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

14-19 PATHFINDERS: THE SECOND YEAReconomy, its growing integration with global markets, the importance of skills developmentand the uneven character of economic development across the sub-region.210. This latter point is of relevance to Coventry because, while the city has becomeincreasingly affluent, it does contain areas of significant deprivation, especially in the northand east. These varying levels of deprivation are reflected in the examination results ofCoventry’s secondary schools, which on the five A* - C GCSE measure varied in 2004between 15% and 73%. The LEA average was 45.4%, some eight points below the Englandaverage, although OFSTED reported that attainment was in line with statistical neighbours.211. Coventry has 19 secondary schools, 6 secondary special schools and 3 pupil referralunits (PRUs). There are two single-sex schools in the city. All of Coventry’s secondaryschools are 11 to 18, and none is selective. Twelve secondary schools have specialist status.There are three general FE colleges in Coventry, including a national college catering for theneeds of young people with disabilities.212. In the context of the Pathfinder a key feature was the existence of consortia ofschools. These have over the last few years been developed as four, geographically-based14-19 federations providing pre and post-16 education in the city. These federationsprovided joint A-level courses and had developed a variety of collaborative timetablingarrangements. The strength of the federations varies from area to area but the tradition ofcollaborative working was an important basis for Pathfinder and other 14-19 developments.Relationships between the schools and colleges had become more competitive in the 1990sbut through the establishment of a 14-24 Strategic Forum and the formation of Federations isnow much more collaborative.213. An area-wide 14-19 inspection of Coventry and Warwickshire was undertaken inFebruary and March 2004, while Coventry LEA was inspected in May 2004. Bothinspections provided positive assessments of progress in 14-19 education and training. TheAWI sated that “The effectiveness and efficiency of education and training across the area inmeeting the needs of learners, employers and the community are good”. The LEA inspectionstated that there was good support for 14-19 education and training, while the authority70