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Challenging Behaviours: Ensuring access to Educational opportunities for learners that have been in a residential care home, foster home or pupil referral unit (PRU)

The University of Westminster is looking to create a set of online learning resources which can be used with the described group of learners to help them access Higher Education.

The project partners consist of:

The University of Westminster recently delivered a programme of three workshops in one prison and youth offending unit. The aims were to: a) share a personal experience of the consequences of leaving school without any formal qualifications and explore issues surrounding limited expectations and aspirations leading to unemployment, b) to promote education to hard to reach people through exciting and inclusive workshops that encourages the re-evaluation of the advantages of learning, c) to challenge the behaviour of those within the professions who are well placed to identify and respond appropriately to learning differences.

The workshops were well received and with very positive learner outcomes. However, because of institutional regulations, time and funding, delivery of regular face to face workshops was deemed to be impractical. Consequently, this proposal aims to support the development of these workshops in a more accessible, blended learning format. Furthermore, the pilot will be targeted at learners in residential care homes and foster homes rather than those in prisons and youth offending units.

Learners in residential care homes and foster homes have been recently identified by DCSF as a group in need of learning interventions which will allow them to improve upon their educational attainment. This issue has been highlighted by the Guardian which reported “Ministers admit that standards remain unacceptably low, with 53% of looked-after children leaving school with no qualifications, and disproportionately high numbers of care leavers ending up in prison, as teenage parents or homeless.” (April 2009).

At present, there are around 60,000 Children in Care (CiC) at any time (DCSF, 2009), although this is a rapidly changing group as children move into and out of care. Children enter care for many reasons, but many have experienced serious problems not of their own making. 63% enter care because they have suffered abuse or neglect, and many suffer mental health problems resulting from this. Others may enter care because their parents are suffering from a severe disability or their family is suffering acute stress. Some may not have received adequate support in a range of areas, such as receiving basic health care.

As a group, looked after children have poor experiences of education and very low educational attainment. Their educational outcomes in terms of the proportion who reach the average levels of attainment expected of seven, eleven, fourteen and sixteen year olds remain significantly lower than for all children. Only a small fraction of looked after children progress to higher education compared to their peers. In 2008, just 14% of children in care achieved 5 A* – C grade GCSEs – the level which is increasingly seen as the basic threshold for employability (Improving the Educational Attainment of Children in Care, DCSF 2009) – this compares unfavourably with 65% of all children. Reversing the widening of this gap and transforming opportunities for young people is now an urgent necessity and one recognised by the Government.

The Frank Buttle Trust completed a five-year commissioned action research project (2005) exploring the experiences of the small number of care leavers who go to university. The main problems identified by participants at the point of application to university were lack of information and advice when choosing universities and courses; changes of placement during preparation for examinations; uncertainty about available financial support; and anxiety about accommodation during term time and vacations. It is hoped that once this group of level 3 learners have completed the proposed learning programme, they will develop the requisite higher level skill sets, acquire more confidence in applying for higher education courses and become aware of HE progression opportunities available to them. The learners will already be studying a level 3 qualification and, therefore, will be eligible to progress to HE.

The University of Westminster is also working with the London Mayor’s office as Boris Johnson is also interested in raising the educational attainment of children in care, and, to this end will be initiating a ‘Mayor’s Scholars’ programme. It is hoped that this programme will be endorsed by the Mayor and raise the profile of the project. In addition, Barry Sheerman (Labour MP for Huddersfield, Co-Chair of Skills Commission, Chair of Select Committee on Children and Schools) will, through the AchieveAbility National Network, be approached for support.

The University of Westminster is well placed to carry out this project because of its work with the Frank Buttle Trust and commitment to supporting students who have been in care, through funding, support and scholarships. They have been awarded a Quality Mark from the organisation which recognises institutions that go that extra mile to support students who have been in public care.

The West London Lifelong Learning Network will provide technical support in taking the content that has been produced for the face-to-face workshops and converting these to web-based resources. Once this has been completed the University of Westminster will assist in delivering the programme. It is envisaged that this will be done in two ways. The University will invite learners to complete the first two online workshops in a computer suite followed by a lunch where they can meet and interact with other learners. Although this may challenge them it is hoped that this programme will provide a carefully structured and supportive learning environment.

The resources will be converted from June to September so that they are ready for the beginning of the academic year 2009/10. In the first instance, 3 sets of workshops will be held (3 × 2 days). The first 2 sets of workshops will be aimed at learners from residential care homes and foster homes only. The final set of workshops will aim to get learners in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to use the resources. The University of Westminster have already gained funding from West London AimHigher to carry out these workshops with a PRU and a local school and will use this opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. This will then inform further project refinement.

There are a number of ways that they could be informed about the bridging course and later be recruited on to it. Firstly, the WL LLN could contact their partner FE colleges and identify whether they have a process in place to support care leavers. If they do, information about the workshops could be passed on to these learners. Also, Connexions advisors could help promote this initiative through existing tutorial arrangements with care leavers. The University could collaborate with the Local Authorities’ ‘Leaving care teams’ who also have contact with such learners. The University intend to host an event where staff members that are involved with residential care homes and foster homes can attend and be trained how to support learners using these resources.

If this pilot is successful there are a number of objectives that are hoped to be achieved:

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