Make the most of the PLTS with Personalisation by Pieces

Personalising learning - the new curriculum skills challenge.

From September 2008 all Secondary Schools in England and Wales will begin implementing the new National Curriculum Framework for 11-19 year olds. The new curriculum will place a much higher importance on the role of skills and is designed to increase flexibility and offer greater opportunities for personalising learning. Schools will also be expected to involve learners much more in their own learning.

"Individuals need to be able to articulate the skills they possess and and need to be able to manage their skill development at work and during further studies." (QCA)

To help learners manage the development of their competencies, the QCA have developed the Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) framework which together with the Functional Skills, make up the core of the new curriculum. To learn more about the PLTS from the QCA,

PLTS: Challenges for schools.

The PLTS framework requires that learners should progress in the development of their skills in six areas set out by the QCA. In addition learners are expected to reflect on their progress and manage their own portfolio of evidence. This raises a number of challenges for schools:

How will you support and guide learners' progression?

How will you encourage learners to reflect on their learning?

How will you support learners to record their own progress?

How will learners and teachers be able to see progress in a snapshot of achievements at any one time and of development of skills over time?

PbyP skills ladders and the PLTS framework.

At Cambridge Education we have applied our philosophy of Personalisation by Pieces (PbyP) to the PLTS framework. We have created "skills ladders" for each of the QCA's six skills groups which include a series of progressively challenging objectives. These skills ladders set clear and concise targets at nine levels in 24 ladders within the 6 skills groups. Schools can use the skills ladders through the PbyP webtool, whcih streamlines and simplifies the process of setting targets, collecting evidence and monitoring progression.

Each learner has their own login and has access to an interactive set of the PLTS skills ladders which allows them to manage their own targets and to monitor their own progression.

Learners can see exemplar work in each of the ladders, set themselves targets and submit their work as evidence from home or school.

Learners submit work which the system automatically sends to learners in other schools for peer assessment.

As soon as a learner's evidence is considered successful, they too become 'experts' and become peer assessors for that target.

Structured peer mentoring supports the process of self-reflection.

Teachers guide learners by mentoring them and moderating assessments.

Learn more about supporting PLTS using PbyP. Email us at or call us on 01223 463757. Or visit the PbyP website direct www.pbyp.co.uk