Under the 14-19 reforms, vocational education is being given more weight in the curriculum. Whether you have already introduced some vocational courses, or are starting from scratch, this issue of Curriculum Briefing has been written to help schools’ vocational programmes go from strength to strength
Vocational Curriculum – making it work aims to give you the insights, management tools, advice and, most importantly, examples of effective practice to help you take a firm grip of this area of the curriculum, and to plan quality programmes that will ensure effective vocational learning in practice. Vocational Curriculum – making it work is a 60-page report that is specially written to answer the central questions many curriculum managers and school leaders will have about how to ensure ongoing progress when developing vocational education at your school. Vocational Curriculum – making it work will help you and your school to:
- understand the changing emphasis vocational qualifications has been given in the curriculum as part of the new 14-19 reforms, and prepare your school for these prevalent developments
- embed the essential foundations and building blocks for providing successful vocational education
- take the right approach for planning the range of vocational courses that should be on offer – taking into account students’ learning needs, and school resources and skills
- understand what the learner wants and what guidance and support strategies you should have in place
- effectively organise the curriculum and implement teaching and learning strategies that encourages the development of all students
- make decisive steps for developing and managing the best vocational curriculum for your school
- develop good partnerships with other schools to provide the necessary support and skills that will increase students future employability.
Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum SUMMARY OF CONTENTS EMBRACING THE SCOPE OF 14-19 REFORM Understanding the challenges ahead For various reasons, vocational education has never achieved the status it deserves as a key player in the mainstream curriculum. But the latest 14-19 reforms promise to change all that. While heralding an exciting time for schools, various challenges will need to be met head on for implementation to be successful. Mary Curnock Cook and Robert Taylor of the QCA take a grip of these challenges and show you how the new national qualifications framework will help make for a smoother ride. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum REALISING THE TRUE VALUE OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION Making vocational education a first-class pathway Vocational qualifications have been seen as the poor relation, the second-class option for those who can’t cope with the academic pathway. However, the new 14-19 reforms are set to give vocational education more weight in the curriculum. So is your school prepared for this? Gill Haynes of the University of Exeter explains the different perceptions of vocational education and outlines practical solutions that will help give vocational qualifications the status they deserve. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum TAILORING YOUR VOCATIONAL CURRICULUM TO MEET YOUR STUDENTS’ NEEDS Understanding what the learners want Vocational programmes can only be successful if they have been planned with the needs of your particular students placed firmly in the centre. Professor Jacky Lumby of the University of Lincoln shares research findings on students’ views regarding vocational courses to give you valuable insights into how to achieve effective practice in your school. From access to guidance, to how to organise the curriculum and what teaching and learning strategies to use – learn how to build the best foundations for tailor-making courses to the needs of your students. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum CASE STUDY: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE EMPLOYMENT SKILLS Creating Pathways to Success – improving students’ employability Increasing access to employment in the area was a key aim of the South Yorkshire Curriculum Innovation Project 14-16 Pathways to Success. Ensuring students gained quality vocational skills was seen as a powerful way to attract new business to the area as well as boost the employment opportunities of these students. Mike Coldwell, Mike Holland, Diana Rybinski and Stuart Tricky of Sheffield Hallam University outline what the project has achieved so far and share lessons on how to balance the needs of different stakeholders without compromising the quality of the vocational programme you develop. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum CASE STUDY: BUILDING PROVISON ON FIRM FOUNDATIONS Key ingredients for success Many different factors need to be carefully balanced to ensure the vocational courses you provide are effective, as Jill Burnard, deputy headteacher at Didcot Girls’ School, found out when they began in the 1990s by offering vocational GCSEs. She explains how they have built on their success from there, in particular within her own subject of health and social care. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER SCHOOLS Collaborating to support vocationalism Collaboration is vital if schools are to provide the breadth of vocational options their students want. But, as curriculum managers are aware, achieving successful partnership is no easy task. To help you find the path to effective collaboration, David Yeomans, of the University of Leeds, sets out the key issues you need to consider so you can devise an action plan to tackle these effectively in practice. Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Vocational Curriculum CASE STUDY: VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION Tapping in to local expertise Heather Hodkinson of the University of Leeds shares the findings of a research project that linked schools with their local FE college to allow students to access a wider range of vocational courses – learn from the invaluable lessons this project has to offer on how to make such a link work well in practice.
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