14-19 Transition Project Toolkit

Helping schools and colleges to deliver flexible and effective 16-19 study programmes

The Hackney 14-19 Transition Toolkit has been developed by Hackney Education in partnership with schools, colleges and providers in the borough.

The Transition Projects and the Toolkit have been supported by DfE funding allowing us to produce this resource and share best practice across other local authorities.

With the support of the Department for Education, we have been able to organise and disseminate our in-depth knowledge and develop some key resources which are included in the 14-19 Transition Project Toolkit. Our aim is to help schools and colleges to overcome the substantial challenges of delivering flexible and effective 16-19 Study Programmes that fully meet the needs of their learners.

Importance of the 14-19 transition project

In Hackney we identified a lack of relevant 16-19 Study Programmes with realistic progression routes for learners working below Level 2 and more especially those who have special educational needs. As this cohort is disproportionally represented in the borough’s NEET figures, a number of locally led projects have been developed in direct response to local need and the requirements of the Wolf Report.

Programmes we have supported

Three of the featured Transition Programmes currently running in Hackney focus on the transition of lower attaining learners from school to college and the creation of more relevant and accessible pathways leading to successful progression into 16-19 Study Programmes. The fourth is a college based 16-19 Study Programme developed to support the progression of young people with SEN into relevant and accessible Supported Internships, employment and/or further study.

Processes enabling us to achieve this level of provision

In all of the projects the development and strengthening of partnerships between schools, colleges and providers has been vital in providing relevant expertise and the goodwill of teachers and senior leadership teams to act as project leaders.  The success of these projects and their 16-19 Study Programmes has helped to remove a number of perceived barriers and challenges such as:

• Lack of expertise and confidence amongst staff in rolling out new 16-19 Study Programmes
• Fear of making changes due to pressure from inspections and league tables 
• Lack of dedicated resources and / or a strategic approach to implementing the required changes 
• Lack of knowledge about suitable pathways and high quality providers (no fostered links) 
• Knowledge of suitable progression routes

Transitional 16-19 study programme - an overview

Our ‘Transitional’ model is based on a partnership between a school and a college and/or training provider sharing the delivery of a Year 11 and Year 12 16-19 Study Programme. The aim of this model is to secure the progression of learners working below Level 2 at 16 onto relevant and appropriate 16-19 Study Programmes within a known and supportive college or training provider.  Hackney currently has two fully operational transitional projects, one in Stormont House special school and the other a course at Hackney Community College for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities. Two further projects are currently in development at Clapton Girls’ Academy and Skinners’ Academy. Some initial planning work and taster activities for Year 11 learners has already taken place. The case studies included in this toolkit give a more detailed outline of the projects, their models of delivery and the planning and partnerships involved. All schools and colleges involved have been rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. The development of this model can be seen in more detail in the Activity Plan for Stormont.

Partners involved

Schools

• Stormont House School
• Clapton Girls’ Academy
• Skinners’ Academy

Colleges

• Hackney Community College
• BSix Sixth Form College

Support Partners

• Inspire! (Hackney’s Education Business Partnership)
• Peabody (Residential social landlord who are currently running Pembury Pass, a project to improve opportunities for Hackney’s young people)
• London Borough of Hackney/Young Hackney and Hackney Education
• Public Health: Hackney