During the planning stage of the ‘School of Ambition’ bid, the evidence gathered from staff, school board members and pupils highlighted the need for curriculum innovation and transformation, if Cardinal Newman High School were to meet the needs of all pupils and provide them with the skills and qualifications required to function effectively in a modern society.

We have established comprehensive arrangements for the delivery of vocational experiences across a wide range of subject areas on the Cardinal Newman High School Campus. Vocational delivery includes certification within SQA and other national providers. Our initial intention was to offer vocational courses in professional cookery and construction skills only through the Skills for Work initiative. The fact that the school has gone far beyond its targets is an indication of our success. Additionally, the increasing number of pupils who were taking part in these vocational courses (see Figure 1) was testimony to both their interest in and their satisfaction with this provision.

Figure 1: Number of pupils following a vocational course in Cardinal Newman High school per year

Our evaluation shows how the Cardinal Newman High School experience is truly a fulfilment of some key principles inherent in Curriculum for Excellence.

‘Making a link between the classroom and workplace can help young people to see the relevance of their learning… All young people can benefit from such learning and this should be reflected in the planning of the curriculum. …ensure these activities are not bolted on but are part of a coherent whole. (Curriculum for Excellence: Building the Curriculum 3 A Framework for Learning And Teaching, June 2008).

By the end of session 2007-2008 Cardinal Newman High School offered a vocational opportunity to all S3 pupils. Similarly, there are alternative routes for pupils of all abilities and these have improved pupil achievement and attainment. Again, we have overtaken our targets in the delivery of vocational courses and now offer vocational education in the following areas:

      - Professional Cookery
      - Front of House hospitality
      - Digital Photography
      - Construction
      - Rural Skills
      - Horticulture.

As shown in Figure 2, sustainable vocational courses have been established in Cardinal Newman High School. It is also worth mentioning that teachers, pupils and parents believe vocational courses are as important as academic courses. Vocational courses are seen as an option for all abilities and so do not lead to any academic/vocational divide. More than 40% of S3 and S4 pupils follow a vocational course. The S3 option form is free of barriers. Pupils are taken through option choices by a large team of experienced teachers.

As a consequence, teachers’ learning experiences have improved and the next step is to provide much more in-house training, peer coaching and peer observation. Excellent areas have been developed on the campus to provide excellent accommodation for vocational courses. Vocational courses deliver many of the skills and experiences of Curriculum for Excellence. Staff members’ confidence can be seen in the number of teachers participating in improvement groups, teams and developments (see Figure 3).

The research findings pointing to the success of the Cardinal Newman High school provision of vocational courses are also backed up by the recent school report by HMIe.

HMIe identified vocational education as innovative and effective and worthy of wider dissemination. They highlighted the fact that all pupils have access to vocational education; the quality of teaching was of a very high standard and staff had very good relationships with pupils (College & Cardinal Newman High School).

Pupils, parents and teachers are seeing the benefits of the transformational change that is well under way in Cardinal Newman High School. The number of pupils being presented for vocational certificates increases every year and teachers have engaged effectively with new learning opportunities developed in-house and provided by partners.

When the perspective of the pupils was sought to see how they benefited from attending these vocational courses, a wealth of evidence pointing to the success of student experiences could be observed during our pupil focus group meetings.