Editorial Comment:

Focus

The Increased Flexibility for 14-16 Year Olds Programme (IFP) was introduced by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). This £120 million programme aims to ‘create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14-16 year olds of all abilities who can benefit most.’ In order to achieve this aim, a total of 269 partnerships have been established each of which has a Lead Partner, usually a further education (FE) college. The partnerships involve links with schools and, in some instances, other training providers and employers. Funding to support these partnerships is channelled through the Local Learning and Skills Councils who also have responsibility for monitoring the IFP.

The partnerships aim to raise the attainment, to increase the skills and knowledge and to improve the social learning of the participating students as well as to increase their retention in education and training after 16. In meeting these aims, the partnerships are working towards a set of targets which relate to attendance, attainment at 16 and progression post-16.

This summary is based in the analysis of the baseline data provided by schools and Lead Partners. More than two-thirds (69 per cent or 1208 schools) of all schools which are participating in IFP provided details of the students who were involved in IFP.

Aims of the evaluation

The DfES commissioned NFER to undertake a national evaluation of IFP. The evaluation aims to:

• Assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the implementation of the IFP, and identify those delivery models and implementation practices and strategies that appear to be most successful
• Evaluate the extent to which the IFP has fulfilled its national aims, objectives and targets
• As part of this, assess the impact of vocational qualifications and new work-related learning opportunities on young people’s skills, knowledge, attitudes, attendance, attainment and post-16 progression.

Methods

In order to achieve the aims of the evaluation, a range of research methods have been adopted. The first stage of the research, on which the findings presented in this summary are based, involved a baseline data collection exercise. This was undertaken in the Autumn of 2002 and identified the schools and students that were involved in IFP. This information was linked to the NFER’s Register of Schools and the DfES’s National Pupil Database, which contain background information on schools and pupils. It will also be linked to the GCSE outcomes for these students in 2005.

Between spring 2003 and spring 2005, further research will be carried out that will include:

• Baseline and follow-up surveys of a representative sample of around 12,000 students, 450 schools and 130 providers of vocational courses, including Lead Partners.
• Collections of attendance and attainment data for the sample of students provided by schools each term.
• A programme of case studies in nine partnerships in spring 2003 and spring 2004.
• Telephone interviews with parents of students who are involved in the programme and with employers and staff in Higher Education Institutions.
• Findings:
• 269 Lead Partners, which are usually Colleges of Further Education but include sixth form colleges, training providers, a university and an LEA, have formed partnerships with 1663 secondary schools, 76 special schools and 18 Pupil Referral Units to deliver IFP.
• Based on returns from 69 per cent of schools, at least 28,885 year 10 students were accessing vocational courses through this route and the majority were doing so away from their school site. If the average number of students participating is the same in the schools, which did not respond, it could be estimated that there are approximately 42,000 young people involved in the programme.
• More than half (58 per cent) of the students were pursuing new GCSEs in vocational subjects and around a fifth (17 per cent) were taking NVQs at levels 1 to 3. A similar proportion (19 per cent) were undertaking other vocational qualifications.
• Students were working towards qualifications across a wide range of vocational areas. In the ICT, science and administration and business areas there was a proportional representation of students of both sexes.
• The majority of students were pursuing only one vocational qualification and nine per cent were pursuing more than one.
• Among the young people who were participating in the programme, it appears that the majority (75 per cent) of those who had attained level 5 and above in their key stage 3 tests were undertaking new GCSEs in vocational subjects. Amongst those who attained level 4 and below, just under half were pursuing GCSEs in vocational subjects and just over half were taking vocational qualifications including NVQs, which were most often at level 1.