Leading the learner voice 2009 - Learning and Skills Improvement ...

2 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceForewordOne of the best ways that student leaders,and the staff that support and teach them,have been able to develop their skills and thequality of the service they offer to students,is through sharing their personal experiences.Three years ago, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service(LSIS) held the first ever Leadership of the Learner Voice awards.Since then we have seen a strong flow of incredibly worthynominees and winners. In 2009 the awards had a record number ofentrants and all were of an incredibly high calibre.In the spirit of celebrating achievements and advances in the field,I am proud to publish this booklet which highlights the incredibleleadership shown by last year’s winners and details how they wereable to put their ideas into practice for the benefit of their students.It is intended that this booklet will not only serve as a usefulreference tool for developing the learner voice agenda furtherwithin your organisation, but also inspire you to think aboutthose who have demonstrated commendable leadership at yourinstitution and may be eligible for nomination for an award.I hope that you enjoy reading these inspiring case studies and cantake something from them. I hope also that you are able to reflectupon your own experiences of leading the learner voice and drawstimulus and further direction from the stories in this booklet.Dame Ruth Silver, DBE, FCGI, MA, Dip Ed.Chair, Learning and Skills Improvement Service

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 5The Launch Pad is a new venture to providepersonalised support for NEET students,98 per cent of whom last year moved on intomainstream curriculum areas.A designated teacher is allocated to support40 ‘looked after’ students through reviews andsupport with course work, and specific support isavailable from learning mentors. An event calledThe Way Ahead involved giving 30 looked afteryoung people in their final two years at school ataste of college life.A targeted support programme for 63 teenageparents to stay in education was put in place,which included two on-site nurseries.Inter-faith dialogue and pastoral support is wellestablished in the college through a multifaithchaplaincy with ten faith representatives fromthe Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist,Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, Jain and Pagan faiths.These are volunteers from the local faithcommunities who support learners and actas a bridge with their communities. They runmultifaith tutorials, organise faith celebrationsand consultation meetings with learners fromdifferent faiths on particular issues.They also provide pastoral support and canliaise with families, staff and learners to dealwith difficult situations with cultural or religiousimplications, such as forced marriage andwearing religious symbols such as the Kirpan,(the ceremonial dagger worn by Sikhs).All these strands form a strategy that has enabledthe college to be able to demonstrate that it hasa harmonious and safe environment where all ofits learners can thrive and feel safe and welcome.Find out more at www.lec.ac.ukNomineesCroydon CollegeA citizen enrichment programme, developedto promote social and community cohesion atCroydon College, has attracted national andinternational interest as a beacon of good practice.When the Singapore Ministry of Educationwanted to find out how community cohesionand citizenship were taught in England, CroydonCollege was recommended by the British Council.The college was also identified by the bodyresponsible for volunteering in England as ‘abeacon to other colleges’ for its enrichmentprogramme and was awarded the status of‘Flagship Centre of Student Volunteering’.The citation for their nomination stated, “Witha commitment to build a cohesive society, thisexemplar practice clearly demonstrates how thecollege is steering and leading this key agendathrough its learners. Where we lead, others arenow following.”The Oldham CollegeFew colleges face as tough a challenge in creatingcommunity cohesion as The Oldham College inGreater Manchester, yet its efforts in bringingethnically divided communities together have beenrated ‘outstanding’ by inspectors from Ofsted.When young people arrive to study at thecollege it will often be their first experience of anethnically diverse educational environment.Most of its students come from areas of highdeprivation and from secondary schools where theperformance at GCSE is among the lowest in theUK. These are schools that are mostly ethnicallydivided, single culture schools, with pupilspredominantly from either Bangladeshi, Pakistani,or white British neighbourhoods.

6 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceOfsted reported, “By directly involving teachingstaff and learners, and by infusing many aspectsof the college curriculum in the autumn term, thecompetition brings life and relevance to the keyaims of the college’s equality and diversity policy.”Ofsted noted, “As a result of this sustained effortacross all areas of the college, there has beena significant increase in the number of learnersgoing onto higher education, and success ratesfor black and minority ethnic learners haveincreased significantly.”Gloucestershire CollegeA strategy for increasing social inclusion amongthe black minority ethnic community has beenin development for seven years at GloucesterCollege and the model has since been used to helpimprove inclusion for other disadvantaged groups.The college took action to address a decline inenrolment among BME students after identifyingthat, “it is not just about achieving a set BME ratioof enrolment, but about raising aspirations andmaking sure there are routes and pathways toachieve this”.The Emagine (Ethnic Minorities AchievingGoals in Education) project was established inpartnership with schools, community groups, andlocal government agencies in Gloucestershire.The perception of the college as a white,middle‐class institution was identified as one of thebarriers to young people moving onto higher skilledtraining and jobs . A lack of frontline, support andteaching staff from BME communities, a lack ofcultural awareness and a lack of awareness todiet and food contributed to this perception.The impact of Emagine was that BME enrolmentsincreased from 7.5 to 11 per cent, BME successrates rose from 61 to 79 percent, equal to that ofwhite students, and 11.2 per cent of staff were ofBME heritage.The college said in its submission that Emagineled to the development of a wider project calledInclude aimed at supporting young people notin education, employment or training (NEET),by offering short concentrated courses andestablishing NEET centres.The Emagine project is now part of the college’score services and no longer requires externalfunding.Bradford CollegeEfforts by Bradford College to promote equality,diversity, and community cohesion have beenrecognised at a regional and national level, andrated ‘outstanding’ by inspectors from Ofsted.In 2009 the college received the National BeaconAward from the Association of Colleges (AoC)for the exemplary practice of its equality anddiversity department.The college was approached by West Yorkshirepolice to pilot an Act Now initiative around anagenda to Prevent Violent Extremism.A member of staff was seconded to manage thepilot to develop community links in Bradford. Thisincluded organising events with students andcommunity members which involved 72 students,and plans were put in place to include 28 schoolsin the city in Act Now activity.The college is a member of the ChampionPrincipals Group seeking to build a greaterawareness of the contribution furthereducation colleges can make in preventingviolent extremism. It was also in the process ofemploying a multi-faith chaplaincy team leader.An Ofsted report published in November 2008,rated the college’s contribution to equality ofopportunity as ‘outstanding’. Inspectors wrote,“The college is widely respected in the diversecommunities it serves.”

