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Award-winning apprentice packs punch for HIT Training

Ambitious trainee chef Luke Ramsey was named as the HIT Training regional apprentice of the year.

The 24-year-old was given the award at a graduation ceremony for 37 level two and three apprentices from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex who are registered with HIT and employers from across the hospitality, catering and care sectors.

He recently completed a level two professional cookery apprenticeship with the King’s Head pub, in Lewes, East Sussex, where he is already head chef, and has now moved on to level three.

Jill Whittaker, HIT managing director, said: “Luke stood out from other HIT apprentices because he showed real ambition to climb the catering career ladder. He is extremely career driven and I’m delighted that he has continued to build his experience and has gone on to study for an apprenticeship.”

Cap from left: Award-winning catering apprentice Luke Ramsey with HIT Training managing director Jill Whittaker

Dame Ruth in fine fettle for leadership role return

Dame Ruth Silver is making her FE and skills return with a new sector leadership thinktank funded by money left over from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS).

The Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL) has a budget of up to £5.5m from LSIS, which counted Dame Ruth as its chair until it ceased to exist last July.

The former Lewisham College principal is FETL’s founding president and said that although many LSIS functions were transferred to the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), LSIS board members had identified the need for a thinktank.

She said: “I think the assumption was that the LSIS work, staff and money would transfer over to the ETF.

“Because the ETF had had difficulty recruiting a permanent chief executive and chair, and because the word then was that it only had two years of funding, we couldn’t transfer the money.

“So we started to look around and the
idea of an independent thinktank for the sector came up.”

According to an FETL policy paper, among its possible “distinctive activities” were sponsorship of an annual lecture on FE leadership; and the funding of an academic chair at a university to bring “stature to the sector”.

It could also “promote and disseminate” a body of knowledge about leadership theory and practice in the FE sector.

Dame Ruth said FETL’s work would start with an invitation to those who wanted to carry out research, with a sub-board dishing out fellowships, grants and bursaries.

She said: “The idea is we will publish invitations in September to ask people if there is anything they would like some time off to research.

“We will then send these scholarships and we will fund their research and a website where all the papers will be published, and have an annual lecture from a thinker on leadership.”

But she insisted that FETL would not necessarily become a permanent organisation, but that it could merge with the ETF or another organisation following a review in two years.

She said: “It’s about getting the sector to think about its own agenda and its own pre-occupations, and in two years we will ask ‘is this working? Should this be placed elsewhere?’ We have absolutely no agenda around keeping it as it is.”

David Russell, ETF chief executive, said: “We have been in discussion with FETL about how best to align our work. Quick convergence is obviously the most efficient and effective option, but it is perfectly sensible for FETL to set up as an independent fund this year as they have a mission which is outside the ETF’s core priorities as set by our board and informed by the sector.

“In the short to medium term though, both ETF and FETL agree that convergence is the most sensible route and we will continue discussions with them about how best to implement that.”

Dame Ruth said FETL would not employ its own staff or rent premises, and said clerk services for the board would be provided by Gloucestershire-based The Trust Partnership at an hourly rate. Its website, fetl.org.uk, is due to go live shortly.

Human poppy marks 100th anniversary of outbreak of Great War

Staff and students from the Sixth Form College Farnborough helped create a giant human poppy to commemorate 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War.

They posed in the college rugby field for the aerial photograph with soldiers, local councillors, school children, and representatives from the Royal British Legion.

A total of 2,250 people dressed in either green, black or red and formed the shape of a giant poppy.

They broke the Guinness world record for the largest gathering to create a human flower.

Principal Simon Jarvis said: “The college was honoured to be able to host this record breaking event. We are delighted that so many staff and students from the college and members of the local community played their part in helping to establish a new world record, raise funds for the Royal British Legion and commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War.”

Cap: Staff and students pose with soldiers, local councillors, school children, and representatives from the Royal British Legion to create a giant human poppy

Taking a lead on teaching, learning and assessment — the role of governors

A half-day workshop with more than 40 FE college governors, principals and clerks has resulted in a new report from the 157 Group and Ofsted. Andy Gannon discusses its key findings and recommendations.

Today, we published The Leadership of Teaching, Learning and Assessment by Governors. The report is the latest in a series which we hope has contributed greatly to the thinking and practice of leaders within FE colleges, mindful as they are more and more of their core business.

