14-19 Learner Panel

Giving learners a voice in national policymaking

The 14-19 Learner Panel advises the government on how 14-19 education policy in England could be improved from a learner's point of view. It does this by giving direct feedback of members' experiences and views on various aspects of 14-19 education to enable better decision-making by the government. The panel is sponsored by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service and works with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and other government agencies working on the 14-19 agenda. It is made up of 20 volunteers who are currently studying in the 14-19 sector - whether studying in a school, college or work-based learning provider.

Why should learners be interested in the work of the 14-19 Learner Panel?

Learners in any setting in the 14-19 sector will be interested in the panel's work if they are:

• keen to understand how it will impact upon the learning experiences of other learners like them in the future;
• passionate about learner involvement and learner voice, empowerment and citizenship in action;
• interested in learning more about policy and politics - and how education policy in particular is developed; and
• keen to get involved as a panel member in the future.

Why should teachers*, leaders and managers be interested in the work of the 14-19 Learner Panel?

As a teacher or manager, you can play a key role in raising awareness of the panel with the learners that you work with. This might be because:

• you take the lead for learner involvement activities within your provider, and recognise the role the learner voice can play in improving provision and policy;
• you teach Citizenship, and think it provides an interesting example of this in action; and/or
• you'd like to encourage learners who you work with to apply for panel membership in future - from Student Union presidents and school council representatives to learners whose voices are less frequently heard.

[*We use 'teacher' as a generic term to include teachers, tutors, trainers, lecturers, instructors in the 14-19 sector.]

To hear more from the 2008-09 NLP members about the 14–19 Learner Panel, watch the video 14–19 LP overview.