Robert Owen Group Vision and Service Delivery Plan 2012-13

ABOUT US

20 years of co-operation...1992-2012

Vision & Service Delivery Plan

2012-13

Annual Report2011-12

and

ABOUT US

Vision & Service Delivery

Plan 2012-2013

VISION & SERVICE DELIVERY PLAN

Based in Herefordshire and operating across the rural West Midlands and Welsh Border regions, the Robert Owen Group is a co-operative organisation. We are underpinned in all that we do by our co-operative ethos and we have three core elements to our work – education, training and regeneration.

Our main business activity is teacher training and we’ve been doing it for 14 years, in close partnership with our member schools and colleges. Growing from training just 25 trainee teachers in 1997, we are now the largest teacher training provider of our kind in the country.

As a co-operative, we are member owned. Our membership consists of the schools, colleges, nurseries, higher education institutions and community groups, all with the common interest of working together to make a difference.

The Robert Owen Group is made up of a number of member organisations including the Robert Owen Foundation, the Robert Owen Society, the Marches Consortium and the Robert Owen Business, Innovation and Enterprise Society.

In 2012, we celebrate our 20th year anniversary. During our 20 years we have trained, together with our member schools over 3,500 high quality teachers, many of whom are now employed as Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers and Heads of Department.

During our 20 year history we have also helped and supported local communities with training, education and rural regeneration activities.

Co-operation, education, training and regeneration have remained at the very core of all that we have done during our history.

We are the Robert Owen Group


A co-operative is a group of people acting together to meet the common needs and aspirations of its members, sharing ownership and making decisions democratically. Co-operatives are not about making big profits for shareholders, but creating value for customers. This is what gives co-operatives a unique character, and influences our values and principles. As a co-operative organisation we subscribe to the co-operative values and principles. We are at all times a values led Group of co-operative businesses.

We are guided by the Co-operative Movement’s values and principles:

Co-operative Values: Self-help; self-responsibility; democracy; equality; equity; solidarity; honesty; openness; social responsibility; caring for others.

Co-operative principles:Voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; autonomy and independence;education, training and information; co-operation amongst co-operatives;concern for community.

Why Robert Owen?

Robert Owen is a well known 19th Century social reformer from Newtown in Powys, who worked to improve the education, health, well-being and rights of the working classes. Robert Owen’s principles went on to influence the founding of the co-operative movement. The Robert Owen Group and the Robert Owen School use his name in respect of his inspiring values and principles.

The Robert Owen Group uses Robert Owen’s name in respect of his achievements and values.

The Co-operative Difference


Achieving improvement in education and life experiences through co-operation within our learning communities

OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

To promote and advance good practice and co-operation in education through active partnership and effective leadership

Our Vision, Mission and Aims


OUR STRATEGIC AIMS

To deliver high quality and cost effective education, training and collaborative programmes.

To promote excellence and an understanding of the rights and responsibilities for the benefit of children, young people, parents, trainee teachers, teachers, staff and local communities.

To enable all involved with the organisation to contribute to its effectiveness and success

To ensure the organisation secures alternative income streams

Members

As a co-operative, we are a member owned organisation and we are guided in what we do by our members.

It was through the ideas and work of our members that we started our biggest business activity of teacher training. Back in the 1990’s, it was at the request of our member schools that we became a teacher training provider as they wanted to have an active role in training the next generation of teachers that they could employ in their schools.

In 1997 we started with just 25 secondary trainee teachers and our teacher training provision has grown since then, becoming a great success due to the hard work and dedication of our members.

THE MEMBERS’ COUNCIL

The Members’ Council is the key forum for our members to engage with the Robert Owen Group. The Members’ Council discusses the work of the Robert Owen Group, new business ideas and contributes to the models of delivery we operate.

There is direct representation from the Members’ Council on the Robert Owen Foundation Board of Trustees, the lead organisation for the Robert Owen Group. This ensures our members have a voice on the Board and ensures our Trustees and the work of the Group is engaged with our membership. The Council is normally held about four times during the academic year and is open for any member to join.

