GCSES
Recognising
Case study: Turton High School
the benefits
Turton High has
embraced Functional
Skills for GCSE
students, which it
believes are crucial
to ensuring they are
independent learners
T
he need to introduce Functional
Skills across the curriculum became
apparent at Turton High School in
Bolton when one of its top students failed
the mathematics test three times.
“This was a student in year 9 who was in
the top GCSE set in mathematics, and who
was expected to get a grade A* at GCSE
easily, and yet it took him three attempts
to pass Functional Skills in mathematics,”
said Charlie Taylor, deputy head.
“It was a real problem. He could learn in
the abstract, but when it came to applying
what he knew to a real-life situation, he
just didn’t know which rules to apply.
“We are a school that believes in turning
out young people who are independent
thinkers and learners, so this was an eye-
opener and we realised that Functional English, mathematics and ICT departments to “If we have been teaching the correct
Skills had to be a priority.” ensure that the students passed the Functional approaches throughout the key stage we
Turton High is one of the schools that Skills tests, everyone else also had to ensure will have no problem with the students
is piloting Functional Skills for 14 to that these were a part of the day-to-day taking the exams at these times,” Mr Taylor
19-year-olds. It was already bringing in teaching going on in the classroom to help added.
Functional Skills for Diploma students but this happen. The relevant Functional Skills “This will give us one-to-two years to
wanted to introduce teaching across the were listed in schemes of work for GCSEs.” make sure that anyone not gaining
whole curriculum, including for students Some teachers were harder to convince a Functional Skills qualification in year 9
taking GCSEs. than others, according to Mr Taylor. will do so before they leave.”
“We believe that without Functional Skills, “Science teachers could obviously see the Mathematics has so far proved the most
students can’t be independent learners. relevance of introducing all three into their difficult area for students to get to grips
So when we were writing our key stage 3 teaching in a discrete way, but it was harder with.
schemes of work, we decided to incorporate to convince, for example, teachers of art,” Mr Following the experience of its grade-A
Functional Skills as well as Personal, Taylor said. student and his three attempts to get it right,
Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) to “ICT is relevant to them because of the use the school is now working with Manchester
make sure everyone had a solid base. of computer software in graphic design. But Metropolitan University to develop a course
“We are also strong believers in student they did not immediately see that working out called Maths in Context for key stage 3,
voice and the message coming through proportions in drawing was a mathematics which will introduce functional concepts to
from students loud and clear was that they concept and that it was using mathematics in students earlier.
wanted to see relevance to what they were a functional way. “We expect teachers to keep
learning.” “Equally, history teachers needed to be consolidating Functional Skills throughout
A key concept of Turton’s Functional reminded that they often have to deal with GCSE courses, but it will be good to give
Skills teaching and learning was proportion, for example, when teaching what our students that head start. We hope this
incorporating it into the curriculum across proportion of the population died in the plague. will help to bolster GCSE results generally
the board. “We had to work hard at making teachers but give students the independent skills they
“We have separated out the logistical aware that they had to be explicit in the way need to learn.
problem of ensuring that as many students they were transferring these skills across “We can’t yet tell exactly how it will
as possible achieve Level 2 from the subjects.” affect levels of achievement, but certainly
philosophy of applied learning,” Mr Taylor Functional Skills exams at Turton will be in terms of motivation we can tell there has
said. taken at the end of year 9 in mathematics, in been an impact. It is making them more
“We effectively sent out the message November of year 10 in English, and in the independent and involved in their own
to teachers that while it was down to the summer of year 10 for ICT. learning.”
SecEd 5 9
08-09.indd 2 19/2/10 16:12:44
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16