Pamela LumsdenRegional Development Manager – South East

The aim of LSIS is to accelerate the drive for excellence in the learning and skills sector, building the sector’s own capacity to design, commission and deliver improvement and strategic change.

LSIS - key features

New strategic plan and direction - sector led and sector owned – using the sector to improve the sector

A comprehensive improvement support service that reflects government priorities

Based on partnership working - working in conjunction withother sector related bodies and groups of providers and colleges

Activities that are of high quality and represent value for money

Proven “impact” – robust performance review (LSIS Board and Council), QA and evaluation

LSIS – key features

• Reduced budget 2010-11

• A move away from the big badge multi million £ contracts

• Establishment of regional contracting

• Introduction of sector engagement targets

• Introduction of LSIS accounts

• Regional interface - Regional Development Managers

Top 10 LSIS Activities

• Policy Guides and Sector updates • Resource materials / The Excellence Gateway www.excellencegateway.org.uk• Conferences and seminars• Support Programmes e.g. IAS, FSSP• Specialist Services including bespoke consultancy• Toolkits e.g. Self assessment and preparing for inspection • Training for specific activities e.g. Safeguarding• Research• Publications• Responding to specific demands (e.g. The Flexibility and Innovation Fund)

Current Opportunities

• Community Development Fund – 27th September

• Flexibility and Innovation Fund – 29th October

• Equality and Diversity Partnership Project Fund – 15th October

• Hot Topics for WBL providers

• Support for Literacy, language and Numeracy in the SE

The focus of delivery

Activity will be structured around

• Organisations performing below standards – rapid response teams involving sector staff working with providers

• Building the capacity to (self) improve

• Supporting self improvement solutions and strategies led and delivered by the sector itself

• Being a hub for strategic dialogue and influence and a focus for new thinking and innovation in the sector

• Recognising and celebrating greatness and expediting the sharing of effective and innovative practice

What LSIS needs from the sector

• Commitment to developing a successful service

• The willingness to share effective practice

• Guidance on how our improvement funds can best be used

• Constructive criticism and feedback

• Sector staff time – payment for your expertise - Beacon providers paid up to £500 per day to help others. High Quality Managers,

organisation paid up to £500 per day for their release.

Use of the sector as a key delivery partner

• LSIS programmes put out to tender,(not IAS)

• New contracts subject to sector engagement targets

• Likely to mean more bids from consortia/strong providers

• Contract holders likely to differ region to region

• RDMs pivotal to new approaches

NB: See LSIS website 1st day of each month.

Partnerships

Area for development Lead partner • The development of management qualifications for the sector

Association of Colleges and Association of Learning Providers

• The improvement of teaching and learning

Institute for Learning

• The enhancement of learning support Natspec

• The development of better employment engagement strategies

157 Group and Association of Learning Providers

• Improving peer review Landex • Supporting skills for life NIACE • Developing the adult curriculum HOLEX

• Supporting HE in FE Mixed Economy Group • Improving pastoral care for learners The Tertiary Colleges Group

• Performance management of sixth form colleges by local authorities

Sixth Form Colleges’ Forum

LSIS accounts

• A virtual credit available to the sector to access LSIS services

• Issued 1 May 2010 to 2000 SFA/YPLA funded providers

• Allocations range from £2,000 to £8,500

• Can be redeemed against all LSIS activity

• In house regional events via provider networks

• Have you activated your account?

Improvement Adviser Service

Rapid response service for grade 4s and/or success rate Notice to Improve

Intermediate support for ‘coasting’

providers to improve grades

Support to colleges with a finance Notice

to Improve

Improvement Adviser Service works with provider to develop tailored support package

TAILORED SUPPORT PACKAGES can include :• Review & recommendations for improvement of processes :

- quality improvement - self improvement - self assessment- curriculum planning - teaching & learning - lesson observations- management & leadership - performance management

• Staff development• Governor advice

• Improvement action planning Signposting to other improvement and support programmes

1:1 support for development/Good aspiring to Excellence

Size and range of the IAS Service

• £3m budget

• 200+ advisers and HQMs

• Grown from 73 cases 2006-07 to 202 cases 2009-10, with 670 cases to date

• Works across the range of provider performance

• Most prolific providers – WBL (280); then FE (134); then ACL (121)

• Support for providers to make IAS application

Success

• Most popular areas of support – quality improvement processes; self assessment; use of data; teaching and learning; mentoring

• Evaluation (Sept 2009) suggested that 87% of providers were completely satisfied with the Service

• All providers interviewed for evaluation able to give examples of ‘reasonable’ or ‘significant’ impact

• 90% of cases improve grades at inspection or re inspection

• Advisers well-regarded, critical friends, do not ‘do it for you’

2010/11

• LSC used to refer providers – LSIS working across SFA/YPLA/Las and providers for direct referrals / applications

• Introduction of finance support for colleges in recovery

• Meeting the 60% sector engagement target

• Signposting effectively to other programmes

Organisational Health checks

• The aim is to gauge fitness for purpose in relation to meeting current and future strategic requirements

• External “critical friend” view to support organisational vision and aims

• Available to all categories of provider not inspected in the last 2 years

• Team of 3 / 1.5 day process

Role of Regional Development Manager

• Supporting quality improvements needs • Strategic needs analysis – regional/individual• Regional networking • Sharing knowledge across programmes• Promoting and supporting applications for IAS and

OHC’s • Working with IAS advisers to provide a whole

organisation memorandum of support • Meeting regional stakeholders• Ensuring LSIS meets regional needs • ‘Regional eyes and ears of LSIS’

LSIS is the sector-led improvement service, so please continue to tell us what support you need so that we can adapt and improve our offer to you.

Pamela Lumsden

South East Regional Development Manager

Tel office: 01273 603368Mobile: 07825 933771 E mail: pamela.lumsden@lsis.org.uk

www.lsis.org.uk