FOUNDATION LEARNING
Case study: Long Field School
Functional Skills are having a positive impact for all students at Long
Field School, no matter what their ability
T
he introduction of Functional Skills Ms Smith said taking combinations of “Young people need to know the context
teaching at Long Field School in courses meant students at Level 1 did not feel of what they are learning and teachers need
Melton Mowbray is having a positive stigmatised by feeling they were receiving a to be in their comfort zones.”
effect on all pupils, regardless of aptitude different curriculum to their peers. They can To that end, Long Field has provided staff
or ability. choose up to four options and may be doing a with pre-written lesson plans mapping out the
The Leicestershire secondary, which mix of GCSEs and practical courses. different skills that pupils need to learn and
underwent a reorganisation from being “For example, we have boys doing showing them how what they deliver as part
a middle school last September, has construction and robotics who are also doing of Functional Skills may differ from normal
introduced a new curriculum allowing every GCSE in PE,” she said. “Some may be able lessons in English, mathematics and ICT.
child to succeed. to do Level 1 at Functional Skills in a year, For example, Foundation level students
Its “Pathway 3” curriculum for young and Level 2 the following year. By doing it doing Functional Skills in mathematics have
people taking Foundation Learning in steps, it creates a positive attitude towards done exercises related to going on holiday,
programmes allows students to mix and match learning because pupils can see they are which have involved carrying out currency
An essential
their courses and subjects to achieve the best making progress.” conversion to ensure they are getting the
they possibly can. Modelling the teaching of Functional best deals.
“Our curriculum is based on pathways, Skills on pupils at Foundation Level, as well “We only introduced Functional Skills
so that rather than focusing on banding as those studying for Diplomas, has allowed teaching here in September when we
or setting students, it is about delivering a Long Field to experiment and prepare for reorganised, and we have only had year 10s
personalised agenda and putting each pupil
on their own journey to study,” said Jo
element
Smith, the vice-principal.
“Functional Skills is one of the constants
across the board. We have students who
may not be taking GCSE English, but
are doing Functional Skills, or who may
be doing English language but instead of
literature, are doing Functional Skills.
“Functional Skills teaching is helping us
to create pathways for students of different
abilities. We have about 15 pupils in year
10 for whom a diet of GCSEs would not
‘
We have introduced Functional Skills from
the start for key stage 4 and established
models for its skills teaching which will stand
us in good stead in September. We have
found Functional Skills to be particularly
be appropriate, either because they are not
motivated or because they would be unable to
relevant for students at Foundation level
perform in controlled examination conditions.
“For them we have developed a
connecting curriculum, which is Foundation full delivery later this year. Ms Smith added: at the school since then,” Ms Smith said.
Learning programmes. They do NCFE “Our system may seem quite complicated “We had to introduce a new curriculum
qualifications and courses which are a because it allows students to do combinations from scratch for key stage 4, and we have
nationally recognised series of vocational of courses, but it works well here.” done so to suit the needs of students rather
qualifications. Ms Smith said that the school had received than having to tweak an older and more
“Some of our students are doing these advice saying that the teaching of Functional established curriculum which had been
in six or seven subjects, such as creative Skills did not necessarily need to be restricted passed down historically.
crafts, textiles or robotics. They are taught to subject specialists, but she did not agree. “This has allowed us to introduce
’
in smaller groups for three lessons a week “It is important that teachers understand Functional Skills from the start for key
by our inclusion team, who have the skills the relevance of what they are teaching and stage 4 and establish models for its skills
required to deal with children of a lower can pass on those messages to students, teaching which will stand us in good stead
ability. particularly those at Foundation level who for full implementation in September.
“Those students are likely to be on may need to focus more on issues to do “We have found Functional Skills to be
Pathway 3 in English, mathematics and ICT with employability and preparation for the particularly relevant for those students at
and are accessing Functional Skills.” workplace,” she said. Foundation level.”
with external moderation or verification. whether Entry Level 3 should be externally mathematics, where it is the students’ skills
Ms Stokoe explained: “This is different to marked, but for technical reasons, and for in these subjects that are being tested, and not
the arrangements at Levels 1 and 2, where purposes of consistency, we decided they whether they can read.”
assessments are set externally by awarding should be the same as for Entry Level 1 Ms Stokoe added that in all cases, apart
bodies and externally marked. and 2. from the assessment of English itself, the
“The Entry Level arrangements are “Some awarding bodies have designed level of English language used should be
intended to allow schools and colleges to be assessments at Entry Level 1 and 2 where it below the level being assessed.
flexible and use their discretion according to is possible for the teacher or tutor to read out So if Entry Level 3 is being assessed in
the needs and abilities of their candidates,” instructions and describe what is required of ICT the instructions should be written using
she continued. them, so learners don’t have to read it. English which is the equivalent standard to
“There has been a lot of discussion about “This is particularly important in ICT and Entry Level 2.
SecEd 5 5
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