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Background to the project
At the start of 2007, the Learning and Skills Network (LSN) was commissioned by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) to carry out an action research and development project investigating pastoral support, as one of the key themes within a programme of research into personalisation within the FE system. The findings from the project have been used to develop this guidance.
The work of the project was steered by an Expert panel which included representatives from government departments and agencies, Ofsted, and a number of representative organisations within the FE system.
Two key objectives for the project were to explore the following questions:
Pilot sites and action research
Twenty pilot sites from the different learning and skills sectors within the FE system were engaged in action research to identify promising practice in the area of pastoral support. The pilot organisations were selected, as far as possible, to cover the range and diversity of learners across the sector. Particular attention was paid to including organisations working with the following groups of learners:
Consultative sites and gathering information about promising practice
In summer 2007, to build on the evidence being collected through the action research in the 20 pilot sites, the project was extended to gather information from a further 38 organizations across a range of learner settings.
At the start of 2007, the Learning and Skills Network (LSN) was commissioned by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) to carry out an action research and development project investigating pastoral support, as one of the key themes within a programme of research into personalisation within the FE system. The findings from the project have been used to develop this guidance.
The work of the project was steered by an Expert panel which included representatives from government departments and agencies, Ofsted, and a number of representative organisations within the FE system.
Two key objectives for the project were to explore the following questions:
- What do we mean by pastoral support?
- What does success look like and how can we evaluate it?
Pilot sites and action research
Twenty pilot sites from the different learning and skills sectors within the FE system were engaged in action research to identify promising practice in the area of pastoral support. The pilot organisations were selected, as far as possible, to cover the range and diversity of learners across the sector. Particular attention was paid to including organisations working with the following groups of learners:
- 14–19 learners who learn across more than one institution.
- Part-time learners as well as full-time learners.
- Learners from minority ethnic communities.
- Learners from families with no background in post-compulsory education, to help boost social mobility.
- Learners with learning difficulties and disabilities.
- Learners from faith communities.
- Looked-after children and young people.
- Offenders.
Consultative sites and gathering information about promising practice
In summer 2007, to build on the evidence being collected through the action research in the 20 pilot sites, the project was extended to gather information from a further 38 organizations across a range of learner settings.
