A pilot has operated whereby some disaffected students have been engaged in a pilot NVQ programme with Stockport Quality Training. In some instances access to these courses have achieved an improvement in attendance and behaviour in school. This project is to be extended in September to include some students in Year 11 and a further group in Year 10. The funding available through this initiative will contribute to some of the costs incurred.

It is important to note that the introduction of the project coincided with staffing changes so that the member of staff who become responsible for the project was not the same as that named in the original proposal.

The bid for funding related to both Key Stages 3 and 4 and, whilst acknowledging the importance of both stages, the emphasis for 1997-98 was on Years 10 and 11 rather than Years 8 and 9. There was a distinction between students in Years 10 and 11 who were seen as at "high risk" of exclusion and those in Years 8 and 9 who might be "at risk".

The project bid emphasised that the available funding could contribute towards some of the (high) costs incurred in a pilot programme offered in conjunction with Stockport College.

Attendance patterns, the academic attainments and options process of earlier years had pointed to the need to provide an "alternative curriculum" for some students. About 40 - 45 students were identified as a group for whom the `standard' school curriculum (including the National Curriculum and GCSE-related provision) appeared unsuitable. In Years 9 -10 it was always possible to identify 15 - 20 pupils likely to be seen "at risk" in terms of either

• likelihood of truancy/unauthorised absence
• temporary or permanent exclusion because of disruptive/extreme behaviours.

Some of the above was attributed by staff to a requirement to attend a school examination-based curriculum and/or environment.

The school had previously tried to discover what sort of curriculum such students would respond to more positively, and had developed a `vocational' project in collaboration with Stockport College. The GEST funding for this project had allowed an enhancement and continuation of this work.

The FE College had provided half day courses in:

• hairdressing and beauty
• building/construction
• motor engineering
• joinery

In addition there had been, in the project year, half day placements in nurseries nursing homes and care institutions. These had in fact, been mainly taken up by girls:.

There is a gender-related issue here which is well-acknowledged by the school which is seeking to address it. This is of particular concern because of the number of boys "at risk".

A stated objective was that access to vocationally-oriented courses would lead to "an improvement in attendance and behaviour in school".

These were identified as

• students would be treated as part of the normal college community
• college attendance would not require wearing uniform
• students made their own way to the college

A. The school's evaluation pointed to

• a significant drop this year in exclusions among these year groups particularly in terms of permanent exclusions
• more students saying "college is better than school" than otherwise
• relatively few "behaviour problems/disruptive behaviour" in college sessions (only 2 such incidents)
• very little unauthorised absence from college sessions although placements were less well attended
• of the students involved in the link courses, only 2 dropped out (These were students with statements of SEN where one could not cope with the written part of NVQ which was part of the course on offer and was found alternative provision, and the other was receiving only part-time education.)
• all current students are working towards NVQ and appear well-motivated to continue studying at college
• behaviour and attendance at college is good overall: school behaviour/attendance still poor for some students
• the College has introduced some clear ways of "celebrating success". Staff commended the "hairdressing" course particularly for rewarding attainment and for effort at an "awards evening".

B. General evaluation/commentary

l. The school provided INSET to the College staff Students were also involved in establishing the course aims and requirements. Both factors may have been important to success in

• content
• presentation
• student - tutor relationships.

2. Much of the project's funding was allocated for staffing in terms of

• paying for FE courses
• providing a member of school staff to support students at College. This was particularly important for supervision, behaviour management and monitoring course provision, attendance and achievements.

3. In terms of impact on school attendance and behaviours there is an acknowledged need for further monitoring.

The school wish to sustain the concept of an "alternative curriculum" linked to both vocational and recreational areas.

It will be more difficult, next year, to maintain the same level of provision, but it is planned that there will be a Key Skills programme for

2 terms for Year 11

1 (final) term for Year 10.

The school is also looking towards other parallel projects (such as Sports and Leisure) which have also been trialled.

There is a strong commitment from the school to explore all avenues for developing curricular opportunities for motivating and including students who are disaffected.

There was some concern that setting criteria for success in relation to reducing exclusions may ignore the fact that exclusions come about

• as a last resort
• only for exceptional, socially unacceptable reason.

The school is concerned to address its exclusion rates, particularly in relation to Years 8 and 9 and the frequency of anti-social behaviours (there is a noted high number of pupils who "can't seem to keep their hands of each other or accept the discipline standards" of the school).

The school would welcome external support for working with these pupils.

Overall the school believed the project had been very successful and would like to see a continuation of funding to continue and extend their work in this area. There was some feeling that 12 months is far too short a period within which to evaluate these initiatives. The school was, itself, examining ways in which this continuation may be possible without GEST/Standards funding. The funding was very useful for pump priming and providing an initial impetus. It gave pointers for success, and the LEA approach to the project, whereby schools could seek to explore solutions to their own problems in the area of disaffection and disruption was very highly valued. There was parallel recognition of the diversity of strategies this approach might give rise to across the LEA, thereby providing a rich resource of experiences which could be shared by secondary schools.