All societies within the Robert Owen Group are linked in a common purpose within a common business plan. At the heart of the effective delivery of our co-operative business are effective sound procedures for Scrutiny, Development & Governance.

Our co-operative tradition and our whole hearted adoption of Co-operative Values and Principles mean that we operate our corporate governance and strategic leadership in different ways. We are at one and the same time a private sector board and a corporation board all working within a co-operative structure.


Our structure

The Robert Owen Group consists of a family of co-operative and social enterprise organisations. The following organisations currently make up the Robert Owen Group:

The Robert Owen Foundation: A company limited by guarantee & a registered charity charged with leading & co-ordinating the work of the Group.

The Robert Owen Society: A registered Industrial & Provident Society & an Exempt Charity

The Marches Consortium:A registered Industrial & Provident Society & an Exempt Charity

The Robert Owen Business Innovation and Enterprise Society:ROBIE is a registered Industrial & Provident Society. All of the new business, developmental and bid work of the Group is undertaken by ROBIE

The Robert Owen Academies Trust:The new Robert Owen Vocational School is part of the Robert Owen Academies Trust (ROAT)

Quality

The Robert Owen Group is committed to ensuring quality in all that we do.

During 2012 we were certified with the international quality kite mark of ISO9001:2008. The Group was certified after undergoing a rigorous assessment process by the British Assessment Bureau. The kite mark certifies organisations that have met and assure a high standard of quality in their business.

Our Quality Management System provides the framework for us to drive continuous improvement in the planning, management and delivery of our services. We recognise that quality is everyone’s responsibility and we create the open environment necessary for all employees to play an active part in our Quality Management System.

Local impact

Together with our member schools we have trained over 3,500 graduates to become teachers since 1997.

Many of our trainees are now employed as Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers and Heads of Department in schools and colleges across the region.

“We have employed no fewer than eight trainees that have been trained by the Robert Owen Group.... it has become one of the first organisations we go to when we look for candidates for posts that are vacant at our school.”

Ofsted Inspection of Initial Teacher Training 2012Our Ofsted Inspection during 2012 praised the good pastoral and welfare support we offer trainee teachers and highlighted the quality of support offered by school based mentors as a particular key strength of our Initial Teacher Training programmes.

“We wouldn’t

go to any other provider

- your Trainee Teachers have

always been excellent”

“The standard of Trainee Teachers we have encountered over the years

has been exceptionally high.”

“The strength of the course lies in

how well the trainees are

prepared for the realities

of teaching.” 35% of all PE

teachers working in Herefordshire are

former Robert Owen Group Trainee

Teachers

What we will do in 2012-13

• Work with our schools in the evolving and changing external environment, responding with them to changes and need to include:

- Working with our member schools to design an ITT accreditation package to fit the new Schools Direct (salaried) Programme to ensure we are their ITT provider of choice

- Supporting our member schools to formally accredit their in-house CPD programmes at M Level

• Ensure our courses offer value for money

• Further embed and develop the Co-operative Learning Hubs model and continue to ensure our courses have ‘school centredness’ at their core

• To expand the portfolio of education and training courses we offer

• To manage the opening of the Robert Owen Vocational School, a Co-operative Free School

• To expand the Shaping Futures CPD programme and to develop programmes of excellence to be delivered with the Robert Owen Vocational School

• To expand the Co-operative Learning Hubs to establish a Hub in Gloucestershire

• To add to the offer of apprenticeships locally.

EducationOur plan for the year ahead 2012-2013


Co-operative Learning HubsOur plan for the year ahead 2012-2013


Placed across the Robert Owen Group’s designated Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) footprint, the Co-operative Learning Hubs are a group of associate schools and community groups working together co-operatively.

