Learning Aims and Core Learning Aims for Post-16

Go to School > School Structure > Learning Aims and click +Add to add a new Learning Aim.

Choose the name of the Learning Aim, an optional short name and whether the Learning Aim is a Traineeship. Click Add Learning Aim.

Top Tip: If the Learning Aim is a traineeship for only some of the students, we'd recommend setting up two separate Learning Aims.

You will then be able to add Learning Aim instances. An instance is a time period within which a Learning Aim is delivered. Click +Add to add an Instance.

In the slide over, add the details of the Learning Aim instance:

• Planned dates - Make sure the planned start and end date span two years if the Learning Aim is two years long. Make sure the planned end date is on or before July 31st.
• Core Aim - If all the students taking the Learning Aim have it as their Core Aim, tick this box. We recommend not ticking this box and instead setting Core Aims for each individual student instead (see this section)
• Planned Learning Hours - Add in the planned learning hours for the first year the Learning Aim is running (you'll be able to add in additional year's hours once the instance has been created)

For the Linked Qualification Award section, select the qualification from the Linked qualification award drop-down. Can't select it? Set up the qualification in the Examinations section - see how to do this here.

If either the basedata for a qualification hasn't yet been released, or if the Learning Aim is a KS4 Qualification, you'll need to instead put in a placeholder name and reference:

• The first part of the award reference is the QAN code.
• The second part after the / is the Subject Classification Code (SCC or Discount Code).
  • The SCC must be one listed here: Generic QAN Data
  • It must be the right one for Key Stage 5. For example, for GCSE English the Exam Awarding Organisation publishes FK2B as the SCC. However, the correct SCC to use in Learning Aims is 5030. For further details, please see page 64 of School census 2023 to 2024: technical information
    

You must set up an instance for each cohort of your students. For example, if your Year 12s study maths for two years, your Learning Aim instance must span a two-year period. When that year group become year 13s, you would set up another Learning Aim instance for your new year 12s.

Clicking into a Learning Aim instance, you'll see that if the Learning Aim runs for two years, you'll need to fill in the learning hours for the second year.

If you don't see the second year here, it means you haven't yet created the next academic year. You can either wait to fill the hours in when the year is created, or create the year by following step 1 in this article. 

Add in the hours for the second year, then click Save Changes. The hours are usually the same each year but can be different.

In the Learning Aim instance, click +Add in the Courses section.

Choose a course from your timetable to link the Learning Aim to.

In the Learning Aim instance, you'll see a table for enrolled students. Enrol students by clicking +Add.

Select whether to select the students to enrol, or automatically add students from particular classes.

If selecting particular students, select the students to enrol in the Learning Aim. Top Tip: Search for a course name to add the whole course at once.

If selecting to enrol students from a course, you can use the Student Groups selector to filter down the list of courses by year. You can then select the courses in the Courses box. All students in the courses selected will be added to the Learning Aim.

Add further details in the slide over:

• For the core aim box, if all the students you're enrolling have the Learning Aim as their Core Aim, tick this box. We recommend not ticking this box and instead setting Core Aims for each individual student instead (see this section)
• For planned learning hours, if the number of hours for the students you're enrolling is the same as what you've already set for the Learning Aim instance, you can leave this box blank. If the number of hours is different for these students then you can add a new number of hours here. If you have a two-year Learning Aim and have set up the next year you'll see a box for each year. 
• For Learning Aim Aim Type, we've by default set this to 16 to 19 study Learning Aim, but you can change this to T level or T level transition Learning Aim if needed.

You can then see the table of enrolled students.

Tick all the boxes next to the students you would like to toggle this feature for and click the Bulk action button to select Set as Core Aim.

You can then click a student to see this setting in the slide over. You can also use the same action to unset Core Aims in bulk.

Click the student you would like to toggle this feature for. Click the orange Edit button.

Tick or untick the box then click Save Changes.

• Students tab - Individual students' enrolment into each Learning Aim.
• Courses tab - Individual students' enrolment into each course linked to a Learning Aim. This will default to the current academic year, and the lowest year group set up on your site that is Year 12 or higher. If there is no year 12 or higher, it will default to the lowest year group at your school.
• Learning Aim Instances tab - Shows the Learning Aims running in the academic year selected. Click one to go to the instance, where you can edit as shown in the From the Learning Aims area above.

The Students tab has tick boxes to enable you to manage data in bulk.

This will default to the current academic year, and the lowest year group set up on your site that is Year 12 or higher. If there is no year 12 or higher, it will default to the lowest year group at your school.

Click into the filters to select a different year, student group, and whether to include students with no or multiple core aims set.

You can use the bulk actions to set a Learning Aim as a student's core aim.

Click on a student, and click Edit. 

Tick or untick the Core Aim box, then click Save Changes.

If your students have finished their Learning Aim, you need to put that they have completed the Learning Aim.

Tick the students then click Bulk action button to select Bulk Complete.

Add in the completion date (if this is different from the planned end date of the Learning Aim instance).

The students will then show as completed with their actual end date.

If a student will be continuing a Learning Aim, you can change their Learning Aim completion status back by removing the end date. You can do this by either:

• Clicking on the student, remove the End Date then click Save Changes.
• Use the Bulk Actions to Bulk Update Actual End Date. Remove the date, then click Bulk Update.

Tick the students then click the Bulk action button to select Bulk Withdraw.

In the slide over, add in the date, the reason and then click Bulk Withdraw.

If any students are enrolled in the course the Learning Aim is linked to, you can choose what to do with the student's enrolment into the course:

• Withdraw from Learning Aim only - students will be withdrawn from the Learning Aim but will remain enrolled in the course and class registers.
• Withdraw from both - students will be removed from both with the end date for the Learning Aim withdrawal applied to the course as the last day the student will appear in class registers.

You can also do this by clicking on their name and clicking Withdraw.

To transfer a student, click the student's name and click Transfer.

In the slide over, select the transfer reason and add a note if needed.

Choose the new Learning Aim and instance to transfer them to.

Select the current course.

To select a new course to transfer them to, you need to have made sure to select a Learning Aim in the section further up in the slide over. This box will then show any course the student is not already enrolled into.

Add a start date and click Transfer. Their enrolment into the Learning Aim and course will be ended the day before they begin the enrolment into their new Learning Aim and course.

Top Tip: There are a few reasons why you might not be able to transfer them to a new course alongside the Learning Aim.

• The student is not enrolled in the course linked to the Learning Aim you are transferring from
• They are already enrolled in the new course. You can check a student's enrolment from their profile.
• One or both of the Learning Aims don't have a course linked.

You can click into an individual student to amend these.

You can update these in bulk by selecting the students and using the Bulk action button to change the Planned Start Date, Planned End Date or Actual End Date.

In the slide over, select the new date to apply and click Bulk update.

Top Tip: Delete the values in the date field to remove the date.