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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

Background

The AoC was given a remit, within Skills for Life, to work with

the Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit (ABSSU) to support the

development of literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of

Other Languages (ESOL) across the country within the Basic

Skills Quality Initiative. 

The AoC has extensive and successful experience of managing national projects,

including some that have been funded from the Standards Fund. These projects have

involved many different partners, and have included providers, such as external

institutions, which are additional to the further education sector.

The AoC sought to become involved in the BSQI in order to make a difference to the

college sector as a whole. Literacy, numeracy and ESOL make up a significant

proportion of the programmes offered in the sector colleges, as they also do in other

providers. Provision includes literacy, numeracy and ESOL taught in discrete classes. 

It also, with increasing frequency, includes these subjects taught as an essential

component of vocational programmes. Students learning to become, for example,

caterers, hairdressers, engineers and plumbers, are able to develop appropriate literacy,

numeracy and language skills alongside and at the same time as vocational ones.

Project management and administration

Experience of running large national projects had shown the AoC the benefits of

strong and stable management and administration. The AoC was concerned

throughout the course of the BSQI training and development programme to take 

steps to ensure that it ran smoothly, and successfully delivered its intended outcomes. 

To this end a senior member of the AoC’s staff acted as project director. The project

director from the outset regarded it as essential to the successful running of the

project to a) take a hands-on approach and b):

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Hold regular meetings with the project manager and project administrator to

discuss planning arrangements and monitor progress

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Attend a sample of residential events and one-day events to assure the quality 

of delivery and to ensure that the events were meeting the needs of participants

as fully as possible

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Have frequent contact with FEFC and then with LSC national office staff to discuss

the progress of the project, with regular monitoring meetings. As part of its contract

with the national LSC, the AoC submitted regular reports outlining the progress

made. The project director also attended regular meetings to discuss the progress

made, the next steps, and to resolve any queries or difficulties that had arisen

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Carry out appropriate research with providers and relevant organisations such 

as with the staff, contract managers and the Prisoners Learning and Skills Unit

(PLSU) for the prisons’ work

The AoC process

Their prime purpose was to help providers think about the processes and issues they

needed to work through in order to raise the quality of their literacy and numeracy

provision. Twenty-eight providers contributed to them. The materials were organised

into four units:

1.  Teaching, learning and students’ achievements

2.  Guidance and support

3.  Curriculum organisation and management

4.  Quality assurance and staff development

More detailed information on the materials may be found on page 25 of this report.

The second stage of the BSQI involved the recruitment and training of more than 100

facilitators with specialist knowledge of literacy and numeracy. Their role was to help

providers to use the materials. Again, more detailed information on facilitators and

their role may be found on page 25.

Lastly, teams of managers and lead practitioners had the opportunity of benefiting

from attendance at a residential training and development event which focused on the

structure, resourcing and management of literacy and numeracy provision. The Chief

Inspector’s Annual Report, Quality and Standards in Further Education in England 

1999-2000 had indicated that one of the most significant weaknesses in the provision

of literacy and numeracy was the failure to coordinate it effectively. Provision often

lacked coherence, strategic planning and leadership. There were deficiencies in the

use of management information, targets and performance criteria. Few colleges

prepared effective self-assessment reports on literacy and numeracy. In 1999-2000 48%

of colleges assessed their basic skills provision at grade 1 or 2 in their self-assessment

reports. In contrast inspectors judged 24% of the provision to be grade 1 or grade 2.

The area was particularly difficult to benchmark nationally because of the vagaries of

some of the awards on offer at the time, the concentration on individual learning

plans and the fact that many learners were reluctant to take tests, accredited awards

or examinations.

The three strands of the BSQI were run separately. It was decided that the training

and development programme for managers should be put out to tender. 

The Association of Colleges (AoC) submitted a successful bid to carry out the work in

November 2000.

