Case study “She is the reason I have reached my full


ability and my target grade, if not higher.” Te success of the Diploma in many


schools and consortia has been dependent on teachers taking the lead and having a belief in the qualification to take it further. One of the runners-up in the Delivering


Diploma’s awards did just that. Val Wigham, from Kenton School in Newcastle-upon- Tyne, was involved in the Diploma from the start, in Gateway 1, as part of the Creative and Media team. Ms Wigham took the lead in preparing


the Level 1 course and colleagues say the imagination and detail of her curriculum planning was exemplary. David Pearmain, headteacher, said: “She


was able to conceive of the whole course structure from the start and see how uniquely the elements and opportunities of the Diploma could be drawn together to provide an exciting and stimulating course. “Having established the structure she got


to work on the detail of the units. By drawing on her vision of how the course could be she was able to craft the learning experiences and so demonstrate to teachers what was possible and give them confidence to engage with the course. “Te course materials were clear,


imaginative and professional.” Having devised the course Ms Wigham,


who is also a deputy head at Kenton, timetabled herself to teach it, so leading by example. More than 70 students were recruited in Kenton for the course – the largest cohort of Diploma students at any level, in any school. “She is not only an outstanding classroom


teacher who enthuses and motivates any students she teaches, but also an inspiring leader of a staff team, whose skills in the classroom are matched by her superb skills as a staff trainee,” Mr Pearmain added. “Te course is taught as a carousel, with all


students experiencing all three areas – visual arts, performing arts and media. “Her excellent work with partners at the


Newcastle Education Business Partnership and employers in all areas of creative and media led to an exciting range of successful work placements, ranging from catwalks to newspaper offices to art galleries.” Having successfully set up the Creative


and Media Diploma, Ms Wigham then led the team in the second Gateway to devise the Diploma in Hair and Beauty. Mr Pearmain said: “Ms Wigham is not an


expert on Hair and Beauty but she was able to identify the experts and get them to sketch


Delivering Diplomas • Volume 2 No 2 Autumn 2010 25


out ideas which she then developed into teaching units for use across the institutions. “Her units are currently being used not


only across Newcastle but also in Sunderland, while the AQA visiting moderator said they were the best course materials they had seen.” He added: “Over the period of Diploma


development Ms Wigham has played a significant lead in ways that have secured and proved that the Diploma can offer great opportunities for learners and teachers. “She has actively participated in senior


managers’ meetings and inspired with her grasp of the Diploma and how it might be built into the curriculum. She is now a regular speaker at Newcastle University’s PGCE course on 14 to 19 issues including Diplomas. “Most of all she is an outstanding


educational leader, in the classroom, in the training room, in our school Senior Leadership Team, in the consortium and in every place where collaboration between professionals can improve young people’s life chances.” At Backwell School in North Somerset,


meanwhile, lead practitioner Mark Curtis was similarly setting up Diploma courses and helping the consortium pass through the Gateway. He set up the Creative and Media Diploma in 2008 at all three levels, making this the only Level 3 line of learning within the consortium. For him, as for many teachers, the Diploma


was a radically different style of learning, but he has stepped up to the plate, establishing links with a range of employers and providers, including the National Trust and the BBC. Tanks to Mr Curtis’ work, the Creative


and Media course at Backwell is renowned and acclaimed for being cutting edge, and has been cited by Ofsted as “outstanding”. Students feel engaged and stimulated and


in many cases achieve beyond their teachers’ expectations.


Teaching star: Amanda Gowland picks up her Teacher of the Year award from the QCDA’s Alan Clamp


Julian Baldwin, Backwell’s headteacher, said:


“In setting up and managing the Creative and Media course at Backwell, Mark has involved and energised a range of staff from departments as diverse as Drama, Music, Art, English and Mathematics, all of whom have made significant contributions to the success of the course. “Trough Mark’s energy, commitment and


expertise, we have established an exciting, high quality and highly acclaimed course that provides so many new opportunities for students.” At Ringwood School, in Hampshire,


science teacher and Awards runner-up Jack McNulty has made the Diploma in Environment and Land-based Studies one of the most popular. Christine Edwards, the headteacher, said


he had an “outstanding ability” to motivate colleague, students and parents in the 11 to 18 New Forest Learning Partnership. Mr McNulty was the instigator of a new


build project specifically designed for the Environmental and Land-based Studies Diploma, and he has introduced raised beds as a garden project with these students and a menagerie of animals and birds. He has managed to make the most of every spare inch of space to build animal shelters for various birds and animals. Ms Edwards continued: “Mr McNulty


is a true team player and an inspirational teacher who was appointed as a Diploma Champion in 2008. He has raised the profile of the science department and the Diploma programme by taking a genuine interest in all his students and demonstrating a passion for applied learning. “He has a particular skill of building trust


and relationships with those for whom more formalised approaches prove less productive.”


DD


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