School‐leaving Profiles for Lower‐attaining Pupils: is there a role?

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the ways in which a school‐leaving profile, alone or as a component of a record of achievement, might serve the needs of lower‐attaining pupils at the point of their transition from school to work, further education or training. The limitations of such a profile or record in the job‐matching context are discussed and its potential for facilitating interviews of applicants and for improving vocational guidance offered to such pupils is highlighted. Some of the issues faced by schools and others concerned to maximise the potential value of such a summative record are outlined, together with suggestions for how such initiatives might be directed to achieve clearly defined educational goals.