S. . W. . Durham Train inin ing Ltd. The Road to Outstanding – Trevor Alley - CEO NFEC National Conference Friday 5 th December 2014
Key Steps to Success • “Support and Challenge” visits by HMI • Changing the culture • A new appointment at CEO level • Improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. • A new format of CPD activities introduced • Visits to other (good) providers • Improvements in the embedding of English and maths • Regular quality review weeks • Introduction of Data dashboard • Tracking systems developed and shared by staff, learners and employers. • Staff wanted to improve!
Philosophical Approaches Find the right people Use Action Research Face facts, but Approach and have faith Celebrate Learning Create Encourage Communicate the right People to Collect Vision and Use Data structure Whole Competencies to Organisation Use develop & Data from manage Reviews for performance Business Planning Coaching and Mentoring for Behavioural and Skills Development
Philosophical Approaches (1998) Chaos Edge of Chaos Order • Too little • Sustainability • Too much procedure procedure • Knowledge • Anarchy • Too many rules • Learning • Confusion • Rigidity • Risk Taking • No risk • Too many • Too few connections connections • Free-for-all • Command and control • Informal contacts • Formal contacts • Gossip • Isolation
“Support and Challenge” visits by HMI • “We knew what we needed to do, but we were not making it happen”.
Changing the culture • All staff required to achieve a minimum of grade 2 with support given where required. • A 10 week CPD programme delivered - back to basics, covering all elements of the learner journey. • All staff with a grade 3 or 4 mandated to attend coaching sessions - strength based personal change. • A new quality audit process introduced. • Weekly SMT meetings focused on learners’ progress. • Management of performance increased and this resulted in 2 staff being dismissed and other staff and managers leaving.
Ofsted • “Tutor -assessors benefit from a comprehensive system of observational support that focuses on learning and improving the learner experience. They receive developmental feedback, and there are several case studies, which demonstrate clearly how standards have improved so that the almost all teaching and learning are good or better.”
A new appointment at CEO level • Appointment of a CEO with Engineering and Ofsted experience led to a further cultural change. Staff were better able to accept actions required from a CEO who had this background. • Crucially, the views of the CEO were shared by the Performance Improvement Manager, who no longer felt like “A voice in the wilderness” and together this formed the basis of strategies to improve.
Improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment • Work had already begun on these issues prior to the previous inspection, led by the Performance Improvement Manager, Karen Raby, though there had not been sufficient time for the impact to have been measured. • Case Studies were made available to Ofsted inspectors during the inspection week, which clearly demonstrated the impact that teaching and learning and support strategies had on improving individual members of staff grades • Two key staff appointments had also previously been made. • A Data Analyst • Learning and Development Adviser.
Ofsted • “The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is now outstanding”
A new format of CPD activities • This started with the delivery by the CEO of a session titled “The journey to outstanding”. • Sessions were designed to accommodate areas for improvement identified during observations. • Typically, they included topics such as the use of questioning, differentiation, embedding of E & D, safeguarding etc.
Ofsted • “..established a culture of continuous improvement supported by a rigorous and extensive programme of professional development.”
Visits to other (good) providers • Valuable insight was given into what that organisation had done to improve their provision, much of which was transferrable to our organisation.
Improvements in the embedding of English and maths • In January, Ofsted announced that there would be increased rigour in the inspection of English and maths , and the extent to which it is embedded throughout the curriculum. • Delivery staff used a template to “self assess” the current practices delivered as part of the CPD activities, and used this to develop strategies for further embedding these subjects. • Resources were developed as a result of the above exercise. E.g. • English Study guide for learners • Marking guidelines and poster • Study skills advice for BTEC learners • Success rates in functional skills maths and English have consequently shown big improvements.
Template used by staff Challenges Evidence of good practice Areas for development/personal action plan Listening Engineering drawing standards and Non-computer writing Spelling abbreviations Essay/report writing Grammar Work planning sheets Formal/casual speech Aims and objectives Notetaking Personal – grammar, punctuation skills for VTAs Write in text language Log books Standard policy to use and check initially Slang words Technical reports Standard of structure and set up – every Using and understanding spell and BTEC unit 02/03 discipline grammar checks (laziness) Use basic sessions in communication skills Pace and clarity of speech for first years Ensuring the learners are aware of any UPK questions – have to read, understand Expand on common terms – produce a specific technical terms then answer glossary with detailed explanation of Technical drawings log book terms Technical report writing Work planning Confidence in own abilities to demonstrate Very good achievement rates for Functional Update of own personal skills – L2 FS to learners Skills maths and English including evidence maths and English tests Over-emphasising – to knock learner where some learners have moved up 2 Level 2 diagnostics confidence in abilities levels – statistics to show Awareness of technical language in Very good identification of additional discipline areas learning needs and support given to address issues The learners’ lack of knowledge or ability UPK answers in portfolio Learners’ opposition to written work Read – answer - write
Poster developed as part of self assessment • Marking Codes • The following codes will be used by VTAs to give feedback on your written work: • ^ Word/s missing from the sentence • Sp This is a spelling error • P There is a punctuation error • Gr There is a grammar error • T There is an error in the tense used • ? Your meaning is unclear here • // You need to start a new paragraph here • • Remember: • ALL work you do needs to be produced to the highest standard you can produce it. This includes written work, as well as practical work. • • Use your English Study Guide, dictionaries, bksb resources and the recommended websites to help develop your skills and always proof read your work before you hand it in. • • QUALITY MATTERS!
Ofsted • “Learners develop excellent skills in English, mathematics and information and communication technology.”
Regular quality review weeks • Regular quality review weeks were carried out on a quarterly basis. • Two part time Ofsted inspectors and the Performance Improvement Manager carried out observations, interviews with staff, learners and employers, examination of data, learners work etc. (Mirroring the current Ofsted framework). • Actions from this fed into CPD etc.
Data dashboard • A data dashboard was created. • The focus of meetings at all levels – board meetings, senior management meetings, curriculum manager meetings and meetings with delivery staff. • All data could be “drilled down” to individual learners, thus allowing for action plans to be developed at individual learner level, if required. • It reported on : • current and possible success rates • learners within 84 days of planned end date • review and assessment dates • attendance and punctuality etc.
Data Dashboard - Overview
Data Dashboard - Overview
Apprenticeships: Programme type and age breakdown
Apprenticeships: VTA and age breakdown
Apprenticeships: List of learners with unfinished frameworks (potential achievers) and unachievers
Ofsted • “The tracking and monitoring of the work that learners complete is exemplary and ensures that most learners make rapid progress and complete their studies well within planned timescales.”
Tracking systems were developed and shared by staff, learners and employers. • Tracking systems were developed and shared by staff, learners and employers. • Students were encouraged to set and reflect upon their own targets on a daily basis (for full time learners). This has helped to drive up performance levels, especially in practical classes.
Student tracking example
Students set their own targets and review progress against them SMART Target SMART If SMART Target not Target achieved; what prevented Date achieved this? Yes No Write in the box provided.
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