Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges Is a Partnership of 11 Sixth Form Colleges in Hampshire, Portsmouth Who We Are and Southampton
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Working in Hampshire Portsmouth Southampton the Wessex Group 2 the Wessex Group Who we are contents The Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges is a partnership of 11 sixth form colleges in Hampshire, Portsmouth Who we are and Southampton. Originally known as the Hampshire Sixth Form Colleges’ What we do Partnership, it was established in 1997 with 10 colleges, Alton joining in 2003 when it changed its status from a How we operate tertiary college. The initial impetus was the need to formalise some joint What are the benefits? purchasing agreements, though there had been prior work relating to a desire Why does it work? to jointly strengthen the services offered to students. What next? The 11 colleges are: What do you need to make a start? Alton College Barton Peveril College This booklet describes the Wessex Eastleigh Group of Sixth Form Colleges, the work that it has done and how it is The Sixth Form College planning to develop. It examines Farnborough the benefits of partnership working Havant College and offers some suggestions for a template of activities which colleges Itchen College working collaboratively might Southampton explore. Peter Symonds College Further detail about some of the Winchester work is described in other booklets Portsmouth College in this resource and there is also a separate section about establishing Queen Mary’s College partnerships. Basingstoke St Vincent College Gosport Taunton’s College Southampton Totton College 2 DEALING WITH DIFFERENCE Between them, the colleges cater One of the strengths of the Wessex for about 20,000 16-19-year-olds and Group lies in its ability to work together around 9,000 adult learners. This large despite its differences. One strategy network of specialist centres was has been to foster sub-groups within established in the 1970s by Hampshire the partnership. These can work County Council which was at that time together on issues which are of responsible for the colleges within the particular concern to them – so long now unitary authorities of Portsmouth as the Wessex Group is aware of the and Southampton. The Wessex Group activities and any lessons are shared. exists alongside 10 FE colleges including the specialist land-based college at For example, colleges working in Sparsholt. There is also a small number similar communities along the coastal of school sixth forms in the area. area (Portsmouth, Taunton’s, Itchen, St Vincent, Havant and Totton) The Wessex Group of Sixth Form have created the Solent Colleges Colleges is a diverse group and there Innovation Partnership to investigate is considerable variety in terms of size, ways of developing shared services. curriculum offer, ethnic diversity and The colleges’ close geographical levels of disadvantage. Coupled proximity, together with similarities with this, the sixth form colleges are in the communities they serve, led usually the main competitors for each them to establish this group with other. The tensions that this sometimes a specific purpose. However, the creates could be magnified in a tight lessons and experiences of the group financial climate where the threats of are shared through the Principals’ mergers or closures are more strongly Group (see page 6). felt. However, the colleges recognise the benefits for their students and Similarly, the Wessex Group’s Self- communities of working closely in Development Initiative works through partnership. They believe that they add two sub-groups of colleges with their up to more than the sum of their parts own approaches to peer support and and are mutually strengthened by their review of self-assessment (booklet 5, commitment to collaboration and a page 6). The groups meet together shared vision. Principals are committed periodically in order to ensure that to continuing to fund the partnership the strengths of each group are and want it to do more in the future. shared and the value of different approaches discussed. Colleges in In other words, being clear about both groups take part in an annual common interests and goals means programme of development visits that working together is often less whereby departments needing complicated than it might be. support in a particular aspect of their performance are matched with a department in a college with strengths in that area. 3 The size and concentration of the Three of the 11 colleges were colleges within the Wessex Group of assessed in their most recent Ofsted Sixth Form Colleges mean that together inspections as outstanding for ‘overall they represent more than 11% of sixth effectiveness’ and five were considered form colleges nationally. Approximately to be outstanding in ‘leadership and one in every 25 young people studying management’ and ‘capacity to A Levels in this country does so at a improve’. Of the 55 grades awarded Wessex Group college. by Ofsted to the 11 colleges, none was less than satisfactory and 44 were either 1 – Alton College good or outstanding. 