Sarah Lynch

Engaging employers with the 14–19 Diplomas: the employer perspective

While many studies of work-related learning (WRL) in the English 14–19 curriculum have examined the impact on young people of WRL programmes and initiatives, this article explores why employers become involved with WRL, the mechanisms by which engagement takes place and the opportunities and challenges faced by employers and by those who seek to engage them. Drawing on data from surveys of teachers and interviews with employers in 15 Diploma consortia across England, undertaken as part of the national evaluation of the 14–19 Diplomas, we consider the factors which are influential in the foundation and sustainment of employer involvement with WRL in schools and colleges. Although previous studies have considered employer engagement at the level of policy making, there have been fewer empirical studies of employers’ perceptions and experiences of engagement at the level of curriculum delivery. Our findings indicate that employers who had become involved in providing WRL for Diplomas could identify a range of benefits to their organisations. We argue that use can be made of both policy levers and drivers to engage employers but these need to be differentiated to acknowledge that employers do not form a homogeneous group.

Local partnerships: blowing in the wind of national policy changes

Drawing on data from a three-year study (2008–2011) of partnerships of schools and colleges delivering the 14–19 Diplomas in England, this article examines how the dynamics of local partnerships were shaped by a contradictory policy landscape in which some policies strongly promoted collaborative working whilst others reinforced competition between institutions. Semi-structured interviews with 136 Diploma consortium leads and case studies of 30 Diploma consortia were undertaken. Most partnerships founded in direct response to government demands for collaboration were strategically and operationally less effective than those that had been formed earlier as a positive, dynamic response to locally identified interests/needs and had evolved over time. When key levers towards collaboration were removed by the new UK Coalition government (2010) and new policies restated the arguments for institutional autonomy and competition between institutions, the fragility of the ‘enacted’ partnerships became immediately apparent. Although members of Diploma consortia with a history of effective partnership working remained committed to the principle of collaboration, other policy developments such as the introduction of the English Baccalaureate and the recommendations of the Wolf Review on vocational education contributed to uncertainty about whether partnership working could, or indeed should, be sustained.

Talk About Alcohol: impact of a school-based alcohol intervention on early adolescents

Despite a downward trend in alcohol consumption among 11–15-year-olds in recent years (Fuller, E, ed. 2013. Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England in 2012. London: Health and Social Care Information Centre. http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB11334), the proportion of young people seeking support from alcohol-related specialist services, and the societal and monetary costs associated with alcohol consumption, need to be addressed. Education can play an important role in this. The evaluation of the Alcohol Education Trusts Talk About Alcohol school-based intervention was conducted across England between November 2011 and October 2013 by independent evaluators. The aim was to compare the alcohol-related knowledge, awareness, and behaviour of students aged 12–14 in an intervention group with a statistically matched comparison group. Three identical surveys were carried out with approximately 4000 students to explore change over time over a 16–18-month timeframe. Multilevel modelling looked at changes in outcomes over the three time points and control for measured differences between intervention and comparison groups. There was evidence of a statistically significant delay in the age at which teenagers start to drink. There was also a significant association between the intervention and knowledge of alcohol and its effects. Although levels of frequency of drinking and binge drinking were lower than in the comparison schools, there were no statistically significant differences. Students from both groups identified personal, social, and health education lessons as a preferred source of information about alcohol and its effects. The positive impact on alcohol knowledge and the delayed onset of drinking show that the materials may support Englands policy priorities around alcohol.

The In:tuition life skills and alcohol education programme: results from two cluster-randomised trials

Abstract Two cluster-randomised trials were carried out in 2013–2014, investigating the impact of In:tuition (a school-based life skills and alcohol education intervention). One involved 10–11 year olds in primary schools and the other 12–13 year olds in secondary schools. In primary schools, the outcomes measured were: resistance skills; knowledge of alcohol; decision-making skills; and understanding of social norms relating to alcohol. The secondary school trial also measured age of first alcoholic drink and frequency of drinking (among drinkers). Schools were randomly allocated to receive In:tuition or to a ‘business-as-usual’ control. A self-report student survey was administered before and after the intervention. In total, 79 primary schools and 55 secondary schools were included. ‘Intention-to-treat’ analysis was undertaken, including all students regardless of the extent of In:tuition delivery. ‘On-treatment’ analysis was also carried out, to account for differences in programme delivery. A process evaluation, involving interviews with staff and pupils in nine schools and a teacher survey, was carried out to investigate programme implementation. The primary intervention group had slightly better knowledge of alcohol than those in the control, although the results were not significant at p = 0.07. There was no evidence of impact on resistance skills, decision-making or understanding of social norms. There was no evidence of any significant impact in secondary schools. Although teachers saw some value in the individual elements of the programme, they did not always deliver it in its entirety. It was recommended that for the programme to have a positive impact in its entirety it needed fundamental revision.