Marie Kershaw

Returning a previously withdrawn learner

Created

Hi,

I have an apprentice who withdrew with us over a year ago (in the previous academic year) but now wishes to return and continue to completion on the same apprenticeship.  They had only been on the apprenticeship for a few months, were mainly on maternity leave after they withdrew (and so wouldn't have gained any further experience - thinking prior learning), and are still with the same employer due to return from maternity.  

I was sure I had read additional guidance somewhere released over the last few months which stated a learner in this situation who had withdrawn but had decided to return to the same apprenticeship could be changed from a withdrawal to a break in learning and then returned this way but I'm unable to find this anywhere.

Does anyone remember this and/or know where this is please?

Many thanks

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Ruth Canham-James

Cobbling together all the rules, a Break in Learning has to be:

  • agreed by the apprentice and they intend to return (in the PSM*, not the main rules), or
  • applied when there is no plan for activity in a given month (or three months for block models from 24/25), or
  • applied when the apprentice hasn't actually done any activity for two clear calendar months (or three months for block models from 24/25), or
  • applied when they've had a gap in employment over 30 days

Sounds like your situation isn't any of those, so it's not a Break in Learning. I've not seen any guidance that says you can retrospectively change a withdrawal to a break, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything!

I think it's just a restart (with no original start date). The DAS must have been stopped/closed by now anyway, so that would need a new record.

*You must not record a break in learning unless you and the learner have agreed this, the learner intends to return to learning at a later point, and there is supporting evidence in the learner file.

Ben James

Are you maybe thinking of this update at the back end of last year? 

If so, it only applies if they withdraw and return within the same academic year, which doesn't sound like your scenario. Would suggest it's simply a restart as it doesn't necessarily fit the definition of a break, which generally requires a pre-agreement (exceptions apply, obviously e.g., lack of OTJ).

EDIT: Ruth Canham-James' response only appeared after I click submit, but I agree with it!

(Edited)

Ruth Canham-James

Ben James Oh yeah, that update is so misleading!

A small number of providers have been identified as incorrectly recording a break in learning as a learner withdrawal, which is negatively impacting their QAR. In these cases, the learner has been incorrectly recorded as a withdrawal, even though the learner subsequently returned within the same academic year to their apprenticeship on the same standard, with the same provider and employer.

That makes it sounds like a withdrawal with a return in the same year should always actually be a Break, which is not what the rules say.

I remember it now, we had a couple, and they were definite actual withdrawals where the student later decided to restart (same employer), despite not intending to when they withdrew. That's clearly not an allowable Break according to the rules.

Either way, as you said Ben, that's talking about a return in the same year, and Marie's apprentice withdraw in last year.

Ben James

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Someone else at DfE: "... I have an idea"

Tracy Clement

😂