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DIPLOMAS Delivering Diploma success


The Diploma may not be receiving the government support it once did, but schools are still seeing the real benefits of the qualification and employers are still keen to get involved. SecEd visits Nottingham to hear about a successful real-world challenge for one school’s students, and Leicester to hear about its success with employer engagement


Nottingham Bluecoat School


When Diploma students at Nottingham Bluecoat were asked to produce a slick professional piece of marketing fit for a world class arena, they were intrigued. When told it would be played at BETT 2011, the


world’s largest ICT for education show which took place in London in January, they were ecstatic if not a little nervous. BETT is attended by 30,000 of the world’s most ICT-savvy teachers which made this a great opportunity for the students from Bluecoat’s Diploma in Information Technology to show off their technical and business skills. Before becoming a teacher, Steve Li, assistant head


of ICT at Bluecoat, worked for software companies for a number of years. And having used Serif software in the classroom and the school being local to its offices, it seemed sensible to forge closer links with the company. Mr Li explained: “In 2010, I got in touch with


Colin Hussey, Serif’s education business manager, to negotiate working on a project together. Serif was keen to provide an opportunity for our students to get a taste of what life is like outside of the four walls of the classroom.” It was agreed that 14 students would work against the


clock to produce a promotional video for Serif’s Design Suite, a software package for education containing all of their main titles, to be shown at BETT. They would use Serif’s MoviePlus software, and


the project would cover Unit 6 Multimedia and parts of Unit 3 Effective Communication, as the students would have to produce reports, minutes and letters and all the other documentation needed to run a successful company. Each video would need to fit with Serif’s themes, product ranges and overall brand messages. Mr Li continued: “All the pupils were looking


forward to the challenge of working on a real project instead of a school-based exercise. Our Diploma group spent all day every Wednesday working on different aspects of the course, but as time went on and we got closer to the show, the Serif project had to take priority. “They started off by getting a more detailed brief


and some background information from Colin. They also had the opportunity to ask more questions about the company and the audience for their video. Then, they divided into two teams and set about preparing their proposals. “They picked their names (one group chose Instinct,


the other Upload), assigned roles and developed their proposals for Colin to evaluate. This was their first taste of how industry works and it was a sharp learning curve as both their proposals were turned down.” The rejection came because Mr Hussey felt that


the proposals were too similar to other promotional material that the company had produced. Instead, he asked them to focus more closely on “the human story”, showing how the software was being used throughout the school. So, it was back to the drawing board for the


students, who were fast developing a healthy respect for deadlines, specifications and listening carefully to the needs of a client. They had three days to rework their initial proposals so they gathered examples of work, both print material and multimedia, worked through breaks and lunchtimes as well as at home, and met the deadline. Mr Li said: “This was a very good lesson for


them – they realised that deadlines are not elastic in industry and that sometimes you have to put all your energies into getting the job done. Their proposals were accepted, and they got to work with the final result.” The students had all used Serif products since year


7 so they were competent and confident when it came to handling the software. However, they found it more challenging to develop their teams. Some members were very keen to take on a technical


role but they also needed people with creative ideas and someone to act as leader. This was a less popular role. In one group, the project manager did not have strong organisational skills and they had to choose someone else to take over. All the students had to focus on their skills and strengths and some found that they had to work hard to bring their weaker areas up to scratch. As Christmas neared and BETT approached, both


teams were well behind schedule and put in extra work at home to meet the deadline. Mr Li added: “The group has garnered a lot of


assets. For example, they have used flip video cameras and microphones to record members of the group using products for different purposes. They have conducted, recorded and edited interviews with users and staff, and gathered samples of work that represent some of the ICT tasks at key stage 3 and 4.


10


Real-world: Engineering students from Melton Consortium meet BWB Consulting staff in their boardroom during a traffic solutions design day (top), while Creative and Media stu- dents from Charnwood Consortium visit BBC Radio Leicester’s city-centre studios


“The students learnt many key skills that they can


take forward such as project-planning, collaborative working, working to a brief, and shaping a persuasive message to an audience – all the kind of skills an employer looks for. Projects such as these really change pupils’ motivation, especially for those who are not very enthusiastic in the classroom, who really start to shine when they can see the point of what they’re doing.” Mr Hussey was so impressed with the multimedia


pieces the students had produced that he showcased them both at BETT. Upload matched the brief most closely. Instinct had an eye-catching introduction to grab attention and good use of the product features with a really slick ending. Mr Hussey said: “Their pieces formed a key part


of our examples of student work at BETT. Feedback from teachers was very positive. The Diploma is a really good chance for students to show what they are made of.” In the past, Bluecoat has worked with the Discovery


Channel, Crich Tramway Village, plus computer companies XMA and Eluse. The school has also worked on smaller projects with Wollaton Village Tennis Club and have set up the ICT for a local curry house. All of these projects have been very effective for the Diploma students. Mr Li added: “Pupils have had to learn new skills,


take on different roles and work to industry deadlines. They have found it very demanding because in a project like this there is no room to hide, but it has made them more confident and they have discovered that there are many different ways they can contribute. It will certainly increase their awareness of the business world and hopefully improve their job prospects too.”


