Last updated at 13:33, Thursday, 25 February 2010

PUPILS across Cumbria struggling to reach GCSE standard will be given more personalised teaching following a Government cash injection.

Education chiefs at the county council will be given £228,000 as part of a £20 million investment in Foundation Learning.

Dubbed ‘stepping stone’ learning because its bite-sized flexible structure is tailored to individual needs, it will boost pupils up to the standard needed for either GCSEs, apprenticeships or diplomas.

From September, the pupils will get specialised teaching, often with a vocational focus, personal tuition in school, small class sizes, extra support for maths, English and ICT, learning mentors or off-site work-based provision, including with colleges and training providers.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families said it will be at the discretion of local authorities how they wish to spend their money.

Ministers say about half of 14 to 19-year-olds that could benefit from Foundation Learning have special educational needs or learning difficulties.

Young people on Foundation Learning follow a tailored programme that leads them towards a specific goal, wherever possible GCSEs, diplomas or apprenticeships.

Schools Minister Iain Wright said: “We are making historic reforms at 14-19 level, and Foundation Learning is a vital element of this programme.

“It’s so important we give proper, personalised support to those young people who need it and the great strength of Foundation Learning is that pupils’ options are kept open – when they really start to achieve, and their ambitions grow, then they can move on to diplomas, GCSEs or apprenticeships.

“The pilots have shown us there's really strong demand for Foundation Learning and there’s growing evidence that it has a positive impact on young people’s attainment.”

The roll-out of Foundation Learning is the Government’s latest move towards raising the participation age which will see all 17-year-olds from 2013 and all 18-year-olds from 2015 staying in education or training.

The cash is in addition to the announcement in December that Cumbria will receive more than £2 million to pay for one-to-one tuition for students struggling with maths and English.

First published at 13:32, Thursday, 25 February 2010
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk