Learner progress and destinations in independent living skills learning areas in further education colleges
Thematic Report
The report examines the arrangements for measuring the progress of learners with learning difficulties and disabilities on specialised programmes of learning in further education (FE) colleges. It focuses on how well colleges identify learners’ needs and how well the programmes that they deliver meet learners’ abilities and prepare learners for transition from college.
Recommendations
FE colleges should:
- R1 Identify learners’ wider skills and abilities during initial assessments and include a suitable focus on communication, independence, employability and wellbeing within these
- R2 Make sure that individual learning plans reflect the outcomes of initial assessments and that they include specific, measurable targets that link clearly to learners’ long-term goals and likely destinations
- R3 Design independent living skills programmes of learning that:
- are sufficiently challenging
- include opportunities to develop skills that are relevant to learners’ needs and likely destinations when they leave the college
- have an appropriate balance between completing qualifications and learning activities
- R4 Implement reliable systems to track the progress of all learners in relation to their individual starting points
- R5 Track learners’ destinations when they leave the learning area or college accurately
Local authorities should:
- R6 Provide colleges with relevant information about learners’ needs when they start college
- R7 Develop a broader range of partnerships with the post-16 and voluntary sectors to develop and improve progression routes in the local area
The Welsh Government should:
- R8 Review the collection of information on the outcomes of learners on independent living skills programmes to ensure that this provides an accurate picture of learners’ destinations across Wales