‘Think what we are’ The Working Men’s College as a Hub for Community Collaboration Report 2013 – 2014 Prepared by the Working Men’s College as part of the 2013 Collaboration and Shared Services Community Learning Project: Specialist Designated Institutions as Community Collaboration Hubs, funded by the 157 Group of Colleges ‘Think what we are, or ought to be, a body of men met together for the general good – to use longer words – a community associated for education in fellowship’. The Working Men’s College Magazine, January 1862 2 CONTENTS 1. Foreword by Satnam Gill OBE, Principal of the Working Men’s College 2. Introduction: Purpose of the report 3. Strategic context: Community Learning in 2014 4. History of the Working Men’s College: Liberal Education for Working People 5. The Working Men’s College in 2014: Becoming Outstanding 6. The Working Men’s College and community collaboration: Why we collaborate 7. Success factors: The Working Men’s College approach to collaboration: what makes it work? 8. Barriers: What hinders collaboration and how has the Working Men’s College addressed the barriers? 9. The contribution of the Board of Governors to community collaboration at the College 10. Lessons learned about community collaboration 11. Some ‘Beacon’ learners: snapshots of success Appendix: Map of the Working Men’s College community collaboration activities 3 1. FOREWORD “Community collaboration is at the heart of the success of the Working Men’s College in helping thousands of adult learners enhance their lives and the life of the community in Camden” Satnam Gill OBE, Principal of the Working Men’s College “The Working Men’s College achieved an Ofsted overall judgment of ‘Outstanding’ in 2013. This is due in no small part to the countless community partnerships and collaborations in which learners and staff have been involved over the many years that the College has been working, in this vibrant part of London. This community encompasses sometimes invisible pockets of poverty and deprivation amidst the more affluent and visible developments in the area, so collaboration with our community has been a vital way in which the College has been able to meet the learning aims and aspirations of the very diverse population. The diversity and social mix of the area is what gives the community its unique flavour and vitality. This report is a showcase of College’s success as a hub of collaboration. It not only provides a map of our collaborative activities, but we hope also that the lessons we have learned will be of use to the wider further and community learning sectors as we all look forward to the growing Community Learning Trust agenda.” 4 2. Introduction: Purpose of the report The report has two purposes: i External to the College, to contribute to the evidence base which its funding aimed to develop, into the role of Specialist Designated Institutions (SDIs) as the focus for networks of community collaboration. This was part of a wider research project funded by the 157 Group of Colleges, which in turn formed part of the Association of Colleges’ Collaboration and Shared Services Project. During 2012-2013 the 157 Group had funded investigation into shared services specifically in adult and community learning providers in the local authority and third sectors, in order to identify any distinctive features of this part of the sector as opposed to Further Education Colleges. The adult and community learning project was led by a Steering Group consisting of representatives from the 157 Group of Colleges, the Third Sector Learning Alliance and HOLEX, the national membership body for local authority adult and community learning providers. The focus of this project was to describe the range of shared services and collaboration which takes place in the community learning sector, identifying critical success factors, barriers and lessons for the sector. The specific aims of the SDI component of this project were to examine whether the four London SDIs have lessons to offer the rest of the sector, in working in partnership with communities in order to improve learning in the community. This report, along with others from the City Lit, Morley College and the Mary Ward Centre, forms part of the evidence base for the SDIs as experts in collaboration. ii Internal to the College, to gather together and map the collaborative activities undertaken in the last few years, so that the College can continue to build on past successes and continue to work collaboratively to the benefit of learners and the community in and around Camden. The report aims to identify critical success factors as well as barriers to community collaboration, showing how to maximise the former and mitigate the latter, so that the value to community learning brought by partnerships, is demonstrated clearly. 5 3. Strategic context: Community Learning in 2014 The report is written in a context of increasing emphasis by government on the importance of assessing the value of community and adult learning, and in particular the impact it makes on the lives of individuals and communities. ‘Skills for Sustainable Growth’ was published by BIS in November 2010. Since then, BIS has been reviewing its investment in community learning. Some significant policy proposals were outlined in ‘New Challenges, New Chances: Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan’ (BIS 2011). In August 2012, 15 Community Learning Trusts (CLTs) were selected to test the new objectives and underpinning principles for the reformed delivery of community learning. These reforms are now starting to be rolled out across England from August 2013 onwards. ‘New Challenges, New Chances: building a world class skills system’ set out clear aims and objectives for the £210m per year Community Learning budget in England and announced government’s intention to pilot a range of community learning trust models to deliver these new, agreed objectives more coherently from August 2012. Since the coalition government came into power, it has introduced policies across all areas of public life, that it states are designed to drive fairness, reduce bureaucracy, strengthen communities, improve health and well-being, increase local decision-making and make high quality information more accessible. In this way, the coalition aims to build a society in which every member has the skills and confidence to act responsibly, fulfil his or her potential and make a personal contribution to the community, a contribution that reflects communal pride, a strong sense of belonging and a desire to feed the common good. Thus it is clear at the highest policy level for community learning, that the individual learner is seen as being embedded in their community. It follows that community partnerships are intrinsic to planning and delivery of successful community learning, in the eyes of government. The vision for Community Learning Trusts embodies and reflects this much wider raft of policy developments across government. Ministers want to see people in local neighbourhoods, wards and parishes empowered to work collaboratively with learning providers and other partners to agree their own community learning priorities, strategies and partnership models, in order to develop a shared identity, build a culture of lifelong learning and foster social purpose at neighbourhood level. The BIS objectives for community learning include the drive to: Develop stronger communities, with more self-sufficient, connected and pro-active citizens, leading to: increased volunteering, civic engagement and social integration reduced costs on welfare, health and anti-social behaviour increased online learning and self-organised learning the lives of our most troubled families being turned around To this end, the government wants to commission community learning services in a way which: brings together people from