Account of practice: Working in partnership

Transcription

1 Account of practice: Working in partnership Dr Joseph Campbell, Headteacher, St Joseph s Roman Catholic Voluntary-aided Comprehensive School, Hebburn, South Tyneside 1/6 St Joseph s is a large (1,525 students) mixed Roman Catholic voluntary-aided comprehensive school in Hebburn, South Tyneside. The number of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average and 13.9 per cent of its students are known to be eligible for free school meals. It became a specialist technology college in 1996, a Leading Edge school in 2001 and it was awarded an additional specialism in applied learning in Under the leadership of the headteacher, Dr Campbell, St Joseph s has built up successful partnerships over time that have enhanced the ethos of the school and motivated the students. This account of practice explores the following themes: Realising the vision: leading and managing partnerships Examples of partnerships that enrich the curriculum Partnerships enriching the curriculum Partnerships enhancing staff development Monitoring and evaluation Impact Realising the vision: leading and managing partnerships Dr Joseph Campbell s vision has been to help every pupil achieve and meet their potential. He sees the broader curriculum as a motivating factor for everybody, and especially those children who are not so academic. The more we ve enthused the children about the real-world application of subjects and things outside the traditional curriculum, the more excited, motivated and mature they ve become. It s boosted their self-confidence. They re able to achieve and they take great pride in themselves. Dr Joseph Campbell Six years ago he appointed Ryan Gibson, a history graduate and sixth-form learning mentor at another school, as vocational education manager. This started as a low-level post with just 12 students on vocational courses but Ryan has developed and expanded the role. Nearly one-half of Year 10 and 11 students (180) take vocational courses taught by a range of off-site providers. He has become director of applied learning and is a member of the senior leadership team. Ryan Gibson has transformed the ethos of applied learning from something for the disaffected to an exciting opportunity for all. Dr Joseph Campbell Ryan is responsible for overseeing all vocational and applied learning provisions and partnerships; managing the school specialisms of technology, leading edge (innovation) and applied learning; and leading the work-related learning provision, the engagement programme, enrichment, post-16 transition, enterprise education and employer engagement. He has a deputy to assist him. They have long-established partnerships and are active in many relevant committees and groups which, Ryan says, is one of the great legacies of diplomas. He has achieved a great deal of success and has enhanced St Joseph s reputation. He has written articles in Professional Development Today (Gibson, 2010) and Business Engagement Charter (Gibson, 2009). In 2009 Ryan won a Sinnott Fellowship, one of just 30 recipients from across the country, which funded him to spend two days a week for two terms developing further innovative partnerships to improve pupil aspiration and attainment.

2 2/6 The headteacher considers that the success of this post has been in its non-teaching role so that there has been no conflict with a teaching timetable. Giving him the freedom to make the job his own has also been important. The school has gained funding from its specialism in applied learning and diplomas but in effect it uses some of its per-pupil funding to pay its partners for the sessions they teach. Thus, it s not a cheap option but it s an important one. Transport is another cost and the school has a contract with a local minibus company so that students can be ferried to and from their places of study. Examples of partnerships that enrich the curriculum Partnerships enriching the curriculum St Joseph s offers its Key Stage 4 students a wide curriculum with an impressive amount of choice, including many vocational courses linked to local employment options. It is a very successful curriculum and in Key Stage 4 alone, 180 students receive some of their education offsite, at South Tyneside College, other schools in the area, or with alternative training providers. Other schools send students to St Joseph s to study courses such as the society diploma, and the health and development diploma. We spotted an opportunity and a trend in our young people. We listened to the students and brought in more vocational options. Director of applied learning Partnerships give real-world opportunities for students to apply their learning. For instance, Siemens human resources team contributes to a business studies project about recruitment and selection, and students studying engineering are modifying garden tools for disabled students at Percy Hedley School. Through the school s partnership with the Customs House Arts Centre in South Shields, all Year 10 students gained an insight into careers in the creative sector. They worked with 11 artists and took part in break-dance, comedy, drama, digital comic making, animation, DJ-ing, graffiti stencilling, cupcake decorating, circus skills, stage make-up and film-making. Partnerships have enabled sixth formers to study a wide choice of A level and national vocational qualification (NVQ) courses (see Table 1) and the timetable is blocked to facilitate learning off-site. The new Be Competitive programme is designed for those students who might not be able to study a full quota of A levels but who want to continue their education at school. It has four elements: A levels vocational qualifications at Levels 2 and 3, delivered in partnership with training providers and employers work experience in a relevant field employability skills module This package allows students to build on their strengths and interests and gain confidence by learning in different places.

3 3/6 Table 1: Courses offered in the sixth form Block A Block B Block C Block D Philosophy & Ethics Further Philosophy & Ethics Art Business Studies Art IT Business Studies English Literature English Literature IT Applied Product Design 3D IT Applied English Language English Language English Language English Literature Spanish History History History Applied Science Music French Politics Sports Studies Heath & Social Care (Double) Heath & Social Care (Single) Sports Studies Travel & Tourism Geography Geography Geography Biology German Biology Biology Physics Applied Business Performing Arts Physics Chemistry Chemistry Sociology Photography Film Studies Accounts Product Design (Textiles) Sociology Be competitive options Travel & Tourism Heath & Social Care (Double) Heath & Social Care (Single) NVQ Elderly or Childcare Applied Business Apprenticeship Customer Services/ Heritage NVQ Customer Services/ Heritage NVQ Vocational Placement Business Admin/Retail NVQ Business Admin/Retail NVQ Apprenticeship BTEC Construction BTEC Construction Sports NVQ BTEC Motor Vehicle BTEC Motor Vehicle BTEC Uniformed Services BTEC Uniformed Services

