Consultation on future CCEA Awarding Body provision of qualifications for learners with Special Educational Needs

Advance briefing

Aims of this briefing

• Share information about the consultation

• Encourage you to contribute

• Nominate the most appropriate staff to take part in research workshops

Why is the consultation necessary?

• Approaches from schools

• Information from latest scoping exercise by DE o 63,100 learners with SEN i.e.19% of school -

going population; o 13,500 of these learners also have

statements o 70% of learners are in mainstream schools

More than an SEN issue

• “11,000 Northern Ireland children - 44% of all school leavers - who left school in 2008/09 without achieving five good GCSEs, including English and Maths.

• More than a fifth of working –age population have no qualifications”

Price WaterHouse Cooper report May 2010

The context

Entitlement Framework2013

EFAudit

Every School aGood School

ALC Action Plans

STEMCEAIG

V QReform

CCEAconsultation

Focus of the consultation

• The appropriateness of existing qualification provision at Entry Level and Level 1

• Additional qualifications & accreditation that may be needed

• The appropriateness of current assessment approaches and possible alternatives

What we know so far

• Diversity of opinion about accreditation• Unanimous agreement about the need to recognise and

reward all learners

…get away from the deficit model of assessment

…find ways to recognise achievement across the horizontal as well as the vertical curriculum”

Some Suggestions:

• External recognition– of in-house schemes by use of criteria and

accredited centre status

• Charting progression routes– from Pre-Entry to Level 1 with assessment

linked to pre-requisite skills

• CCEA “wrapper”– to bundle individual learner’s achievements– What core content should be included?

When?

– September – advance briefing to stakeholders– October – on-line questionnaire (6 weeks)– Oct & Nov – research workshops– Dec & Jan – data analysis– End Jan 2011 – report to CCEA committee

Who should complete the questionnaire?

• Ideally all teachers – all will encounter learners with SEN at some stage in career

• Particularly teachers with specific responsibilities• Other stakeholders:

– Area Learning Communities– SENCOs– Learners, Parents, Employers– Wider education community and advocacy groups

Who should attend research workshops?

• Invitation to all schools & EOTAS – 2 teachers nominated by principal– KS4 class teacher ; SENCO; curriculum leader;

learning support teacher etc

• Parents and Learners, FE, Teacher Training Institutions, Employers will also be involved in parallel work

Format of the workshops each ELB area

• ½ day (by request)• Brief opening presentation by a practitioner• Workshops and data collection led by CCEA

Research and Statistics• Closing panel discussion

What you can do

• Take part • Share this information within your ALCs, your

staff, your Board of Governors and wider school community

• Encourage all staff to participate in the questionnaire• Send the most appropriate people to represent

your learners’ needs at the research workshops

Contact Details

Bernie KellsCCEA29 Clarendon RoadClarendon DockBelfastBT1 3NG

E mail bkells@ccea.org.ukTel: 02890261200 x 2372