all backgrounds, cultures and income groups, including people who can/cannot afford to pay uses effective local partnerships to bring together key providers and relevant local agencies and services devolves planning and accountability to neighbourhood/parish level, with local people involved in decisions about the learning offer 6 involves volunteers and voluntary and community sector groups, shifting long term, ‘blocked’ classes into learning clubs, growing self-organised learning groups, and encouraging employers to support informal learning in the workplace To support implementation of these reforms the Skills Funding Agency says: ‘Community learning is not just motivating and life-changing for the people who take part, it also contributes to the cohesion and social and economic well-being of local communities. These reforms now give, further opportunities to play a fuller part in supporting the wider localism agenda, through a reinvigorated approach to partnership working with key stakeholders, including Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) and other training organisations’. To further support the reforms, providers must have a strategy that demonstrates how, in their areas, they have identified and will deliver a relevant balance of the community learning objectives. A key component of these objectives relies on community learning leaders making sure that their organisations are embedded in local communities, through working together in partnership so that programmes are relevant to local learners and local learners can play a full and active role in their communities during and after their learning. A further strand of government policy in further education is their interest in collaboration and shared services, which has generated the funding for this report as we identified earlier. The aim of the funding is to enable research into the different kinds of benefits, financial and qualitative, that collaboration can bring. As we shall see, this report is particularly timely in the context of these government aspirations. The London Specialist Designated Institutions (SDIs) have been operating for hundreds of years fulfilling a social and community purpose in the heart of their communities. The Working Men’s College is one of these SDIs notably retaining the personal touch that is at the heart of true community partnership. 7 The words of an early patron echo the Working Men’s College USP today It could even be said that the WMC is a particularly strong prototype, with all the SDIs, for the Community Learning Trust model itself, as this report will demonstrate. 8 4. History of the Working Men’s College (WMC) An early WMC Programme 9 The oldest surviving adult education institute in Europe, the College was founded in 1854 in Red Lion Street in London. It was associated with the Cooperative Movement and the Christian Socialists, arising from the same tradition that led later to the Workers’ Educational Association. It was founded in the wake of a perceived failure of the Mechanics’ Institutes to really engage with working men, with artisans. The Working Women's College, founded 10 years later in 1864, merged with WMC in 1967. Early supporters of both included F D Maurice, John Stuart Mill, Tom Hughes, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Ruskin, Ford Maddox Brown, Walter de la Mare and Octavia Hill. The College has occupied the listed building in Camden Town since 1905, following a move to Great Ormond Street in 1857. The tradition of liberal education has been promoted since the beginning, and today the College serves the whole community, with women, unemployed and refugee students forming the majority of the student body. There has been rapid growth in recent years but the College is still of a size to be able to respond to the individual needs of students. WMC was designated as a Specialist Designated Institution (SDI) under the 1992 Further Education Act. In common with the other London SDIs, the College was founded on the basis of social and community values and goals, by philanthropists who saw education as a means to solve social problems and provide something that was missing in the lives of working men and women. The College building in Great Ormond Street, pre-1904 10 5. The Working Men’s College in 2014 Community collaboration is integral to the objectives of the College: Mission To be a learner-centred college dedicated to widening access to education for all, that will provide opportunities for lifelong learning and improving employment prospects, for the diverse range of London adults who may not be able to study full time, particularly local people who have missed out on their initial education. Objectives Working Men’s College aims to: Provide an outstanding education for adults, in which all learners can achieve their personal, educational and training goals and maximise their potential Provide an inclusive learning environment with all the support necessary to promote equality and diversity, freedom of expression and social responsibility Meet the needs of the local communities with programmes which promote community cohesion and address the problems of disadvantage and deprivation; especially by providing opportunities for local residents to improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills Work in partnership with the London Borough of Camden, other colleges and providers, local voluntary organisations, funding bodies and others who share our goals Work with local employers to meet the demands of a skills-based economy, and with local people to ensure they can get the skills needed to get local jobs Celebrate its unique history and engage positively with the past, while finding new ways to pursue its founders’ aims into the 21st century Originally established to bring ‘the liberal arts’ to ‘the working man’, WMC today serves the whole community, with women forming the majority of students. The College has a key commitment to social cohesion which comes right from the top, with the Principal Satnam Gill and the College Governors working from a clear commitment to this core value. This high level commitment ensures that it cascades throughout the College at all levels of operation. Behind the words of the College’s mission and aims, there is a real, strong and demonstrable aim to widen access to learning for all, particularly those who have missed out on their initial 11 education, and to improve the employability skills of men and women in the local community as well as enable access to the ‘liberal arts’. In the last 15 years there have been a number of changes at the WMC. These have had the effect of transforming it from an Ofsted Grade 4, a low point in its distinguished history when it was just delivering little more than part-time evening classes, into the vibrant and highperforming community learning hub that it is today. The College has been able to build on and develop its community links, its links with the arts community and its Christian socialist heritage, to create a unique and excellent community resource in the heart of London, with partnerships at the centre of its success. The College also showed that partnerships can be cost-effective. WMC climbed back from years of historical deficits to its current good financial standing, now recording a surplus every year, in a modernised and fit-for-purpose building including café and social spaces as well as exhibiting and performance space and teaching and learning facilities which enhance the life of the College. In 2008, Ofsted rated the College’s policy for equality of opportunity as outstanding, as indeed was the grade for the extensive Skills for Life programme. In 2009 the College was recognised as a Beacon College and thus an exemplar of best practice in adult and community education. In 2013 Ofsted awarded the College an overall Grade 1 ‘Outstanding’ judgment, one of only 5 such judgments nationally since the introduction of the new inspection framework, showing that WMC has indeed been on a trajectory towards showcasing how to take community learning to the highest level of effectiveness and quality. The Ofsted Report highlighted the College’s exemplary partnership working, which was seen to greatly enhance the curriculum offer. There are about 10,500 enrolments, representing over 5,000 learners and 1,200 FTEs. Half of the provision is Skills for Life, reflecting the disadvantage and social/educational deprivation in this part of inner London, and the aspirations of learners to improve their skills for life and work. In partnership with local further education colleges, a range of employability courses are delivered, which have produced excellent outcomes for learners and for partners, in particular helping many to leave long-term unemployment and redundancy during the economic downturn. There is also a good range of vocational programmes, which are very popular with learners, including lone parents seeking to return to work or to join the workforce; these include Business Administration, Medical Administration and Teaching Assistant courses. A huge strength of WMC is that, amidst this robust response to learners’ vocational and skills aspirations, is a vibrant and excellent Art and Design curriculum including an Access to Higher Education and Foundation Programmes in Art and Design, Fashion and Media which sends most learners to progress to degree places at some of the most prestigious universities and arts institutions in the UK. In this way, WMC gives learners the clear message that it does not matter where you start from, you can excel in your chosen field and overcome barriers to access to the highest levels of achievement. The College’s new Fashion Foundation programme has culminated with a state of the art fashion show and progression for students to universities and fashions houses such as Alexander McQueen. There are programmes in sculpture, ceramics and glass, drawing and painting, etching, picture framing and gilding, and jewellery. A strong digital arts programme includes courses in Photoshop, Flash, Graphic Design and Web Design. The Languages programmes are also popular. Thus the College continues to stay true to its roots in ‘liberal education’ for working class people, but it re-writes this tradition for today’s environment, staying bang up to date in its partnerships, its curriculum and its teaching methods, to which its Ofsted judgment and collaboration record are testimony. 12 The past and the future displayed on the walls of the College in the form of the words of an early patron, William Morris, who wanted working people to develop artisan skills to benefit themselves and their communities designed for installation by current students 13 6. The Working Men’s College and community collaboration: why we collaborate In common with many community service delivery organisations, the ethos and values of the College have arisen organically, and have not needed to be spelled out. The commitment to community partnerships is in the ‘DNA’ of the College, from its very first inception to the present day. It is the reason the College exists. Strategy development at the College is from the ground up. It develops from staff, student governors, managers and learners themselves, through a number of different forums which exist to capture the views of all, and incorporate them into planning. The College seeks to create an environment defined by the communities in the area, including those who are disenfranchised by disability, homelessness or ethnic difference. At WMC, partnership is seen as everyone’s responsibility, not just the job of one or two people. For this reason, learning that is NOT designed or delivered in partnership, is in a minority at WMC. In the context of today’s need for transparency and explicitness about value and impact of community learning, this report is perhaps an opportunity to tease out the whys and wherefores of community partnership at WMC: why we do it, how it works, and what makes it work or not work. Research into college partnerships undertaken for this report suggests that the College’s approach to collaboration addresses a number of key themes, all of which from different angles address the strategic aims of the College to provide social and community value through learning partnerships that enhance learning, benefit the learner and the partner, give good value for money and are effectively and efficiently planned and run. Often not mutually exclusive in that each partnership can be seen to address several of these issues, the themes can be roughly grouped as follows: 14 Why collaborate? Partnerships to improve community cohesion These kinds of partnerships show that the College does not just engage in partnerships for the sake of it. The Deputy Principal, Theresa Hoenig puts it like this: “It might come out of community, education, volunteering, but it’s about working and sharing with other people, to make things happen.” Most of the College’s partnerships incorporate this aim in fact. Tom Schuller, the Chair of Governors, says that the College’s entire strategic plan revolves around partnerships. He says that the role of the Governors is to ‘create partnerships, encourage staff to make them and monitor whether they happen’. As an example, he identifies the King’s Cross site as a strategic area which needs community cohesion at this time of massive construction development and change in the area. The College has been involved in the King’s Cross development group, contributing to community cohesion and rebuilding of the new King’s Cross. Case Study 1: Community Cohesion Partners: Learning Unlimited, Blackfriars Settlement Aim of partnership To provide language learning for third party nationals who are living permanently in this country but not able to access mainstream provision What we did Working with the other organisations, bid for Home Office funding and rolled out ESOL and citizenship provision for this group, mainly women on spouse visas recently arrived in the UK What went well Courses well received by the learners themselves and by other community groups who have reported that this provision is filling a gap and meeting needs of socially excluded and sometimes isolated women What needed improvement We have amended recruitment to ensure we can quickly identify potential learners who present for mainstream ESOL, we continually review the delivery and improve What was different after the partnership This partnership will continue for another academic year, by which time we will have an established model for recruitment and delivery and a network of referring partners. Some of the women will by then have the residency requirement to progress to mainstream ESOL or other college courses 15 Partnerships to meet community need, to provide an enhanced curriculum offer to learners The College works to meet the needs of offenders, with both Pentonville and Holloway prisons, for example. The Prisons cannot meet the learning needs of offenders without help, and the College can provide tasters in the prison as well as progression opportunities afterwards, working in a large and complex partnership with third sector organisations and NIACE. Another example of this is how, only four years ago, the disability disclosure at the College was around 6%. There was evidence to suggest that actual disability rates among learners was higher than this. The College was concerned that in not disclosing disability, learners were possibly not accessing all the support which would be available to them to help and enhance their learning. The low rates appeared to reflect a stigma in some Black and Asian communities against disability. The College approached eight different organisations