Learning Outside the Classroom
Updated 17 March 2008
February 2008 News
Overview
The focus of the past month has been the further development of the Manifesto resources: The “Out and About” package; the safety and quality accreditation scheme; the LOtC Council.
The “Out and About” package writing teams have produced a significant amount of content which is now being edited and structured by CfBT and a panel of expert advisers. The “Out and About” package consists of two elements:
1) The ‘How To’ guidance is designed to facilitate and improve access to LOtC activities. The guidance will cover the following areas:
- Making the case for LOtC and setting out the positive impact it has on young people
- LOtC and whole-curriculum planning, which will include what a progressive LOtC curriculum might look like and how to plan for this
- Guidance about the scope of the learning experience, looking at how pupils are prepared for LOtC, and what they achieve during and after the learning experience
- Guidance on working with key stakeholders such as parents, governors and young people to deliver successful LOtC
- How to work with external providers and to take advantage of local opportunities
- Health and Safety issues and how to remove barriers to LOtC
- Links to existing LOtC materials; these will be sector specific.
2) The CPD modules are designed to provide training in the planning and delivery of integrated LOtC. The modules will be a series of downloadable trainer 'packs' that cover the following areas:
- Teachers and the learning experience and evaluating impact
- How to structure the curriculum to ensure compelling learning
- Modules for governors, headteachers and the senior management team
- Modules to support local authorities and their education advisors, EVCs, as well as LOtC providers
- A specific module for ITT providers and NQT coordinators.
PwC are continuing to consult with sector heads and key stakeholders to refine the safety and quality accreditation scheme. The initial outline emphasises assessment that is appropriate to the activity offered by providers. It builds on existing schemes and avoids duplication of effort for providers. The proposed scheme consists of two potential routes to accreditation. The route providers take will be determined by the degree of risk management required for the activities they offer. End users will see only one badge and will not be aware of the different routes.
Route 1 will involve setting up a new 'Code of Practice' for providers who offer activities that are deemed to have a lower requirement in terms of risk management. This route will also include random spot checks for providers who have signed up to the Code.
Route 2 will involve an external assessment for providers for activities that require a higher degree of risk management. The DCSF and PwC will nominate awarding bodies for each activity sector, using existing awarding bodies that have been working with the DCSF on the EVAC safety badges and others as needed. Awarding bodies will incorporate the LOtC quality indicators into their existing indicators and put quality at the heart of assessments.
In order to achieve a consistent level of quality across both routes, the quality criteria will be the same for both routes. PwC has set up a working group formed of members of the NAG to further develop and agree the core quality indicators to be used as the Code of Practice and for external assessments. It is hoped that the scheme will be launched in September 2008, following a pilot phase in the summer.
PwC is also working on plans for the independent LOtC Council, which will ultimately take over from DCSF in leading the Manifesto. PwC has been working up options for the purpose, structure and membership of the Council through consultation and discussion with the NAG, sector partnerships and signatories to the Manifesto. They are trying to gauge the level of support for a Council and agree its draft aims and purpose. They will then undertake a wider consultation on its structure and membership throughout March; after which a preferred option will be worked up.
Band and Brown continue to publicise and inform on the Manifesto to a wide range of audience groups and in particular to key influencing stakeholders such as Directors of Children's Services, headteachers, governors, parents and Government. The Communications Working Group (CWG) meets again in March 08 to review the communications strategy and achievements so far. Key activities for Band & Brown over the past month have been: the collection of information about LOtC activities around the country planned for the Easter period and the school holidays; collecting and publicising best practice in LOtC; getting press coverage for LOtC (30 recent stories have appeared in the sector, regional and national press); preparing publicity material on the Manifesto for use by organisations’ PR departments (an article has been prepared that can be used in newsletters and on websites to update people about the Manifesto 'one year on'. If you think you would like to include an update about LOtC in your newsletter or on your website please contact the PR team on lotc@bbpr.com).
For more information on the LOtC Manifesto, please visit:
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/outsideclassroom/
HSP Activity
- Heritage Sector LOtC Conference – Learning Outside the Classroom: A turning point in heritage education took place on Friday 14 March at the Bishopsgate Institute in London. The conference focused on explaining the LOtC Manifesto in the context of broader government policy; highlighting the role of LOtC in the new curriculum; giving real examples of the positive impact of LOtC on young people; providing an update on the LOtC Manifesto and its implementation.
- LOtC Heritage Sector Survey – The Heritage Sector Survey has been circulated amongst members of the Heritage Sector Network and more widely and a good number of responses have been received. The deadline for receiving completed surveys was 29 February 2008. Thanks to all those of you who participated. Your responses will provide some important quantitative and qualitative data for the HSP’s informal analysis of learning provision in the heritage sector and the profile of the Manifesto.
- Collecting case studies – The collection of case studies now exceeds 50 examples of innovative practice in heritage education for young people. The case studies include family learning activities, work with after school clubs, gifted and talented projects, vocational skills-development programmes, projects for young people with SEN, local community projects, early years activities and much more. A number of these case studies are shared with Band & Brown in order to try and generate publicity for the projects and LOtC. All of the case studies collected by the HSP will be included in its informal study of learning provision in the heritage sector. If you are interested in submitting a case study, please contact Fenella Hunt at lotc.gemoffice@btinternet.com.
- HSP PR and Communications Activity – The heritage sector has been the focus of communications activity in January and February. Some of the key achievements have been securing some national press publicity for Julie Howse and the Whitworth Art Gallery ITT project and arranging for Peter Carne to speak about LOtC and the Manifesto at the Heritage 365 Conference (Friday 6 March 2008). We also continue to raise the profile of the Manifesto through the placement of articles and information in sector publications, newsletters and websites. If you would like publish an article on LOtC in your publication, please contact Fenella Hunt at lotc.gemoffice@btinternet.com
- HSP Meeting - The next meeting will be on 20 March 2008. If you have any particular points that you would like raised at that meeting, please email Fenella Hunt at lotc.gemoffice@btinternet.com
The Heritage Sector Network – This is a network of interested organisations, individuals and smaller networks through which a free flow of information surrounding LOtC in the heritage sector can be established. The network now has over 100 contacts, but we would like to keep building on this, so if you know someone who would like to be part of it, please ask them to email lotc.gemoffice@btinternet.com and we will ensure that they receive the next copy of the newsletter.