Projects & Programmes

Aimhigher Greater Merseyside
www.ahgtm.ac.uk

Aimhigher nationally is a government initiative led by the Department for Education and Skills with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Its chief purpose is to support the drive to widen participation in higher education, enabling a greater proportion of young people from traditionally under represented groups access to a higher education opportunity.

Aimhigher Greater Merseyside is a partnership across the six local authority districts working to inspire, motivate and enable young people to succeed and progress to higher education. The partnership’s vision is that by 2010 every young resident from Greater Merseyside with the potential capability and who wishes to take up a higher education opportunity will be able to do so, so that the proportion of under 30 year olds taking up higher education opportunities approaches 50%.

Liverpool City of Learning played a major role leading the strategic development of Aimhigher Greater Merseyside, supporting cutting edge partnership working, enhancing the developing opportunities in widening participation to higher education.

Aimhigher Greater Merseyside is a wide, cross-sector partnership that includes:

Schools; Further Education Colleges; Universities; Connexions Greater Merseyside; Work Based Learning Providers; Learning & Skills Council; Community Groups; Employers.

The significant number of activities and interventions based on the strategic progression curriculum framework developed by Aimhigher Greater Merseyside are implemented throughout the year enhancing opportunities for young people across the sub-region.

Greater Merseyside & West Lancashire Lifelong Learning Network
www.merseyandwestlancslln.ac.uk

The Greater Merseyside & West Lancashire Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) comprises Edge Hill University, The University of Liverpool, The Open University in the North West and a range of further education colleges within the sub-region, which are working to provide modern and flexible qualifications and progression routes.

Liverpool City of Learning helped take forward the initial partnership work for developing the Lifelong Learning Network across the sub-region consulting with partners and working on the bid proposal.

The new opportunities developed by the LLN will:

offer vocational learners of all ages study pathways from GCSE and equivalent vocational qualifications, through to foundation degrees, undergraduate degrees and higher qualifications. These pathways will be easy to navigate and meet clearly-identified career objectives,
provide employers with skilled people to join the workforce in priority areas, with ongoing professional development support.

The Greater Merseyside & West Lancashire LLN focuses on the areas of:

Health and Social Care,
Creative Industries,
Tourism, Hospitality, Sport and Active Leisure.

2006

New Foundation Degree routes to develop integrated practitioners working with children and young people, meeting the challenges of Every Child Matters in health, education and community settings. The FDs will be offered at Edge Hill and a range of venues across the region.
Pre-degree Year 0 provision based at Carmel College, St Helens, leading to entry to Medicine and Surgery or Dental Sciences programmes at the University of Liverpool.

2007 onwards

Creative Industries and Tourism, Hospitality, Sport and Active Leisure programmes and pathways.
The LLN will offer improved information and guidance on existing and new vocational pathways, and be available to a wide variety of people from age 16 upwards – for example,those already in work, unemployed people, school leavers or those wanting to embark on a career change.
Working closely with other organisations including Aimhigher and Connexions, we will be offering support and help to individuals, e.g. advice on study options and application process. The LLN will provide clear information on opportunities available and the different levels of qualifications that would be most suitable to an individual’s needs.
Opportunities for synergy with Edge Hill’s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning project (SOLSTICE) are being developed with further education partners, which will extend on-line and blended learning support.

Partners

With support from: Aimhigher, Connexions, Local Education Authorities, Learning and Sector Skills Councils, Liverpool City of Learning, and other key agencies.

Liverpool Professional Education Research and Practice Group

The Steering Group comprises senior members of education faculties of the HEIs, Liverpool headteachers and local authority representatives.