We have explored the tenets of great teaching, the elements of practice that contribute to great pedagogic leadership, approaches to the professional development of staff and the aspects of a culture which encourages good practice. In all these documents, our audience has been teachers themselves, and senior leaders.

But the role of governors has been receiving greater emphasis of late — and the important part that these volunteers play both in setting the tone in which excellent teaching can take place and in scrutinising how successfully it is happening is ripe for some attention.

The important part that governors play both in setting the tone in which excellent teaching can take place and in scrutinising how successfully it is happening is ripe for some attention

So, the germ of an idea was born when we spoke late last year to colleagues at Ofsted. How would it be, we suggested, if, along the lines of previous work we had done, we gathered 40 or so governors from our member colleges and others together in a room, and thrashed out what the key issues were?

Such an approach has been successful before — for our 2012 Great Teaching and Learning report, we combined the wisdom of more than 70 people into one report — a true example of practitioners generating the thinking and the helpful tips that may enable others to succeed.

With Ofsted in agreement, we set about the task.

It is a widely-held belief that governors are perhaps more comfortable dealing with finance and buildings than they are with the sometimes messy and unpredictable business of teaching — as such it may be either surprising or, perhaps, unsurprising that many bit our hands off to seize the opportunity of discussing practice with others across the whole of the UK.

Set against the backdrop of the Common Inspection Framework, with its revised expectations of governors, but acknowledging that the governance of teaching, learning and assessment is too important to be done just because Ofsted wants it done, the results of the workshop offer some great insights into the very human nature of the challenges governors face.

The resulting report does contain some very practical hints — about how to organise learning walks, how to engage governors in a meaningful quality cycle, and how to structure meetings so that they do not become overtaken by other issues.

It is accompanied by a resource bank, with materials kindly shared by six of the colleges who participated — on the 157 Group website.

But more than anything, the report talks about the kind of governing body that you need to be in order to get to grips with issues of teaching, learning and assessment.

It talks about how the relationships between senior leaders and governors must be clear.

It talks about how the governing body itself should spend time developing its core view of outstanding teaching, learning and assessment and its confidence to make judgments.

And it talks about developing an active approach to meetings, where performance is challenged supportively, but where governors are encouraged not simply to accept what they are told.

One thing is clear — that ‘one-size-fits-all’ does not apply here.

The governors we worked with were clear they had to establish their own definition of what expectations of teaching, learning and assessment should be in their college, and then find ways of understanding their own practice and making that chime with the college’s quality cycle.

But the vital importance of governors’ doing this work is clear — both for Ofsted and for their learners. We hope this report will help them to do it with a little more confidence.

Andy Gannon, director of policy, PR and research, 157 Group

New alliance aims to help colleges recruit better governors

A new organisation has been launched today to encourage high-calibre and skilled people to join college governing bodies.

The Inspiring Governors Alliance (IGA) also aims to increase the number of employers supporting staff to volunteer as governors, as well as promoting governance as a key learning and development opportunity for staff.

The launch coincides with an event due to take place today in London’s Guildhall, organised by the School Governors One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), where more than 100 employers are expected to hear from Education Secretary Michael Gove about the benefits of supporting employees to be governors.

He said:“We recognise the valuable contribution that governors make to our schools and colleges, and now their role is more vital than ever.

“The future of our school system is in their hands as they hold school and college leaders to account for improving performance and scrutinising finances. There has never been a more important time to be a governor.”

The IGA, which also caters for schools, boasts a website and the support of employer organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry and Federation of Small Businesses.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) is also on board along with the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Selina Stewart, director of governance at the AoC, told FE Week: “Governors make a vital contribution to colleges across the country and their external perspective and range of skills are invaluable.

“Colleges are very keen to appoint governors from diverse backgrounds who bring extensive experience as employers and members of the college’s community.

“The dedicated colleges section of the SGOSS website, along with the IGA website, is an excellent way to complement the local recruitment strategies that many college boards have.”

Stephan Jungnitz, a colleges specialist for the ASCL, said: “Good governance can make all the difference to how well a college serves the community.

“Conversely, misguided or ill-judged governance can hamper leadership and thus diminish college effectiveness.

“Hopefully the launch of this alliance will encourage individuals with skills and experience to consider making an important contribution through volunteering to be a college governor.”

