One of colleges’ biggest complaints in recent years has been the difficulty of gaining access to young people in local schools to tell them about the vocational and technical pathways available after GCSE.
A new survey by the Association of Colleges (AoC), carried out in partnership with TES, lifts the lid on the extent of college leaders’ concerns. Some 110 principals - about a third of those in England - took part in the survey, and the vast majority said they were not given full access to young people in local schools to inform them about the opportunities on offer.
Just one in 10 principals (11 per cent) said they were given comprehensive access to school students to explain about education and training provided in FE.
More than a fifth (21 per cent) said they were given only limited access in most local schools, with 68 per cent reporting a mixed picture, depending on the school in question.
Strong action needed
The new figures have been published weeks after education secretary Nicky Morgan announced a plan to force state schools to allow college staff and other apprenticeship providers to visit as part of careers advice from the early secondary stage.
Last month, skills minister Nick Boles said that the government was considering imposing financial penalties on school sixth forms that signed students up to inappropriate A levels.
Martin Doel, chief executive of the AoC, said that the figures revealed why the government deemed it necessary to take strong action. The current lack of access wasn’t down to colleges being unwilling to engage with the schools sector, he argued.
“Schools want to retain the students for their own sixth forms. One of the ways in which they can do that is limiting the access to those young people for providers,” he said.
Graham Razey, principal of East Kent College, said that the advice and guidance offered by schools in his area was often focused on A-level routes. “We are having to find other ways to get our message across to young people and their parents,” he added. “I would like to think it isn’t self-interest [from schools] and that the young person’s future is paramount to everyone. But there are a lot of young people doing A levels who do not last the two years.
“[Schools] are increasingly asking teachers to be careers advisers, and it is really hard for them to be aware of everything.”
This is an edited version of an article in the 13 May edition of TES. Subscribers can read the full story here. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here. TES Further Education subscription packages are available here.
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