Helping create a university for teachers

Hilary Moore is the director of student and staff learning at BSix Brooke House Sixth Form College in Hackney, which has become an exemplar for extensive and innovative continuing professional development (CPD), to the extent that other sixth‑form and general further education colleges visit BSix to see what it is doing.

This is a far cry from 2006, when BSix was characterised by poor outcomes, a bad reputation, high staff turnover and dwindling student recruitment. The college was on the verge of closure or merger when Ken Warman was appointed as principal.

Following extensive consultation with staff, students and external agencies, a project was established to transform BSix by focusing on exemplary teaching and learning to improve the everyday experience of staff and students, improve results and transform the college’s reputation, through innovative CPD. The college would become a ‘university for teachers’, where staff would be aspirational and high‑achieving role models for their learners.

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A cross‑college approach to CPD

A cross‑college approach to CPD was introduced in 2007, and was originally the responsibility of Philip Elliott, who held the newly created post of vice principal: teacher and learning. In 2009, he was promoted to deputy principal, curriculum and quality, and Hilary was given the role of assistant director of student and staff learning, including the responsibility for CPD.

The CPD programme is characterised by a focus on teaching and learning as a serious, intellectual activity worthy of continual analysis and debate. It recognises that development should not be just about training in technical aspects of work, but also an exploration of its deeper, emotional dimensions.
As part of the college’s quest to create a learning culture not only for its learners, but for its staff too, a wide range of CPD activities are offered. On average, staff participate in at least nine development opportunities each year. In 2009‑10, 41 per cent of the college’s 150 staff had been on a long‑term development programme.

Qualifications

The college pays for staff to undertake a part‑time Master of Teaching (MTeach) degree through the University of London’s Institute of Education. The programme is designed for practising teachers who are interested in their own learning for the benefit of their students, and provides support for teachers through sustained CPD.

The college delivers a teaching observation course, and staff can take part in a coaching programme, which is delivered in‑house and leads to the award of a Coaching Award, Certificate or Coaching Diploma, accredited by Middlesex University.

Coaching, mentoring and work shadowing

Hilary is both a Subject Learning Coach and an Advanced Learning Coach, and has benefited from having a good mentor.

“Coaching is something that the college has really taken on board,” she says, “and we promote coaching and mentoring with students. Any student lacking confidence or motivation, or experiencing some other barrier to learning, can be recommended for coaching by one of the accredited coaches. This gives them the opportunity to put their training to use, right away. They help the learner identify issues standing in their way, so that they can get back on track.”
Several middle managers have external or internal mentors and a work‑shadowing programme is evolving. College staff will also have access to training, coaching and mentoring organised by the Network for Black Professionals (NBP) and Black Leadership Initiative (BLI), through an LSIS‑funded project.

Friday afternoon sessions

There are one‑and‑a‑half‑hour development sessions on pedagogy, delivered by the colleges’ own teachers, nearly every Friday afternoon at 15.45.
“Our INSET days cover a wealth of subjects, such as Functional Skills and Assessment,” says Hilary, “but we recognise that when you are running a session for a whole day, it has to be pretty exciting. Some people prefer workshops, and we have found that it best if you do not cram too much, if you allow people space between the sessions to reflect. This is why our Friday afternoon sessions work so well.

“This approach also means that we can use in‑house teachers and support staff from HR, finance, and student services.”

Programmes and workshops

Aspiring leaders can take part in a year‑long development programme aimed at helping them acquire skills and experience that will help them succeed in management. There are also programmes for the senior management team (SMT) and (college management team (CMT), which make use of both internal and external expertise.

Outstanding teachers can become ‘teacher leaders’ who provide one‑to‑one support for ‘satisfactory’ teachers, as part of a programme of teacher‑led improvement. Internal and external consultants are employed as ‘advanced pedagogy advisers’ to work with whole departments on the improvement of pedagogical practices.

Work discussion group sessions run by psychotherapists from the University of London’s Tavistock Centre allow managers to explore work issues, outside the line management structures, to share ideas, encourage collaborative working and develop common values.

The college also works closely with a number of external bodies, such as the Institute of Education and the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), and regularly invites top educational thinkers to run sessions at the college, to raise the academic aspirations of staff.

Research and learning advocacy

Teachers are encouraged to undertake action research projects on topics of interest to them, and in 2008‑09 the college employed a researcher‑in‑residence, jointly with the Institute of Education, to explore the effectiveness of its initiatives and the experience of new teachers. A whole‑college research day was held in July 2009.

