Personalising the curriculum: creating alternative pathways

Personalising the curriculum is a challenge for all schools. In rural West Dorset, in a smaller than average 11 - 18 comprehensive school of 940 students, it presented particular problems.

When we began to consider this in 2004, we identified different groups of students who needed a different experience and alternative pathways to be successful. We were attempting to deal with three particular issues:

• more appropriate work-based learning for students who were disaffected or unlikely to achieve well at General Certificate of General Education (GCSE)
• middle-ability students with lower aspirations
• more able students who were not being sufficiently challenged.

For the work-related students, a series of courses were developed through the West Dorset Federation of Schools and Colleges. A Skills Centre for hairdressing and construction was established in the school and other students went to college to follow courses such as motor vehicle maintenance and animal care. This has now expanded with the involvement of other training providers to include practical countryside, blacksmith and welding, equine studies, catering and floristry. Next year, we hope to be able to offer courses in sailing and water sports.

This presented particular challenges as the courses are expensive, transport and organisation is difficult and there have been some quality assurance issues. However, students and parents have appreciated the wide range of courses. Some students, who would have been at risk of permanent exclusion, have completed their education and gone on either to work or to further training. The more personalised curriculum has had a substantial impact upon the behaviour and motivation of these students and has improved the ethos and atmosphere of the year groups involved.

For our middle ability students, we wanted to develop a mixed package of GCSEs and vocational courses at Level 2. At the same time, we were developing accelerated programmes for the more able students. As a result, we now have a flexible and more individualised programme of options that suits the school’s particular needs and is resulting in an improvement in performance.

At key stage three, therefore, many of the foundation subjects offer a two-year programme and begin key stage four courses in year 9. More able students can choose three of these foundations subjects, plus French (as we are a Language College), to begin in year 9 and complete in year 10. They would then go on to a mixture of AS subjects, private study or one-year intensive GCSE courses. The rest of the year group can choose to begin a three-year GCSE or to follow a BTEC in Sport or Performing Arts or the DIDA ICT programme.

The advantages of this are already paying off.

• Starting GCSEs early in year 9 has meant a reduction in class size and an improvement in motivation and behaviour.
• More able students can now take one extra GCSE and spread the coursework and examination burden across three years. Their sixth form work will also stretch across three years, helping to bridge the gap between GCSE and AS.
• Beginning GCSEs in an options subject early has meant an acceleration in student progress. As a result, there has been an improvement in SATs results in year 9 and when the students begin their core subjects in year 10 they are operating at a higher level and core subjects like English report more rapid progress in the early stages of the course.
• Students enjoy having choice in their curriculum and those areas of the curriculum where they were often reluctant learners are reduced.
• The introduction of choice has made students feel that they are more mature and responsible learners and that they are treated as such by the school. As a result, they are much more positive.

The introduction of a more personalised curriculum has meant radical changes in our options programme, our individual advice and guidance arrangements and in our relationship with parents. The focus of parental discussion is now much more on progress and pathways from an earlier stage in the students’ school life. Students themselves are much more knowledgeable about progression routes and future possibilities and this is having a significant impact upon their motivation.

The system is expensive, individual discussions about choices are time consuming. Choices about whether students are in the accelerated group or not can be contentious. Some parents have been both wary and dismissive about BTECs as a qualification, although the students themselves have enjoyed the different style of assessment and it is more appropriate for the majority of them.

But as a result of these changes, the year group is currently predicated to achieve 12% higher 5 A* - C than the previous year.

So, what is our next challenge? Like many schools, we will now be looking at embedding skills more effectively in the key stage three curriculum to ensure student engagement.

To find out more, contact headteacher, Kay Taylor, or deputy head, Paul Middleton.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ms Kay Taylor is Headteacher of The Sir John Colfox School, in England, United Kingdom.

 

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