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 7Leading learner of the yearWinner: Kate Roberts, apprentice decorator, The OldhamCollege and First Choice HomesAs a female apprentice in a male-dominated environment, KateRoberts worked hard to break down the gender stereotypes thatpersist in the construction industry, while completing her studies atThe Oldham College.Kate decided to become a painter and decoratorat the age of 28 and, fearing she had left hercareer change too late in life, was anxious tocomplete her training in double-quick time.This she achieved by gaining NVQ Levels Twoand Three in only two years instead of the usualthree. She passed both her final exams with adistinction, the only person to do so in her class.However it was not just her aptitude for her newtrade that impressed the judges so much as herdedication to become ‘a positive ambassador’and a fully-qualified mentor for women in thebuilding trade.As well as working and studying hard, she foundtime to work as a volunteer for a project calledWomen into Work, to encourage others to followin her footsteps.The citation for her award said, “Her role asa mentor to help other females within theconstruction environment has enabled manyothers to both enter and succeed in the industry.”She had worked in a variety of temping jobs beforedeciding to switch careers. She initially worked ona self-employed basis before her local job centreintroduced her to the apprenticeship route.The job centre put her in touch with J21, aninitiative funded by Oldham and Rochdale’sHousing Market Renewal (HMR) pathfinderscheme set up by the government in 2004.J21’s remit is to support local businesses andhelp individuals secure construction relatedemployment. She secured an apprenticeship withFirst Choice Homes.Steve Jones, course tutor at the college in GreaterManchester, said, “Kate is an excellent studentand an inspiration to others. Her dedication to thecourse and to achieving her aspirations in life isvery clear.”Kate said, “I had always wanted to do a more‘hands on’ job and loved decorating, so Ichanged my career direction completely.“I achieved my apprenticeship qualificationswithin two years and wouldn’t have been ableto do it without the support from my tutors andfellow students.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 9Andre succeeded in changing this culture byrunning events that appealed to these groups, andthey began to participate in significant numbers.Three end-of-term concerts and a student promheld at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium were a success.He became involved in a beat bullying initiativeby training to be a cyber mentor and led anumber of anti-bullying events across the college.Andre joined the college at 19 as an adult learner,taking a course in basic skills and GCSE Maths.Despite suffering from depression, he has a100 per cent attendance record at college counciland centre council meetings over two years.He stimulated an increase in attendance fromother students and now his centre hosts the mostwell-attended centre council meetings, averaging40 students every month.Amadou Bah – Nescot CollegeSince arriving in the UK four years ago speakinghardly a word of English, Amadou Bah has had anenormous impact on the learner voice at both alocal and a national level.On his first day at Nescot College, in Epsom, Surrey,he picked up an English dictionary to teach himselfthe language, and six months later was proficientenough to be elected as a class representative.His father is well known in Guinea, West Africa,as a political leader and activist and Amadouappears to be following in his footsteps. He hasalready had talks with prime minister GordonBrown and further education minister Sion Simon,through his membership of the National LearnerPanel, created by the government to give learnersa say in the development of further education.The panel provides advice to the government andpolicy makers, and Amadou put forward a strongcase for public sector organisations such as the NHS,schools and councils to employ more apprentices.Carol Martin, the assistant principal, quality atNescot, said, “Amadou is a good role model fora lot of the learners at Nescot. He believes thatanything is possible with a little bit of hard workand this is something he is dedicated to instill inall our learners at Nescot.”Richard Amos – National Star CollegeA wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, Richard Amoshas become a powerful advocate for students atNational Star College, an independent specialistcollege working with learners who have physicaldisabilities and associated learning difficulties.After joining the student union executive hequalified as an advocate and led a newly-formedadvocacy service, providing individuals with avoice to ensure their needs and wishes are madeknown, views respected, and rights protected.Richard supported a number of students ingetting their views heard, sometimes in difficultsituations, and often when faced with a room fullof professionals. He also set up advocacy trainingfor other students at the college in Cheltenham,Gloucestershire.He has subsequently launched, with the supportof a local businessman, an advocacy service calledSpeak to which he has recruited other students.Speak offers peer advocacy, advocacy training,and has a website for sharing information.As vice president of the student union, Richardrepresented students in the developmentand implementation of the college’s LearnerInvolvement Strategy, joined the interview panelfor the recruitment of many staff, and arrangednumerous social events.On a national level he developed a link with theNUS in producing its report into disabled learnersin further education, and he joined the LLUKconsultation group for student liaison officers.

10 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceStudent governor of the yearWinner: Sarah Burton, Sabbatical Students’ Union President,Castle College NottinghamFaced with the challenge of championing the learner voice acrossnine campuses at a college recently formed from the merger of twomedium-sized city colleges, Sarah Burton’s communication skillswere tested to the full.Sarah rose to the challenge by establishing aneffective working relationship with the governorsand the principal, ensuring they were kept informedof student union activities and learner feedback.As a result the college’s corporation agreed to handover sole control of implementing and developingthe Learner Involvement Strategy (LIS) to thestudent union, so impressed were the governors bythe work the union had done in this area.Her commitment to improving quality andachieving significant gains for learner involvementwon her this accolade from Sarah Dennis, thecollege’s vice principal for learning and development.“Sarah has ensured the learner voice is a standingagenda item on our learning and standardscommittee, a sub-committee of the governors,and she makes every effort to contribute to fullboard meetings.Her priority was to begin campaigning forboth better and fairer student rights. She wasinstrumental in launching the Citizen 16 Campaignto ensure the students she represents are gettingthe best deals out of employment and education.She hosted a public rally in Nottingham MarketSquare to campaign for equal pay and rights forapprentices, and liaised with local MPs to establisha Nottinghamshire Pledge which called for equalrights for apprentices with local organisations.With the support of her executive team, shealso developed monthly awareness events andcross‐college campaigns including an equalityand diversity week, a Green Attitude sustainabilityevent, and a Respect Campaign.“She is an active member of many of the collegemanagement meetings including academicboard, equality and diversity, and learningand standards, all of which influence qualityimprovement across the college.”Sarah combines her role as student governor withbeing sabbatical president of the student union,a role she took on in August 2008. This was thefirst full-time paid union post at Castle CollegeNottingham, formed in 2006 when People’sCollege merged with Broxtowe College.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 11Sarah has been instrumental in contributingto cross-college working groups, including thedevelopment of classroom observations and tothe development of individual learning plansfor students, known as ILPs. She was also oninterview panels for management posts.In addition, she supported the college indeveloping a new code of conduct and disciplinaryprocedure for students, as well as helping to shapean anti‐bullying policy.A ‘rate my classroom’ scheme was introduced bySarah to enable students to have a voice on thequality of their learning environment, with thefeedback used in the allocation of rooms.She impressed judges of the learner voice awardswith “her across the board passion for learnerinvolvement and the incredible amount of activityshe has overseen.”Jen Hope, the college’s student liaison officer,said, “Sarah makes the most of every opportunityto integrate students into the decision-makingprocesses throughout the organisation.“She is a passionate and dedicated studentleader and a strong advocate of an enriching andexciting student experience for all. Not only doesshe believe in an effective student voice, she alsovalues the importance of enjoying college.“She has created an exciting range of opportunitiesto integrate a diverse population of studentsthrough having fun.”Not only is Sarah a driving force behind learnerinvolvement at a local level, she is also active ona national level, being the elected representativefor the East Midlands NUS constituency and amember of the National Learner Panel.Find out more at www.castlecollege.ac.ukNomineesRory Roberson, Student Union President,Student Governor and Chair of theQuality Improvement Strategy Team(QIST), Worcester College of TechnologyRory became immersed in learner voice activitywithin a month of joining the college as an A-levelstudent, becoming a course representative andputting himself forward in student by-elections.He was elected finance officer for the union andwas offered the role of chair of the student QualityImprovement Strategy Team (QUIST). He waseventually elected president of the student unionand student governor, He delivered a presentationto the members of the board which led to thecollege increasing its block grant to the union.Under his leadership the student union wasrestructured. The new roles of black students’officer and disabled students’ officer were created.The citation for his nomination stated, “He hasled by example and given other students theconfidence and reassurance to believe that ahealthy dialogue with the college managersis beneficial, not only for their own personaldevelopment, but will help Worcester College ofTechnology students for generations to come.”James Collins, Student Union President,Chichester CollegeWhen James Collins arrived at Chichester Collegehe carried with him a prediction from his formerschool teachers that “he would never amount toanything”.Staff at Chichester College, however, have a moreoptimistic forecast for his future following hisadeptness in promoting the student voice overa four-year period in a variety of roles, includingthat of student governor.