The Co-operative Learning Hubs in 2012-2013 are:

Central Co-operative Learning Hub: Herefordshire

North Co-operative Learning Hub: Shropshire

East Co-operative Learning Hub: Worcestershire

For each Co-operative Learning Hub we will:

• Respond to the needs of the Hub and members

• Involve schools and community organisations within the Hub

• Develop the devolved local committee structure with delegate representation to central bodies where appropriate

• Develop local training bases and associate resource centres across the Hub

• Promote the Co-operative Values and Principles across the Hub, ensuring they are core to all work within the Hub

• Work with all members of the Hub at a local level to develop new business opportunities and deliver services co-operatively

• Ensure the Hub becomes a vibrant and sustainable regional base for the Robert Owen Group, with delegated responsibility and a regional voice.


Academic ServicesOur plan for the year ahead 2012-2013


• To oversee the delivery of Initial Teacher Training, ensuring that quality and value for money are at its core

• To manage the ITT and learner information systems

• To provide high level academic and administrative services to members

• To manage the opening of the Robert Owen Co-operative Free School(s)

• To work with the College of Teachers to initiate new business streams.

Support ServicesOur plan for the year ahead 2012-2013


• Ensure that value for money is central to all that we do

• Work with, listen to, and respond to our members and their needs

• Improve member engagement

• Develop and support new business opportunities for the Group and its members and diversify the business

• Ensure the Group retains its ISO9001:2008 certification and achieves certification in the PQASSO quality kite mark

• Continue to promote the work of the Robert Owen Group across the region

• To expand the range and scope of the Co-operative Awards

• Ensure the Group operates within sound governance practices.

20 Annual Report

ABOUT US

Our Review of 2011-12


What have we done?

2011...

ANNUAL REVIEW

Quality• We have achieved ISO9001:2008 certification, marking the quality of what we do

• We have undergone a full Ofsted inspection and fully met the standards

Education• The Co-operative Learning Hubs have been successful in returning our Initial Teacher Training

courses to their school centredness

• We have worked with our members to develop new models of Co-operative Free Schools and have successfully bid to open the Robert Owen Vocational School

• We have worked with our members to source new business opportunities

• We have delivered educational projects with our member schools

- The Travellers’ Education Project, grant from The Co-operative Group and delivered with Weobley High School and Herefordshire Council

- A research project in delivering ICT in Music Education, delivered with Queen Elizabeth Humanities College

- Secured Latin resources for local schools through the Roman Society

Co-operative Values• We have continued to uphold and celebrate the Co-operative Values and Principles, including our

highly valued Co-operative Awards

• We have during our 20th anniversary reflected back on our origins and history. We honoured the Pioneer Herefordshire Headteachers who back in 1992 formed the Marches Consortium, the founding organisation of the Robert Owen Group, and shared with them what their ideas and vision have grown to become.

...2012...and much more!

These are just some highlights from our busy year.


Membership

• We have continued to engage and work with our members:

- The outreach work of the Partnership Managers in engaging members and building relationships

- The Members’ Council: meetings of the Council have been held throughout the Groups’ partner schools and have seen delegates from a range of schools, from Early Years to Secondary, including SEN and from both the state and independent sector. Membership is open to any representative from within our partner schools.

Communities• We have supported local communities including community groups with grants and advice on

alternative, co-operative models

• We have continued to support the work of the Co-operative Group in the community

• We have celebrated those who contribute to our communities and develop sustainable communities through the annual Co-operative Awards

Celebrating Success & Achievement

2012 saw the celebration of our fourteenth annual Graduation & Awards Evening at Hereford Shirehall. Nearly 200 trainee teachers graduated through the Robert Owen Group 2011-12 to become qualified teachers. Graduates, with their families and friends, joined in the celebration at a packed out Hereford Shirehall on 12th October, along with schools, colleges and staff from the Robert Owen Group.

The guest speaker at the event, Dame Janet Trotter, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, spoke to graduates about the importance of teachers in society and how vital they are in inspiring the next generation.

The event also saw the presentation of the Group’s 2012 Co-operative Awards, which celebrate the co-operative values and principles. Co-operative Award winners included Leominster’s Bridge Street Buddies, Leominster in Bloom, Leominster Community Solar Co-op, ECHO, The Co-operative Group, and Bill Wiggin MP, who was awarded Honorary Vice-President of the Robert Owen Group.

