Entry to Learning

Brighton & Hove City Council in partnership with East Sussex County Council was awarded the opportunity to deliver one of four Entry to Learning pilots in England commencing in January 09. This pilot provides us with the opportunity to develop an exciting and innovative approach to securing better outcomes for young people aged 16-17 who are not in education employment or training (NEET).

Background

The Children’s Plan includes a commitment to develop a new Entry to Learning programme to provide young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) with opportunities to succeed in education and training by strengthening the progression between third sector re-engagement activity and formal learning.

Focus of pilot
Many Local Authorities, together with the LSC, are already successfully commissioning provision from the third sector to re-engage young people. This pilot will aim to enhance that provision by looking at three specific issues:

  • how local authorities can work most effectively with the third sector at a local level to commission the provision that young people need;
  • which models of voluntary sector commissioning result in the best support for young people to participate in learning; and
  • how we can better develop progression routes from third sector provision into more formal learning under Foundation Learning

 

There are three key components to this:

  • The Trusted Adult – The presence of a trusted adult or mentor is essential to provide continuity of support throughout the young person’s reengagement and to broker their access to further learning and development opportunities. Under Entry to Learning, a single trusted adult should be the young person’s key point of contact from the beginning of the programme until they are firmly settled back into formal learning;
  • Bridging Provision – There is often a big step between reengagement provision and the return to formal learning. Some local areas have already successfully begun to bridge this gap with intermediate provision that gives young people access to semi-formal learning; and
  • Financial Incentive – At present, most reengagement provision does not attract Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). It would be helpful to test what influence provision of a financial incentive has on encouraging young people to take part in the third sector provision and then subsequently to return to formal learning.

 

How it will work

Sussex Central YMCA and CRI will jointly deliver the programme across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex.

Geographic Split

Sussex Central YMCA will cover the area from Hove in the west to Seaford in the east and CRI will cover Seaford to Hastings.

Trusted Adults

The trusted adults (whose actual job title will be E2L support workers) will work alongside Connexions Personal Advisors providing reengagement and support for Entry to Learning participants and will be based within the CRI service centres in Eastbourne and Hastings and the hubs and satellites in Brighton & Hove and Lewes.

Eligibility Criteria

These include:

  • Aged 16/17
  • Classified as NEET
  • Chosen progression route is into formal education
  • Does not currently meet entry requirements into formal education
  • Dropped out of post 16 education or learning
  • Tagged ‘between EET’ on CCIS (Aspire)
     

Further information and how to apply.

Sussex Central YMCA

Further information and details of how to refer in Brighton, Hove and the Lewes and Seaford areas.

CRI

Further information and details of how to refer in East Sussex from Seaford to Hastings.

 

Contacts

(for more information please contact any of the following):

E2L Project Manager:      
Kirsten Trussell (BHCC)      
kirsten.trussell@brighton-hove.gov.uk  
01273 294921      
07825862511     

CRI Team Lead: (Hastings)    
Verra Papaspyrou    
verra.papaspyrou@cri.org.uk   
01424 720455      

Sussex Central YMCA Team Lead:  
Steve Darken   
steve.darken@sussexcentralymca.org.uk
01273 715430 
07870607776 

CRI Team Lead: (Eastbourne) 
Rory Abbott
rory.abbott@cri.org.uk
01323 438692