Outstanding Teaching Learning and Assessment

DEVELOPING ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS

Strand B: Collaborative Projects

Guidance and Application Form

Introduction

touchconsulting and CETTAcademy have been commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation to support Phase 4 of the Outstanding Teaching, Learning and Assessment (OTLA) programme. The Education and Training Foundation’s OTLA exhibition site showcases project outputs from previous projects:

The Collaborative Projects Strand is one of five that make up this new offer from the Education and Training Foundation.The five strands are as follows:

  1. A national network of advanced practitioner Communitiesof Practice.
  2. Six collaborative projects to evaluate the advanced practitioner (AP) role within diverse Education and Training contexts.
  3. A 3-day CPD programme for advanced practitioners.
  4. An advanced practitioner Toolkit to support the effective professional development and deployment of APs.
  5. A national AP conference.

The Collaborative Projects Strand

You are invited to apply for £10,000 of grant funding to undertake a collaborative project to evaluate the advanced practitioner role in partnership with at least one other organisation. In addition, you will be able to access support from the project team. This will include mentoring, resources and other professional development opportunities.

In the first instance six projects will be funded. Projects will involve a partnership of two or three ESFA funded providers (e.g.FEIs, ITPs, ACLs, Third Sector and Secure Estates). Applications are welcome from organisations at all stages of the inspection and growth cycle, including those aspiring to maintain their ‘Outstanding’ status as well as those in greatest need of support.

It is anticipated that successful projects will involve at least 6 advanced practitioners across the collaborative project.

The funding can used for the participation of APs, including new or aspiring APs, in the CPD and Communities of Practice Strands of OTLA 4, release of staff, professional development or research time, meeting costs, travel and subsistence. The purchase of items such as IT equipment is out of scope for funding.

Project Characteristics

In crafting and evaluating the role of APs, projects will be expected to demonstrate the following:

1. Senior manager involvement with the project and AP teams.

2. Links between AP roles and improving teaching, learning and assessment with impacts on learner outcomes.

3. Collaborative working between two or more providers.

4. The effectiveness of the AP role within the sub-sector context.

5. The impact of the Education and Training Foundation’sProfessional Standards on the AP role and quality improvements.

Projects will be supported by members of the Foundation’s core delivery team and an ‘AP Toolkit’, which will be further developed and refined throughout the project.

Commitment

Each partner within a Collaborative Project will be expected to:

  • nominate and support at least two APs to participate in the 3-day CPD programme, and support their small-scale supported experiment project between the residential and day 3;
  • support local Professional Exchange activities;
  • contributeto and/ or critically review and pilot resources for the AP Toolkit;
  • broadcast project learning and activities throughout the project;
  • run a workshop at the national OTLA conference in March 2019.

The collaborative projects will provide settings for crafting and evaluating the AP role in your own teaching, learning and assessment contexts. Your application should draw on the characteristics of advanced practitioners (APs) and their practice identified in the recently published summary report: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS in English Further Education

The authors describe the variety of roles occupied by APs and their equivalents and the conditions that enhance their effectiveness. These include an emphasis on professional development for APs that is collaborative in nature and draws on the experiences of others. Other key factors are close engagement with organisations’ culture and strategy and the involvement of senior managers and leaders.

Project timescales

Applications for collaborative projects open / 6 April 2018
Applications close / 11 May 2018, 17:00
Successful projects notified / 25 May 2018
Project inception meeting/project management training for leads (London) / 7 June 2018
CPD Cohort 1 residential (Birmingham) / 14 & 15 June 2018
Regional/local Professional Exchanges / To be arranged
Interim report / 5 September 2018
CPD day three / November 2018 (TBC)
Final report / 22 March 2019
National AP Conference / March 2019 (TBC)

Reporting and funding

Following notification to successful projects discussion will take place with the touchconsulting and CETTAcademy team and the collaborative project lead about the project’s activities. A short action plan will then need to be completed for the project. The project inception meeting/project management training scheduled for the 7 June will support this activity. On approval of the action plan a contract will be issued, and 75% (£7,500) of the total project funding paid on receipt of the signed contract and invoice.

