Nurturing Successful Learners: Education for 16-18-Year-Olds

1. Educating 16-18 year olds Eddie Playfair, Principal of Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc)

2. “Plan for 1 year and plant rice. Plan for 10 years and plant trees. Plan for 100 years and educate people.” Confucius

3. “Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” Herbert George Wells

4. 1. Funding learning Commissioning Lagged learner numbers Learners, learner numbers (LN) Standard Learners, standard learner numbers (SLN) National Funding Rate (SLN x NFR x PF + ALS = funding) Provider Factor (programme, area, disadvantage, success) Additional Learning Support Starters Quality… Completers, retention rate (C / S) Achievers, achievement rate (A / C) Success Rate (A / S = SR) Value added (ALIS, ALPS, LAT….VA, DT) The supply chain: schools, colleges, HE and employers Progression(inc. HE accepances / HE applications) …all this is recorded, monitored and audited.

5. The paradox of the sorites Eubulides of Miletus “How many grains of sand make a heap?” “How many learning experiences make an education?”

6. “Education is a social process” John Dewey

7. “Through others we become ourselves” Lev Vygotsky

8. 2. Educating young people Skills, knowledge, aspiration, commitment, potential… Citizens, workers, family and community members, leaders… Teaching, information, advice, guidance, support, funding,

9. Making sense of it all A plethora of separate demands and initiatives or a single coherent vision of the learning community, the skilled learner and active citizen? From alphabet soup…. AAT, ALS, BIS, CVA, DT, ECM, FO1-5, ILR, LAD, LAT, LN, NFR, NQF, OfSTED, PF, SFA, SLN, SLN ratio, VA, YPLA… …to a successful learning community… Where young people become skilled, confident and independent learners and develop as community members; autonomous, active citizens and workers with the ability to make a contribution and serve others.

10. NewVIc: creating the successful learning community we believe in…success and achievement; setting high standards and expectations. • Respect for everyone: valuing diversity and promoting equality. • Education for everyone; attracting and including new learners. • Education of the whole person; for personal and social development • Accountability; responding and contributing to our communities. • Honesty, openness, trust and sensitivity in everything we do. Among our strategic objectives: “developing students’ autonomy and skills for learning, employment and global citizenship.”

11. “Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it.” Hannah Arendt

12. 4 pillars of learning - UNESCO

13. Five Minds for the future: Disciplined Creating Synthesizing Respectful Ethical Howard Gardner

14. The Skilled Learner • NewVIc aims to be a Successful Learning Community • Our students should aim to be Skilled Learners: • Active and Reflective Learners and Citizens / community members

15. The current UK context • In post-16 education, the emphasis is on… • qualifications rather than whole learner • employment rather than citizenship • personal gain rather than social purpose • choice and competition rather than cohesion • Institutional diversity rather than comprehensive system • But learning is social, doesn’t have to be a market commodity • In the wider political sphere, • Competing rather than collaborating • Defining nationhood rather than global humanity • Social mobility and “fairness” rather than equality • If we are to tackle local global problems, we need shared values, awareness, dialogue, skills for citizenship

16. Prospects… Cuts: National Funding Rate to fall as participation rises (RPA) SSF/FE funding gap to be addressed EMA to be withdrawn Greater competition: New providers being encouraged to enter market Schools encouraged to open sixth forms? Partnership, federation, merger…? Curriculum: Wolf review of vocational qualifications The English Bac pre-16 and reform of league tables Linearisation of A levels and role of HE Wider context for young people: Youth unemployment, restricted access to HE…

17. Staff and staff governors Staff are key members of the college community Have a major stake in the success of the college Play a major role in creating the ethos Should be major partners in college governance The following should be in place: • Effective representation and forums for consultation • To support and develop staff representatives • Full staff meetings • A staff council • A Joint Consultative Committee • Active, well briefed staff governors

18. “be the change you want to see in the world” M.K. Gandhi

19. “You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss

20. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Johann W. Goethe

21. “Now is the time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.” “Believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader, and fuller life.” W.E.B. DuBois