who were able to come in and raise awareness amongst learners. These organisations then used this opportunity to network with each other, and this helped them help learners understand how learning support could enhance their learning. The disclosure rate went up to 17%, meaning that more people facing difficulties in their learning were able to be supported. Partnerships with employers, of which there are large numbers at the College, clearly fall partly into this category. This includes partnerships to give employees the skills they need (such as the University College Hospital English programmes for cleaners). Case Study 2: Community need and enhanced curriculum Partner: Kingsgate Primary School Aim of partnership Improving language and numeracy skills of parents What we did ESOL and maths classes at the school with visits (eg to museums and to college events) What went well This work is based on a very strong working relationship with the school ensuring that the provision is completely tailored to the needs of these learners What needed improvement We now run two classes of 5 hours each, at a lower and higher level – this is a considerable expansion since we started working at the school 4 years ago, running a single mixed level session a week What was different after the partnership Parents are better able to communicate with teachers and help their children with homework. Some now have voluntary work at the school. 16 Partnerships to help our partners meet people’s needs better, and improve their offer including CPD The College supports a vast number of partnerships with schools, in many cases benefitting both partners: WMC gets to increase their reach into the heart of the community, and the schools are able to improve what it can offer to parents, be it ESOL, Family Learning, or Languages, offered accessibly in convenient locations. Collaboration with other SDIs, while it has to be approached with a careful eye to worries about competition, is on the increase. There is a mounting voice within the Governors that SDI collaboration approached strategically could be a good idea for the community learning curriculum in inner London in general, as well as having other possible strategic benefits. College Staff are engaged in a number of different collaborations with the other London SDIs, including a learning support partnership to share best practice, and collaborative staff development and training. The College works with the NHS to support a number of health promotion initiatives including healthy lifestyles and smoking cessation. Head of Student Support Irina Staneva is clear that partnership helps meet community need: ‘We partner with organisations that help people, like St. Mungos, Chase Farm Hospital, St. Pancras Hospital, Scope, MS Society, Asthma UK, Action on Hearing Loss.’ Case Study 3: To help others improve their offer to people and community Partner: Solutions for Health (NHS funded organisation) Aim of partnership: To raise awareness of healthy lifestyles to our students, reaching out to the hard to reach local people What we did We invited the organisation to take part in our Health Awareness Day to promote healthy living and to provide information on organisation’s services to our students. This was followed by a series of smaller focused information events on smoke cessation, weight management, blood pressure management, as well as more in-depth NHS health checks and referrals. These events took place at the College on regular intervals throughout the academic year. What went well Wide variety of printed and web-based information which was offered to our students, including advice on how to seek further help and support in many Camden-based clinics and health centres. Our students praised the user-friendly approach of our partner’s representatives and the familiar environment at the College. Learners commented that otherwise they would have not approached a medical specialist, even their own GPs. For some of our learners this was the first time they had a blood pressure check with several being referred for further checks. What needed improvement Our partnership work is evaluated constantly and we make improvements as soon as a need for one is identified. We have improved on our general organisation, venue and marketing of the events. We need to further develop our partnership to include other aspects of healthy living such as personal hygiene and obesity awareness. We need to increase the number of the events in that area. What was different after the partnership Our learners are more aware of where to seek help for their health issues, they know the impact of smoking on people’s health. We have increased our network of partners, and we are continuing to be a community hub for local residents. 17 Partnerships to improve planning of community learning and progression for learners, through increased opportunities and/or improved information The partnerships with the other SDIs also fall into this category. Through links with Mary Ward Centre, Morley College and City Lit, WMC can ensure that there is complementarity of planning across London, so the curriculum offer can avoid duplication and gaps, and thus meet learner needs better. Case Study 4: To improve planning and progression Partner: Camden Adult Learning Partnership Aim of partnership To promote adult and community learning in the borough of Camden What we did As part of a programme of activities, we ran a “Speed Dating” event where a number of community learning providers were able to share information on their offers and plan further work together to facilitate progression for learners from one organisation to another What went well Participants were highly positive about how much they had gained from the exercise. The Partnership steering group has a record of all the agreements for further work and will send out reminders later, ensuring follow up as well as building a map of progression routes What needed improvement Another time we would improve on the logistics of the dating process slightly – a few people missed a few “dates” What was different after the partnership This is a developing partnership which continues to draw in new members. We have found that running innovative and interesting events rather than meetings and briefings is generating better attendance and more productive outcomes 18 Partnerships to improve outcomes for learners The College operates a number of partnerships which aim to improve outcomes for learners. These include partnerships with Higher Education institutions, Fashion Houses, galleries, theatres and other potential employers which provide learners with contacts, networks, role models and destinations after their courses at WMC. Through this effort, WMC students can bypass the narrower aspirations they might have to settle for if they have faced educational disadvantage in the past; they can aspire to the best outcomes and improve their life chances. This not only benefits themselves and their families but also their community. Case Study 5: To improve outcomes for learners Partner: London College of Fashion Aim of partnership To enable learners to gain subject specialist advice and guidance on progression and portfolio review What we did Staff from LCF have visited WMC to work with learners and learners have been invited to activities at LCF What went well This has brought successful progression for learners who are the first in the family to go on to a degree, into LCF for courses including Knitwear, Fashion Business and Marketing What needed improvement Events and activities are continually reviewed and improved What was different after the partnership Learners progress to prestigious HE courses, WMC gains up to date expertise from an HE perspective to ensure curriculum is current and relevant 19 Partnerships to improve the strategic positioning of the College