As part of the college’s Learning Advocacy scheme, students are trained to observe lessons, alongside staff, and to undertake research. The aim is to ensure that learners are equipped to judge the quality of their everyday experience.

Gauging the effectiveness of CPD

CPD is subject to the college’s quality assurance processes, which include the production of an annual staff development report and a self‑assessment report, the college’s internal quality review (IQR) and the evaluation of sessions through staff questionnaires.
Data analysed as part of the self‑assessment process includes student outcomes and lesson observation grade profiles, which help gauge the effectiveness of CPD and inform its evolution.

Impact and recognition

Students at the college say that the support element is something they have never come across in schools. “There is a marked difference in the level of support and encouragement they receive,” says Hilary. “Some come from difficult and disadvantaged backgrounds, but we never use that as an excuse and while we do have a four‑stage disciplinary process, what we focus on first is what we can to support learners.”

Ofsted

As a result of the programme to promote exemplary teaching and learning, the proportion of good or better teaching at BSix rose from 42 per cent in 2007–08, to 53 per cent in 2008–09, and to 72 per cent in 2009–10, validated by Ofsted. The proportion of outstanding teaching rose from 8 per cent in 2006–07 to 24 per cent in 2009–10.

Ofsted’s contextual value‑added (CVA) measure put the college in the top 5 per cent of schools and colleges in 2008 and 2009. The CVA score of 1,065 was the best achieved by any college in London. Staffing data also indicates increasing stability and satisfaction and therefore a better quality of provision for students.

LSIS Representative of the Year 2009

BSix won an LSIS learner voice award in 2009 for its Learning Advocacy programme. The judges were highly impressed by BSix’s innovative and extensive approach to learner voice. Students are involved in every stage of their learning and at every level of the organisation through a group of learning advocates who are trained and then participate in all levels of decision‑making in the college.

Investors in People

In 2010, BSix was awarded the Investors in People standard, which judges the management and development of staff in organisations. The assessor noted that staff take great pride in being part of a successful organisation, and that they value and appreciate the vast range of development opportunities available to all staff in the college. “People frequently commented that at BSix they have been given opportunities that they would wait years for in other organisations,” she wrote.

AoC Beacon Award

In November 2010, BSix was named as an Association of Colleges Beacon Award winner. It won the City & Guilds Award for Staff Development in Further Education for transforming itself from an underperforming college into an exemplary institution. The award is given to a college that can demonstrate innovative best practice that delivers identifiable results and benefits for staff. Criteria include effective ways of encouraging and motivating staff and schemes that allow personal and professional development.

Collaboration

Since April 2010, BSix has been funded by The Learning Trust, a charity brought in to run education in Hackney. The college works closely with other colleges, schools and academies in the area, including Hackney Community College, Tower Hamlets College, Woodhouse and George Monoux.
This collaboration includes extending the coaching course to other institutions in the local area, doing reciprocal work on internal quality reviews and swapping moderators and examiners.

“This year there is a big emphasis on assessment for learning,” says Hilary. “Through the award from LSIS we will use half of it for a joint session with Hackney Community College. Dylan William, who is well‑respected in this field, will visit in July 2011 to work with us on assessment for learning, which will involve our staff and lecturers from Hackney Community College, enabling us to share what we are doing.”

What is next?

Hilary is putting together a three‑year plan for staff development, which she envisages will continue to have a strong emphasis on ‘well‑being’ alongside teaching and learning and skills and knowledge for all roles in the college, whether support or teaching. “Self‑assessment has become embedded, and as staffing stabilises, we can focus on longer‑term staff development and succession planning. As student recruitment increases and the quality of teaching and learning continues to improve, it is important that we nurture our staff,” she says.

Graduates of the Aspiring Leaders programme will be mentored by and will work shadow a senior manager, as well as visiting at least one other college.
A reflective log is included in the college handbook issued to all staff, to encourage reflection and capturing the impact of non‑certificated development opportunities.

The coaching programme will continue to be cascaded, so that soon most staff will have actively experienced coaching. Some managers and teachers will have the chance to carry out lesson observations at other colleges.

Having been a member of IfL since it began, Hilary has used REfLECT to record her CPD and has also found the professional aspects of the organisation to be essential, as well as the ideas and events it runs, and attended the LSIS Learning Fair run by IfL and LONCETT in January 2011.

“Having always considered teaching to be a vocation and a profession,” she says, “having an organisation which supports that view and indeed stands up for you is vital and empowering.”