2 – Barton Peveril College 3 – The Sixth Form College Farnborough 4 – Havant College 5 – Itchen College 6 – Peter Symonds College 7 – Portsmouth College 8 – Queen Mary’s College 9 – St Vincent College 1 0 – Taunton’s College 11 – Totton College 4 What we do The Wessex Group of Sixth Form Members are united in their belief that Colleges formed to maximise collective their purpose is to serve the interests strength in ways that provide value for of young people – and in different money and best serve the needs of ways adults – in their respective young people in its communities. communities, without wishing to identify boundaries. Their concern A number of approaches are taken to is for improvement of provision for all achieve this, including: young people in the region, whether • Encouraging and facilitating networks they are already enrolled students, of staff and managers in colleges not yet 16 or, indeed, not enrolled at (see booklets 5 and 6) any of the 11 sixth form colleges. For • Sharing good practice to improve this reason, the members engage in services to students partnership and collaboration with (see booklets 5 and 6) many other institutions and agencies to enhance opportunities for young • Negotiating with service providers people and to avoid damaging the for discounts for group purchases provision of schools, other colleges or (see booklet 8) other interested parties. • Providing local training opportunities Extract from Wessex Group Concordat using external and in-house expertise (see booklet 7) • Collaborating on quality assurance and improvement (see booklet 5) • Responding to and influencing national educational developments (see this booklet). Further detail can be found on all of these activities and approaches in separate resources found in this pack (see references to separate booklets in brackets throughout the resource). 5 How we operate The strategy and direction of the Separate, full day strategy events Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges have been organised approximately is set by the Principals’ Group which every two years which usually signal meets around seven times a year. In the need for a response to major addition to the opportunity to share national changes or particular local ideas and concerns about current circumstances. For example, the group developments locally and within the has met to determine a strategy for sector, there are always agenda items ensuring influence with local authorities requiring a collective decision following the announcement of the or response. Machinery of Government changes in 2009. PRINCIPALS’ GROUP AgENDA Typically, Principals’ Group Sounding board – Principals have agenda include: an opportunity to seek advice from colleagues about a current issue or Partnership business – a report from to develop a shared understanding the Partnership Manager about of a new development. activity, contacts outside the Group eg with joint suppliers, HE, local Report back from external meetings authorities, exam boards. – Principals report back to their colleagues from other organisations Presentations to the group – in the and executives where they have a past these have included exam wider responsibility eg membership board chief executives, university of 14-19 strategy boards, national Vice-Chancellors, the Learning representation on UCAS, the Sixth and Skills Council, directors of Form Colleges’ Forum, Association of children’s services, a Secretary of Colleges, exam boards etc. State, ministers and leaders of major government reviews. Major, current policy discussion – Principals debate and clarify their thinking on the major funding and policy issues of the day. This may lead to a decision to respond jointly to any consultation or to lobby collectively as well as individually for improvement. It may also be the start of a new initiative for the group as a whole. 6 Governors from the colleges’ MEMBERshIP corporations have been involved in shaping the approach taken by the Membership of the Wessex Group is group on major national initiatives, for open to any college which: example via joint strategy evenings or briefing events. • has formally designated as a sixth form college Membership of the Wessex Group was • is located in Hampshire, originally dependent simply on whether Portsmouth or Southampton or the or not the organisation was a sixth form Isle of Wight college within Hampshire, Portsmouth • is a signatory to the Wessex and Southampton. However in 2010, in Group Concordat recognition of the importance placed • agrees to identified levels of upon the role of the Group in working performance which signal the collaboratively on quality assurance need for support and improvement, it was agreed that • agrees to accept support membership should be dependent from other members to improve upon members meeting specific performance where necessary criteria laid down in the Wessex Group • agrees to offer support to other Concordat. members to improve performance where necessary • pays a financial contribution to sustain the Partnership • attends and contributes to Partnership groups and activities • agrees to consideration by existing members of application for membership • agrees to a probationary period followed by assessment of compliance by existing members before membership is confirmed.