Title of the slide Second line of the slide Supporting and Representing Further Education: The Role of the Association of Colleges in Quality Improvement Joy Mercer, Director of Policy 20 th February 2013

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Association of Colleges Key facts 352 members - 97% of General Further Education, Tertiary, Specialist Colleges and 6 th form Colleges Educate and Train 3 million students every year 45,000 apprenticeships 58, year olds 33% of entrants to higher education 257 Colleges deliver higher education about 10% of all HE 81% of HNCs and 59% of HNDs 19,000 students from the EU; 23,000 from non EU

Title of the slide Second line of the slide AoC - our role and actions Not for profit - College subscription plus commercially generated work to plough back into services and keep subscriptions low Represent and promote Colleges to government and its agencies and the public through - Portfolio groups, policy forums; MPs and ministers; representation on standing and ad hoc groups Enhance Colleges reputation - through media, research, supporting quality improvement

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Supporting Quality Improvement Sharing practice - Conferences, seminars, bespoke training; consultancy; College case studies, surveys, weekly briefings Government sponsored projects - models of Higher Apprenticeships; Credit accumulation and transfer in higher skills; College Careers hubs; Study Programmes; Commission of Inquiry into Colleges in their Communities - Thinking outside the College; Improving Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Urban Colleges - with Ofsted; Informing Choice with BIS; FE Guild - sector wide support for professionalism

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Case Study 1 - Working with Ofsted The issue - Teaching and Learning Sept Sept 2011Sept Sept 2012 Total 74Total %124% 23142%21933% 33547%32443% 434%41120%

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Case Study 1-Working with Ofsted - Urban Colleges evaluate the challenging factors in improving teaching, learning and assessment in urban colleges complexity and diversity of the student cohorts; range of ability on entry, difficulties identifying prior attainment, particularly for adult students; high proportion of students - English is not their first language; lack of stability in inner-city life; safeguarding concerns and mental health issues, economic and social deprivation and cultural influences on students attendance and punctuality, motivation, confidence and readiness to learn.

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Case Study 1 - Working with Ofsted - Urban Colleges Ofsted-resource; 2 inspectors for 2 weeks; report written; presentation at an AoC seminar AoC - writing the brief; identifying Colleges; dissemination Key outcomes Increasing attendance including widening the definition of attendance Improved use of formative assessment Effective staff development A curriculum delivery model that supports the most disadvantaged learners Attracting, training and inducting of staff Improving inspectors awareness of critical factors

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Case Study 2 - FE Public Information - The issue - Co investment needs good information National Improvement Partnership Board - 3 sector representative bodies - AoC; AELP and Holex Funding from Government Department (BIS) Survey of students; parents; employers - What information is useful to inform choice? Fieldwork with providers Template for presentation of information and use of national indicators of learner satisfaction, employer satisfaction; success rates and learner destinations Test bed providers from each membership body National conference Further roll out

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Case Study 3 - FE Guild The issue - Deregulation Deregulation of teaching qualifications in FE and membership of IfL BIS - Prospectus for an FE Guild - teaching qualifications; CPD; Improving teaching and learning, governance and leadership of learning AoC/ AELP sponsored initiative with support from all sector bodies; for the Sector by the Sector Office established at AoC Regional seminars to develop a prospectus Consultation on scope, membership; governance; implementation and resources

Title of the slide Second line of the slide Working together Advantages Bottom up not top down Decreased bureaucracy Joint venture, joint buy in From practice to policy Potentially cost effective Disadvantages Gaining consensus takes time Hidden costs Overcoming compliance culture No one to blame