The IGA launch coincides with publication of a report by the University of Bath and the National Governors’ Association (NGA) that, based on a survey of more 7,500 governors across England, estimates the value of governors’ contribution to the education system as in excess of £1bn.

Emma Knights, chief executive of the NGA, said: “Governance, whether of the BBC, the Co-operative Bank or your local school, is very challenging, and only to be embarked on with your eyes wide open. The survey of school governors in England published today, the largest ever, reports that the majority of current volunteers have professional or management backgrounds. They volunteer because they are committed to making a difference to their communities.”

Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) HR director Graham Baird said: “We welcome the new alliance and report from the University of Bath, launched today, and are currently working closely with sixth form colleges and key stakeholders to support and enhance the role of governance within all sixth form colleges.

“The recruitment and engagement to governing bodies of the best candidates with the right mix of knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours is key to meeting the current and future challenges facing college governance. We look forward to working closely with the IGA in taking this important work forward.”

Employers call for apprenticeship control — but what did key FE players think?

More than 30 employer bodies joined forces to call for greater control over apprenticeships just days after a technical consultation on proposed reforms that drew more than 1,200 responses, closed.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), Nestle and Crossrail were among those behind a letter published in The Telegraph on May 5 in support of reform put forward in a two-month technical consultation.

It closed May 1 having asked what issues should be taken into account in implementing the apprenticeship reforms inspired by Doug Richard’s 2012 review, which called for employers to have more influence.

The letter said: “Placing employers in control of the design, delivery and funding of apprenticeships is essential. Control over funding would give us the opportunity to work directly with training providers and build relationships which allow us to design apprenticeships which are more relevant to the needs of the British economy.”

The main funding method suggested in the technical consultation, to give employers more control, was based on the PAYE system where employers claim back the cost of apprenticeships through the tax system, although a second ‘apprenticeship credit’ model — where employers buy apprenticeship provision from an online bank account paid into by government — was also covered.

The PAYE option was one of the least popular put forward in the first consultation, which ran from July until October last year, where respondents favoured maintaining the current system of channelling funding through providers.

One of the letter’s signatories, CBI chief policy director Katja Hall told FE Week: “Businesses strongly support the move to a demand-led apprenticeships system — and employer-directed funding is an integral part of this.

“However, we need detailed information on levels of co-investment and how the system will work in practice to judge the proposed funding mechanisms. A well-designed system based on PAYE may work best for many firms, but the government must deliver for everyone. For apprenticeships to flourish the system must be simple, work for businesses of all sizes and must be thoroughly piloted.

“Only once both options have been properly tested, and the wider policy has been established, can we decide on the most appropriate route forward.”

Sir Charlie Mayfield, chair of the John Lewis Partnership and UKCES, who also signed the letter, told FE Week: “The UK Commission believes that the most effective way to put employers in the driving seat is to use HMRC systems. Using PAYE has the potential to hard-wire recruitment of young people into everyday business processes.

“Using the tax system would also send a signal that the aim is for a long-term stable system that employers can rely upon.”

The message behind the letter was welcomed by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock, who said: “I welcome the strong support shown for the direction of our reforms by leading large and small businesses and the organisations that represent them in this letter. We will be looking carefully at the feedback we have received on our recent consultation and will work closely with employers, providers and other experts on the detail of implementation.”

However, many of the technical consultation responses from FE sector bodies were sceptical of the need for and impact of the PAYE system.

Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the technical consultation had received more than 1,200 responses from a wide range of respondents, but warned the figure had not yet been officially confirmed. “These responses are in the process of being analysed and the results and next steps will be announced in the autumn,” she said.

Further education and skills bodies share their responses to the technical consultation with FE Week.

Also pictured are sector figures

LeSoCo principal Maxine Room to stand down

The principal of LeSoCo in south east London is to stand down at the end of the academic year, the college’s governors have announced.

Maxine Room has been in the role at the 17,000-learner college, which has a current Skills Funding Agency allocation of £26.2m, for five years, and oversaw the merger which joined Lewisham College with Southwark College in 2012.

Ms Room also presided over an Ofsted inspection last November which resulted in a grade four “inadequate” rating in January, and has previously maintained that she planned to stay in post, despite criticism of the college in a follow-up inspection and the loss of an appeal against the grading.

She also pledged not to resign after FE commissioner Dr David Collins reported that he had identified “weaknesses” in leadership and governance at the college.