12 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceHe joined the college to study for a nationaldiploma in sport and quickly became involvedin learner voice activities, becoming an activemember of the student executive.He played a crucial role in the college’s decisionto create a sabbatical student union president.He argued that for many presidents, thecombination of a full-time course, part time work,and being president meant that one of theseduties suffered.He campaigned in a hotly contested electionand became the first sabbatical president, a posthe held for two years. He took a team leadingqualification while in this role.As president and student governor, he hasrepresented the voice of students through manyforums. He was a member of Sussex YouthParliament and had regular meetings with WestSussex County Council cabinet members.John Clayton, Cornwall College, StudentUnion President, Cornwall CollegeA major challenge for John Clayton as studentgovernor of Cornwall College was to knit togetherrepresentatives from seven sites nearly 50 milesapart into a coherent and compelling student voice.He regularly visited the sites and worked with theNUS to provide coaching and training for unionofficers representing around 60,000 students.He established regular student voice meetingson all campuses. At these meetings, local andcorporate managers conducted an open studentforum for a question and answer session. Workingwith colleagues, he developed a ‘you said, we did’system to ensure students are kept in the loopabout how their suggestions are implemented.John had been successful in establishing thestudent perspective as a vital component of thedecision-making process and showing himself tobe adept at setting the agenda.He also spearheaded ‘managers’ pledges’ inwhich each of the 70 most senior managersare invited on an annual basis to make a publiccommitment to a particular action plan designedto directly improve the student experience.Philip Rees, chair of governors, said, “John isalways well prepared on the big issues. Hisfellow governors have relied on him providingthe student perspective and he has done soconsistently and effectively.”Zoe Waycott, Student Governor andPresident of the Student Union, SouthDevon CollegeWhile undertaking the role of student governorat South Devon College, Zoe Waycott providedinsightful information to the governing bodywhich served to increase its understanding ofstudent need. She became the first studentgovernor to speak at the college’s annual dayof celebration when she addressed staff andstudents.The college serves the towns of Torquay, Paigntonand Brixham, and South Devon. Zoe contributed tothe college’s partnerships with schools by visitinglocal comprehensives and explaining the college’sethos and the opportunities it offers.Working with other members of the studentunion, Zoe developed the student magazine calledStudent Voice. Student societies have flourishedduring her time as governor. Following a freshers’week at which societies were launched, ideas fornew societies were sought from students. Zoe, whostudied A Levels in law, business, and sociology,combined her role as governor with that ofpresident of the student union.As a governor, she had a major input into thecollege’s Ofsted inspection in November 2008.She emphasised the positive contribution learnersmake to the college and the productiveness ofpartnerships with schools and employers.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 13Representative organisation of the yearWinner: BSix Brooke House Sixth Form CollegeTeachers are used to having their lessons observed and graded byOfsted inspectors, their college managers, and even by their peers.But BSix Brooke House Sixth Form College has taken the process onestep further by getting students to review teachers’ performance.It is one of a number of radical and uniqueinitiatives the college in Hackney, East London,has introduced to enhance the learner voice andinvolve students in all important processes aroundteaching and learning.A Learning Advocate Programme in which around20 students are trained to carry out Ofsted stylelesson observations has been instigated.The Learning Advocates (LAs), with one male andone female selected from each tutor group, aretrained over a three-week period by Philip Elliott,the deputy principal for curriculum and qualitywho is also an Ofsted inspector.The LAs receive their training alongside groupsof teachers who observe lessons. They are alsotrained in more general, life and work skills such aspresentation, argument and negotiation.It is not the only way the LAs are involved inquality assessment. They also take part in‘mystery shopper’ activity where they sampleevery aspect of student services, write reportson their findings, and meet with the relevantmanager to give feedback.Further, the LAs write a student self-assessmentreport (SAR) which feeds into the wholecollege SAR. They also report regularly to thesenior management team and to the board ofgovernors’ standards committee.Philip described the LAs as an elite group in termsof the skill set they develop, not in terms of thecriteria used for selection.“They develop higher level skills of debate,negotiation, delivering information, and in meetingand communicating with stakeholders, includingmanagers and senior managers,” he explained.“They provide powerful student voiced feedbackto the college on a variety of areas of college life,and provide role models and peer support forother students across the college.”In addition to setting up the LA programme,the college is recruiting and training a team ofstudent researchers to carry out specific researchprojects on themes including: “What is the impactof homework?” and “Why does a particular classhave an attendance problem?”

14 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceThere is also a well-developed studentrepresentative scheme within the college with 120appointed, of which 80 are fully active. They aretrained in their role and regularly run meetingswith their peers to canvas views about aspects ofcollege life and report back to their managers.Some groups are trained in assessment andparticipate in peer assessment in which studentspair up, mark and give feedback on each otherswork regularly throughout their course.Students contribute to the recruitment of newteachers. They participate in a lesson and areasked for their feedback by the lesson observer. Thefavoured candidates, as agreed by the observerand the students, are taken forward for interview.Ken Warman, BSix’s principal, said theseinnovations have had a major impact inimproving the performance of teachers andstudents. “Our students will vouch for the topquality teaching and learning we offer,” he said.“A national A-Level report rates our teachingand learning as excellent and our students’performance as outstanding. The national leaguetable for 2009 places us in the top three per centof all schools and colleges for value-added atadvanced level.“The college is totally committed to giving itsstudents a say in the decisions that affect theirlives and learning at the college. It wants itsstudents to contribute to all aspects of collegeimprovement from teaching and learning tostudent support.”As a result of their work, the college was awardedFocus College status by British Colleges Sport andthe Football Association for driving forward newinitiatives in football development work. It is one ofonly ten colleges nationwide to receive the status.Find out more at www.bsix.ac.ukNomineesSouth Devon College – SportsDevelopment OfficersThe number of students taking part in sportsactivities increased substantially at South DevonCollege after five students were engaged towork on a voluntary basis as sports developmentofficers.The college, whose main campus is in Paignton,set out to boost the participation of studentsaged 16 to 19 in sports and other physicalenrichment activities, with a particular emphasison creating opportunities for female students andstudents with disabilities.The sports development officers took on theirroles in September 2008 and supported thenewly‐appointed Further Education SportsCo‐ordinator (FESCO). Their task was to workclosely with sports lecturers and the students’union to develop a varied programme of activities.The five, Kim Hurley, Dan Willatt, Jason Dingley,Matthew Reed and Dan Griffiths, all had a keeninterest in playing and coaching football. Theywere working towards achieving the NVQ levelthreequalification in sports development, beingrun for the first time as a pilot.As a result of their efforts, regular coachingsessions for both male and female studentswith disabilities were inaugurated. They helpedto organise and run the South West RegionalChampionships in five-a-side football for studentswith learning disabilities which attracted eightcolleges to the college’s Vantage Point campus.They were asked to look into setting up clubsand teams. A ladies football team and a teamfor male students with learning disabilities wereformed and maintained, and intra-college footballtournaments for male and female students of allabilities were established.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 15The success of the sports development officersand their high profile around the college has seena huge increase in new applications to join thecourse in the next academic year. With a biggerteam in place, there are plans to expand thesports enrichment programme and create newinitiatives in different sports.As a result of their work, the college was awardedFocus College status by British Colleges Sport andthe Football Association for driving forward newinitiatives in football development work. It is one ofonly ten colleges nationwide to receive this status.Humber Apprentice PanelThe public perception that apprenticeships are for‘less capable’ people and are a second best optionto college and other academic forms of educationare popular misconceptions that the HumberApprentice Panel (HAP) has set out to tackle.The Panel is the first apprentice-only paneland was set up in September 2007 to developcollaboration and communication betweenapprentices and provide an outlet for their voiceto be heard for the benefit of all their numberacross the Humber sub region.Six apprentices sit on the panel, giving their timevoluntarily to pursue four specific objectives to:• z promote apprenticeships to young people• z raise awareness of apprenticeships toemployers• z inform decision makers, key influencers andstakeholders• z set up an apprenticeship forum.In its first 18 months of existence it met withgovernment officials and organisations at alocal and national level to help shape policy anddelivery of work-based training.The former Department of Innovation,Universities and Skills (DIUS) was keen to workwith the panel to identify how apprenticeshipexpansion might be achieved.The panel also met with DIUS to discuss thepublication of World Class Apprenticeships, adocument which outlined the government’sstrategy for the future of apprenticeships.The panel held numerous meetings withinspectors from Ofsted to discuss changes to thecurrent inspection process and provide feedbackto inform the development of a new process.The inspectors were keen to obtain the viewsof apprentices as they often found it difficultto engage with them during inspections. HAPhas also worked closely with the Learning andSkills Council to develop and review the LearnerInvolvement Strategy.An electronic forum was set up to enableapprentices to view video blogs, share successstories, and catch up on the HAP topics.Success Boards were produced to promoteapprenticeships in secondary schools. Thesefeatured non-stereotypical images of former pupilswho had progressed onto apprenticeships andhighlighted their achievements and successes.Canterbury College Students’ UnionThe students’ union at Canterbury Collegedemonstrated an impressive track record oflearner engagement and representation,highlighted by a huge increase in voter turnout incross-college elections.Not only did turnout increase by 700 per cent forthe elections, but there was also a 50 per centincrease in the number of nominees for the tenposts that were up for grabs.The ten elected representatives have since workedon a range of campaigns to deliver real changesto the student experience at the college.

