14-19 Pathfinder costing study: final report

The 14-19 Pathfinders are part of a broader process of reforming the 14-19 phase of learning proposed in the 2002 Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Green Paper, '14-19: extending opportunities, raising standards' (indexed at TD/IRD 88.170). The Pathfinders were intended to: test ideas; develop best practice in 14-19 education and training; identify how 14-19 policy will interact with other policies; identify barriers to a coherent 14-19 phase and propose ways to address them; and demonstrate that a coherent 14-19 phase can be achieved nationally in the UK despite the diversity of participants and locations. This report presents the key findings of a costing study focused on the 14-19 Pathfinders. The purpose of the study was to establish the costs associated with collaborative development and delivery of 14-19 Pathfinders, and in particular: the costs that arise as a result of working collaboratively rather than individually, for example, partnership management, communication, and timetabling costs; and specific development and delivery costs for new collaborative programmes and provision, including for example, course development costs, teaching costs and support costs. The research has been undertaken in two broad phases of work. Phase One involved case study work with 15 Pathfinders to gain an understanding of: the types of cost that might occur in the delivery of collaborative working; for each type of cost, estimates of the actual costs incurred by the 15 Pathfinders; and the factors that influence the level of cost incurred. Phase Two involved an analysis of the information obtained from the 15 Pathfinders in order to provide: indicative estimates of the likely costs associated with collaborative working; case study examples of the costs associated with the development and delivery of collaborative provision; and qualitative analysis of key issues and findings in relation to the costs of developing and sustaining collaborative delivery of 14-19 learning opportunities. The findings provide new and important information about the types of cost, influencing factors and likely cost levels associated with collaborative delivery. This can be used to inform future decision making, particularly in relation to the development of plans to meet the objectives and proposals set out in the 14-19 White Paper (indexed at TD/IRD 88.163) and subsequent Green Paper 'Youth matters'.

A related report is indexed at TD/TNC 85.379. Show less