Evaluation of the Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme:
Key Messages (2009)
A report by York Consulting (Georgina Cowen and Marianne
Burgess), commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and
Families (now the Department for Education)
This report presents the results of a two-year national
evaluation of the Key Stage 4 Engagement Programme (KS4EP). The
programme is a response to a call from the 14-19 Education and
Skills White Paper (2005) for "a strong work-focussed route
designed specifically to motivate those 14-16 year old young people
who are at the most risk [of disengagement] and who we know would
be motivated by a different learning environment." A core feature
of the programme, replicated across all providers, was that
students worked with an employer for 1-3 days a week.
Between June 2007 and July 2008, detailed fieldwork was
undertaken in 15 case study areas with 47 schools visited and 250
pupils consulted in total. In addition to interviews with other
stakeholders, 20 employer consultations took place, an average of
one per case study visit. Researchers received 785 pupil survey
responses from 621 pupils (164 pupils provided baseline reports as
well). Although a comparator group was in place, researchers were
"not sufficiently confident" that "the comparator group pupils and
participant group pupils are similar enough," due to the high
number of variables involved. They therefore focussed the impact
analysis on the case study areas, triangulating findings across
stakeholder responses. The variability in data gives the
qualitative results more weight than the quantitative.
The report finds that "for most pupils, the KS4EP programme has
contributed to improving levels of engagement in learning and
confidence; and the development of employability and vocational
skills." This is having "a positive influence on most pupils'
aspirations, preparation for a job or further learning and
decisions about what they want to do after year 11." The programme
had the least influence on overall enjoyment and achievement in
school-based learning. However, staff highlighted that for some
pupils, the programme's effect of them "remaining in learning over
the course of the year is regarded as a significant
achievement".
Although the programme was not designed to target difficult
behaviour, there were reports of "improving attitudes towards
others and less disruptive incidences". There were also
"demonstrable improvements in engagement for around one third of
pupils responding". Other benefits, such as better capacity for
decision-making and positive progression routes, are cited as well
as analyses of the constituents of successful partnership. Most
significantly though, "the positive achievements associated with
higher levels of engagement, confidence, attendance and skills
levels are contributing to attainment levels that represent
significant outcomes" including that the programme may help to
reduce levels of young people not in education, employment or
training.
Download Here