16 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceStaff supported these volunteers with trainingand advice. Together they worked to ensure thestudents’ union is relevant and central to college life.The union set out to stimulate learner involvementfrom the start with a series of innovative events.One was to host union parliaments every halfterm. These were attended by between 50 and 60course representatives to further embed learnerengagement.As a consequence, the union focused on thedevelopment of higher education courses throughIntegrated Quality and Enhancement Review(IQER), which is specially devised for highereducation in further education colleges in England.Other achievements include the developmentof new ID lanyards for all students to improvesafety and behaviour, improved catering provisionacross the college, and organising 110 culturalenrichment trips over the course of the year.In addition, the union focused on equality anddiversity for all students, raised more than £3,000for charities, and issued 500 free condoms everymonth. The union also supported the NUS intraining, campaigns and conferences.Tony Payne, the student activities manager, said,“The students’ union continually strives to deliver anexcellent level of service to its members and be one ofthe best representative organisations in the country,active in local and national campaigns.”Palmers CollegeIt was a novel idea that was eagerly adoptedand proved to be a resounding success. Studentssuggested that an online election take place to votein the student executive at Palmer’s College in Essex.It resulted in more than 1,500 students votingon the college’s intranet. That representedaround three-quarters of the student body andeasily surpassed the turnout for any previouscollege election.The student executive provides a platform fortwo‐way communication between students, seniormanagement, and the board of the college, asixth-form college in Grays catering for more than2,000 students studying A levels, BTECs, BusinessTechnology or the International Baccalaureate.Weekly meetings between the student executiveand the assistant principal for student servicesand other teaching staff ensure that the learnervoice is heard on a regular basis. The collegedeems direct contact between students andmanagement to be integral to improving thelearner experience.Another student-led initiative was theintroduction of Principal’s Question Time in whicheach of the 85 tutor group representatives wereinvited to a question and answer session withsenior management including the principal.Numerous questions were posed by studentsranging from student space issues to parking andsecurity issues. Nearly 200 students attended theevent, which due to its success is now going to beheld regularly.It resulted in the canteen being decorated inmore vibrant colours and space-saving breakfastbars installed, and the college is exploring asuggestion that plans for improvements to alower student centre include a graffiti wall.Two new students groups, a Christian Unionand a Gospel group, have been introduced atstudents’ request, and an anti-litter campaignwas successfully mounted.The college received praise for the way it putsthe needs of its learners first in a report by Ofstedinspectors who looked at the way the learner voicewas captured. The college was rated ‘outstanding’.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 17Student liaison officer of the yearWinner: Adele Burrow, Lancaster and Morecambe CollegeIt may be a relatively small college with just 3,300 students but thelearner voice is having a big impact at Lancaster and MorecambeCollege (LMC) due to the “enormous drive and commitment” ofstudent liaison officer Adele Burrow.The task of turning student ideas and drive fromlearners into reality often falls to a college’sstudent liaison officer and Adele quicklydemonstrated she has the ‘X Factor’ to makethings happen.On her appointment she set up a programmeof lunchtime training events for studentrepresentatives, and within a year the number ofactive student representatives increased by 43per cent.As a result, LMC has an active and thrivingstudents’ union, unusual in a college of its size.There are now a plethora of clubs and societiesrun by the students, overcoming the challenge setby the college’s large catchment area.With some students travelling from 50 milesaway into Cumbria and Yorkshire, arrangingextracurricular activities has always presented anumber of logistical obstacles to student activitiesand representation, but these have been overcome.Two student conferences were organised whichled to significant improvements for students.One consequence was a careers day which isset to become an important event in the collegecalendar. A music festival took place at the startof the year which led to different groups ofstudents mixing in and making friends.Class representative Alex Driver offered his viewon how the learner voice has developed during histime there. “I have been at LMC for a few yearsand it has improved a lot,” he said. “There is muchmore active feedback from students throughthe student conference and student council andstudents are willing to stand up and say whatthey believe in.“The student council is a good way of raising theprofile of the changes that are being made as aresult of our ideas and we get to find out what’shappening across the college. We are then able tosay what we think as students and input into bigcollege developments.”Adele also worked with students and staff torevise the college’s anti-bullying strategy. Anew procedure was passed in April 2009 whichincluded a new bullying alert form, a ‘bully box’,and strategies and mediation tips.

