Tuesday 18 November 14:15 - AoC Annual Conference and

Tuesday 18 November 14:15 – 15:15
1.1
Widening access and NEET reduction - AoC Beacon Award winners
Association of Colleges
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Steve Frampton, Principal, Portsmouth College
Delegates attending this session will engage in small group discussions with representatives
from four of the 2013-14 AoC Beacon Award-winning colleges. Initiatives cover Southern
Regional College's project addressing education barriers for travellers and migrant workers,
Glasgow Kelvin College's Youth Access Programme which has seen NEET reduction by
19%, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor's video teaching project expanding its provision of subjects
across a wide area and Grimsby Institute's programme enabling access to nursing for nonstudents.
New ways of working
1.2
Making loans work for colleges in higher and advanced level education
Association of Colleges
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Julian Gravatt, Assistant Chief Executive, Association of Colleges
Public spending is being cut but the student loan budget continues to increase and changes
are on the way, with the plan to remove higher education student number controls in 2015
and the discussion about extending FE loans in 2016. This is a difficult area for colleges but
there are opportunities that cannot be ignored. The session will cover the latest policy
developments, administration issues and observations on where colleges can make
headway.
New ways of working
How to write your own funding formula: A college leader’s guide
Pearson
1.3
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Beej Kaczmarczyk, Managing Director, Sector Training and Pearson
Funding sources may change, but the game remains the same: to do more with less while
driving continuous improvement, innovation and excellence. Come and spend an hour in
discussion with Beej Kaczmarczyk and his team, and you’ll take away some practical ideas
based on real-life solutions for squaring the perennial circle: build a creative curriculum
which maximises all funding sources, meets the needs of every individual student, and
delivers innovation, opportunity and progression for all.
Strategic leadership
1.4
Network for Black and Asian Professionals' Annual BME Staff Forum
Network for Black Professionals

Dr Rajinder Kaur Mann OBE, Chief Executive, Network for Black and Asian
Professionals
The Network for Black and Asian Professionals support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
professionals in the FE sector to achieve their full career potential. NBAP will also be
presenting their yearly update and give you the opportunity to discuss your equality issues in
FE.
Strategic leadership
1.5
Responding to the skills challenges of infrastructure and regeneration projects
South Thames College
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
Jamie Stevenson, Director of Business Partnerships, South Thames College
Phil de Montmorency, Joint Co-ordination Unit Manager, Nine Elms Vauxhall
South Thames College will share their experience of working with infrastructure/regeneration
projects (Crossrail, Thames Tideway Tunnel, Battersea & Nine Elms), Local Authorities, Job
Centre Plus and other stakeholders to put together a holistic skills offer to ensure the
projects are successful and meet the needs of local residents and communities. They will
discuss how they have put together; pre-employability, pre-vocational and shaped 16-19
study programmes. Plus developing Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Workplace training
in partnership with business (ESF).
Employer engagement
1.6
The Children and Families Act: Making it happen
Association of Colleges
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
Caroline Bicknell, Deputy Director 0-25 SEND, Department for Education
Zoe Hancock, Principal, Oaklands College
This session will refresh delegates knowledge on the legal requirements of the new Children
and Families Act and will demonstrate how effective partnerships and working between
colleges and local authorities can benefit High Needs Students. The session will include
practical tips for partnership working, suggestions for overcoming barriers and will
demonstrate where good practice is having a positive impact on students and their futures.
Teaching and learning
1.7
The journey to outstanding using ALPS
Rochdale Sixth Form College


Steve Pegg, Deputy Chief Executive, ALPS
Julian Appleyard, Principal, Rochdale Sixth Form College
Rochdale 6th Form College achieved Outstanding for Overall Effectiveness within three
years of opening assisted by the ALPS system. Working with our students on priorities and
quality of performance, inspectors judged Assessment as Outstanding with the progress
monitored closely and effective action is taken. During this session our aim is to demonstrate
how the ALPS system benefited the college, students and staff and how we have developed
a best practice approach to achieving Outstanding.
Teaching and learning
1.8
Will the new technical level qualifications give learners the skills they need to
succeed?
AQA