A spokesperson for the board of governors said: “LeSoCo is today announcing that after five years as Principal of Lewisham and then LeSoCo, Maxine Room CBE has decided that at the end of this academic year she will retire from her post as Principal and CEO, although she intends to remain active in the FE sector.

“Maxine led the successful merger between Lewisham College and Southwark College and has led on the transformation of both Colleges into one vibrant, ambitious and enterprising college – LeSoCo. The governing body is very grateful for the commitment, passion and leadership that Maxine has shown during her time as Principal.

“We will now begin the search for Maxine’s successor, who we hope to have in place by the beginning of the 2014/2015 academic year.”

Ms Room has yet to comment.

Success rates change makes system ‘overly complex’

A college principal has hit out at proposed changes to the way the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) reports and calculates provider success rates.

Harlow College principal Karen Spencer said the changes, designed to make comparisons between providers easier to understand, would make the system “overly complex”.

Success rates, which measure how many students starting a course go on to achieve the qualification, were divided into long, short, and very short courses.

However, for this academic year, all courses will be grouped by qualification type, according to whether they are classroom-based learning, workplace learning or apprenticeships.

New accountability measures for 16 to 19-year-olds will also be introduced, rating providers against headline measures including progress, attainment, retention, destinations and progress in English and maths (for those without GCSE A* to C).

Announcing the new accountability measures on its website, the SFA said they would give “a clear overview of the performance of a school or college… compared with other institutions nationally”.

However, Ms Spencer, whose college has been in the top three colleges for success rates nationally for the past three years, said: “These changes are supposed to make the data more visible but… this reform is going to miss its target audience of parents and students, because they’d have to have such a high level of understanding of how the skills system works — it’s only going to be used by managers in colleges. It’s overly complex and not good value for money.”

She added: “The critical thing is we want students to be successful, enjoy college and progress — if you’re doing a good job then actually how they cut the data shouldn’t make a difference.”

Joy Mercer, director of policy at the Association of Colleges, said: “Our concern, as always, is that data helps teachers and students make choices without confusing everyone in the move between systems. Ofsted inspectors also need to be up to speed.

“The bigger problem is that between two departments [education, and business, innovation and skills] and two funding agencies [Education Funding Agency and SFA] there is different data to measure success. It’s time for simplification.”

James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association said: “Any steps to make success rate data more meaningful should be welcomed. But it does seem odd that college data is undergoing further refinement while school success rate data remains in experimental form and is recorded in a different format on a different website.”

He added: “The role and status of success rates in the eyes of government is rather confused. They do not feature in the main performance tables, they have been heavily criticised by Alison Wolf, Sir Michael Wilshaw described them as ‘palpable nonsense’ and yet they still feature prominently in Ofsted inspections and are undergoing further development.”

Main pic: Karen Spencer and James Kewin

Edition 102: Colette Burgess and Nigel McQuoid

A new principal has been appointed at an Oldham College-sponsored academy.

Colette Burgess is due to take over from Nigel McQuoid at the Waterhead Academy this autumn.

Ms Burgess is currently principal of The Oldham Academy North, and her new appointment was announced by Alun Francis, principal of the Ofsted grade one-rated Oldham College.

Mr Francis said: “We are delighted to confirm that Ms Colette Burgess will join us as in the Autumn. Ms Burgess has a wealth of knowledge and experience of schools in the North-West.

“As well as establishing The Oldham Academy North as a new school and moving the students and staff into their purpose-built new premises on Broadway, Ms Burgess led the school to the second highest rating, of good, in their Ofsted inspection last year.

“The Oldham Academy North has also been recognised as one the most improved schools in the region and she is highly respected within the profession as a committed, passionate and effective school leader.

“This appointment has been made after a wide-ranging search across the country to find the best possible person to fit into and develop Waterhead Academy which has been established under Nigel McQuoid. As governors and sponsors, we are delighted with the progress made to date and, as Mr McQuoid returns to live with his family in the North-East this summer, it is good to know that he will be able to use the coming months to provide Ms Burgess with a detailed handover so that she can lead our students and staff seamlessly forward into the new academic year.

“We are therefore taking this opportunity both to formally welcome Ms Burgess to our staff team and to thank Mr McQuoid for what will be three years of valued service when he leaves us in July 2014.”