Introduction

1. Origins of the Liverpool Professional Partnership Group (LPPG)

Liverpool City of Learning – providing the strategic partnership framework for educational research and development:

In 1999, when the Excellence in Cities initiative commenced, Excellence in Liverpool sought a forum for engaging with agencies other than schools and the LEA. The Excellence in Liverpool Wider Partnership emerged, comprising a range of public, private and voluntary organisations and Liverpool City of Learning was invited to take the chair.
The HEIs involved in the Wider Partnership, supported by Liverpool City of Learning, extended their input through an additional sub-group looking specifically at professional development links between the higher education sector and schools based around the Excellence in Liverpool initiative. In bids to the DfEE (now DfES), the partnership name, Liverpool Excellence Partnership was adopted.
The HEIs, with Excellence in Liverpool, expressed a commitment to supporting the raising of standards and achievement in education and lifelong learning, and to a collaborative cross-sector approach, which added value and strength through the consortium approach.
From this partnership foundation, a number of successful developments emerged operating at national, regional and local levels, including: Liverpool Excellence Partnership National Learning Mentor Training, Connexions Personal Adviser Training, Gifted and Talented Evaluation work with Excellence in Liverpool, Cheshire & Merseyside Graduate Teacher Programme, Higher Level Teaching Assistants Training.
The partnership is keeping track of new government policies as they come to the forefront, and the LPPG role ahead, in line with this includes; determining the processes for establishing successful Learning Networks, of which Liverpool is in the vanguard of establishing, and maximising Collaborative Learning.

2. Principles of the Partnership

Supporting the raising of standards and achievement in education and lifelong learning.
Commitment to working collaboratively, and adding value and strength through a consortium approach.
Underpinning educational practice with research and academic theory, and bringing a different dimension to teachers’ and other school staff members’ intellectual activity.
Commissioning specific pieces of research to investigate or support the development of local initiatives which have local and/or national implications.
Facilitating professional development for practitioners, and supporting and enabling education practice.
Supporting a coherent approach to a range of initiatives, locally, regionally and nationally, that are linked to raising achievement through professional development, research and evaluation and evidence-based practice.
Providing a framework for both responding to identified professional development needs and opening up dialogue to address gaps.

The Terms of Reference of the Liverpool Professional Partnership Group (LPPG)

3. Purpose

The purpose of the Liverpool Professional Practice Steering Group is:

To provide an overarching framework for enabling the educational expertise of the four HEIs to come together and through joint work, add value.
To encourage further collaboration and co-operation between the partners, building on their respective strengths.
To share information and seek potential external funding for projects that will promote understanding and achievement in lifelong learning opportunities across Greater Merseyside and beyond.
To determine and agree the scope of joint projects and oversee their development and implementation.
To maximise the potential added value of joint working.
To share information on developments and where appropriate, seek potential added value through synergy.
To oversee the work of the Liverpool Learning Network Research Project, including:
- To determine and agree the scope of the work and the budget,
- To ensure the meeting of milestones and the delivery targets,
- To ensure all requirements for reporting are carried out in accordance with statutory and accountable body requirements,
- To quality assure the work,
- To approve any work to be published,
- To help maximise the potential value of the work.
To oversee the work of the Collaborative Learning Projects:
- To determine and agree the scope of the work and the budget,
- To ensure the meeting of milestones and the delivery targets,
- To ensure all requirements for reporting are carried out in accordance with statutory and accountable body requirements,
- To quality assure the work,
- To approve any work to be published,
- To help maximise the potential value of the work.
To ensure financial probity of the projects associated with the LPPG through working with the accountable body.

Schools Learning Networks Research
www.liverpool.ac.uk/learningnetworks

1. Introduction

Liverpool City of Learning is a strategic partnership of education organisations ‘developing new ways of working together to further learning and achievement for all’.
The partnership has allocated funding for research and development linked with the new changes underway in Liverpool that will support research relating to the new changes underway in schools that will support the raising of attainment and achievement of pupils. This initial sum could be used to lever in further funds.
In discussion with stakeholders a key area has been identified for action research concerning the newly emerging ‘School Learning Networks’ that Liverpool is developing in order to create opportunities to enhance continuing professional development to raise attainment and achievement.

