Case study


interest in their studies, and could even help non-Diploma subjects to be taught more eff ectively. “Half an hour of French a week for fi ve


years under the traditional way of doing things and most children cannot speak the language when they leave school. “In fact, many are turned off from French


and language learning as a whole. “We need to be creative about language


learning and this is what Diplomas are all about. Students need to be immersed in their subject and have relevant realistic hands-on experience. “T ey could be spending three week chunks


doing French, conversing online or video conferencing with French school children, having pen pals etcetera. Learning must engage and be fun.” T e future of Diplomas and the whole 14


to 19 Agenda in the wake of the May election does not faze Chris. “I think when the government fi nally gets


Collaboration: Lessons learnt


institution specialised in one area such as visual arts, media and performing arts, so the students went to a specifi c school or college for that part of the course. “If you have more than 15 students in one


subject you can do this switching about. Sadly with less numbers it’s much harder. “But whether you do or not, this


collaboration means you could form a theatre group across these schools and colleges creating even more seamless joints between them. Collaboration, thanks to Diplomas, simply snowballs!” Schools also need to change tack when


recruiting youngsters onto Diplomas, says the principal. “If you leave them as a free option students


and their parents will automatically opt for the GCSEs. So we actively recruited them onto Diplomas, targeting young people who are academically able but who also have a creative way of thinking or the potential to do so.


Delivering Diplomas • Volume 2 No 2 Autumn 2010 “We asked them what they wanted to


be doing in fi ve year’s time – giving them aspirations. “By taking the Diploma choice to them,


it gives the qualifi cation that added zing. It is also a complete fallacy that Diplomas are only for those students who cannot cope with GCSEs. “Let me give you an example. You could


have a very able child who is also very shy. T at child could be getting an A* in maths but cannot hold a conversation. We could work on that communications defi cit using the Diploma. “What society needs are well-rounded


individuals that both fi t into society and are economically dependable.” He says Diplomas can be a catalyst for


other areas of the curriculum to re-energise students’ learning – perhaps a move away from the tradition six-slot subject timetable to restructure to two sessions per day. T is change, Chris says, can help to boost student


round to it I think they will look closely at the equivalents,” he said. “T ey may change it from the equivalent


of seven GCSEs to four, like the BTECs. But no I don’t think they will be scrapped. Too much has been invested in Diplomas and they already running very successfully with thousands of students benefi ting. “We are full steam ahead here in


Bournemouth and Poole. We will be running Creative and Media here at Winton School, partnering with Avonbourne Business and Enterprise College, and Bournemouth and Poole College. T e student numbers signing up are healthy enough. “T e crucial thing is to get them going with


a number of students and this powers it into the second year. “If you can show success, and the students


loving it, that’s the best selling pitch.” Some 180 youngsters across Bournemouth


and Poole have expressed an interest in taking the Diploma and a series of taster days in each of the learning lines were held at lead institutions across the two boroughs. Final take-up fi gures were still being


fi nalised at the time of going to print, but it is expected that eight Diplomas will have started in Bournemouth and Poole this September in Business Administration and Finance, Construction and the Built Environment, Creative and Media, Engineering, Hair and Beauty Studies, Information Technology, Society Health and Development, and Sport and Active Leisure.


• Louise Isaacs is an education journalist. 13


DD


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