Date:
12/04/22
Your Name:Â Â
Harmeet Sahota
Position:Â
Founder and Headteacher
Solution Name:Â
Legal Structure:
Ltd Company
Main Funding Source:
Self funded. Â
Phase(s) of Education:
14-19Â
Number of Students:Â
160 Schools currently are registered with our platform. Based on an average of 200 students in Year 10 and 11 the potential impact is 32000.
Purposes of Education supported:Â
Curriculum Development - Creating a curriculum that is fit for purpose for every child. Curriculum Wide has 10000+ courses available for schools to deliver. Schools use our platform to carry out a curriculum review to find the most successful and accessible courses (traditional and non-traditional) to support school improvement.Â
With the pressure to achieve on school performance tables, effective alternate routes for students are sometimes overlooked. Statistics show that the number of student NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training), fixed term and permanent exclusions are unfortunately a rising trend.
The number of 16-18 NEETs recorded in Dec 2019 was 7.5% (133,000) rising from 6.2% (111,000) in Dec 2017
The number of fixed period exclusions has risen to 438300 (2018/19) from 239,240 (2014/15)
The number of permanent exclusions has risen to 7,894 (2018/19) from 4,785 (2014/15)
Post pandemic the number of mental health cases have risen from 1 in 8 to now 1 in 6. One of the contributors to mental health is exam anxiety.Â
Solution Description:
Support schools to create a curriculum that is fit for purpose. We support schools with:Â
Improving Progress 8 - school performance measure (by finding the most successful and accessible courses)
Students with exam anxiety (by searching for courses that are 100% controlled assessment)
Support the reduction of exclusions and NEETs (by finding courses of interest for disaffected learners to provide a pathway)Â
Solution Origin:
Between 2010 - 2012, as a school we were able to offer 1 day a week courses (motor mechanics, hairdressing and construction) to students. All of the courses had been extremely successful boasting a 100% pass rate for all participants, including the highlight of a student at risk of exclusion securing an apprenticeship with Ferrari. Unfortunately, these courses were removed as the Ebacc was introduced. Subsequently, when I was the Key Stage 4 Curriculum Lead it was extremely difficult to find suitable alternative options for students who were struggling with mainstream curriculum. Furthermore, I was faced with moral dilemmas such as:
not allowing students to drop subjects - for example students who has a strong dislike for the subject and did not have the aptitude were being made to study a language (due to the Ebacc)
not allowing students to study Art and Textiles as separate subjects because the school would not get any value added recognition due to having the same discount code.
Over the years, hours and hours were spent researching government and exam board websites to find relevant information. When talking to a colleague, we often said that to enable us to make informed strategic decisions, we needed all curriculum information in one place to support students with pathways.
Potential for systemic impact (EXCLUDING Equity)?
What does success look like? What would we see differently in our education system if the solution were widely adopted?
Broader curriculum offered
Higher course completion rateÂ
Improved outcomes
We would see increased student success rates for students who struggle with mainstream curriculumÂ
Students will have less exam anxiety
Schools will have reduced NEET ratesÂ
Does the solution improve Equity? How?Â
Yes, students can potentially study subjects they have an interest in rather than being forced to study courses to improve school Progress 8. For example low ability students could be studying a vocational Travel and Tourism course opposed to Geography, higher ability students could be studying Geology. This will provide clearer pathways for students.
With early identification students who suffer with exam anxiety could reduce the number of exams sat by over 20% by studying courses that have no written exam.
By being proactive you can find alternative courses for disaffected learners, for example a student at risk of permanent exclusion is studying a horticultural course and now doing work experience with the local ground staff team.Â
Barriers to adoption relating to Accountability Rules and Funding Formulae:
Funding - The platform is not widely known. It would be amazing to have a marketing and sales team that can help spread the word and showcase where we are having impact with students.
Other barriers to adoption:
Pricing potentially, schools do not have the money for an annual subscription of £600. Time is also an issue, curriculum and pastoral leaders need to find the time to see how this platform can help their students.