Vulnerable children's access to examinations at Key Stage 4
Further information
This research project was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in 2004 to examine barriers to vulnerable children accessing examinations at the end of key stage 4 and to identify strategies employed to overcome these barriers. Key groups of vulnerable children identified by the DfES were looked-after children, pupils unable to attend school because of their medical needs, Gypsy/Traveller pupils, asylum seekers, young carers, school refusers, teenage parents, young offenders, pupils with special educational needs (SEN), excluded pupils, minority ethnic pupils and children whose parents choose to educate them at home. Interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders working with vulnerable children, as well as with exam-related agencies and organisations. As a result, the research relays viewpoints and insights from a wide range of interested bodies and individuals.
Key findings
- The need to develop more flexible approaches to accreditation at the end of key stage 4 was highlighted, in particular greater flexibility in the time taken to complete accreditation. Issues faced by vulnerable children may mean that they are not in a position to complete courses at a given point in time, so opportunities for young people to be able to return to examination work when ready would be helpful.
- The need to provide opportunities for greater flexibility about location, i.e. where pupils are able to access examinations, was also highlighted, improving the ease with which pupils who experience mobility and transience in their lives, those out of school, and home-educated young people, can access an examination centre.
- It was noted that pupils need opportunities to build up smaller incremental units of accreditation (from entry level to levels 1 and 2), which are portable between providers, allowing those who experience gaps in their education to return to learning when they are able.
- Simplification of the examination entry and administrative procedures for alternative providers was also seen as beneficial, particularly reducing the administrative burden for examinations officers in smaller units where staff are carrying out a number of other duties/roles. Improving the ease with which EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) providers can enter students and providing them with additional support in this role was also noted. The National Assessment Agency’s (NAA) examinations modernisation programme may assist this process.
- The remission of late entry fees for Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and EOTAS providers would be beneficial in encouraging these providers to enter candidates for GCSEs.
- The need to extend the opportunities for staff within educational settings to acquire qualifications to carry out assessments for access arrangements was noted.
The following themes were cited as presenting possible barriers and challenges:
- characteristics of the examination system
- characteristics of the curriculum
- difficulties/needs of the vulnerable young people themselves
- issues of training, knowledge and resources
- legal powers, duties and responsibilities.
Characteristics of the examination system
Key barriers and challenges were found to be:
- inflexibility regarding when and where pupils are able to access examinations
- the lack of a dedicated examinations officer in smaller alternative educational provision, resulting in a heavy workload for members of staff carrying out this function
- the prerequisite of an educational psychologist or specialist teacher assessment for certain access arrangements, especially in those examination centres where access to such personnel may be limited
- PRUs and EOTAS services having a continuous but fluctuating intake, resulting in difficulty estimating candidate entries with any degree of accuracy and providers incurring sizeable ‘late entry’ fees
- the difficulty many vulnerable children, particularly those who experience mobility and gaps in their education, have in complying with coursework requirements for GCSE specifications.
Key solutions/recommendations are:
- greater flexibility regarding when and where pupils are able to access examinations at the end of key stage 4, with opportunities to build up smaller incremental units of accreditation that are transferable between providers
- an extension of opportunities for staff within educational settings to acquire qualifications to carry out assessments for access arrangements
- simplification of the examination entry and administrative procedures for alternative providers
- the remission of late entry fees for PRUs and EOTAS providers
- a reduction in the coursework burden and/or the provision of alternative specifications with smaller coursework components
- greater co-ordination and funding of catch-up support for pupils who have experienced gaps in their learning, along with more rigorous monitoring and tracking of the coursework completed by students, particularly those out of school.
Characteristics of the curriculum
Key barriers and challenges were found to be:
- the perceived irrelevance and inaccessibility of the curriculum for many vulnerable pupils
- restricted access to examinations for those young people attending EOTAS provision, due to the nature of the provision and/or students’ needs
- lack of continuity in the specifications and subjects offered by different educational providers (this is a particular barrier for vulnerable children who experience a great deal of mobility in their lives).
Key solutions/recommendations are:
- further/additional opportunities to access GCSE-equivalent accreditation, i.e. increasing access to vocational and alternative educational opportunities with GCSE equivalence
- providers linking together to expand the range of educational opportunities available, for example EOTAS providers linking with mainstream schools and colleges, to increase students’ access to GCSEs
- the continued development of independent/individual learning opportunities, both within and out of school (examples might include establishing ‘banks of learning’ and distance and virtual/e-learning opportunities, allowing students to catch up or to continue to access the curriculum whilst out of school)
- the provision of a flexible curriculum, e.g. providing a flexible timetable, reducing the number of GCSEs studied, fast-tracking students in danger of dropping out
- some formal commitment from schools to providing additional support for pupils arriving part way through key stage 4, and the development of transferable specifications.
Difficulties/needs of the vulnerable young people themselves
Key barriers and challenges are listed below.