WMC’s approach to partnership may be ‘bottom-up’ and organic, but it is not haphazard. There is a strategy in place to diversify income streams and reduce overreliance on any one source of income. For example, the very high proportion of college income currently coming from funding for ESOL provision, means that in the event of a government shift in approach to ESOL funding, a substantial part of college income could be affected. To minimise this kind of risk there has been a clear development towards partnerships where learning opportunities are all or part-funded by partners or other sources of income. Partnerships with prisons, NHS and European funding programmes are all examples of this kind of collaboration. Case Study 6: To improve strategic Partner: Institute of Education, at University of London Aim of partnership To provide mentee opportunities at WMC for teacher trainees from the IOE What we did We currently work in a very successful collaboration with the IOE (Institute of Education, at University of London). We offer structured placements to their teacher trainees (mentees) and we liaise closely with their course tutors on their Post Compulsory Teacher Training programme. We currently take trainees in our English, Maths and Fashion departments. What went well The collaboration is successful on a number of levels, the learners benefit from having a range of teachers with different teaching styles, the teachers at WMC really enjoy passing on their good practices to their mentees and they use these mentoring duties as a form of CPD to maintain the quality of their Teaching, Learning and Assessing practices; and the IOE benefits from having their mentees placed at an outstanding institution What needed improvement There was some confusion regarding allocation of trainees to individual tutors at WMC. This has been clarified by having one tutor manage the numeracy placements and one tutor manage the English and ESOL placements. What was different after the partnership The partnership is still ongoing; as described above there are many benefits and we hope to build on the work by delivering Year 1 of the teacher training at WMC next year. 20 Partnerships to increase efficiency and effective use of resources On the whole the primary aim of WMC partnerships appears not to be to make or save money. However, the College’s steady achievement and maintenance of a good financial position demonstrates that all activities, including partnership are run with an eye to the financial bottom line, which ensures that the College can continue to benefit learners in the future. As well as the partnerships that actually bring in income and this spread risk, as outlined previously; there are also partnerships which spread costs while still benefiting learners. These include all the schools partnerships where the venues for the learning are in the schools themselves rather than on college premises, and a large number of other programmes that are held offsite. For learners, the offsite programmes are more accessible and easy to travel to; partners benefit through not having to make the investment in training and employing skilled teaching staff and buying all the learning resources that the College brings. Case Study 7: Increase efficiency, effective use of resources Partner: Swiss Cottage School Aim of partnership To deliver numeracy training to Teaching Assistants working at the school What we did We delivered a number of 1 day per week (2 hour) classes What went well The learners made good progress with their studies and there was good achievement for the majority of learners at level 2 What needed improvement There were some unrealistic expectations for those learners at lower levels, that they would achieve a level 2 numeracy qualification in a too short time period What was different after the partnership The partnership is still on going; its impact is on both the Teaching Assistants themselves, whose skills and employability is improved, but also on the children who are no longer exposed to the notion that it is OK for adults not to be able to do maths 21 Partnerships to involve learners in planning their own learning and community involvement/citizenship Learners are encouraged to volunteer in the community and to participate in local life. For example, the Head of ESOL, James Cupper, says that the curriculum is ‘planned to give each of the 1466 ESOL learners an outstanding life-changing experience. By giving local people the chance to communicate, we are giving them a voice, and ability to participate fully in society, and opening doors to new possibilities and new futures’. The Ofsted inspectors seem to have been very struck by the way in which this ethos really does permeate the College in the way things are done. Case Study 8: Learner voice, planning own learning, citizenship Partner: Voluntary Action Camden (VAC) Aim of partnership To provide information and advice on volunteering opportunities in Camden for our WMC learners What we did We invited a representative of VAC to give a talk to each of our vocational courses and to set up a stall in the College café to provide volunteering information to the cross college student body. This has resulted in a number of our students taking voluntary positions in local Camden organisations. We have actively encouraged our students to attend the volunteering workshops at Camden ACL Choices Day, which provides information to local Camden adults regarding pathways to education and employment in Camden area. What went well Raised awareness of the work of VAC and the opportunities for volunteering roles within the borough. What needed improvement We need to extend the partnership to include all curriculum areas at WMC, not just the Vocational area. What was different after the partnership The level of volunteering amongst students at WMC is significantly higher than elsewhere (as measured through our survey which is benchmarked against many other FE colleges) 22 Partnerships to improve quality of learning and teaching, volunteering or leadership development During the research it emerged that a number of the College’s partnerships have had the aim of improving quality, reach, and widening opportunity for sharing best practice amongst other providers (for example, the 4 SDI partners); amongst Further Education Colleges looking to enhance their community learning capability or who could in turn offer expertise to WMC; amongst charities and other independent agencies working with the same target groups as the College. Partnerships to widen participation Virtually all WMC’s partnerships can be seen to have the effect of increasing reach and ensuring that people who have benefited least from educational opportunity in the past, can have the chance to fulfil their potential. The range of partnerships demonstrates the extent to which this college exists in order to make sure the widest sections of the community can participate, through the active use of partnership. Case Study 9: Widening participation Partner: Surma Centre Aim of partnership Provide ESOL & ESOL Sewing courses What we did Started ESOL courses then progressed to ESOL Sewing and embedded employability skills What went well Learners progression from pre entry ESOL learners to E3/level 1 ESOL What needed improvement There were a lot a lot of confidence building required as they were mostly Bangladeshi housewives who were quite shy and didn’t have access to education in their country. What was different after the partnership They have now developed confidence, they take part in other activities at the community centre. Some have progressed to main stream ESOL classes at WMC and some are planning to enrol on the Fashion courses. 