Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 Destination Measures

1. Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 Destination Measures 05 May 2011 1

2. 1. Rationale for Destination Measures KS4 and KS5 Destination Measures are being developed to look at the success of schools in helping their pupils to progress on to positive post-16 destinations, helping to: • Provide clear information to parents and young people about the post-16 routes taken by a school, college or training provider’s former pupils. • Make schools and post-16 providers accountable for ensuring that all their pupils take qualifications that offer them the best opportunity to progress and receivethe support needed to prepare for and complete that transition. • Support the increased focus on disadvantaged pupils to ensure that they make a successful transition, helping to raise post-16 participation and reduce NEET. “For both primary and secondary schools, we will put greater emphasis on the progress of every child – setting out more prominently in performance tables how well pupils progress…We will introduce a measure of how young people do when they leave school.” The Importance of Teaching, 2010

3. 2. Principles of Destination Measures In order to achieve these aims, and in line with the principles for the Performance Tables, the measures should adhere to three clear principles: • Readily understandable by schools, pupils and parents. • Easy for schools, post-16 providers, pupils and parents to make comparisons with other institutions. • No additional bureaucracy or burdens. • This will make it a more powerful tool for accountability and self improvement. Simple Inclusive • Covering the whole cohort of mainstream pupils. • Covering all post-16 routes. • This will ensure that it helps schools and post-16 providers to focus on the progression of all students, in particular the disadvantaged and those least likely to progress without support. • Outcomes measured sufficiently close to the point at which the young person left the institution that they feel that they can influence the result. • Shorter time lag in feedback to schools, colleges and training providers so that they can see their changes having quick results. • Try to avoid perverse incentives that could cause institution to focus disproportionately on particular groups. Fair

4. 3. Focus of Destination Measures Development of the measures will focus on the proportion of pupils who go on to a positive destination the year after they left learning. Why focus on participation? • The measures focus attention on the whole cohort and on all learning routes. • It supports our key aim to increase participation in education and training post-16 for all young people as we move towards raising the participation age to 18  by 2015, and ensures that participation enables them to gain skills and qualifications which offer the best opportunity for future success. • This is the measurement point closest to the point at which the young person left school, college or training and so is the point over which the provider has most influence.  • The time lag is shorter than for other options and means that providers receive information more rapidly about their most recent cohort and are therefore more likely to be able to make positive changes to their services to influence the measures quickly. • Simple (phase one) measure of participation in education and training could be developed using improved existing data – no additional burdens.

5. 4. The Key Stage 4 Measure • What the measures might look like: • School A had 90 per cent of pupils who progressed to a positive destination within one year of ending Key Stage 4. Of these pupils: • 50 per cent entered further education in School Sixth Form • 20 per cent entered further education in Further Education College • 10 per cent  entered work-based learning or an Apprenticeship • 10 per cent entered employment • Subject to data testing, the KS4 destination measure will be published alongside the KS4 Performance Tables. • Other options we considered, but dismissed, for development of KS4 measures were: • Attainment (Proportion of pupils who went on to achieve L2 or L3 qualifications at age 19) • Previous data testing showed that the school’s specific contribution cannot be drawn out due to overwhelming impact of prior attainment so cannot be used in performance tables for accountability. • Four year lag in getting the data to schools. • Higher Education (Proportion of pupils who go on to take part in Higher Education) • Fits with priority to increase academic attainment but risks incentivising schools to focus on the academically gifted at expense of others. • Further away from the point at which the young person left school (time lag of up to five years) so more removed from school influence. • But still a priority for the Department.

6. 4. The Key Stage 5 Measure What the measures might look like: College B had 70 per cent of students who progressed to a positive destination within one year of their 16-18 learning. Of these pupils: 40 per cent entered higher education at University (5 per cent of these students went to Oxford or Cambridge University) 20 per cent continued in further education. 10 per cent entered employment Subject to data testing, the KS5 destination measure will be published alongside the KS5 Performance Tables. Challenges facing the development of the KS5 measure: Who should be included – the base cohort Availability of data – when UCAS/HESA data is available/Education Bill for NCCIS data What is a positive destination – gap years/volunteering/repeating same level of study When should we count the positive destination – snapshot or sustained engagement Uncertainty over the robustness of the data – NCCIS coverage at all ages