Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent

Entry Level Certificates (ELCs) - a stepping stone to GCSE Success

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Name The Co-op Academy
Type Academy School
Location Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Cohort GCSE Science Cohort size: 135

Backround

Co-op Academy is a mixed secondary school for students aged 11-16. When the new Science GCSE (9–1) curriculum was introduced, they found the Pearson Edexcel Entry Level Certificates in Science provided a good stepping stone for their lower-attaining students who were struggling to access the Foundation Tier Combined Science. Philippa Beech, Head of Key Stage 4 Science, is now advocating this route to all schools in the Co-operative Trust and the Stoke area.
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Philippa Beech, Head of Key Stage 4 Science, explains the approach they took to overcome the initial hurdles and deliver positive outcomes from the summer 2018 exams.

The outcomes 

Overall, we were very pleased with our outcomes. Of the 33 students we co-entered for the June 2018 ELC and GCSE Combined Science Foundation Tier exams, 18 achieved expected or better than expected results. Only one student failed GCSE Combined science but this was due to non-attendance to the exams.

The ELC gave them the confidence to attempt all short answer/multiple choice questions on the exam and even to attempt the long answer 6 mark question even if they were unsure.

What were the advantages for lower-attaining students taking this route?

In terms of content coverage and understanding, we were able to reduce the volume of learning down to key points and areas for study. Students were able to focus on manageable "chunks" of learning rather than be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the full GCSE while still being given enough knowledge to access the foundation GCSE curriculum.

Building confidence with preparation and assessment 

This was where we noticed the largest impact on our lower-attaining students. Before starting the ELCs, students in the 2 groups were disaffected with the GCSE. Some would not even attempt any questions in the paper despite some being multiple choice. This was the main reason we were originally looking at the ELCs as an alternative option. Over the one and a half terms of completing the 2 certificates, students developed in confidence with the exam. As they became more successful with the ELC assessments they became less anxious and more inclined to attempt questions in the GCSE and therefore gained more marks which then compounded the success.

Making clear progress was really motivating

At the first set of mocks 7/34 students were achieving expected outcomes and 8/34 were completely failing the exam. By the next set of mocks only 3/34 were failing and 15/34 were achieving expected or greater outcomes. That’s over 50% increase! Students were attending additional sessions voluntarily and their confidence with the exam grew enormously.