Neil HarrisonSenior Research FellowBristol Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning and Education (BRILLE)University of the West of England

Policy context‘Up-skilling’ and the rise of GCSE equivalentsThe recent announcement on the removal of

equivalencePolicy direction evident in both the

declaration of the ‘English Baccalaureate’ and the taking up of the recommendations of the Wolf Report (2011)

Problematising the five GCSE threshold

Policy consequencesRecommendation 1 of the Wolf Review:

The DfE should distinguish clearly between those qualifications, both vocational and academic, which can contribute to performance indicators at Key Stage 4, and those which cannot.

Unforeseen consequences of the removal of equivalence

CoPE mistakenly ‘tarred with the same brush’ as those vocational qualifications seen as surplus to requirements at KS4?

Performance vs. learning Watkins (2010) argues that contemporary

policy and schools responses give us a disastrous emphasis on performance at the expense of a learning orientation

This is a very big problem, as performance relies completely on the development of good learning orientations – in any field of endeavour

Research questions1. Do pupils who undertake CoPE achieve a higher grade at GCSE

English Language than comparable pupils who do not?2. Are pupils who undertake CoPE more likely to achieve five

GCSE passes than comparable pupils who do not?3. Are there any identifiable subgroups of pupils for whom the

impacts above are particularly marked or absent? 4. Do pupils and staff identify relationships between CoPE and

other KS4 study with respect to pupil engagement, attendance and motivation?

5. If so, what is the nature of experiences, perceptions, impressions and claims about such relationships?

Research method Main study: statistical analysis of National Pupil

Database records for cohort completing KS4 in 2010, comprising over 500,000 records

Secondary study: quasi-experimental analysis of a randomised paired sample of 200 young people taking CoPE and those not

Case studies: qualitative data from four visits to schools offering CoPE

Approach to main study (1)Statistical technique controls for eight background

variables likely to impact on KS4 outcomes:GenderSpecial educational needsEligibility for free school mealsNeighbourhood deprivation (using IDACI)Persistent absence during KS3EthnicityHaving English as a secondary language

Approach to main study (2)Four main measures of KS4 outcomes used:

GCSE English pass at A* to GGCSE English pass at A* to CGCSE English pass at A* or AFive GSCE passes at A* to C including English and maths,

but excluding ‘equivalents’ (i.e. excluding CoPE itself)Three categories of KS3 attainment in English

Low – below testable level, Level 3 and Level 4Average – Level 5High – Level 6 and Level 7

School typology‘No CoPE’ schools‘Thin usage’ schools

CoPE taken by less than 25% of cohortThose taking CoPE atypical of wider cohort – predominantly

those with special circumstances strongly affecting studyLikely to significantly underperform at KS4 relative to KS3

‘Wide usage’ schoolCope taken by 25% or more of cohort – mainstreamedThose taking CoPE more typical of overall school cohortMain basis for comparisons in research report

GCSE English A* to C (1)

GCSE English A* to C (2)Chart simplifies a complex set of relationshipsOnce all background variables are held constant,

taking CoPE in a ‘wide usage’ school is associated with an overall 10% increased likelihood of achieving GCSE English at A* to C

However, effect mainly focused on low KS3 attainers, those eligible for free school meals, those from BME communities and those with special educational needs

GCSE English A* to C (3)

5 GCSEs A* to C inc. E/M (1)

5 GCSEs A* to C inc. E/M (2)Caveat about chart again!Once all background variables are held constant,

taking CoPE in a ‘wide usage’ school is associated with an overall 5% increased likelihood of achieving five GCSEs at A* to C, including English and maths

Effect mainly focused on low KS3 attainers, those eligible for free school meals and those from BME communities

NB: not all young people entered for five GCSEs

5 GCSEs A* to C inc. E/M (3)

Two ‘identical’ schools

Overall, CoPE is associated with an average of an extra one-fifth of a grade in GCSE English

CoPE at the chalkfaceData collected from senior managers, teachers and

young people from four case study schoolsSpectrum of professional opinion from likelihood to

certainty that CoPE improved outcomesWide variety of methods of implementing CoPE

within the curriculumYoung people describe enjoying CoPE lessons and

how it is a positive factor in their school experience

Why does CoPE work?Not primary focus of researchPotential causal features :

Personalised learner-centred approachThe ‘Plan-Do-Review’ processCulture of achievement based on milestonesDedicated staff resources, including low staff/pupil ratioCurricular flexibilityCommitment to engaging with the individual

Lots of scope for future research

SummaryVery strong evidence that CoPE is associated with

positive outcomes at Key Stage 4Relationship is seen in both GCSE English and at the

five good GCSEs thresholdRelationship strongest for young people at lower

ability range and with educational disadvantagesStatistical analysis not capable of proving that CoPE

works, but very strong probabilityPlausible causal factors identified by professionals

Conclusion Removal of CoPE from the headline measures

for Key Stage 4 is likely to be misguidedCoPE appears to have an extrinsic value to

young people beyond itselfCoPE has an important role to play in both

performance and learning orientations at Key Stage 4

Neil HarrisonSenior Research FellowBristol Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning and Education (BRILLE)University of the West of England