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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

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BSQI 2000-2003: End of project report

Recall events (2002)

In response to feedback received from delegates, a series of nine recall events was

held in the period from January to March 2002, one in each government region. 

The events were attended by 326 delegates from 285 providers. They provided an

update on the national context for the development of literacy, numeracy and ESOL

provision, an opportunity for providers to share experience of their involvement in

the BSQI to date, to review their progress and plan for further improvements in 

this provision. 

The programme also included presentations on the interim findings from Pathfinder

Projects, the new arrangements for inspecting literacy, numeracy and ESOL, and the

LSC approaches to quality improvement. The events were restricted to those

providers who had attended a previous BSQI residential training and development

event, and attendance was prioritised within providers’ own regions. The Adult Basic

Skills Strategy Unit provided an update on the national strategy, and received and

commented on the feedback from the group sessions. 

Developing good practice events (2003)

As part of the BSQI project, the AoC was invited by the national LSC to organise a

series of one-day events in March and April 2003. These were the last events

organised under the BSQI framework, pending its re-launch as the Skills for Life

Quality Initiative. There were five events, three for work-based learning (WBL)

providers and two for adult and community learning (ACL) providers. In the

previous series of nine residentials, feedback from tutors and participants indicated

that these two groups of providers had generally a greater need than colleagues in FE

colleges for further help with quality improvement strategies. 

Each event provided information about the current guidance about good practice in

literacy, numeracy and ESOL, and updates on current practice from case study

material. Each provider was asked to send one delegate, preferably from management

level, to attend. The events were planned to build on the work done during the 

two-day residentials, and focused on the key theme of 'embedded' provision. 

This was explored within the contexts of guidance from the inspectorate and

exemplar case studies drawn from the BSQI experience. The programme consisted of

three presentations and two group sessions. 

The aims of the events were to:

■

Provide guidance on the ALI approach to inspections of literacy, numeracy 

and ESOL provision in the contexts of WBL and ACL

■

Enable participants to learn from current practice through case study

presentations 

■

Consider relevant published exemplar material from the BSQI 

■

Share experience of effective strategies for the development of literacy, numeracy

and ESOL

One-day events 

WBL providers

■

Framework requirements which often stipulated achievement of key skills at level

2 meant that providers were turning away the neediest learners because they

would not achieve or they would not be able to get funding for them

Other comments

■

Too much time spent on trying to sort out data systems and not on quality

improvement or capacity building; clarity urgently needed on funding and

coding that is easily understood by MIS managers and that is recognised by 

the software used

■

Continuing concern about the tests; they are not a measure of literacy, simply a 

reading test

■

Need for training in differentiation and teaching strategies 

Overall

■

The BSQI had been one catalyst for change but here had also been strong

influences from the Common Inspection Framework (CIF), the requirement to meet

the targets, and curriculum and diagnostic assessment training 

■

There was a need for a pause in the rate of change to allow providers to

consolidate what had been happening over the past 2 years

■

In later events there were also increasing comments on the following features

which could hinder the organisation’s own development work:

–

Frustration over the lack of allocation of a facilitator

–

Frustration over the delays in the delivery of assessments and materials that

backed up the learning infrastructure

–

Frustration over the delays and lack of clarity surrounding the new teacher

qualifications, in particular frustration over the withdrawal of funding for the

City & Guilds 9281 series before anything else was put in its place 

at a time when the providers were planning widespread training of

vocational tutors

–

Frustration over the lack of recognition in the targets of the gains made by

learners moving through the entry level stages

–

Concern that the push for the targets will mean that learners who are not

likely to achieve one of the certificates which count towards the target will be

excluded from provision

–

Frustration that difficulties in recruiting appropriately qualified and

experienced tutors and co-ordinators were preventing the implementation of

their action plans

–

Frustration over the lack of clarity on coding and funding, particularly the

use of a single code for the whole of entry level

–

Concern about the alignment of basic and key skills 

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