Leadership

Evaluation of University Technical Colleges: Report – Year One

Understanding the way in which project-based learning and employer engagement is used in the development and delivery of the curriculum within University Technical Colleges (UTCs) is a key focus of this interim NFER report. The overall aim of this two-year study is to understand and share promising practice. Leadership Briefing 12.05 (137)

The overall aim of the study is to understand effective practice and lessons that can be learned from the approaches currently being adopted, particularly in relation to curriculum design and employer engagement, as well as the broader challenges facing UTCs. More specifically the objectives of the research are to:

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      string(347) "More than half of students who attend University Technical Colleges (UTCs) - which take in pupils from the age of 14 to 19 - are dropping out between the ages of 16 and 17, according to this Education Policy Institute (EPI) report. It says   the government scheme for technical education is costing ..."
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      string(352) "... students in other types of education, the report said. Previously high attaining students at UTCs – first introduced by the government in 2010 to focus on technical education – are making over a grade’s less progress than peers in all state-funded schools, the report said. There are currently 50 UTCs ..."
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      string(424) "More than half of students who attend University Technical Colleges (UTCs) - which take in pupils from the age of 14 to 19 - are dropping out between the ages of 16 and 17, according to this Education Policy Institute (EPI) report. It says   the government scheme for technical education is costing hundreds of millions of pounds and failing to deliver good results for students."
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      string(5688) "Those that remain for post-16 study are still far less likely to complete their final studies than students in other types of education, the report said. Previously high attaining students at UTCs – first introduced by the government in 2010 to focus on technical education – are making over a grade’s less progress than peers in all state-funded schools, the report said. There are currently 50 UTCs open in England – with 10 having closed, announced closure, or converted into a different institution type. Many of those which remain open are struggling with student numbers and the report found that only a third of students are enrolled in one UTC. The EPI suggested changing the admissions age for UTCs to age 16 to 18 to overcome the struggle with admissions at the age of 14. With poor levels of progress and retention, it is not clear that students are benefiting from a 14-19 education, it said. As a result, it called on the government not to fund further UTC expansion until a review is undertaken and steps are put in place to deliver a “sustainable and effective” programme. Key Findings: Despite overall growth in the number of UTCs in England, many are struggling with student numbers. A third of students are enrolled at one of the 20 UTCs with decreasing student numbers. A huge proportion of UTC students are dropping out after two years. Over half of students enrolled leave between the ages of 16 and 17, failing to progress from Key Stage 4 (14-16) into Key Stage 5 (16-18). Students with lower GCSE results, special educational needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are the least likely to continue. These significant drop-out rates in UTCs continue after age 16. Those that remain for post- 16 study are still far less likely to complete their final studies than students in other types of education: 63% of UTC students studying broader vocational qualifications completed their final assessment, compared to 83% nationally. 69% studying occupation-specific qualifications finished, compared to 81% nationally. For A-levels, 80% of students finished, compared to 94% nationally. A large proportion of UTCs receive poor inspection outcomes from Ofsted: 1 in 5 were rated ‘inadequate’ – twice the national average. 2 in 5 were rated ‘requires improvement’ – four times more than the national average. Just 4% were rated ‘outstanding’ – compared to 22% of secondary schools. UTC students make almost a whole grade less progress between leaving primary education and the end of Key Stage 4 than other students in state-funded schools. Significantly, this poor progress is particularly acute for high attainers, who make over a grade’s less progress than high attainers in all state-funded schools. When considering maths alone, UTC students as a whole lag behind by almost half a grade. In all aspects of the government’s ‘Progress 8’ measure, UTC students perform poorly. This includes the ‘open’ element of Progress 8 that can include more technical qualifications. UTC students who enter all three subjects in this ‘open’ element make over three quarters of a grade’s less progress (-0.8), compared with students with similar backgrounds in state-funded schools. Even when controlling for the fact that students start UTCs in Year 10 (as opposed to Year 7 in most secondary schools), these trends are still evident. Using the best data available, the report finds that during Key Stage 4, UTC students make around three quarters of a grade less progress than similar students. Around half of UTC students achieve at least a pass in GCSE English and maths, compared with two-thirds nationally. UTC students who stay on to study A levels also perform below the state funded average. The average grade obtained at A level in UTCs is a D, compared to the average of a grade C in all state funded institutions. Students taking technical and vocational qualifications at a UTC perform close to the national average – but higher than those in Further Education colleges. On average they achieve a distinction in applied general qualifications (mainly BTECs) and Tech levels. UTC students perform well when retaking their GCSEs – improving their grades in English and maths by around a third of a grade.20% of Key Stage 5 leavers go on to do an apprenticeship, three times the national average (7%), suggesting that UTCs are delivering good school-work transitions. UTCs offer more technical pathways than other school types, with students much more likely to choose to study STEM subjects: 10% of UTC Key Stage 4 entries are in computer science (2% are nationally), 8% are in chemistry and/or physics (twice the national average), 16% in science general/combined (12% are nationally). All these calculations exclude English and maths. UTCs are ensuring students are trained for jobs in technical industries where high-skilled employment is expected to grow. Employment growth is projected in sectors that UTCs specialise in such as construction, IT, and health. This could present increased employment opportunities for students in UTCs. Recommendations The government should consider changing the admissions age for UTCs from 14 to 16. While it is common in other countries for students to make a transition in education before 16, England essentially has a pre- and post-16 system. UTCs have struggled with admissions at age 14. With poor levels of progress and"
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Leadership