23 7. Success factors: The Working Men’s College approach to collaboration: what makes it work? WMC is a national beacon of best practice in partnership for community learning, so it made sense that the research for this report consisted of interviews with staff and learners, together with desk-based observation and analysis of partner impact. Clear success factors emerge from this evidence and can be summarised as follows: ‘Input from Governors is crucial to the promotion of partnerships’ ‘Commitment from Principal and Deputy Principal makes it happen – we walk the walk not just talk the talk’ Learner involvement in planning and evaluating learning is a key partnership for success Collaboration is in the DNA of the College, it is not an add-on ‘It might start from a small idea or project but it’s about the ability or willingness to keep the relationship going.’ ‘WMC perspective is directed by the needs of learners’. Success in partnerships arises from putting learner needs at the heart of everything the College does, ‘the partnership arises out of a recognised need’. ‘Partners are about mutual purpose. We do not group or partner for the sake of it.’ ‘Diversify funding streams and increase partners so as to reach more learners’ ‘Sometimes partners are small on money but big on community partnering’. The success factor is to value the partnership for what it can do to enhance outcomes for learner and community – not just money Proactive community outreach is vital, as partnership does not happen by itself. Often potential partners might not be aware of added value brought by partnership, so it is up the College to work with them to identify benefits of collaboration Partnerships have got to fit with WMC mission and values. If they do not fit, WMC does not participate. WMC probably turns down more requests for collaboration than it accepts ‘The right partner would be in pursuit of the whole person and long term learning, and committed to continuous learning and progression’ ‘WMC benefits by being small enough to make and sustain personal relationships, which is the ‘make or break’ of partnership’ Good internal communications and relationships are vital to good external partnerships. ‘We all know what other departments are doing in the College’. ‘The College works as a community, keeps relationships up to date and celebrates relationships’. ‘Working closely together in-house across departments really makes a difference to how much each partnership can benefit learners to maximum effect’ Individual staff are very important for effective partnering. They are the face of WMC when they are out in the community working and teaching. Selection of staff who can do this ambassadorial role as well as teaching, is crucial to success ‘Choose the right partner’ ‘Have a common mission’ ‘Have two-way relationships’ ‘Deal with small organisations’ 24 ‘Use an interpersonal approach’ ‘Focus on community integration’ ‘Maintain lasting relationships’ ‘Motivation for partnerships is identified need’ Partnership is seen as everyone’s responsibility, not just the outreach or development staff Being flexible and willing to learn from other organisations ‘We don’t create our own red tape.’ Minimising bureaucracy as far as possible, is seen as a success factor Use of WMC as a resource and outward face, helps partnerships The history of WMC is important in fostering the right kinds of partnership ‘Long term survival is about community partners’ ‘Having more money to spend on people’s time to develop partnership, would help even more 25 8. Barriers: What hinders collaboration and how has the Working Men’s College addressed the barriers? Because WMC is approaching partnership strategically and integrally to the College’s mission and values, rather than speculatively and in an ad hoc way, the barriers to partnership are already minimised. Tighe Twomey, who runs WMC’s vocational department, says that it is a failure to listen to partners which is the big hindrance to making partnership work. In vocational as well as artsbased partnerships, it is important to listen and to ensure the partnership meets the needs of the partners as well as learners, and examples of this are partnerships with University College Hospital and Unity Bank. Key barriers identified during this research are summarised below together with how WMC has addressed them: Failure to understand local politics and community engagement would be a problem. WMC always ensures it develops its partnerships from an embeddedness in the locality Learners are mainly local, so there can be a problem if teachers are not local. WMC tries to employ local people, and if it cannot (because central London is too costly to live in), it ensures that staff can understand the importance of a local perspective Failure to learn from history. WMC operates reflective practice and learns from past experience Failure to value staff and learner perspective. WMC puts these at the heart of its partnership strategy Failure to see the bigger picture. WMC sometimes has to invest in a partnership so as to enable longer term gains Having a closed mind to the potential of partnerships and shared services Poor communication, lack of trust and reliability. WMC ensures these are always present when negotiating and running partnerships Failure to operate good risk management processes Failure to keep up with the rapid pace of change in government policy, funding and priorities ‘There needs to be appropriate management resource and intent, for true partnership to happen’ Lack of the personal touch Not having top level commitment and oversight of partnerships from Governors and senior managers 26 9. The contribution of the Board of Governors to community collaboration at the College Governors set and monitor the College’s strategic plan. WMC is lucky to have very strategic and experienced Governors who play an active role in overall strategy setting as well as specific planning for partnerships. To demonstrate how this happens in practice, and to show just how important it is to have Governor attention to collaboration, below are summarised the outcomes from the 2012/13 A. Provide disadvantaged communities and groups, especially in Camden, with a second chance at education and the skills and opportunities to get jobs. 1. Provide learning opportunities for people and groups who find education hard to reach and whom we have not worked with before. Delivery of pilot provision at St Mungo’s centres by December 12, the negotiations for this with St Mungo’s have been protracted but are ongoing. Plan for St Mungo’s expanded delivery for September 13 by February 13. We are about to start a much more substantial course at a centre for long term residents with mental health issues. Vocational tasters delivered in two different community centres by February 13, with at least 50% progression to college provision. Business and Medical Admin tasters were run at sessions held at Richard Cobden School, and a short course looking at progression opportunities at Netley School. Analysis of progression will be completed in September. At least 1 further new project coming into operation in year, and at least 2 others planned for 13/14 by July 13. We have planned and delivered a number of sessions for Genesis housing Association, and this will be expanded in 13/14. We have also delivered a Music Technology programme for learners from Key Changes, an organisation which supports mental health recoverers, and this will be repeated in 13/14. From September we will be delivering an EIF project aiming at ESOL learners who are not eligible to access mainstream provision. B. Work with employers and partners 1. Work with local employers, particularly in the Kings Cross area, to develop the skills of their workforce Targets to be set in negotiation with Employer Engagement manager when appointed by January 2013. The Employer Engagement manager (EEM) was appointed from January 2013 at 1 day a week and from mid-February at 2 days a week, targets were agreed, and likely to be met by year end. Compile list of employers locally and in Kings Cross by April 13. We have bought and taken delivery of a contact list of key local employers. The EEM is using this to note contacts to date and to add further employers locally and in Kings Cross that are likely to work with us. Visit at least a target number of HR directors in large to medium organisations and target CEOs in small organisations by July 13. We will report further on this. Identify local businesses whose employees might want to take up our courses by April 13 EEM has identified likely contacts from the database. Provide leaflets and visit them and invite them to our events June 13 The EEM has written to employers with the updated Employers leaflet, and sent them our Spring into Summer course leaflet and invited them to summer events. 