4 4/6 Partnerships enhancing staff development Partnerships have aided staff development in two ways: training trainers in Key Stage 4 pedagogy and helping the staff at St Joseph s to make more partnerships to enrich the curriculum. An important step in aiding the learning of 14 year-olds in settings beyond the school was creating a BTEC in teaching pre-16 learners in a post-16 environment. This course was run to help the further education college staff and that of other training providers to be more effective with younger learners. The school held an innovative in-service training (Inset) day where the whole 150-strong staff spent time on applied learning placements. The overall aim was to promote employer engagement by creating time where staff could dedicate their efforts to developing meaningful links that would ultimately benefit the students. Planning was fundamental to its success. In planning any new initiative, you ve got to be very knowledgeable, very rational and to have analysed all the pitfalls you can possibly think of before you start. Director of applied learning Both the pre- and post-event planning ensured that the impact of the day made use of partnerships to enhance the curriculum. For instance, a chemistry teacher spent the day with International Paints and with that experience he is now able to teach an A level chemistry module on the mixing of paints and their properties. The company has provided resources and staff to come into school and work with students. A history teacher worked with Newcastle University s archive department to create a board game on medieval medicine. The date for the visit 29 June was a good one: it was a Monday, after exams, when school and business staff were fresh but just in time for planning the next year s curriculum. Monitoring and evaluation Rigorous quality assurance processes are fundamental to the partnership s success. St Joseph s draws up a learning agreement with its partners for each student, allowing the establishment of systems and protocols, such as emergency procedures and what s required, by whom and when. Providers contribute to the school s academic mentoring by writing a monthly update on each student s progress, attitude and behaviour. Each partner is visited once every half-term to find out if there are any issues or any interventions needed. They make joint observations to monitor the quality of teaching and learning, and have developed a specific observation form for this. Students complete an enjoyment survey that covers such issues as to whether they feel safe and if they know what they must do to improve. Two focus groups are held each year so that they can discuss their off-site learning. There are also parental surveys and the first forum for parents of students who are educated off-site is about to be created. Parents are pleased that the school transports the students to and from the training providers. Impact The enhanced provision that partnerships bring has helped student motivation and achievement. According to the Ofsted inspection report: The vocational curriculum makes an outstanding contribution to students achievements and personal development. This is evident from their high attendance rates, and outstanding behaviour and attitudes. In 2011, 89 per cent of Year 11 students gained 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* C (or equivalent) and 61 per cent gained 5 or more GCSEs at grades A* C including English and maths, compared with 52 per cent in 2008.

5 5/6 Table 2: End of Key Stage 4 results % Year 11 students Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A* C (or equivalent) including English and maths 61% Percentage achieving GCSEs at A* C including English and maths 61% Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A* C (or equivalent) 89% Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A* G (or equivalent) 96% Percentage achieving at least one qualification 99% Source: DfE, 2012 Numbers in the sixth form have increased to 518 and results have improved. The average points score per Year 13 student (230 students) was in 2011 compared with in Table 3: End of Key Stage 5 results Number of students aged Number of students at end of A/AS or equivalent study 230 Average point score per student Average point score per entry % achieving 3 or more A levels or equivalent 87% % achieving 2 or more A levels or equivalent 100% Source: DfE, 2011 Ryan tracks students to see what sort of employment, apprenticeship or study they move into when they leave St Joseph s. The partnership working in applied learning has been a significant factor in reducing the percentage of their students who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) at the end of Year 11 from 5.9 per cent in 2006 to 0.99 per cent in This is a remarkable achievement in a part of the country where unemployment is very high. Ryan Gibson has evidence that the school s success is due to finding things that the kids are good at and then backing them and choosing courses that link to the local labour market. These are identified as successful factors in reducing the number of young people who are NEET nationally (Britton et al, 2011). There has also been improved attendance: the school has just 0.73 per cent unauthorised absence in comparison with the national average of 1.41 per cent.

6 6/6 Conclusion This account has shown how partnerships have significantly enhanced the curriculum at St Joseph s and increased students employability. As a recent report argues (Mann, 2012), the contacts made with employers while at school make a significant difference to the employment prospects of young adults. Reflection Having read this account, reflect on what you can learn from St Joseph s use of partnerships to enrich the curriculum. 1. The headteacher appointed someone without a teaching background to manage and then lead the partnerships. What do you consider the advantages and drawbacks of this? 2. Consider the elements in monitoring and evaluating partnerships to enhance the curriculum. What other ideas do you have? 3. Partnership-working is not a cheap option but it s an important one. Do you agree? 4. What strategies does your present school have for minimising the risks of students becoming NEET? 5. How do you help staff enrich the curriculum through partnerships? 6. How many employer contacts do your students have while at school? How could you use partnerships to gain more? References Britton, J, Gregg, P, Macmillan, L and Mitchell, S, 2011, The early bird preventing young people from becoming a NEET statistic, Bristol, Department of Economics and Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol Gibson, R, 2010, How to... ensure innovative staff training days, Professional Development Today, 13(1), Gibson, R, 2009, Business Engagement Charter, [online). Available at: appliedlearning/pages/ryangibson.aspx [accessed 30 May 2012] Mann, A, 2012, It s who you meet: Why employer contacts at school make a difference to the employment prospects of young adults, Education and Employers[online]. Available at media/15052/its_who_you_meet_final_report.pdf [accessed 31 May 2012] DfE 2011 available at [accessed 31 May 2012]