2. Background

Through the City of Learning framework, there have been significant developments previously between the local Higher Education sector and Liverpool Education Authority and schools, including the successful national tender designing the national training programme for the newly created post of Learning Mentors; major ICT project ‘UNITED’, later transformed in MEON and other wider ICT development.
Commitment to the partnership is at the highest level in the respective institutions.
Major changes in schools are underway driven by both local and national agendas.
Liverpool is in the vanguard of developing new relationships between schools and enhancing their autonomy, while contemporaneously enabling greater collaborative working and synergy.

Extract from: The City of Liverpool, Education, Library & Sports Services Proposed Structure for One Linked Organisation Consultation Document, June 2004 (page 5).

Headlines:

Learning Networks are being established in order to improve:

collaborative working between schools,
quality of, and entitlement to, continuing professional development (CPD), opportunities for school staff, to improve the quality of learning and teaching, and standards of attainment and achievement,
development of innovative practices and the identification and dissemination of good practice and use of schools’ specialisms.

Features:

Increased resourcing to schools via Learning Networks.
Greater levels of ownership by schools.
Systems which support the development of innovative practices.
Benefits to pupils, school staff and governors arising from collaboration.
Opportunities to combine and share resources for the mutual benefit of members.
CPD can be provided which best meets the needs of school staff and governors at a local level.
The successful model of the West Derby Learning Network can be used to guide developments.
DfES and national strategies are beginning to indicate that schools should be working collaboratively in networks.

Overview:

Learning Networks will be the vehicle through which support for schools – staff and pupils – will be delivered.
In order to establish Learning Networks, a number of services which have been provided by Education, Library and Sports Services will cease and the resources will be delegated to the networks. For example, it will no longer be possible to sustain the support which has been provided across a range of subjects / aspects.
Schools will be involved in the appointment of Learning Network Co-ordinators (LNC) and will work with the person appointed to be their LNC to decide on the systems which they would like to set up.
Learning Networks will provide the continuing professional development opportunities for school staff which the Learning Networks feel they need. Training will be provided by the West Derby Learning Network to help the Learning Networks to develop.
The establishment of Learning Networks is a radical change in the way Education, Library and Sports Services will operate with schools. Schools in Learning Networks will have much more autonomy over how resources are used and how their Learning Network will develop. The critical factor will be how well schools in their Learning Networks will collaborate in order to meet the needs of all.

3. Aim

To identify the processes involved in establishing an effective Learning Network and its role in promoting collaborative professional development aimed at improving teacher and pupils learning.

4. Objectives

To explore the structural, managerial, economic and cultural issues involved in establishing a Learning Network.
To investigate the impact of the Learning Network on the professional development experiences of staff.
To identify and evaluate the impact of the Learning Network on the opportunities presented to pupils for personalised learning.
To assess the impact of the Learning Network on schools’ collaborative arrangements for pupil enrichment activities.

5. Methodology

Overall:

Identify two or three collaborative networks to work with,
A major issue to focus on within a network (eg learning and teaching issues re low attainers, student mentoring, staff mentoring, making real the aim higher agenda and links with HEIs etc),
Second a senior person (eg CPD co-ordinator, SENCO ) part time from each collaborative to work on the project),
Employ one or 1.5 persons to work on the project, having responsibility for working with each collaborative and overall project management.

The action research process:

Identify the main issue for the various collaboratives and select their lead or main focus over the following year.
Select two or more collaboratives to work with – develop understanding of the main issues further AND identify a member of staff from each to work with.
Develop a research instrument (questionnaire) to assess the views / attitudes / experiences of CPD and perhaps, their views of the whole idea of collaboratives etc.
Use instrument with all staff across all willing collaboratives.
Develop individual projects within each of the networks – focusing on getting the right sort of CPD in place, developing the skills and the collaboration across the schools.
Monitor the projects (including observations, interviews, student responses where appropriate).
At the end of Year 1, administer the questionnaire again.
Run a conference to report findings (what works in building a culture, what works in terms of good CPD to address the particular issues etc etc) – this could involve all Liverpool schools – not just the research schools. (it could also lead to published output before RAE).
Review where each collaborative is at and decide on the issue and research process for the next year (maybe continue with another network, maybe start another project and just monitor developments in the initial one, maybe extend the project to others if new money comes along).
Start the process again…

6. Outcomes

Measurable and communicable outcomes in terms of:

teacher change,
impact on students,
publishable findings,
opportunities to provide/access appropriate CPD,
addressing the needs of the disadvantaged students,
raising the aspirations of the able and more able.