UTCs: Are They Delivering For Young People And The Economy?

17 Oct 2018

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Leadership Briefing 11.11(131)"
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      string(1927) "16–19 providers, with the exception of those with a record of high performance. ■ UTCs should be made to align with STEM-focussed technical routes to be introduced as part Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.of the government’s Post-16 Skills Plan, and focus on the delivery of level 2 and 3qualifications (including T levels) associated with up to two of these routes. ■ They should retain their strong links with industry and university partners, and provide ahigh-quality pathway into university, work or an institute of technology. ■ Only UTCs with a positive Ofsted rating and good pupil outcomes should be permitted toremain open as 14–19 free schools. ■ There should be a block on the creation of new studio schools after 2017/18. In order toremain open, existing studio schools should be required to join a local multi-academy trust(MAT) in order to safeguard their future viability. ■ MAT-level reporting should be more widely introduced in order to minimise incentives forthe ‘streaming’ of pupils into studio schools within MATs. ■ The performance of pupils who transfer to a studio school should be reflected in the keystage 4 performance metrics of the school from which they have transferred. ■ Studio schools unable to identify a local MAT with which to partner should be required toconvert to an 11–16 mainstream secondary school, or merge with an existing FE providerto deliver post-16 provision only.WEB LINKTech Transitions: UTCs, Studio Schools, And Technical And Vocational Education InEngland’s Schoolshttp://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/Tech_transitions_May17.pdfhttp://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/Tech_transitions_May17.pdf"
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Leadership

UTCs, Studio Schools, And Technical And Vocational Education In England's Schools