27 strategic plan that relate to partnerships and collaborations, and the June 2013 update on progress: 2. Develop partnerships with local organisations to increase participation in adult education Active participation in Camden ACL providers’ group/community learning trust develops at least 3 new progression pathways into the College by July 13. Information on our ICT courses has been distributed to a number of Learndirect centres who are actively encouraging their learners to use WMC for progression. The Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Manager has visited Camden ACL groups to talk about the move to College and successfully recruited a number of learners. Taster sessions and vocational introductory courses have been held at Camden ACL community venues and have recruited learners likely to progress to WMC. At least 3 events in partnership with local organisations that have measurable impact on increasing recruitment of new learners who do not find education easy to reach by May 13. In March we ran the Choices event with Camden Council and City Lit which this year took place at WMC as well as in Richard Cobden School where it had been run previously. This was highly successful and was praised by OFSTED inspectors. A second Choices day was held in June. A Community conference was held at the College in October, bringing together organisations who already worked with WMC and others who had not yet worked with the College. This was run with Camden ACL partners, and has led to work which will ultimately make the entire Camden learning offer much more accessible. WMC is fortunate to have a team of Governors who are experienced in their fields, including some notable adult educationalists who can bring their perspective to bear on the College’s strategic direction. The Chair of Governors, Tom Schuller, was previously the Dean of Continuing Education at Birkbeck College, University of London; he therefore brings considerable relevant expertise to the Board. Whilst the Board are not the Executive team, and do not run the College’s operations, they are highly strategic and monitor the College’s performance closely in financial and qualitative terms. The Chair sees partnerships as central to the WMC mission; he is also interested in looking more closely at the possibilities for benefits of sharing services with other relevant partners in central London. Partnerships he would like to see develop, include th ose with the British Museum, the Wellcome Trust and other organisations in the catchment area of the College. Philip Badman, Chair of the Audit Committee, also brings a wealth of further and adult education experience to his role as a Governor, including seven years’ experience as Vice Principal of City Lit, another important London SDI. Philip is also very clear about how important collaboration is, at a curriculum level as well as in order to explore the benefits of sharing of services; he too would like to see more exploration of sharing of services with suitable London partners. The Chair of Audit Committee is interested in joint curriculum planning across the SDIs and sees great scope for further development of this kind of collaboration. The other Governors include the Chief Executive of a large charity, company directors, legal, HR and other experts; there is strong representation from student and staff Governors too. The Governors’ evident commitment and expertise demonstrate how just how important these are to successful partnerships and to the overall success of the College in its community and learner focus. 28 10. Lessons learned for the further education sector about community collaboration Lessons learned by the College, which could be transferable to the rest of the sector in respect of collaboration for community learning, are very clear and can be summarised as follows: Collaboration: Lessons for the Community Learning Sector from WMC Have clear strategic commitment from the top Build partnership strategy from the bottom up Partnership strategy needs to be integral, not add-on Incorporate the learner voice everywhere Look at the financial, strategic and reputational benefits and risks of partnership in the round Keep an open mind about collaboration and shared services Be prepared to invest in partnership and take the broader long term view Run a tight ship financially so you can take risks, speculate and invest Understand local politics properly: don’t dabble Choose your partnerships: don’t engage unless there is clear mutual benefit Trust, honesty and transparency will pay off Prioritise good relationship building and the personal touch Communicate well and transparently Consult Identify and document the costs and benefits of collaboration Monitor and review partnerships continuously Plan properly for risk Ensure staff and students are positioned to act as ambassadors Make sure learners are involved at every stage Celebrate success 29 11. Some ‘Beacon’ learners: snapshots of success 30 31 32 33 34 Appendix Map of the Working Men’s College Partnerships in 2014 The following is a large sample of current and recent partnerships at the College. Partnership organisation Value of partnership Acland Burleigh School School visit / progression to Foundations Action Dog Opportunities for learners – enterprise and employment Action for Blind People Meeting learner needs better Action on Hearing Loss Meeting learner needs better, helping partner achieve goals, CPD African School UK Meeting learner needs better, curriculum development Angels the Costumiers Student visit Angolan Cultural Foundation Meeting learner needs better Argent Improving capacity to meet learner needs Arlington House Meeting learner needs Arthritis Care Meeting learner needs better Artsline Improving capacity to meet learner needs Asthma UK Meeting learner needs Asylum Models & Effects Student visit Atom 42 Improving capacity to meet learner needs Bangladeshi Community Centre Widening participation, meeting learner needs Barnet Museum Exhibitions of student work Battersea Park School School visit / progression to Foundations Birkbeck University Information exchange Blackfriars Settlement Joint curriculum delivery, increased reach, efficient use of resources, joint bidding Blake Art College Curriculum development Bluebella Competition Panel British Dyslexia Association Meeting learner needs better British Institute for Learning Disabilities Improving capacity to meet learner needs Camberwell College of Arts CCW progression link UAL Camden 6th Forms – Voc network Information, advice and guidance, progression Camden Adult Community Learning Providers Best practice sharing, local planning, Community Learning Trust Camden Adult Learning Providers Group Engagement of local stakeholders, joint planning of information, advice and curriculum, localism Camden Community Partnerships / Camden Collective / Camden Town Unlimited Pop up shops – arts curriculum development Camden Libraries Meeting learner needs better Camden Mind Meeting learner needs better Camden Partnership for