LSIS Flexibility and Innovation Fund

Benchmarking and measuring the impact of additional Learning Support in an FE setting

Introduction The overall outcome of the project is a series of six sets of materials which can be used to support the benchmarking of Additional Support Services by providers. This has been done by taking forward the work that each college delivers in relation to measuring the impact of support for those in receipt of Additional Learning Support.

Outcomes A series of six PowerPoint presentations have been produced. The tools can be considered as individual Good Practice Guides which can be used as standalone tools or in combination with one or more of the other five. This allows maximum flexibility. It was decided to use PowerPoint as the format for the tools as this is a type of software which all providers will have access to, and is generally well understood and used by practitioners and managers alike.

Each college was responsible for one of the guides: 1) Differences in the models of ALS delivery and measuring the impact of learning support – Selby College 2) How to develop an ALS policy and guidelines (including practices and procedures to improve the tutor/LSA relationship) – 3) How the observation of teaching and learning can improve the quality of ALS provision – Wilberforce College 4) Career paths and quality standards within ALS - 5) How to improve the measurement and benchmarking of learner voice – 6) How to monitor the notes of Learning Support Assistants and a quality standard for note- taking –

Each PowerPoint has a series of hyperlinks, documents and materials attached. The colleges were unable to upload these onto the Excellence Gateway as there is no facility to do this yet (as per advice from Tim Dumbleton-Thomas). It was decided to use the Excellence Gateway Workrooms to store the materials. The Workroom is titled Additional Learning Support and Alex Fraser of LSIS was informed of this and his username requested so that he can access the materials. At this point it seemed prudent to keep the Workroom closed to a broader readership until the materials are launched.

Approach The materials produced have been developed throughout the project and have been shared and piloted as appropriate. Whole group meetings were held along with visits and smaller group

Page 1 meetings where partner colleges met to discuss particular issues or to share materials/approaches.

Activity included: Researching (including peer to peer visits and telephone discussions) Carrying out primary research Sharing findings and then piloting Focus groups involving learners A shared day carrying out shared observation of teaching and learning of Additional Learning Support Further sharing of findings and establishing benchmarks Identifying areas of good practice and areas for improvement The project was characterised by on-going and frank discussion of common ALS related issues and possible resolution of those issues between the colleges. This has been noted as one of the most beneficial aspects of the project by those involved.

All tools were piloted or reviewed when piloting was not possible. For example, it was impossible to pilot a new borrowed ALS policy in each of the partner colleges. Instead each colleges ALS policy was reviewed and additional elements were piloted alongside the college’s own approach.

A generic glossary of terms was produced to save confusion; the partner colleges used different terms for different roles and so a consensus was achieved and used throughout the materials. The generic glossary is available on the final two pages of each of the PowerPoint presentations.

Additional Learning Support Support provided using funding from the funding agency to meet the needs of learners with a learning difficulty and/or a disability, or from support required to access a progression opportunity or employment, or from literacy, numeracy or language support requirements.

Additional Learning Support Manager Manages the ALS function including deployment of staff, staff Continuing Professional Development, initial assessment, overview of learner needs and whether these needs can be met (this role is not a „manager‟ in all organisations).

Advanced Practitioner A teaching practitioner recognised for excellence in teaching and practice whose role is to lead the support and improvement of the quality of teaching in individuals, teams and the provider as a whole.

Learner Student.

Learning Support Assistant (Also known as Learning Support Practitioner, Teaching Assistant, Learning Guide etc.) Non- teaching staff involved in the support of learners – not required to be a qualified teacher.

Learning Support Tutor Teaching staff supporting learners with learning difficulties and or disabilities, literacy, numeracy or language needs.

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Skills Funding Agency Funds and regulates adult further education and skills training in .

Young People’s Learning Agency Funds and supports the delivery of training and education to all 16 – 19 year olds in England. From April 2012, the YPLA will become part of the Education Funding Agency (EFA).

How the tools will be disseminated The materials have been placed in an Excellence Gateway Workroom which will be open to all users of the Gateway. From the beginning of the project all the partner colleges expressed a need for a central point to collect information about Additional Learning Support; the Gateway could be a useful tool for this. However, the materials will need to be categorised in some way to make navigation easier. For example, at the present time it would appear that the oldest materials placed on the Gateway appear at the top of the list. The workroom would support colleagues to access and use the materials appropriately. The workroom will allow feedback and on-going development of the benchmarks as changes in ALS occur.