Barry Smith, Quality Assurance Manager, EU Skills
Mike Westlake, UK Manager, AutoDesk Education (EMEA)
“If we want the UK economy to succeed, higher technical and vocational education will be an
enabler.” Martin Doel, AoC’s CEO. Will the new Technical Levels be different to what’s gone
before? Will they help your learners on their journey to secure employment or progression to
higher apprenticeships or HE?
Join this session to learn how AQA, EU Skills and their employer partners developed
Technical Levels which really work for learners, FE Colleges, employers and HE.
New ways of working
1.9
Educating out prejudice: Making LGBT visible
Morley College


Ela Piotrowska, Principal, Morley College
Carole Powell, Equalities Coordinator, Morley College
Morley College provides adult learning for over 14,000 students in London. Our equalities
work is innovative, practical and the session demonstrates how Colleges can make LGBT
visible and embed LGBT lives into curriculum. The session uses film, animation and case
studies in the adult ESOL curriculum. Approaches and resources will be provided for
collecting data on sexual orientation, gender identities and for themes which can be
challenging for learners and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Teaching and learning
1.10
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Careers guidance: Local action that works
Association of Colleges
Graham Stuart MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee, House of Commons
Lee Probert, Deputy Chief Exeutive, Hull College Group
This session will explore what can be achieved when schools, local enterprise partnerships
and colleges are determined to ensure that students get the right information to make an
informed choice. The Chair of the Education Select Committee, Graham Stuart has achieved
a working partnership in his constituency and it could be relevant to all.
New ways of working
1.11
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Developing pay strategies in further education
Association of Colleges
Adam Elston, Senior Project Manager, Incomes Data Services
Bruce Sayers, Associate Consultant, Incomes Data Services
Drawing on recent case studies as well as wider trends in the development of pay strategy,
IDS will report on some of the latest developments in the sector and highlight practical casestudy examples that will enable college leaders to make more effective decisions in relation
to pay.
Strategic leadership
1.12
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
A new inspection framework for September 2015
Ofsted
Paul Joyce, Senior HMI – Operational Lead College Inspections, Ofsted
Karen Adriaanse, HMI, Ofsted
Ofsted are consulting on a new common inspection framework just 3 years since the current
regime. There are some interesting and controversial proposals which will be outlined by
Ofsted. This is a chance to contribute to the eventual decision which may include proposals
to have one framework across school sixth forms and colleges, no notice inspections, a new
grading system, how lesson observation will contribute to a main judgement and whether
subject sector areas will continue to be graded.
Quality improvement
1.13 Understanding the GCSE, AS and A Level reform programme and the
implications for colleges and their students
Association of Colleges

Janet Holloway, Associate Director Standards for Design, Development and
Evaluation of General Qualifications, Ofqual
GCSEs, AS Levels and A Levels are undergoing significant reform. In this BOS, DfE and
Ofqual will summarise the reforms including plans to 'switch off' some subjects. Two (or
three) colleges will present the implications for their college and their students and look at
the options for AS/A Level delivery models in 2015 and beyond.
Teaching and learning
1.14
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
FE Associates presents…A conversation with Joe Docherty, CEO of NCG
FE Associates
Elaine Smith, Managing Director, FE Associates
Joe Docherty, Chief Executive Officer, NCG
In the challenging external landscape college boards have to respond to an ever changing
environment. Joe Docherty was appointed as CEO of NCG in summer 2013. Spending a
year with his board he has developed a strategy and blueprint for NCG and will outline his
vision, priorities and overall approach; Joe will share his thinking on what the future looks
like for NCG. There will be opportunity for questions and debate from the audience.
Strategic leadership
1.15
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
Embedding innovation in our colleges
City College Norwich supported by Highbury College & North Hertfordshire College
Jerry White, Deputy Principal, City College Norwich
Signe Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer/Principal, North Hertfordshire College
In this interactive seminar find out how City College Norwich, Highbury College and North
Hertfordshire College are using Entrepreneurial Thought and Action and Design Thinking to
drive student employability and employer engagement. Using these innovation models that
encourage low cost, low risk experimentation, discover how colleges are enabling leaders,
managers and tutors to equip themselves with the ‘horizon scanning’ skills needed to survive
and thrive in the future.
New ways of working