Educational Excellence Project Bid / Performance & Improvement Camden People’s Theatre Curriculum collaboration 35 Partnership organisation Value of partnership Camden School for Girls School visit / progression to Foundations Castlehaven Community Association Information exchange Central St Martins Curriculum collaboration & progression Chase Farm Hospital Improve reach, widen participation, help build capacity, meet learner needs Chelsea College of Art & Design Curriculum and strategy Chinese Community Centre Widening participation, meeting learner needs City & Islington College Curriculum collaboration & progression City Lit Knowledge exchange Clean Break Progression routes to WMC / HE Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine Meeting learner needs better Creative & Cultural Skills Knowledge exchange for curriculum Crossrail Improving capacity to meet learner needs Crossroads Care (Camden) Meeting learner needs better Croydon College School visit / progression to Foundations Cypriot Community Centre Widening participation, meeting learner needs Diabetes UK Improving capacity to meet learner needs Disability Action in Islington Meeting learner needs better Disability in Camden Meeting learner needs better Dyspraxia Association Meeting learner needs better EDEXCEL Validated Centre Education and Employment Project Meeting learner needs better Elfrida Rathbone Camden Capacity building, meeting learner needs, reach ENAIP Partnership potential for developing languages & outreach with local Bangladeshi community Enfield Schools Improvement Service Creative Careers and progression Enheduanna Society Curriculum enhancement / Story telling Epilepsy Society Meeting learner needs, helping partner achieve goals, CPD Fairtrade Meeting learner needs better Fotismere School School visit / progression to Foundations Genesis Housing Reach, improving capacity to meet learner needs Go Project Fashion Link Grey Coat Hospital School School visit / progression to Foundations Hackney Community College School visit / progression to Foundations Hampstead Garden Suburb Adult Education Joint curriculum delivery Havering College School visit / progression to Foundations Haverstock School School visit / progression to Foundations HE: University of the Arts, Institute of Education (IoE), Greenwich University Collaboration to run courses, progression for learners, best practice sharing Highgate Wood School Arts College School visit / progression to Foundations Hillcroft visit & exchange Knowledge exchange. Presentation of good practice - Access 36 Partnership organisation Value of partnership Holloway Prison Meeting learner needs, increasing capacity of partner, leveraging in funding, diversifying funding Hopscotch Widening participation, meeting learner needs Institute of Education Access Placements – Susan Finlay, Matthew Dunning Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) Meeting learner needs better, helping partner achieve goals, CPD JISC Regional Centre London Training and knowledge exchange Jobs in Mind Meeting learner needs better Julien MacDonald Fashion Foundation student placement Kensington & Chelsea College Progression to Foundations Kensington & Chelsea Connexions Progression link to Fashion Foundation Key Changes / Islington Music Forum Performing Arts and mental health progression in collaboration with St. Pancras Hospital Kings Cross Development Strategic positioning, meeting community needs Kingsgate School Progression routes to WMC LA Swap Progression A&G Learning Unlimited Curriculum development, joint bidding Libraries Improving capacity to meet learner needs Linking London Lifelong Learning FE/HE network: brokering relationships to benefit learners Local FE Colleges: Westminster Kingsway, City of Westminster, City and Islington Train to Gain Consortium, responses to unemployment and redundancy London Borough of Camden Multiple knowledge exchange London College of Fashion CAPs scheme. Fashion Foundation progression London Open College Network Information and accreditation London Underground Meeting employee and employer needs LSIS Beacon Group Best practice sharing, until LSIS closed Malta University / Achievability Performance ‘I could be Anyone’ / Matthew Scurfield / Clare Agius Maria Fidelis School School visit / progression to Foundations Marylebone School School visit / progression to Foundations Middlesex University Promotion of learner achievements and potential Moorogaabey Meeting learner needs better Multiple Sclerosis Society Meeting learner needs better National Careers Service Meeting learner needs better, helping partner achieve aims National Society for Epilepsy Meeting learner needs better, helping partner achieve goals, CPD New Beacon Books Meeting learner needs better New Direction Fashion placements NHS Improve reach, help partner achieve social/health goals NHS Public Health Directorate Helping partner achieve community aims 37 Partnership organisation Value of partnership Other SDIs and Community Learning providers: Hillcroft, BACES, Merton Adult Education Southend Adult and Community College Sharing QA documents, ideas and best practice Paris Fashion Week Student placement Paul Murphy Architects Exhibiting student work Pentonville Prison Meeting learner needs, increasing capacity of partner, leveraging in funding, diversifying funding Pimlico School School visit / progression to Foundations Pop-Up Projects CIC/Francis Crick Institute Exhibitions of student work Positive Experience Fashion Foundation learner link Post 14 Network (IoE) Strategic link Regent High School Curriculum development and progression RNIB Responding to learner needs RNID Meeting learner needs better Roundhouse Curriculum development and collaboration Royal Mail Improving capacity to meet learner needs SANE Meeting learner needs better Sarma Community Centre Progression routes to WMC Scope Disability awareness, meeting needs Selfridges Exhibitions of student work SHAPE Meeting learner needs better Skills London 2 Day careers event / marketing / promotion St Charles FA Career fair / marketing St Marylebone School School visit / progression to Foundations St Mungo’s Improve reach, widen participation, help build capacity, meet learner needs St Pancras Hospital Forensic Mental health Unit Widen participation, help build capacity, meet learner needs St Thomas More School School visit / progression to Foundations Swiss Cottage School Progression routes to WMC The Amy Winehouse Foundation Fashion Foundation catwalk event at Holiday Inn Express Camden celebration The Camden Society Meeting learner needs better The Florence Trust Exhibitions of student work The Francis Crick Institute Science Writing Project 2-5 April 2013. The Irish Centre Capacity building, meeting learner needs, reach The London SDIs: Mary Ward, City Lit and Morley College Best practice sharing, curriculum collaboration, strategic positioning The Money Advice Services Advice, referral and presentations to learners. The Sickle Cell Society Meeting learner needs better The Stroke Association Meeting learner needs better Theatro Technis Knowledge exchange and collaboration Toni and Guy Fashion show / Catwalk 38 Partnership organisation Value of partnership Unity Bank Meeting learner and employer needs University College Hospital Meeting employee and employer needs Voluntary Action Camden Capacity building, meeting learner needs, reach Well Placed Consultancy Meeting learner needs better West Herts. University Fashion Foundation work placement BA Hons Textiles Westminster Kingsway HE Career Fair / Marketing Westminster University HE Progression talks Art & Design Foundation White Cube Student visits Whitechapel Gallery Student visits World First Fashion Foundation live project brief / Competition Young Carers Project Meeting learner needs better Youth Media Agency Promoting courses and knowledge exchange 39