A brief report needs to be submitted by the 5th of each month. This will include the following:

  • progress to date and RAG rating;
  • new developments and risks;
  • engagement with a Community of Practiceand CPD as appropriate;
  • the number of direct and indirect participants involved in the project;
  • support provided/requested from touchconsulting and CETTAcademy.

The September 2018 report will be more substantial and, in addition, will include the following:

  • emerging findings;
  • emerging impacts on learners, staff and the partner organisations;
  • potential resources and outputs emerging from the project.

The final report, due 22nd March 2019, will also include the following:

  • findings and lessons learnt;
  • dissemination materials for the national conference and other resources;
  • impacts;
  • how the project impacts will be sustained.

The submission of an acceptable final report and invoice will trigger the payment of the remaining 25% (£2,500) of the project funding.

Selection criteria

Applications are welcome from organisations in all parts of the education and training sector. Subject to meeting the quality criteria, the six collaborative projects will represent the sector’s breadth of provider type and geographical spread.

The selection process will take into account:

  • that the lead provider and partners are funded by the ESFA;
  • that all proposal details have been completed;
  • that senior manager(s) are involved with the project;
  • that the project will evaluate the AP role through collaborative development between practitioners in different provider organisations;
  • that the project can identify clear and measurable quality improvement and/or staff development outcomes as a context for developing and evaluating the AP role, together with a realistic approach to demonstrating evidence of impact. These will include the potential to impact on learner outcomes and development of the Professional Standards;
  • that the project enables collaboration between organisations and additional professional development opportunities that would not otherwise take place;
  • that the application clearly demonstrates it is practitioner-led and supported by a senior manager in the organisations involved;
  • that the application includes an outline showing the breakdown of the budget to give an indication of how it will be spent across the different organisations;
  • any innovative aspects of the project.

Thank you for your interest in this project. Please submit your application by email to:y 17:00 11th May 2018
Please contact or if you have any questions about the application.
Suggested word lengths are approximate.
Lead Provider Name
UKPRN Number
(see
Please identify the other partner providers in the project (min of 2 partners in total) / 1.
2.
Approximately how many participants will be involved directly in the project?
Location of project partners / North ☐ Midlands ☐ South ☐
Provider type/s (tick all that are relevant) / Further Education College
Independent Training Provider
Adult and Community Learning
Third Sector
Offender Learning
Other (please state) / ☐
☐ ☐ ☐
☐
1. Project Title
2. Has the lead or any of the project partners been involved in previous OTLA projects?
3. Please outline the main focus for developing the AP role across your partnership? (400 words)
4. Please outline the nature and extent of senior management involvement with the project (200 words)
5. What are the main actions you intend to take in evaluating the role of APs? (400 words)
6. How will you know that the actions of APs are making a difference to teaching and learning? What evidence will indicate the extent to which your initiative has been effective?(400 words)
7. Which Professional Standards do you expect participants to develop?
8. How could you assist in disseminating information about the project and its outcomes?
9. Budget: please outline briefly how you would commit the £10,000 within the project activities
I can confirm staff will be released and supported to participate in the following: / ☐Project inception meeting/project management training for leads on 7 June, London
☐‘Developing Advanced Practitioners’ 3-day CPD programme in Birmingham (14/15 June 2018) or Leeds (21/22 June 2018) with Day 3 to be scheduled for November 2018.
☐A Community of Practice
☐Broadcast learning and activities throughout the project
☐Share findings at the National AP conference (March 2019)
Contact details for
Senior manager of project lead (if different) / Name
Tel
Email
Signature
Contact details for
project lead / Name
Tel
Email
Signature

Completed application forms must be e-mailed (in Word or pdf format) to by 17:00 on 11 May 2018.

If you have any questions about the application process, please e-mailColin Forrest or Ian Grayling