Some 2,000 13 to 16-year-olds now study part-time at Sheffield College in former education secretary David Blunkett’s old stamping ground. A further 2,500 go directly to college from school each year.

The “Sheffield First for Learning 13 - 19 Strategy” was launched last year, under the Government’s pound;150 million Excellence Challenge.

It builds on partnerships forged since 1996 between the college, council, secondary schools, universities, careers service, employers, training providers and community organisations.

John Taylor, principal of Sheffield College, believes it is already achieving many of the Green Paper goals. “Some students are more motivated by a vocational curriculum, and at a younger age,” he said. “We provide that choice, and have developed a curriculum that meets the needs of individual learners.”

The Sheffield First strategy focuses on three areas: key skills such as communication, IT, numeracy and literacy; alternatives to the national curriculum, such as vocational qualifications; and working with disaffected young people who are not in education, work or training. Part-time, taster courses, including health and social care, business studies, catering and leisure and tourism, are taken up by about 800 under-16s a year who are referred from secondary schools. When they reach 16, they decide what to specialise in full-time.

Programmes include Workstart, which began in 1998 with 30 pupils and now has an intake of 150 15 and 16-year-olds. They spend three days a week in college and two days on a work placement.

The college also works with about 600 drop-outs who are not in school, work or training. Lecturers act as consultants or teach vocational courses such as catering, construction, hair and beauty, leisure and business studies in secondary schools.

Henry Hui, Sheffield First project manager, said: “If you link up with young people pre-16 they are more likely to stay in FE or go into higher education.”

But the two-way traffic between schools and the college has caused funding problems. “Ideally, the funding should follow the student,” said Mr Hui. Extra cash upfront is also needed.

Sheffield First depends on pound;500,000 from Excellence Challenge and the European Social Fund. Also, some college staff resent teaching under-16s. Mr Hui said: “They take the view their job is to teach post-16s, and feel they are shouldering schools’’ responsibilities.”

Nick Duggan, the college’s school liaison officer, says: “It’s too easy to assume that every young person who is not attending school is not bright.

“It’s only a small minority who have serious behavioural problems. The rest are intelligent but there are a variety of reasons why they’ve not fulfilled their potential.

“Some have been bullied or have severe problems at home. They flourish at college because it’s a more adult environment.”

FE Focus, 33