18 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceThe NUS North recommended that threecolleges, Myerscough, Blackpool and Flyde, andSouthport, look at the processes she instigated.Valerie Osborne, the college’s student servicesand marketing manager, said, “Adele, throughenormous drive and commitment, has moved thestudent voice to centre stage at LMC.“She has worked tirelessly with students to embedeffective student representation into the life ofthe college. As a result, well-trained and informedstudents are now driving significant culturalchange across the organisation to enable LMC tobe truly learner centred.”Louise Evans, LMC’s health and safety manager,said, “Adele has the ‘X Factor’. She galvanises thelearner voice and brought it to the heart of all wedo. We used to think we had an idea what thestudents wanted and needed. We didn’t. Adelehas single-handedly turned that around.“We now plan, implement, and evaluate ouractivities with Adele and the students and this hashelped change the image of health and safety. Wewant students to be risk aware, not risk averse, andAdele has embraced this. She put the sparkle intoour ‘sparkle day’ and has helped transform theway we communicate with students.”Stuart Rimmer, the college’s quality and marketingdirector, added, “Students now have manyopportunities to have their say in the way thecollege is run, how we deal with issues affectingstudents, and how they would like to see thecollege develop.“This learner involvement is vital for the organisationin terms of offering a rewarding and fulfillingstudent experience, alongside our established highqualityprofessional teaching and learning.”Find out more at: www.lmc.ac.ukNomineesDr Steven Kern – City and IslingtonCollegeWhen Steven took up the post of student unionco-ordinator in 2006, there were no volunteeringopportunities offered by the students’ union,nor was volunteering promoted. He establishedcontact with Volunteering England and hasintegrated volunteering opportunities within theunion framework.He established links with organisations andcharities such as Action Aid, People and Planet, TheSimon Community, and Beatbullying. More than100 students helped to transform rivers and canalsin conjunction with Thames 21.There were 57 applications for 15 places ona five-week, fully funded Raleigh volunteeringexpedition to India. Raleigh was so impressed bythe quality of the candidates that it took 18.Attendance at student council meetings hasincreased year on year. An online voting systemfor student elections was introduced resultingin votes soaring by 70 per cent, and studentrepresentatives have acted as ‘mystery shoppers’giving feedback on college services.Rav Dhillon – Greenwich CommunityCollegeAn on-site sexual health clinic and an increasein educational trips were among the learner-ledchanges that took place at Greenwich CommunityCollege following the appointment of Rav Dhillon asstudent liaison officer.She is credited with developing and raising theprofile of the students’ union and enablinglearners to feel empowered and achieve beyondtheir expectations.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 19There was an increase in voting in student elections,an uptake of nominations for positions, and anexpansion of elections. Efforts were made toencourage all students to make a difference withinthe college through campaigning, setting up a clubor society, or voting for their peers.Rav also put in place support to build the skills andcompetencies of students who wished to be partof the student executive team. She ensured thatcourse representatives were elected on every courseincluding all general interest and ESOL classes.The submission for her nomination said, “Shecontinually advocates on behalf of students andidentifies creative ways to implement learner voiceactivities in the college. The latest evidence of thiswas a learner conference led and facilitated by thestudents themselves.”Wendy Wallaker – South East EssexCollege of Art and TechnologyWendy established the Disability InvolvementGroup in 2005. As a result, learners with a hugevariety of complex needs have been providedwith an opportunity to have their say andcontribute to the learner experience.Regular group meetings are held which aredesigned to enable learners to set and lead theirown agenda. They are asked to reflect on theservices the college provides, to brainstorm whatis good about studying there with a disability, andto state where things could be done better.Their achievements are wide and varied and includea review of the college prospectus to ensure widerrepresentation of people with disabilities.A priority lift-queuing system was introduced toenable students to arrive for lessons on time afterrefreshment and toilet breaks, and a number ofaccess and safety improvements were putin place.The group is so passionate and confidentregarding its contribution to college life that it hasbecome a beacon of best practice. It is regularlyasked to meet with consultants, Ofsted inspectors,and visitors to the college.The group has been invited to review andcomment on provision and services at othercolleges. It has also been asked to audit thecollege library and evaluate the canteen.Natasha Millward – Dudley CollegeThe students’ union at Dudley College was held inlow esteem by students and staff before NatashaMillward was appointed student liaison officer inOctober 2007 and brought a fresh perspective tothe Learner Voice and student empowerment.“It had a low profile, viewed simply as a place topick up a discount card,” one student said. “Veryfew realised that the union was a representationalorganisation for students, with the capacity toachieve greater things.”Since then Natasha implemented a classrepresentative system, trained hundreds ofrepresentatives, supported the union executiveteam, and engaged hundreds more students ininspiring and exciting projects to promote thelearner voice.Her first challenge was to reform the classrepresentative system. She decided to completelyrewrite the policy for the system to make theprocess much clearer.She also wrote the Learner InvolvementStrategy with the union’s president SophiaDaly, consulting students, governors and seniormanagement throughout the process. Studentsnow feel empowered to raise issues about theircourse or college life in general through severaldifferent forums, including student council,college committees, and student governors.

20 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practicePrincipal or senior leader of the yearWinner: Barry Hansford, Head of Learner Support,Northampton CollegeHolding the conviction that effective learner involvement is crucial toNorthampton College’s journey towards excellence, Barry Hansfordset about developing a strategy to join up all aspects of thelearner voice.Barry Hansford created a detailed model forlearner feedback and comment, demonstratingthat he does not just pay lip service to listening tolearners but really attempts to consider the studentvoice within every decision the college takes.He linked the learner voice into a packed studentactivities calendar, which included learnerconferences, listen to learners’ forums, and alearner voice week. He supported students inorganising these events and attendances soaredas a result.As head of learner support at the college, Barryholds the firm belief that involving learners inall aspects of college life impacts positively onquality improvement. He continually works underthe mantra that “only what is best for our learnersis good enough for us”.When he first joined the college the studentunion was well established but had failed to reachits potential for several years. To make it moreeffective, he launched the Learner InvolvementStrategy in mid 2007.Key members of staff were encouraged to providelearners with clear guidance and informationabout the union’s purpose, detailing theexpectations placed upon them to ensure thestudent body developed as a self-determined andgoverned community.Student governors were invited to representlearners’ views to the college’s senior managersand work with the student union to develop thelearner experience. The course representativesystem was given fresh impetus by hostingtraining and networking events.Listen 2 Learner forums and faculty forums weredesigned to run hand-in-hand to allow learnersto discuss teaching and learning related issuesas well as cross-college issues that are not facultyrelated.A learner conference, robustly backed by collegemanagement, is held during the spring termwith information gathered to enlighten thequality improvement process, and a learnervoice week has become an integral part of thecollege calendar.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 21Mark Owen, the college’s learner support manager,said the learner voice is growing exponentiallyas result of Barry’s initial vision and drive. Therehas been a 300 per cent increase in attendanceat the learner conference, nearly 200 courserepresentatives have been recruited, and 80 learnersattended the first ‘principal’s question time’.Mark added, “The first-hand information we gainfrom our learners means that we are not justdoing what we think they would like but whatthey actually do like.“As a result, communication between staff andstudents has reached an all time high and a realfeeling of togetherness has developed. Learnersneeds are at the heart of everything we do, andthe information gained from them has becomepart of our decision-making process.“We recognise that we are still getting to knoweach other and that we are still only part of theway along our journey to engage successfullywith each and every learner, but the success ofour partnership to date means we are now ableto understand the weak points in our relationshipand understand what our strengths are.”The learner voice has also impacted on stafftraining, with Barry working with learners to developcontinuing professional development activities.He said, “Meeting and talking to our learners in away that I have not done for a number of years,and certainly not since I was a class tutor fiveyears ago, has been a very humbling experiencefor me.“It has reminded me that all the strategies inthe world will have no real impact until we sitand really listen to what our learners are tellingus. Even more important is to then actually dosomething about it.”Find out more at www.northamptoncollege.ac.ukNomineesPatricia Denham, Vice Principal, SouthDevon CollegePatricia joined the college in 2004 and putthe learner voice at the heart of the college’simprovement strategy. She ensured that learnerviews were gathered, acted upon, and informedeverything from governance and the learningexperience, to the food served in the canteen.She greatly improved the college’s tutorialsystem, putting the learner voice at the heartof the curriculum, leading to inspectors judgingthat tutorials are ‘particularly effective’. Shealso promoted the use of the college’s VirtualLearning Environment to allow students to giveformal feedback to teachers.Five years after her appointment, Ofstedinspectors visited – leadership and managementwere deemed ‘outstanding.’Chris Morecroft, Principal, WorcesterCollege of TechnologySince his appointment as principal in 2002, ChrisMorecroft has led a transformation in the waythat learners interact with senior leaders andmanagers to inform and lead decision making.Central to his plan for the college was thecreation of the Student Quality ImprovementStrategy Team (QUIST) to provide learners withthe opportunity to contribute to college matters.He set up QUIST to work alongside a QualityManagement Team (QTM) responsible formonitoring standards and improvements. ThePresident of the student union and chair ofthe student QUIST, Rory Roberson, said, “TheQUIST has given me an insight into how thecollege is run and how everything works. Beinggiven the role of chair has been both inspiringand educational.”