Other dissemination routes ALS – local network groups e.g. Yorkshire and Humberside ALS Managers Network City of York Autism Strategy Group City of York Children and Young People‟s (CAMHS) & Adult Mental Health services City of York High Schools City of York Moving into Adult Life Group City of York SEN/D Strategic Group IfL - We plan to contact IfL and request that the materials are signposted in their „Intuition‟ publication. LSIS Learning Fairs – all the partner colleges are keen to share their experiences and findings at one of the fairs. NADP The National Association of Disability Practitioners http://www.nadp-uk.org/ National Association of Disability Practitioners NORVIC group of 6th form colleges – Learning Support Managers North Lincolnshire LDD/vulnerable Post 16 Providers at our next meeting on 27th April Together Trust Manchester Visits from other organisations e.g. are visiting North Lindsey on 25th April to share best practice. Yorkshire & Humber Equality & Diversity Strategy Group

Descriptions of each of the tools Each of the PowerPoint presentations and their associated files have been uploaded on to the Workroom. Each of them is numbered so that it is easy to see which resource is linked to each of the PowerPoint presentations.

Selby College - Differences in the models of ALS delivery and measuring the impact of learning support This resource looks at peer reviewed models of delivery in the partner colleges, including identification of common and local issues.

This resource includes: Peer review of current measures used by the partner colleges to measure the impact of support A review of key current research, reports and consultations linking to ALS and the impact of support Page 3

A Good Practice Guide which includes: Models of delivery for ALS Impact measures of support (using both quantitative and qualitative methods)

York College - How to develop an ALS policy and guidelines (including practices and procedures to improve the tutor/LSA relationship)

This resource includes: A consideration of why an ALS policy is required Pointers to writing a good ALS policy A benchmarked ALS policy which has been reviewed by the partner colleges Guidelines and a policy template

Wilberforce College - How the observation of teaching and learning can improve the quality of ALS provision This resource aims to inform and assist colleagues to develop their own observation of teaching and learning systems for Additional Learning Support using tried, tested and benchmarked procedures.

This resource includes: A toolbox of useful documentation including: generic observation forms for use in class and one to one Guidelines of how to manage the observation process A range of suggestions on additional observation strategies for providers to consider Hints and tips on how to achieve a grade one observation in Additional Learning Support Video clips of Grade 1 Learning Support Assistants at work.

The presentation in the workroom does not contain the video clips because there has not been enough space allotted. It is hoped that when the presentation is uploaded onto the Excellence Gateway that the full PowerPoint can be uploaded.

East Riding College - Career paths and quality standards within ALS This resource compares a range of factors including: the size of the colleges involved in terms of number of learners; staff to learner ratio; pay scales and staff qualifications. The resource then looks at the training of LSA staff.

This resource includes: An ALS staff handbook A sample of “How to” guides Training modules – currently in use Tool boxes providing examples of a range of resources.

Some of the resources have the college logos on them as they have been not only piloted but are in use now.

North Lindsey College - How to improve the measurement and benchmarking of learner voice This resource reviews the methods of gathering learner voice at each of the partner colleges in order to identify best practice/alternatives for maximising the opportunities to gather learner voice. It then explores benchmarking measures and considers whether they can be developed for ALS learner voice.

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This resource includes: Methods of gathering learner voice and issues to consider for each Benchmarking opportunities

Bradford College - How to monitor the notes of Learning Support Assistants and a quality standard for note-taking This resource considers the note-taking support provided to disabled learners by Learning Support Assistants and whether the notes produced are of an appropriate standard.

This resource includes: A checklist and guidance notes for note taking The national standards for note taking Various benchmarks e.g. time between taking notes and sending them to the learner Films discussing good practice

Challenges The colleges involved are very different and this has supported the aims and also raised difficulties within the project. Examples of these differences include: one college had large numbers of deaf learners and the others few; there were also differences in the qualification levels of ALS staff (this appears to be due to local labour market differences, the range of qualifications on offer and the lack of recognised career path within ALS); each college had different policies and procedures (one college‟s Inclusive Learning policy was another‟s ALS policy); and the level of need for support varied enormously across the colleges. Even the terms used to describe different roles and responsibilities were very different across the colleges.