(These agenda items may be associated with different partners.)

Collaborative Learning Research

Collaborative Learning Research and Development Projects based on the new Government Policy agenda ‘Every Child Matters’.

Collaborative Learning Projects is the latest development of the Liverpool Professional Practice Group, following closely on from the Learning Networks Research. Earlier projects emerging from the group included Liverpool Excellence Partnership Learning Mentor Training, Connexions Personal Adviser Training, Gifted & Talented Evaluation work with Excellence in Liverpool, Cheshire & Merseyside Graduate Teacher Programme, Higher Level Teaching Assistants.
All the work of the partnership has built on the joint and cross-sector approach to development work supporting the raising of achievement and attainment. The overarching framework of the LPPG is instrumental in enabling the total outcome, to be more than the sum of the individual elements.
CoL has an overall project budget of c. £240K for expenditure over two years for allocation to the Collaborative Learning Research and/or Development Projects.
Strategic Context: Following discussions with Liverpool Children’s Services, it was agreed that the overall theme to be addressed would be the emerging ‘Every Child Matters’ new government policy agenda.
Each HEI was invited to submit a proposal to the Steering Group for a research and/or development projects based around this theme, which benefit schools through addressing Every Child Matters, involves at least two schools from within the Greater Merseyside area, and preferably from different local authorities.
‘Every Child Matters’ is a key emerging policy agenda from DfES, and the core aim of the research and/or development proposal must be support schools to address this radically new strategic approach.
Active dissemination – a key aspect of the projects is the active dissemination of findings throughout the work, as well as at the conclusion. The projects are intended to provide tools for learning from, rather than direct delivery of services.
Projects commence 1 December 2005 for two years.

The four projects are:

Edge Hill – To identify aspects of ECM that schools are currently finding challenging, and support and evaluate ways these may be addressed.Schools: Garswood Primary School, St Helens, Evelyn County Primary School, Knowsley.
Hope – Research and develop the re-conceptualisation of existing partnerships in tune with recent legislation, including CPD and inquiry-based learning for the whole school workforce; case-studies to look into professional learning for education studies, students, student teachers, support staff, NQTs, mentors.
Schools: being finalised from a pool of interested schools.
LJMU – Addressing the needs of children during transition from key stage 2 to key stage 3, which can result in academic discontinuity as well as undue anxiety for the students involved, and how they can be helped in managing the transition process.
Schools: Shorefields Technology College, Parklands High School, Broughton Hall High School Technology College, Feeder primary schools to be identified after survey, Clifford Holroyde School (special school).
UoL – Working with professional development and action research from widening participation school/college co-ordinators role and contribution to the design, co-ordination and evidence base of an effective widening participation progression curriculum.
Schools: Aimhigher Co-ordinators across Gt Merseyside are identifying schools.

Learning Matrix

The Matrix commenced as a pilot project in 2005, funded by HEFCE JISC with the aim of enabling non-traditional students considering progression to higher education to access appropriate learning opportunities from a partnership of further education and higher education institutions through a common learner interface.

Since the initial pilot work, developments are underway in 2006 to enable a professional development arm of the Matrix system to be realised. This would enable enquirers to search for professional development courses in Merseyside using a system with up-to-date user-friendly search facilities, and additional contemporary facilities included up to date personal account information, with details of potential courses listed, personal development plan support aids, and being kept informed of future potential courses which my be of interest. To view CPD Noticeboard go to: www.cpdnoticeboard.ac.uk.

Other developments linked to the Matrix are the North West Lifelong Learning Network project to provide learning portals for the networks which commence October 2006.