22 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceMost improved provider of the yearWinner: Bradford College Students’ UnionFollowing a three-year period during which the leaner voice had virtuallybecome mute through inactivity, a total rejuvenation of the studentunion took place at Bradford College between 2008 and 2009.Significant challenges needed to be overcomefor the union to regain credibility and increase itsstanding within the college, as both students andstaff had become disillusioned with it.The union was viewed as ineffective and neithergroup wanted to engage with it, but within ashort space of time great strides were taken inresurrecting the union as a significant exponentof the voice of students.To get students onside, processes were set up topromote what the union does and encouragestudents to get involved. To get staff onside,meetings and discussions were held with staff indifferent college departments to raise awarenessof the union and how effective it can be infacilitating learner involvement and voice.Subsequently a new democratic committee wasset up, union elections held with a seven-foldincrease in voter turnout, and the union alsobegan representing individual students throughthe sabbatical president and vice-presidenteducation and welfare.Central to the achievement of these objectiveswas the union taking a lead in developing thecourse representative system. As a result, with thesupport of the college’s Quality Improvementand Performance Unit (QIP), more than 450course representatives were elected.Previously there had been no training set up tohelp the course representatives perform their roleseffectively. Now more than 300 representativesattended training sessions between Octoberand February.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 23The training was organised by the union withsupport from QIP. They illustrated the role of thestudent union in providing independent adviceand support to student representatives within thecollege.A further initiative to strengthen the learner voicewithin Bradford College frameworks was a newstudent union constitution, which was drawn upand led to a new democratic structure being putin place in December 2008.Consequently the executive committee has aconstant student membership of five electedofficers throughout the year and meetingsare held every ten college days. A UnionParliament was set up comprised of 40 courserepresentatives, student governors, sixth formcentre representatives, and union executiveofficers. The number of students voting in unionelections increased seven-fold.The processes ensured that learners not onlyhave the mechanisms to raise feedback, but areempowered to do so in the knowledge they will belistened to. To overcome the reluctance of studentsto take part in consultations and committees theelected officers and staff met students so theywere aware of the purpose of the meetings.A further challenge was that the increasedprofile of the union led to an increase in theexpectations and pressures faced by voluntaryofficers. These officers often came to postwith high expectations of what they wantedto achieve, but were frustrated by the timeconstraints of their studies.In response, both the sabbatical officer andstaff members were provided to support them.In addition, a new dedicated office with IT andphone facilities were put into operation, withextra space for individual working and meetings.Find out more at: www.bradfordcollege.ac.ukNomineesLancaster and Morecambe CollegeBack in 2005 the student union had no officialbudget or officers. The following year a studentliaison officer was appointed on a one-day-a‐weekbasis and the union was given a base within thecollege. Student elections were held and twoofficers elected. It was also the first year thattraining was provided for class representatives.In 2007 the college’s Learner InvolvementStrategy was approved and launched, twostudent governors were in place who attendednational training, and elections were held foreight student officer posts. Students also sat oncross-college committees and an anti-bullyinggroup of five students and five staff was set up.In the academic year 2008 to 2009 the learnervoice grew exponentially. The number of classrepresentatives trained now totalled 95, anincrease of 54 on the previous year. Studentswere represented on an increasing numberof committees.Dave Wood, the college’s principal, said, “Thestudent voice has moved to centre stage at LMC.‘You said and we did’ has become our mantraand is driving significant cultural change.”Northampton CollegeThe learner voice took on a new dimensionat Northampton College when a programmewas introduced to involve learners in lessonobservations in an initiative designed to drive upthe quality of teaching and learning.The college said too much of its teaching, 31 percent, was rated ‘satisfactory’ and that was notgood enough. It set up a pilot scheme involvinglearners who were appropriately trained togive formal graded feedback in paired lessonobservation with experienced observers.

24 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceOf the six teachers observed, five said they wouldbe willing to have a learner co-observe theirlessons again. One teacher said, “It is interestingand thought provoking to have their views on thelessons.” One learner said, “I felt I was helping thecollege by my own views and opinions, makingthe college a better place.”The college said the scheme put learners at theheart of the quality assurance process and provideda foundation on which to build for the future.Thomas Rotherham CollegeA number of firsts in the development of thelearner voice at Thomas Rotherham Collegein South Yorkshire were recorded during aground‐breaking 12 months to April 2009. For thefirst time the student union ran fully democraticelections to vote in eight officers on the studentcouncil. For the first time a student liaison officerwas appointed.Also for the first time a student representativesystem for every department and every subjectwas set up and a student union constitution wasratified. In total 84 student representatives wereelected and training provided.The student representatives and the studentcouncil meet regularly to ensure the student voiceis consulted and heard, not just on academic andsocial issues, but on every aspect of college life.Focus groups were established to secure studentopinion on tutorial arrangements.Student council members became involved inthe appointment of senior staff, giving feedbackfrom mock lessons and becoming part of theappointment process.Lewisham College – The Rap ProjectA new strategy to take the learner voice to thenext level has been developed at LewishamCollege in south east London. It involves studentscarrying out action research into the issues thatshape their learning.Learner involvement is central to the college’sstrategic plan set out in a document titledAchieving Ambitions.In this document the college pledges thatlearners will “gain not only qualifications andconfidence but also understand the value oftheir contribution and the consequence oftheir actions”.To achieve this, a Research Action Project, knownas RAP, has been set up in which students bringup issues of concern which then become thefocus of peer research. RAP aims to enablelearners to be engaged in the process of changeacross the college and for learners to find a voice,get involved, and make a contribution.Alex More, head of student services, explained,“At Lewisham College, the drive to give learnersmore control over their learning is a priority.”Students have helped to shape the LearnerInvolvement Strategy through action researchgroups. Working alongside tutors, developmentstaff, and senior managers, the research hasimpacted on the college’s decision making.RAP has also helped to heighten staff awarenessof learners’ views and desires and has increasedthe responsiveness of teachers and tutors.The council have run sub-groups, again for the firsttime, including enterprise society, a charities group,and an LGBT group for students self defined aslesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgendered.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 25Provider of the yearWinner: Castle College NottinghamThe pictures hanging side by side at each of its three main campusesspeak volumes about Castle College Nottingham’s commitment to thelearner voice.Alongside a photograph of the college’s seniormanagement team is framed a picture of thestudent leadership board.“We do this to highlight the importance and theintegration of the two teams,” Sarah Dennis,the college’s vice principal for learning anddevelopment, said.“The collaboration between the staff and studentleadership teams proves that working together tomeet the needs and interests of students does leadto a vibrant and engaging learning environment.”Castle College Nottingham was formed asrecently as 2006, the result of a merger betweenBroxtowe College and the People’s College, anddecided to put the learner voice at the centre ofits strategic development from the outset.Just two years after its formation, the collegestood out from the crowd by becoming one ofjust a handful of further education colleges tohave a full-time, salaried sabbatical officer.Sarah Burton was appointed its first sabbaticalpresident in September 2008 and has sincebeen appointed to the National Learner Panel,which was set up to give learners a say in thedevelopment of further education at nationallevel, advising the government, the Learning andSkills Council and other organisations involved inmaking the decisions.The students’ union executive team were givendirect responsibility for the college’s LearnerInvolvement Strategy which was drawn up to takethe college forward until 2011.