- Mobility - this was a key barrier for many vulnerable children but particularly for looked-after children, Gypsy/Travellers and asylum seekers. Their mobility meant that they might not be entered for examinations, or might be entered but were not at school when examinations took place. Issues were raised concerning lost coursework and poor transfer of educational records between providers
- Accessing a school place was a particular barrier for asylum seekers, refugees and other new arrivals arriving part way through key stage 4. Concerns were raised about the placing of young people in alternative educational provision and the detrimental impact this may have on their ability to access examinations
- Language issues were a barrier for asylum seekers, refugees and other students who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Whilst students might acquire ‘surface’ fluency in language skills relatively quickly, they did not acquire the academic literacy skills necessary for written work, which affected their ability to access examinations
- The non-identification of young carers (and their consequent needs) may be a key barrier to this vulnerable group accessing examinations.
Key solutions/recommendations are as follows.
- A national framework for accessing and/or transferring coursework and any information relating to progress towards examinations. Schools need to ensure that records regarding educational information and data are transferred when young people move, as required by regulation.
- Increased opportunities for students to access accreditation at entry level and level 1 would allow vulnerable young people (many operating at pre-GCSE levels) to achieve or, if appropriate, begin working towards GCSEs. The provision of transferable forms of accreditation for students moving between educational providers may assist this process.
- Provision of further opportunities for examinations in community languages is needed and the expansion of the range of GCSEs available in community languages.
- Key stage 4 new arrivals, where they are able, should be given opportunities to access GCSEs. The need to improve the academic literacy of EAL students and ensure there are sufficient resources to support this work was also highlighted.
- The two-year cut-off point for the use of bilingual dictionaries should be extended, given the evidence that it may take up to five years for a learner to reach ‘academic’ language competence.
- Specific ‘examinations mentors’ for vulnerable pupils, e.g. Gypsy/Travellers should be appointed. This may assist their retention in school, as well as improving access to examinations.
- The improvement of the methods used for identifying young carers, whilst remaining sensitive to their situation.
Issues of training, knowledge, and resources
Key barriers and challenges were found to be a:
- lack of awareness of access arrangements available for students with particular needs amongst some staff working with vulnerable pupils
- lack of parental support and awareness of the examinations system, especially for children whose parents have little experience of secondary school or education in the UK.
Key solutions/ recommendations are listed below
- Examination entry procedures should be simplified/streamlined. The NAA’s examinations modernisation programme should assist this process.
- Examinations officers in out-of-school provision should be given information/training about what they can do to support students. Such information needs to be available in an accessible format.
- There should be greater awareness of the regulations and guidance around access arrangements and special consideration at a school/education provider level. The need for this information to be widely accessible to teachers, support staff, specialist services and parents, as well as special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) and examinations officers, was stressed. The importance of regular whole-staff training on access arrangements and special consideration was highlighted.
- It should be ensured that communication and information exchange, including early planning and ongoing communication, is effective between staff within organisations (for example, between SENCOs and examinations officers about the needs of vulnerable young people requiring access arrangements), as well as with young people and parents.
- Staff with specialisms regarding vulnerable children and those with specialisms in relation to the examination process should share their experience.
- Strategies for informing parents about examination procedures and processes should be as accessible as possible, for example making them available in a wide range of community languages.
Legal powers, duties and responsibilities
Key barriers and challenges found are listed below.
- A lack of clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, means that vulnerable young people become ‘lost’ from the system. A lack of communication between providers can lead pupils who have been out of their mainstream school for some time to be ‘overlooked’ at the time of examination entry.
- Schools are reluctant to enter some vulnerable pupils for examinations because of the perceived negative impact they will have on the school’s performance.
Key solutions/ recommendations are:
- clarification of staff roles and responsibilities (in relation to examinations, i.e. providing work, responsibility for entry, etc.) with regard to excluded pupils and those in alternative provision
- greater accountability in relation to who is responsible for vulnerable young people’s access to examinations, including greater accountability for the transfer of information
- introducing targets/benchmarks regarding examination attainment for all vulnerable children, similar to those in place for looked-after children
- ensuring a commitment from senior managers within school for vulnerable children to access examinations
- schools maintaining responsibility for those pupils who remain on roll (but are not attending school), either by providing work or providing other educational providers with details of work to be completed.
Conclusions
The research highlighted many barriers that prevent or increase the difficulties surrounding vulnerable young people’s access to examinations, focusing on difficulties at a number of levels, i.e. policy, curriculum, education provider and young people. The study also demonstrated that, where vulnerable children have successfully participated in the examinations system, the key to their success lay in the flexible approaches adopted by support staff and schools, and effective communication between providers.
About the study
The research was conducted between June 2004 and February 2005 (before the publication of the White Paper, ‘14-19 Education and Skills’, which contains proposals relevant to the findings of this report). It was divided into two phases. Phase one provided an overview of existing research evidence in this area. During phase two of the study a telephone survey was conducted with a range of key stakeholders from 40 local education authorities (LEAs) working with vulnerable children, to explore their insights into supporting young people’s access to examinations. Key stakeholders included representatives from Traveller education services, schools, PRUs, hospital and home tuition services, young offenders’ institutions, teenage parents units, young carers’ organisations, LEA officers, home-education organisations and looked-after children’s services. In addition, interviews were also conducted with representatives from the unitary awarding bodies, and other key organisations such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the NAA, the Exam Officers’ Association, the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network and the Joint Council for Qualifications.