Leicestershire Schools and Colleges


A great mass of employers in Leicestershire are enriching 11 lines of Diplomas across the city and


county with a handful more supporting the planning stages of two lines due to begin in September 2011. The origins of the employer links started when


the teachers from across the consortia first met. By analysing their current links and mapping them against learning outcomes of the draft specifications and identifying the gaps, a plan for future employer links was developed for each line. Rachael Clarke, who runs the employer engagement


support for Diplomas within the Leicestershire Education Business Company (LEBC), explained: “Often, employer involvement in any subject is seen by teachers and senior leaders as occupying lesson time which would otherwise be used to engage learners in traditional teaching methods, and in some cases – ‘only relevant for the disengaged students’. “This viewpoint has been tackled head on with


teachers from the start, by getting to grips with the different styles of delivery and weighing up the time it takes to effectively manage employer links while maintaining quality teaching and covering all the essential learning outcomes. “In our position as the lead organisation for


education and business links in Leicestershire, the emphasis has been on ensuring all parties benefit from their involvement. This is evident through the evaluation comments and willingness from employers to continue to support time and time again, and from teachers to embed more employer engagement activity into their lessons.” During the early stages there was concern from the


education community about the demand for employer links being greater than the supply, however this has developed into one of the Diploma’s biggest assets according to Ms Clarke. She continued: “Employers have appreciated the


joined up ‘consortium’ approach from schools pulling together to reduce the frequency of requests they


receive to support a particular line. By co-ordinating this involvement from an independent, strategic position, we have achieved more than we thought was possible; with more students working with local companies, more teachers having experienced the benefits of bringing learning to life, and more employers using their time more effectively and therefore being able to support more schools.” For each line starting in 2009 and 2010, launch


events were held, inviting local businesses to join the lead teachers to discuss potential involvement. The employers involved have embraced the link to a relevant course to their industry, that allows them the opportunity to influence their potential future workforce knowing that their input is directly related to the students’ achievement of their Diploma. Local businessman Mark Watts supported the Travel


and Tourism Diploma taster event, which gave students an opportunity to meet people who work in the local sector. For him, this meant sharing his experiences of his most recent role as managing director of a national travel company. He explained: “As someone who has been in


the travel and tourism industry for 30 years, I was interested to learn more about the Diploma and the opportunity for students to gain a greater understanding of the industry. The course content gives them a good overview so that they can make informed decisions about joining what is a key employment sector for the UK. As an employer, we always value qualifications which are relevant and give future employees the skills and knowledge they require.” Positive steps towards schools working together to


share facilities and teaching expertise have emerged through Diploma consortia arrangements too. Ms Clarke continued: “Through efforts to re-jig


timetables it’s the students that have ultimately benefited. Their voice is clear; they are enjoying the style of teaching and the autonomy to take on tasks within teams. They see the relevance of what they are learning through the employer links and are more motivated to achieve as a result.” In the north of the county, a link between construction


and engineering firm BWB Consulting has provided opportunities for students studying the Engineering Diploma, which included a day of business challenges at the head office. After attending the day, year 11 student Alex Daniel-


Rudd said: “It has given me a good insight into a modern day engineering workplace. It’s surprising how much IT they use and the use of engineering behind the traffic flow systems was really interesting.” From an early stage, it was highlighted that Diploma


teachers were also keen to develop their professional knowledge of the industry. Since 2008, the LEBC has organised 87 teacher placements into industry for the teaching staff involved in Diplomas. This allows them to get a behind-the-scenes understanding of how the theory that they will be teaching relates to current industry practice. As an example, a teacher placement with Invicta


Plastics has enriched work on the Project element of the Manufacturing and Product Design Diploma. Teachers from The Robert Smyth School, part of the Learning South Leicestershire Consortium, spent a day with the marketing manager and product designers at the local plastic injection moulding firm and the experience is already having a positive impact on the students. Year 12 student Adam Kramer is working on his


project, a kit to be used in primary schools when teaching environmentally friendly energy sources. The kit will be manufactured from eco-friendly materials and serve as a good example to next year’s Diploma students. Jonathan Sidgwick, one of Adam’s Diploma


teachers, said: “Having visited Invicta, I was able to inform Adam that they produced a product designed to teach students the same topics that his project was focusing on and that he should request some literature on this range for market research purposes. “Invicta was more than happy to discuss the products


with Adam and even shipped him a copy of the eco- energy product for him to analyse for his project.” Ms Clarke added: “Since the planning stages


in the 2007/08 academic year to the present day, over £194,000 of employer in-kind support has been generated across the Diploma lines in Leicester and Leicestershire through our work. “Going forward we know the detailed knowledge


and good practice that our staff have developed specifically for the Diploma will be useful following the transition to delivering Principal Learning as a standalone qualification.”


SecEd SecEd • March 17 2011


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