9 Jun 2017

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Leadership Briefing 11.03(123)"
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      string(5435) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.TRANSITIONS AT 14: ANALYSING THE INTAKEOF 14–19 EDUCATION INSTITUTIONSKeywords14–19 educationinstitutions,pupil intake,universitytechnicalcolleges,studio schools,free schools,young people,characteristics,educationsystemSummaryRising numbers of university technical colleges, studio schools, 14–19 free schools and otherinstitutions mean that more young people than ever before can choose to move school at at14. This IPPR report considers the characteristics and pupil intakes of these new types ofschool, and how they fit into the broader education system.In England, more young people are now able to change education institution at age 14. This follows agrowth in recent years in the number of institutions that cater for 14–19-year-olds, such as universitytechnical colleges (UTCs), studio schools and 14–19 free schools. These institutions typically have afocus on vocational or technical education, but promise to deliver a broad education to a wide mixtureof pupils.UTCs, studio schools and 14–19 free schools were all introduced following the passing of theAcademies Act 2010. Each of them implement different models of the provision of 14–19 education,and of the extent to which vocational and technical education is blended with a mainstream academiccurriculum. All, however, are designed to build relationships with a range of business partners.Despite this growth in their number, relatively little is known about how 14–19 institutions impact upontheir local education markets. This has led to many claims and counter-claims being made aboutUTCs and studio schools, ranging from arguments that they provide high-quality technical routes foryoung people, through to fears that they will ‘track’ low-attaining pupils and impede their chances ofsuccess.Key Findings: ■ What are the characteristics of pupils enrolling in 14–19 institutions at age 14? ■ They are disproportionately male (68 per cent). ■ They are more likely to have lower attainment at key stage 2 (KS2), and to have‘underprogressed’ between the ages of 7 and 11. ■ Based on their attainment at KS2, they are predicted to achieve GCSE grades below thenational average. This is particularly true of pupils in studio schools, compared to those inUTCs (who are more likely to recruit ‘middle attainers’). ■ They are likely to travel around three times further to get to school than the national average. ■ While the average proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is 15 per centamong all school types, within UTCs it is slightly below average (13 per cent), and amongstudio schools it is above average (20 per cent). ■ UTCs recruit equally from the most and least deprived neighbourhoods, while studio schoolsrecruit disproportionately from the most deprived neighbourhoods.Week Commencing 3rd October 2016http://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/Transitions-at-14-Sept16-160914.pdfhttp://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/Transitions-at-14-Sept16-160914.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents. ■ What are the characteristics of the schools from which 14–19 institutions recruit pupils at age 14? ■ They are more likely to be schools rated as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ by Ofstedas opposed to those rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. ■ Pupils that join a 14–19 institution from schools within the same multi-academy trust (MAT)are more likely to have lower prior attainment when compared to those that join from schoolswhich are not within the same MAT. ■ At age 13, what factors predict whether a pupil will enrol in a 14–19 institution? ■ They are disproportionately likely to have already moved from one primary school to another. ■ Those recruited from ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools are more likely to be lower-attainingand more disadvantaged than their peers within the same school. ■ Coming from a more deprived household was found to increase the likelihood that a pupil willenrol in a 14–19 institution. ■ Pupils that come from schools with lower GCSE pass rates are more likely to travel further toattend a 14–19 institution. ■ Pupils most likely to attend UTCs are boys with high attainment in maths and low attainmentin English, who come from more affluent neighbourhoods and who join from a school with anadverse Ofsted rating (‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’). ■ Where are 14–19 institutions being set up? ■ There is no discernible pattern determining their geographical spread: their location is notbased on the quality of local schools, or local labour market or demographic factors. ■ Many of these institutions are failing to recruit sufficient numbers of pupils, and are operatingsignificantly under capacity.WEB LINKTransitions At 14: Analysing The Intake Of 14–19 Education Institutionshttp://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/Transitions-at-14-Sept16-160914.pdf"
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Leadership