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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

The tutors received positive feedback throughout the series of events, with individual

‘home’ tutors (those running the groups the delegates spent most time in) being

singled out for comment:

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“Thought provoking input from tutor”

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“Excellent supportive tutor with clear understanding of the issue”

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“Excellent tutor – valued advice and guidance as well as the support given”

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“As a facilitator, she was excellent and kept us on task”

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“Superb facilitation – ability to listen, keep focused, vast experience and            

knowledge”

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“Very well motivated tutor who succeeded in motivating us and leading 

highly relevant discussions”

Assuring the quality of the training and development

programme

During the events, a meeting was held at the end of each day with the tutors, the

director and the administrator to discuss the event, and modifications that could be

adopted, or any suggestions about approach. This resulted in a fairly frequent refining

of the programme to ensure that it fully met the needs of participants. 

The modifications were generally minor but the length of the series of events did

allow the whole team to develop considerable expertise in the running of residential

training events.

Additionally, regular meetings were held by the director and administrator to update

the programme. The practical logistics of ensuring materials were prepared and

despatched on time required effective planning particularly as some of the series ran

at a rate of almost one event per week. Meetings were also held on a regular basis that

included the lead tutor.

Another crucial aspect of our approach was to ensure that in the first series colleges,

and in the later series, all providers were kept up to date with the overall progress of

the project and were clear about how to take part.

The approach used was predominantly through the Association of Colleges’s bulletin,

briefing papers and website, together with personal letters either to delegates or

through other organisations such as local LSCs. The Prisoners Learning and Skills

Unit (PLSU) were particularly helpful in contacting prisons, and in supporting our

invitations to senior prison staff to attend the series of events in June and July 2002.

This additional support and the prominence given to this actively helped to

encourage attendance. In addition to briefings about the BSQI management training

and development events, regular information was also provided on other strands of

activity on literacy, numeracy and language to try to ensure that it was clear what else

was taking place and how BSQI complemented other activities.

These activities represented a substantial but well-justified investment of time.

A consultant with extensive experience of teaching, managing and inspecting literacy,

numeracy and ESOL provision acted as lead consultant for the project, assisting and

supporting the project director and acting as lead tutor for many of the events.

A full-time administrator was appointed to work on the BSQI project. 

The administrator’s work included publicising all events, negotiations with

conference venues, handling bookings, and providing on-site support at each event.

The administrator also acted as a point of contact for the project manager and tutors.

The same administrator was employed throughout the life of the project, which led to

her becoming a valuable source of knowledge and expertise. 

The overall analysis of the event administration, the quality of the venues and the 

on-site support from the administrator was overwhelmingly positive, with over 98%

of participants commenting that the administration of the events was good or very

good. When asked for additional comments, nearly all participants in their

evaluations commented appreciatively on the administration of the events; making

comments such as: 

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“An extremely well-organised event”

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“A very well-managed series”

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“Efficient and effective staff”

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“Very professional and helpful administrative support”

The team of tutors

The AoC’s aim was to maintain a relatively small and coherent team of tutors throughout

the series of training and development events. It was felt important to have tutors who

would be able to respond flexibly to delegates with widely differing knowledge,

experience and practices. It therefore put together a team of senior consultants with

experience in teaching, managing and inspecting numeracy, literacy and ESOL. 

Their backgrounds included work in adult and community and work-based learning as

well as in further education colleges. The group of consultants was augmented by senior

practitioners from colleges that had received high grades at inspection in these areas of

work. Pen portraits of the director, consultants, college practitioners and the administrator

who worked on the project are included at Annex B. 

The tutor team initially consisted of five core members. In order to cope with the strict

schedule of events and the tight timescales imposed, the team was quickly expanded. 

The final tutor team consisted of 18 members.

Despite being dispersed throughout the country the tutors nonetheless developed a

strong sense of team working. This was fostered by the team meetings held at the

start and at the end of each day of events alongside the initial briefings held at the

beginning of the project. 

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