The 14–16 Pathway with Purpose is a single, NEET-prevention programme for Year 10–11 learners at risk of disengaging, delivered in partnership with Coventry College. It integrates the council's four strands into one course built on a single principle: belonging first, then learning.
Learners join a themed cohort drawn from a real local career — Motorsports & Motor Vehicles, Health & Care, Construction, Retail, Hospitality or Gamification (Gaming to Esports) — which is the hook that gets them through the door.
Underneath the theme, the programme delivers tailored Functional Skills English and maths and a Highfield Level 2 Customer Service qualification, wrapped in careers guidance, wellbeing and mentoring, and a supported transition into post-16.
The four strands work as one:
• Ignite — themed Functional Skills (NCFE, Entry 1–Level 2) and Customer Service (Highfield Level 2), taught in short, single-skill gap-filling sessions;
• Forge — careers guidance, employer engagement and a secured post-16 destination;
• Anchor — keyworker mentoring, wellbeing and therapeutic support;
• Pass the Torch — a held, trusted-adult transition into Coventry College or another destination.
Teaching is delivered in short bursts tailored to each learner's actual gaps, not the curriculum in the abstract. Learners leave with recognised qualifications, the workplace behaviours every employer wants, and a real progression route out of NEET.
Course Modules
Strand A — Ignite (Functional Skills & Customer Service)
Functional Skills English (NCFE, Entry 1–Level 2): Reading, Writing, and Speaking, Listening & Communicating. Functional Skills Maths (NCFE, Entry 1–Level 2): Number, Measure/Shape/Space, Handling Data. Both delivered as short, single-skill sessions on an Assess–Plan–Do–Review cycle. Customer Service (Highfield Level 2): principles of customer service, communication, managing expectations and handling problem customers — taught through the cohort's sector and built into a portfolio.
Strand B — Forge (Careers, Guidance & Employability)
Know Yourself; Know the Options; Make It Happen; Be Ready for Work. One-to-one guidance, application support, employer encounters and work experience, mapped to the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Strand C — Anchor (Wellbeing, Mentoring & Belonging)
Baseline and plan (Stirling Children's Wellbeing Scale); keyworker mentoring; personal and character development; needs-led therapeutic support; structured family engagement.
Strand D — Pass the Torch (Transition & Progression)
Find Your Why; Go and See; Walk With Them; Hold the Line — a trusted-adult handover into Coventry College with post-transition follow-up.
Awarding Body
NCFE/Highfield
Student Expected Outcomes
• NCFE Functional Skills English — Entry 1 to Level 2, by ability
• NCFE Functional Skills Maths — Entry 1 to Level 2, by ability
• Highfield Level 2 Customer Service qualification
• Measured wellbeing progress against the Stirling baseline
• A secured, applied-for post-16 destination either with Coventry College or PET-Xi’s 16-19 work programme
Key Stage course delivered to
KS4
Admissions Criteria
Ages 14–16 (Years 10–11), referred via CAP, at risk of becoming NEET
Staff Experience
PGCE / QTS-qualified teachers and vocationally qualified tutors; trained keyworker mentors; careers-qualified staff; access to commissioned therapeutic practitioners
Delivery Area
Westwood Business Park, Coventry (and within the school setting where a full cohort is referred); Coventry College and receiving providers for transition
Programme length
Up to a full academic year
Transport Provided
No
Days Of Delivery
Two cohorts: Monday and Tuesday, or Wednesday and Thursday
Times of Delivery
9:30am – 2:30pm · 10 hours per week (2 days per cohort) (initially 15 hours for the first 12 weeks or by negotiation with CAP)
Well-being assessment tools
Stirling Children's Wellbeing Scale — baselined on entry and re-measured at each review point
Staff Ratio
Small group (1:5); 1:1 for mentoring, careers and transition
Additional Notes
Themes offered subject to school and CAP referral demand; mixed themes can run within one cohort, as the Functional Skills criteria and Customer Service aim are identical across themes — only the scenario changes. Minimum group size applies for a cohort to run.