Transitions At 14: Analysing The Intake Of 14–19 Education Institutions

29 Sep 2016

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      string(394) "... 16 to 18 that has offered many former NEETs (Not in Education, Employmentor Training) the opportunity to stay in education. Finally, creating new free schools,University Technical Colleges and Studio Schools has also increased the demand forteachers in some parts of the country.38Vol 7.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadershipSkillsRecruitment ..."
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      string(5708) "36Vol 7.4School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadershipSkillsRecruitmentThis year marks the fourth yearwhere there will not be enoughnew teachers to meet the demandfrom schools. How has thishappened? And what can you doif your school has vacancies tofill? Recruitment expert ProfessorJohn Howson examines thecurrent state of the job market andgives his advice for leaders lookingto staff their schools.Whether teacher recruitment is a ‘challenge’or an outright crisis is a matter of meresemantics for many school leaders. As thekey period of the 2016 recruitment roundfor teaching staff approaches, leaders throughout thecountry are already starting to worry about how theywill be able to recruit sufficient teachers with the rightqualifications to meet the needs of their school.This year marks the fourth recruitment round wherethere are likely to be insufficient newly qualified teachers(NQTs) to meet the demands from schools. The recentNational Audit Office report on training new teachersidentified that schools filled 53 per cent of their mainscale vacancies with new entrants to the profession.1 TheDfE rule of thumb over a recruitment cycle appears to be50 per cent. Either way, I think there is general agreementthat new entrants from training are an important partof the supply of teachers for schools. For this reason, itis vital that the training numbers identified by the DfEthrough their use of the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) aremet. Not to do so is likely to guarantee that some schoolswon’t be able to recruit enough teachers the followingyear.Recruiting staff ina profession atbreaking pointhttps://www.nao.org.uk/report/training-new-teachers/37Vol 7.4School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadershipSkillsRecruitmentAccording to the DfE, there were only three secondary subjects where the TSMnumber was reached for courses starting last September (see Figure 1). 2 For the firsttime, these numbers included those recruited through Teach First, so in some cases thepercentage recruited into training would have been lower if those teachers had beenexcluded. For subjects such as design and technology (D&T) and physics, the 2015recruitment round wasn’t the first year of under-recruitment. This constant shortfallproduces a cumulative shortfall that just serves to make the position worse eachsuccessive year the TSM number is missed.Figure 1: From the DfE’s initial teacher training census for 2015 to 2016A perfect stormSo what has caused this problem? Partly, it is the cyclical pattern of interest in teachingas a career, which is always higher during a recession and then falls away as the privatesector economy recovers. In this particular economic cycle, the need to first freezeand then hold down public sector pay to an average of a one per cent pay increasemay make teaching salaries look unattractive, especially in London – and especiallysince teachers have to take on an extra £9,000 of student loan debt for their trainingyear while most graduates start earning as soon as they leave university. The fact thatTeach First and those on a School Direct salaried route earn a salary from day one andsome other trainees receive a bursary just complicates matters and makes it more of achallenge to sell teaching as a possible career.However, the really important reason we need to train more teachers is that pupilnumbers are on the increase and will rise rapidly over the rest of this decade. Theincrease in pupil numbers has been discussed in relation to a shortage of school places,but it also causes a demand for more teachers. The fact that education is now an exportindustry, with boarding schools regularly recruiting pupils from overseas and, in somecases, opening schools abroad staffed by UK-trained teachers, has also increased thedemand for teachers. Furthermore, there was the raising of the learning leaving agefrom 16 to 18 that has offered many former NEETs (Not in Education, Employmentor Training) the opportunity to stay in education. Finally, creating new free schools,University Technical Colleges and Studio Schools has also increased the demand forteachers in some parts of the country.38Vol 7.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadershipSkillsRecruitment What does the situation look like today?At TeachVac, our free recruitment site for schools, teachers and trainees, we monitordemand for main scale teachers in the secondary sector on a daily basis across morethan 3,600 schools. When schools enter vacancies, we tell them the current state ofthe pool of trainees so leaders can estimate how challenging recruiting a new teachermight be. Figure 2 shows our estimated secondary trainee pool from the end ofFebruary 2016.The subjects in the graph are ranked from left to right in the order they finished the2015 recruitment round. Thus, PE had the highest percentage of trainees remaining atthe end of the 2015 recruitment round, and business studies had the largest deficit ontrainees compared to vacancies.Figure 2: From TeachVacIn the first two months of the 2016 recruitment round, there has been a greaterdemand than last year for teachers of EBacc subjects – specifically for mathematics,science and English teachers. This has been compensated for, to some extent, by fewerthan expected vacancies for music or IT teachers compared with last year. However, theposition could change over the next few months or so as the main recruitment periodunfolds. In the last week of February, demand for teachers of business studies led to anearly ten per cent decline in the pool in just one week.The position"
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Leadership

Recruiting staff in a profession at breaking point

19 May 2016

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