Key Stage 4 and Key
Stage 5 Destination
Measures
05 May 2011
1
1. Rationale for Destination Measures
KS4 and KS5 Destination Measures are being developed
to look at the success of schools in helping their pupils
to progress on to positive post-16 destinations, helping
to:
“For both primary and
secondary schools, we
will put greater emphasis
on the progress of every
child – setting out more
• Provide clear information to parents and young people prominently in
about the post-16 routes taken by a school, college or
performance tables how
training provider’s former pupils.
well pupils
progress…We will
• Make schools and post-16 providers accountable for
introduce a measure of
ensuring that all their pupils take qualifications that
offer them the best opportunity to progress and receive how young people do
the support needed to prepare for and complete that
when they leave school.”
transition.
• Support the increased focus on disadvantaged pupils
to ensure that they make a successful transition,
helping to raise post-16 participation and reduce NEET.
The Importance of
Teaching, 2010
2. Principles of Destination Measures
In order to achieve these aims, and in line with the principles for the Performance
Tables, the measures should adhere to three clear principles:
Simple
• Readily understandable by schools, pupils and parents.
• Easy for schools, post-16 providers, pupils and parents to make
comparisons with other institutions.
• No additional bureaucracy or burdens.
• This will make it a more powerful tool for accountability and self
improvement.
Inclusive
• Covering the whole cohort of mainstream pupils.
• Covering all post-16 routes.
• This will ensure that it helps schools and post-16 providers to focus on
the progression of all students, in particular the disadvantaged and
those least likely to progress without support.
Fair
• Outcomes measured sufficiently close to the point at which the young
person left the institution that they feel that they can influence the result.
• Shorter time lag in feedback to schools, colleges and training providers
so that they can see their changes having quick results.
• Try to avoid perverse incentives that could cause institution to focus
disproportionately on particular groups.
3. Focus of Destination Measures
Development of the measures will focus on the proportion of pupils who
go on to a positive destination the year after they left learning.
Why focus on participation?
•The measures focus attention on the whole cohort and on all learning routes.
•It supports our key aim to increase participation in education and training post-16 for all
young people as we move towards raising the participation age to 18 by 2015, and
ensures that participation enables them to gain skills and qualifications which offer the
best opportunity for future success.
•This is the measurement point closest to the point at which the young person left school,
college or training and so is the point over which the provider has most influence.
•The time lag is shorter than for other options and means that providers receive
information more rapidly about their most recent cohort and are therefore more likely to be
able to make positive changes to their services to influence the measures quickly.
•Simple (phase one) measure of participation in education and training could be
developed using improved existing data – no additional burdens.
4. The Key Stage 4 Measure
What the measures might look like:
School A had 90 per cent of pupils who progressed to a positive destination within one year of ending Key
Stage 4. Of these pupils:
50 per cent entered further education in School Sixth Form
20 per cent entered further education in Further Education College
10 per cent entered work-based learning or an Apprenticeship
10 per cent entered employment
Subject to data testing, the KS4 destination measure will be published alongside the KS4
Performance Tables.
Other options we considered, but dismissed, for development of KS4 measures were:
Attainment (Proportion of pupils who went on to achieve L2 or L3 qualifications at age 19)
•
Previous data testing showed that the school’s specific contribution cannot be drawn out due to overwhelming
impact of prior attainment so cannot be used in performance tables for accountability.
•
Four year lag in getting the data to schools.
Higher Education (Proportion of pupils who go on to take part in Higher Education)
•
Fits with priority to increase academic attainment but risks incentivising schools to focus on the academically gifted
at expense of others.
•
Further away from the point at which the young person left school (time lag of up to five years) so more removed
from school influence.
•
But still a priority for the Department.
4. The Key Stage 5 Measure
What the measures might look like:
College B had 70 per cent of students who progressed to a positive destination within one year of
their 16-18 learning. Of these pupils:
40 per cent entered higher education at University (5 per cent of these students went to
Oxford or Cambridge University)
20 per cent continued in further education.
10 per cent entered employment
Subject to data testing, the KS5 destination measure will be published alongside the KS5
Performance Tables.
Challenges facing the development of the KS5 measure:
Who should be included – the base cohort
Availability of data – when UCAS/HESA data is available/Education Bill for NCCIS data
What is a positive destination – gap years/volunteering/repeating same level of study
When should we count the positive destination – snapshot or sustained engagement
Uncertainty over the robustness of the data – NCCIS coverage at all ages