26 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceThe three-year strategy states, “The collegebelieves that learners have key roles to playin self‐assessment, self-improvement, andpolicy‐making procedures.“Embracing learner views and offering structuredopportunities for learners to have directinvolvement in assessing and shaping their ownlearning experience will have a significant andeffective impact on developing the college’squality‐improvement processes, increasing learnersuccess, and developing our learners as effectivecitizens in the wider community.”Putting this into practice, the student unionexecutive officers attend all important collegemanagement meetings. Students are also involvedin a number of working groups and projects toplan and review policies and strategies such asthe learner code of conduct and disciplinaryprocedures.Sarah Dennis said that Castle College takesevery opportunity to integrate students into thedecision-making processes. She cited the ‘RateMy Classroom’ scheme as one example of thepower and influence of the student voice.“Students have been empowered to directlyoffer feedback on the quality of their learningenvironment, through rating their classrooms, andto directly influence the development of thesespaces,” she added.The sabbatical president is at the heart of thisinvolvement. Sarah Burton said, “Working withinnovative and open-minded colleagues ensuresthe progression of a learner-led college.”Ofsted has recognised learner involvement as akey strength of the college. It was awarded gradeone for this in 2009 by inspectors who describedits responsiveness to and the involvement oflearners as ‘outstanding’.Find out more at: www.castlecollege.ac.ukNomineesLeicester CollegeIn 1999 when the Leicester College was formedthere was no course representative system andvery few formal mechanisms for learners toinfluence their own learning experience. Thereare now more than 500 course representativesacross all 12 curriculum areas, ensuring that allits 26,000 students can be heard, including thosewith learning difficulties and disabilities. All courserepresentatives receive dedicated training andsupport from the student liaison team to equipthem for these roles.Maggie Galliers, Leicester College’s principal, said:“We recognise it is not enough for learners justto be consulted. They need to be co-producersof their educational experience, as well asco‐producers of successful college outcomes.“Everyone appreciates we are only here for thelearners and they are the key people who canmake the college outstanding. It is amazing tosee so many learners gain in confidence as theycarry out their course representative roles. Theyare developing hugely valuable skills for later life.”Telford College of Arts and TechnologyThe Learner Involvement Strategy is now in itsfourth year in which time it has evolved andstrengthened to ensure it captures learners’ viewsfrom all areas of provision.All levels of the organisation are involved andcommitted to the strategy, which was expandedto include a directors’ focus group to ensureinvolvement is college wide and captures viewsfrom all areas of provision.The use of questionnaires, focus groups, web-basedsurveys, comment cards, direct question and answersessions are all used as an approach to collatelearners’ views and improve learner participation.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 27The Learner Improvement Strategy aims toimprove dialogue and action between staffand learners, improve participation of underrepresented groups, and to put the needs oflearners and employers at the centre of itscurriculum and decision making.The learners have numerous opportunitiesto positively contribute to college life, getinvolved with enrichment activities, events andpromotions, staff recruitment and course teaminput, as well as the opportunities to become amember of one of the many committees andsocieties.Bishop Burton CollegeThe Learner Involvement Strategy is in its thirdyear and has enabled the college to significantlyraise its standards and expectations through theuse of learner opinion. Learner representation hasincreased on committees and groups, such as thequality and improvement committee.Learners are also involved in course teammeetings and in annual course reviews, as well asthe interview process for selecting teaching staff.Learner forums have been established within eachacademic directorate to provide opportunitiesfor the exchange of views about the quality ofservice and delivery of curriculum.The principal holds regular surgeries for staffand students who can turn up without anappointment to discuss opportunities andchallenges. They are often used for an informalchat about college matters.The college provides residential accommodationfor 348 learners aged 16 upwards who take partin hall forums held once a term, chaired by thecampus warden. One example of how the collegelistened to learners and acted on their requestwas on the issue of whether a mixed gendergroup of learners aged under 18 could socialisetogether in a male hall of residence.This practice is encouraged by Ofsted, but notnormally allowed by the college because of theage of the learners, but after consultation withthe learners, it was agreed they could socialise upuntil 11pm. This took place on a trial basis whichproved successful and was therefore permitted forthe remainder of the academic year.Derwen CollegeDerwen College in Shropshire is a residentialvocational college for young adults with learningdifficulties which has been recognised by Ofsted forits good practice in capturing the learner voice.By embracing learner views, the college offersan opportunity for learners to have directinvolvement in assessing and shaping their ownlearning experience. This has a significant andeffective impact on increasing learner satisfactionand success.Following a monitoring visit, inspectors fromOfsted reported that the production of a LearnerInvolvement Strategy in autumn 2007 ensuresthat the needs of learners are paramount andcentral to all decision making within the college.As a result, learners are actively involved indeveloping its quality-improvement processes,as well as its strategic decision-making andoperational management processes.In 2008 the student council affiliated with theNational Union of Students and a Learner VoiceCo-ordinator and Social Inclusion Officer wereappointed.There is student representation on a variety ofproject groups including SAR moderation, staffinterviews, new-build projects, the equality anddiversity group, the healthy living group and thesustainable working group.

28 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceOutstanding contribution to theleadership of learnersWinner: Emma Smith – Bradford College Students’ UnionFrom being virtually inactive and largely ineffective for several years,the students’ union at Bradford College was transformed into a vibrant,strong and highly responsive exponent of the learner voice due to thededication of Emma Smith.Following Emma’s appointment as students’ uniondevelopment manager in September 2008, theunion made rapid strides to re-establish studentrepresentation with a clear and focused strategy.Within a short space of time the union ‘proveditself’ to be worthwhile and of real value, bothwithin the college and at a local and national level.Her work earned her this tribute from Nick Byrne,the college’s assistant director of learning services.“Emma has helped to turn around a union thatwas neither effective nor representative. Thecollege has undergone a number of inspections,including Ofsted, in recent months and one ofthe consistent themes in the reports has been thecontribution made by students.“This has not happened by chance. Emma andher team have worked incredibly hard to ensurethat the learner’s voice is heard.”The main challenge she faced on taking upher post was the feeling of disillusionment anddisengagement towards the union by both staff andstudents. Seeking to overcome this, she reviewedthe union’s democratic and staffing structures andproposed changes to make this effective.Working relationships with departments weredeveloped and new opportunities were soughtfor the union to re-engage with the institution.She worked closely with staff to understand theirconcerns and address the issues they were facing.She set out the purpose of the union andthe importance of re-establishing it as therepresentative body of the students. The impactwas immediate and the number of courserepresentatives soared to 400 within an academicyear, of which 300 elected to attend training. Thiswas a stark comparison to the previous year inwhich no formal training was conducted.Due to a higher quality impact from the electedstudent officers, the union’s standing andcredibility increased exponentially within thecollege which has more than 13,000 learners, ofwhom one-third are of Asian Pakistani origin andtwo-thirds are from postcode areas designated associally deprived.