The individuals involved in the project also liaise with organisations outside of the project, and it became clear that the differences highlighted by the project mirror the differences in provision across Additional Learning Support provision generally. The benefit of this is that the materials produced reflect the practice of many providers and the materials have been tested out in a range of settings. However, because of the differences it proved challenging to decide on similarities to benchmark. This influenced the outcomes of the project and the focus of the resources is on providing a useful set of tools that all providers can access, amend and use as appropriate.

A recurring issue throughout the project was finding up to date information as there is no one internet site or organisation which supports Additional Learning Support practitioners. Members of the project found each other very useful in this regard. Much of what they have shared is now referenced in the individual resources. Keeping this up to date may be an issue once the materials have been launched – the Workroom approach could be used to support this. The uploading of files onto the Workroom was hampered by the size of some of the files, particularly those which were in video format. Some of the individual colleges have contacted LSIS directly about this issue and we await advice. It may be that we have to wait until the Excellence Gateway itself is ready to take such files.

Other learning which has taken place The colleges involved have developed their practice throughout the project and this has resulted in significant improvements, including the introduction of graded observation of ALS staff, policy documents and a handbook.

Some colleges have reported a development in their understanding of being involved in projects, and that perhaps they would approach such a project as this differently next time.

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For example working on one of the themes at a time rather than working on all of them at the same time.

Many reported that they have expanded their ALS knowledge in the most supportive way possible. This included the value of reflection with partners/critical friends to drive improvements.

Next steps and concerns The colleges plan to keep in touch as relationships have developed which are strong and supportive. Three of the colleges are planning to work together to look further at issues around initial assessment.

On-going issues throughout the project: Whether Additional Learning Support is sometimes used to support teachers rather than learners. Teachers‟ understanding of how to support disabled learners. Lack of engagement of teaching staff; a number of the colleges‟ ALS departments have offered support to teaching staff but this has not always been accessed. There is no standard of qualifications set for ALS staff and this may become a greater issue following the BIS announcement (via IfL) on 27 March 2012: ‘It is the government’s intention to consult on removing the 2007 regulations requiring the sector’s teachers and trainers to be qualified and registered as IfL members.’ http://www.ifl.ac.uk/about-ifl/the-future-of-ifl Additional Learning Support must continually strive not to reinforce dependency.

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Appendix 1 - meetings Whole group meetings were held with visits and smaller group meetings between

Easter 2010 (Selby College) July 2010 (Wilberforce College) 14 October 2010 (North Lindsey College) 15 December 2010 (York College) 11 February 2011 (Bradford College) 11 April 2011(E Riding College) 16 May 2011 LSIS Community Learning Event, Manchester 15 June 2011 (Selby College) 13 July, Wilberforce College, Disability Information Event 4 July 2011 (York College) 29 September 2011 (Wilberforce College) 29 November 2011(North Lindsey College) 19 January 2012 (Bradford College) 28 February 2012 (East Riding College) 8 March 2012 (East Riding College)

Appendix 2 Signposting reference sheet

Archived Excellence Gateway Management of support for learners. [online] Available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=108216 [Accessed 30 March 2012].

Archived Excellence Gateway, Examples of Good Practice. [online] Available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=107352 [Accessed 30 March 2012]

Archived Excellence Gateway. Managing additional learning support. [online] Available at: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/sflqi/materials/staff_materials/courseware/html/a06_150.ht ml [Accessed 30 March 2012]

LLUK (2010) Awarding organisation guidance: Learning support practitioners roles and initial training qualifications – we were unable to find this online and so a pdf version has been uploaded onto the workroom linked to resource number 4.

LLUK (2007) Guidance for awarding institutions on teacher roles and initial teaching qualifications [online] Available at: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/LLUK%20Teacher%20roles%20and%20initial%20teac her%20training%20guidance%20for%20awarding%20institutions%202007.pdf [Accessed on 30 March 2012]

Ofsted (2007) Direct learning support in colleges: a survey of current practice [online] Available at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/direct-learning-support-colleges-survey-of- current-practice [Accessed on 30 March 2012]

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