When taking up the post of head of a 14-18 career college, I knew that recruiting Year 10 students would be a challenge.
Moving schools at the end of Year 9 is fundamentally against the norm in this country. Why would parents consider moving their children if they are settled, happy and progressing well?
However, we believe that our unique offer - an employer-led curriculum, with core academic subjects being delivered by an outstanding school - is worth every parent and Year 9 student at least giving some consideration to.
Our first cohort is about to complete Year 11, and they are excelling. Not only are they on track to achieve a core set of academic qualifications, they are also all applying for apprenticeships with top companies they have had access to, including Accenture, Nissan and Siemens.
Our students will undoubtedly be at the front of the queue for these opportunities and are choosing to take this hands-on route rather than A-levels.
Yet despite this evident success, getting access to potential students and their parents has been a real issue for us. We sadly don’t have any evidence that our local schools are promoting our college as a viable option for their students.
It’s obvious that retention of students is key to funding - so this will, of course, shape the information, advice and guidance that is offered to students. Why would a school encourage a good student to move schools for Year 10, when they are track to perform well?
Schools are acting unfairly
As much as I understand the reasons why some heads take this approach, I believe them to be acting unfairly in terms of looking after the interests of their students.
Headteachers and, indeed, all teachers need to act in the best interests of the student, not the school. If a child is highly motivated, enjoys practical learning and has a passion for engineering and computing, then our career college could potentially be a great choice for them.
But how can we ensure teachers are promoting all options?
Earlier this month, I was delighted when it was confirmed that Lord Baker had an amendment passed which will require schools to let in colleges, UTCs and other training providers to talk to students about the various educational pathways available. This may well change the recruitment landscape for us.
I would like to see the “Baker Amendment” as part of policy for each school’s information, advice and guidance offer. Should it be monitored as part of the Ofsted inspection framework, then it has a good chance of succeeding.
Indeed, if it is applied as Lord Baker proposes then I am hopeful it will prove to be highly effective and ensure students gain access to all educational pathways.
Teachers, as well as students, need a better knowledge of the options available. I really believe that if they were aware of exactly what a career college is (or, indeed, a UTC, FE college or training provider), then they would be more willing to recommend alternative pathways for the right student.
Schools need to give more thought to their students’ futures and less to their own balance sheets - and for this to happen, the Baker Amendment is an essential step.
Ray Parkinson is head of Career College North East
Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes FE News on Twitter, like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn