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 29Emma took a leading role in re-establishing studentrepresentation on the college’s committees, liaisingwith the Quality Improvement and Performance(QIP) unit and the union executive to identifystudents to participate.There is now active representation on committeesincluding the college’s corporation, academicboard, academic policy committee, the equalityand diversity committee, and the newlyestablished sports board.Prior to her arrival, there had been no clubsor societies at the college for three years. Sheput forward a case to re-establish student-ledsocieties and helped to secure additional fundingof £10,000. The impact was dramatic. By thespring of 2009, 15 clubs and societies had beenestablished.A new constitution was drawn up with the unionexecutive and new democratic systems were putin place. Consequently, the executive now meetsa minimum of every ten college days. The CollegeLearner Forum was disbanded and replaced bythe Union Parliament which met five times duringthe academic year.It was stated in the submission for the award,“Emma established herself as the point of contactfor professional advice and guidance while alwaysmaking clear she is an advisor not the manager,putting forward options but leaving the studentsor the union’s officers to make the final decisionas to how they want to deal with a situation.”Following Ofsted’s visit in November 2008,inspectors reported, “Communication betweenthe college and learners is strong. Learnersfeel confident to express their concerns andviews.” The college’s capacity to improve wasrated ‘outstanding’.Find out more at: www.bradfordcollege.ac.ukNomineesPhilip Elliott, Vice Principal, Teaching andLearning, BSix Brooke House Sixth FormCollegeAs a result of changes introduced by PhilipElliott, students have been given a major sayin how they are taught. Philip set up a systemwhere 20 students are trained to carry out lessonobservations and review teachers’ performance,giving them a responsibility rarely found in furthereducation institutions.While some teachers and managers wereenthusiastic about the scheme, others were resistantand reticent. He had to work hard to convince themof the benefits to both them and the students.Philip, who is an Ofsted inspector, trained theadvocates in lesson observation alongsidethe college’s advanced practitioners over athree‐week period. Among the changes thatresulted were clearer rules on the use of mobilephones in lessons and improvements to resourcesin teaching rooms.The college’s principal, Ken Warman, said theseinnovations have had a major impact in improvingthe performance of teachers and students. “Ourstudents will vouch for the top‐quality teachingand learning we offer,” he said.Dave Thompson, Communications andInformation Assistant, Consortium forLearningThe Humber Apprenticeship Panel was createdto give apprentices a voice which soon beganto catch the ear of ministers and policy makersin further education. Dave Thompson wastasked with setting up the mechanism forcommunication with apprentices across theHumber sub-region, and the panel was soonexceeding all expectations.

30 Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practiceIt was included in consultations by ministers andsenior education officials in drawing up the WorldClass Apprenticeship Strategy. It was part of anOfsted consultation on changes to the CommonInspection Framework.Dave said the panel’s greatest achievementis, not just its success in liaising with ministersand government departments, but in making adifference to the way the apprenticeship route isseen by the public.Rieks Drijver, Teaching and LearningManager, Guildford CollegeGuildford College in Surrey has developeda learner focused ethos as a result of thecontribution Rieks Drijver has made towardsensuring that the learner voice has taken itsrightful place in curriculum design and delivery.From entry level to higher education level andfrom community provision to full-time provisionacross the college, he has ensured the learnervoice is central to quality improvement, teachertraining and to the professional development ofstaff.As teaching and learning manager, Rieksimplemented a plethora of processes to collate,analyse, and act on feedback received from thelearners in order to improve curriculum delivery.One process is the introduction of courseconsultative meetings, called CCMs, held everyNovember and February. Hour-long face-to-faceconversations with all learners on all coursesare held by managers, with feedback sought toimprove curriculum delivery.The conversations are around Ofsted’s CommonInspection Framework. Students grade thequality of provision against CIF aspects toensure that the learner voice is an integral part ofself‐assessment and quality improvement.In a recent academic year, CCMs involved 239courses and 3,000 students. The findings of theCCMs are used to dictate immediate action plansfor a prompt resolution to issues highlighted,which may be around teaching and learning,pastoral support, or enrichment.Stephen Langwieser, CurriculumManager, Visual 3 National Diploma,The Oldham CollegeStressing the importance of the learner voice ishigh on the agenda of Stephen Langwieser. Heencourages all his students to be more active instudent life and supports individuals to stand instudent union elections.He has high expectations of his students andensures each of them knows about the learnervoice process and how they can get their voicesheard, helping them to overcome any shyness orapprehension that might hold them back.He has worked at The Oldham College inGreater Manchester for 18 years and continuallyencourages his learners to become fully involvedin student life, ensuring that courses haverepresentation and students are attendingmeetings.Two of his students were elected as student unionofficers after he supported them in promotingthe elections and standing for office. As a resultthey became much more confident and moreself‐aware about their positions as officers.He visits the student service team to find outabout learner voice activities and how he and hisstudents can become involved.Pamela Cowen, the college’s learning anddevelopment manager, said, “Steve is knownacross the college for his can-do attitude toteaching and in bringing out the best in hisstudents.”

Leading the learner voice: Dissemination of effective practice 31Leading the Learner Voice Awards 2010The Leading the Learner Voice Awards seek tocelebrate innovation, effort and action, whetherlearner representation is a new or well-establishedconcept within your provision. The awardsalso reflect our key aims and in particular, ourrole in promoting equality and diversity withinFE colleges.The various award categories reflect the differentleadership roles that are vital to ensuring learners’views are actively collected, listened to andacted upon.Awards are available for learners individually andcollectively, and for college practitioners, seniormanagers and whole providers.Contact usFor further information about the Learner VoiceAwards, please:e learnervoice@lsis.org.ukt Candice Kass on 024 7662 7900w www.lsis.org.uk/llvaLearning and Skills Improvement Service, FriarsHouse, Manor House Drive, Coventry, CV1 2TE.How to enterFor 2010, some of the award categories are beingaltered to reflect changes in the learning andskills sector.New categories and a simpler entry process willbe revealed on our website on 1 March withnominations opening on 1 April and closing on30 April. To keep up to date, please log on towww.lsis.org.uk/llvaLSIS is keen to receive entries from providers fromacross the further education system. Submissionsshould reflect our key aims and in particular, ourrole in promoting equality and diversity.The submission form will be downloadable fromwww.lsis.org.uk/llva or requested by email at:learnervoice@lsis.org.uk

Learning and Skills Improvement ServiceFriars House, Manor House DriveCoventry CV1 2TEt 024 7662 7900e enquiries@lsis.org.ukwww.lsis.org.ukLearning and Skills Improvement ServiceThe Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) aims to accelerate the drive for excellence inthe learning and skills sector, building the sector’s own capacity to design, commission and deliverimprovement and strategic change. LSIS’s vision is that every learner acquires the skills, knowledgeand appetite for learning, living and working and every provider is valued by their community andemployers for their contribution to sustainable social and economic priorities.LSIS’s Strategic Ambitions demonstrates how we will contribute to delivering core improvementprinciples and sets out our new ways of working to engage the sector in everything we do to makeLSIS a truly sector-led organisation. You can find this document and other information about LSISactivities and services at www.lsis.org.ukDisability equality policyLSIS is committed to promoting equality for disabled people and we strive to ensure that ourcommunication and learning materials can be made available in accessible formats. Please let usknow if you consider yourself disabled and require reasonable adjustments made to support you.LSIS187Registered in England and Wales Company no 06454450 Registered charity No 1123636. Registered office Friars House, Manor House Drive, Coventry CV1 2TE