Notes from discussion between Alberto Fruzza at Northolt High School and

Lyn Eames on 30th March 2010

I gather Northolt started with 13 students, has 9 remaining but 8 will complete. Alberto
felt that he initially pitched the course at too high a level but I did query whether the
IAG had been adequate resulting in the recruitment of the appropriate level of students.

Alberto actually has a visit from QCDA scheduled today at 3.30 pm. My understanding
is that they have been in to meet with Exams Officers and this is a follow up. He
seemed to think it was to give some guidance on claiming prior achievement for ASL.
He did suggest that the students are too far down the ASL route (I gather with a mixture
of GCSE Sociology and CoPE) to stop them at this point, he felt they may as well go on
to achieve something!

Again, as with Suneil’s group, they have been down on hours, running on 37 hrs over a
fortnight, with PL making up 23 hrs. He has been working on the ICT FS himself with no
real success in January but entered again in March and also planned for June as backup.
Other specialist staff have been taking the Maths and English but there have been staff
sickness problems affecting this and again my understanding is no real success in
January, but entered in March and June as backup.

I didn’t see an exams officer at all despite requesting this in my email. He did say he
needed to check with them about final entries.

As you know he has not started the Project, no introduction at all, and feels now
realistically it would distract the students from achieving PL units. He seems very
restricted and has no capacity for the students to pick up any extra time except for the
odd hour over Easter.

Students are out during odd days for work experience from now until May. As you know
there were issues with suitability of placements. PLTS are fine and he’s devised a good
self-assessment tracking document which is uploaded on Fronter.

PL breakdown:
Unit 1 – External assessment all but one passed in January.
Unit 2 – Students redoing with a planned finish imminent.
Unit 3 – Delivering now finish week after Easter (realise I haven’t noted if this means the
assessment)
Unit 4 – Not started and would be grateful for anyone’s support re an insight and
approaches to take.
Unit 5 – Students at CLC for 3 days after Easter with databases starting in May.
Units 6 and 7 – Starting two weeks after Easter.

Despite the above he is enthusiastic and positive about the PL and focused on
achievement of this – if anything this is perhaps where he needs any support, although
he seems to have it planned out as best he can now.

The future plans are to run a L2 again over one year but he would approach this with
the benefit of hindsight and lessons learnt this year. They would use prior achievement
for ASL at the start and feels they could easily do any further required ASL programme
between June and July 2011. He also knows he has to insist on more time for delivery
but knows realistically he won’t get the required GLHs. There are no plans for L3 and
feels the students could be directed elsewhere for this. Possibly in 2011 they would run
a L1 at KS4.