students ‘in the middle’ of the achievement range. Considerableresources are undoubtedly being directed at the less able, the disaffected anddisengaged and, to a lesser extent, the more able students.(Higham et al., 2004)There have not been fundamental changes in this pattern of involvement across thepathfinders although we are now in a better position to understand the ways in which thepatterns of involvement occurred.175. Coordinators reported progress on this theme as follows:More than expected As expected Less than expected Not applicable8 21 1 3Patterns of involvement by different groups of young people varied greatly across thepathfinders. Several processes were in play in determining which young people becameinvolved in pathfinders. Some pathfinders quite explicitly targeted particular groups ofyoung people. The Tower Hamlets Pathfinder, for example, was very specific in wishing tosupport 16-18 year olds “who are at risk of dropping out of education and training but whodemonstrate an above average aptitude for employment”. Detailed criteria were set forstudents wishing to enter this pathfinder programme. Other pathfinders also explicitlytargeted disengaged or disaffected young people. In some, this was combined with anexplicit focus on gifted and talented young people, often with the intention of engaging themin accelerated learning. Other pathfinders targeted young people with special educationalneeds and this was signalled through the inclusion of special schools in collaborativearrangements (see paragraph 77).58