Press Story

Upper-secondary education should not be narrowly about training a young person for a specific job or role, but should be about providing them with a broad education and the experience to access work as well as progress and move flexibly within the workforce, according to a new report published by IPPR today.

The report takes a rare system-wide view and makes the case for a well-defined upper-secondary system in England that would ensure a broad, stretching programme of study for all students over a four-year period.

The report finds that the 14-19 'phase' of education still remains an aspiration, with policy and vision more fragmented, divided and less understood than ever before. From September this year, young people will be required to stay in education or training until 18, which the report highlights as a rare opportunity to achieve cross-party consensus on the purpose of England's upper secondary education and what changes may lead to system-wide improvement.

The report outlines ways in which the future of our upper secondary education could be reshaped, including:

" a clear vision and agreement on an overarching upper secondary curriculum

" improved progression advice with a real choice of institution at 14

" an accountability system which encourages responsibility for a learner across the whole period, up to the age of 18 or 19.

" clearer and consistent local oversight of upper secondary provision to be able to deliver the vision

" fairer funding across the phase.

The report shows how important a well-defined, stretching and broad upper secondary education system is as pupils are over 28% more likely to be employed if they have two or more A-Levels or level 3 equivalent, than if they have no qualifications.

However the report also shows that England's upper secondary curriculum has been identified as very narrow compared to other successful countries' programmes of study, for example in Denmark you must study a minimum for 13 subjects, while in Ontario students are required to acquire 30 credits between the ages of 14 and 18 to secure their high school diploma, including 18 compulsory credits, covering areas like science, languages and social sciences.

The report therefore recommends that all young people should be expected to leave upper-secondary education having achieved much broader and more demanding programmes of study than they do currently. Alongside a core of subject knowledge and qualifications of depth and breadth, the report suggests that, as employers agree is important, all young people should leave upper secondary education with good levels of literacy and numeracy (minimum equivalent to GCSE grade C), but with many going further as they pursue these subjectsthroughout their whole upper-secondary education. In addition to core learning the report further suggests that the upper secondary education system must provide pupils with the cultural resources and capabilities to approach adulthood with independence, confidence and creativity as well as an understanding of democratic and social citizenship to enable pupils to benefit from, and contribute to, wider society.

Further to this vision, the report shows that it is important to bring in one set of standards in the vocational route of upper secondary education, which should help lead to a more flexible vocational route including some work-based and some college-based learning for all pupils. This would mean, that those on a vocational path would be pursuing one set of standards whether they are on a primarily college or work-based route.

The report also states the importance of giving young people and their parents an active choice and information about making a transition to upper-secondary education at 14. The reports recommendations include that all schools give students and their parents structured 'progression' advice about the expectations of the upper-secondary programme, explaining the pathways and choices; that schools be required to be open about the option to change institution and give other institutions a means of explaining their alternative offer to students; and that students should be given the explicit choice to 'opt out' and apply for a place at another institution at 14.

Louise Evans, Senior Research Fellow at IPPR said:

"Too many young people are still failing to gain the qualifications, skills and wider experience they need to make the transition into a prosperous, fulfilling adulthood.

"At the moment post-16 education still often feels like an add-on, and this feeling is exacerbated by inconsistent funding, a fragmented institutional landscape and narrow expectations of curricula.

" We must rethink the foundations of upper-secondary education as the current system is so fractured and incoherent that it undercuts the potential of institutions and individual young people alike. We must look to build an educational system that England's young people need and deserve. This requires Government to have a clearer vision of the upper secondary phase, with a consistently broader curriculum and more coherent approaches to funding, institutional choice and accountability across the age range."

The report's other recommends include:

Definition: Government should commit quickly to a definition of upper-secondary education, using it consistently to drive coherence in policymaking.
Vision: a shared, driving vision of the purpose of upper-secondary education in England capable of guiding the system and bringing breadth, stretch and coherence to young people's experiences.
Curriculum: Any future government must move towards one overarching curriculum entitlement that is reflected in the learning of all young people.
Learning & experience : all young people should be expected to leave upper secondary education having achieved much broader and more demanding programmes of study than they do currently.
Vocational education: There should also be only one overarching curriculum or standard for those on a vocational path during their upper-secondary education, whether primarily college or work-based.
Work-based courses: All those on an apprenticeship or work-based course should be required to spend one or two days in and those on vocational college-based courses should be expected to spend one day a week in the workplace.
Apprenticeships: Should be reserved for those aged 25 and under.
Structured progression advice: Students and parents should receive advice about the expectations of upper secondary education
Choice of institution: Students should be given information about other local institutions with the choice to 'opt out' and apply to another institution
Local oversight: combined authorities should be able to appoint education commissioners with oversight of all upper secondary provision in the area and be able to request the devolution of funding for upper-secondary provision
Employers: Employers should be given a consistent role in curriculum design at a national level.
Parity of funding: funding must become more equalised across the whole upper-secondary phase if the coherence and breadth of learning programmes are to be supported over the four years
Funding transparency: The next government must be more transparent and consistent with information across the upper-secondary phase, (on average per-pupil funding & post-16 pupil projections).
Data: Further sophisticated data should be collected and made openly available to show how cohorts of young people are progressing over the entirety of their upper-secondary education

Notes to editors

The new report - Moving on up: Developing a strong, coherent upper secondary education system in England – will be available from Thursday 26 March from http://www.ippr.org/publications/moving-on-up-developing-a-strong-coherent-upper-secondary-education-system-in-england

Level 2 qualifications refer to 5 GCSE A*-C or equivalent

Level 3 qualifications refer to 2 A Levels or equivalent

In the 2013 cohort (almost 650,000 16-year-olds) 67.2% had attained level 2 (5 GCSE A*-C or equivalent) at 16, 59.1% had level 3 (2 A Levels or equivalent) by 19 and 27.6% had no basic level of attainment.

Contacts

Sofie Jenkinson, 07981 023 031, s.jenkinson@ippr.org

Danny Wright, 07887 422789, d.wright@ippr.org