The evening was a celebration of the work of the Robert Owen Group, the hard work and dedication of our graduates, and the co-operative values and principles.

ANNUAL REVIEW

The PioneersOur 20th anniversary in 2012 saw us reflect back on our origins and history. As part of our Annual Graduation and Awards event, we honoured the Pioneer Herefordshire Headteachers who back in 1992 formed the Marches Consortium, the founding organisation of the Robert Owen Group, and shared with them what their ideas and vision have grown to become.

Current Herefordshire Headteacher, John Sheppard presents the Pioneer Awards

Honorary Vice-PresidentsThe status of Honorary Vice President of the Robert Owen Group is the highest accolade that can be awarded to an individual by the collective memberships of the co-operative organisations which comprise the Group. In order to be considered for this status an individual must demonstrate that they have been consistently prepared to go that extra mile to support our co-operative communities along the Welsh Border as they strive to provide services and drive forward social and economic re-generation.

At our 2012 Graduation and Awards Evening we awarded our third Honorary Vice-Presidency to Bill Wiggin MP.

The Honorary Vice-Presidents of the Robert Owen Group are:

Roger Davies Dave Boston Bill Wiggin MP

In 2012 the Robert Owen Group’s bid to establish the Robert Owen Vocational School was approved. The School is a 14-19 Co-operative School serving the sub-region, offering high quality, innovative vocational education, and will open in September 2013 with 60 students entering Year 10.

“Our students will become people who can do things as well as know about them...”

The Robert Owen Vocational School is one of the most exciting opportunities for parents and their children that this area has seen. The School has high aspirations for all of its students and strong engagement with the local community and employers. We believe our school will be the school that we all wish we had been able to go to.

Our vision for the School is to provide a flexible and balanced programme of general and vocational education in the 14-19+ age range for young people from a diverse range of rural backgrounds which will facilitate their broad intellectual, cultural and personal development as well as presenting them with an opportunity for effective vocational preparation for work (including self-employment) and further work based training.

There has been an overwhelming amount of support from our communities, with many supporters expressing concern about the lack of skilled staff locally and vocational provision for young people.

The driving force of the School will be to exploit all opportunities to develop fully the intellectual, social, creative and expressive abilities of all of the students. It will be our mission to ensure that:

• Our students become people who can do things as well as know about them i.e. rounded people with skills as well as knowledge;

• We help our students to choose and prepare for the most appropriate qualifications, experiences and work (including self-employment) routes for them;

• We help them change or refine their options without having to go back to square one; and• We provide a balanced curriculum for a wide range of ability and behaviours.

www.robertowenschool.co.uk

The Robert Owen Vocational School

ANNUAL REVIEW

Learning Directorate

• The 2012 Initial Teacher Training Conference held in April 2012, brought school based and central staff together to discuss and contribute to the future of our ITT courses

• We have maintained our high levels of trainee teacher achievement

• We have made further developments in bringing the School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) and Employment Based Initial Teacher Training (EBITT) courses together

• We have made progress in moving our delivery back into our core footprint

• We have improved our Virtual Learning Environment

• We have continued to assure the quality of our courses through the Group’s Quality Assurance Cycle

• We have developed and sustained Masters’ Level options for our trainee teachers for 2012-13

ANNUAL REVIEW

Sustaining Achievement in Initial Teacher Training

ANNUAL REVIEW

RecruitmentWe have delivered clear and measurable outcomes in respect of recruitment over the last 18 months.

• A subject specialist was present at all interviews for the 2010/11 cohort ensuring trainees who were selected had an appropriate level of subject knowledge;

• Retention rates have risen from 82% in 2009 to 86% in 2010/11; • 91% of trainees met or surpassed their predicted grade at interview as a result of

the improvements made to our recruitment and selection procedures • We have continued to exceed our target for trainee recruitment from a diversity

of ethnic backgrounds.

Individual Training PlanningWe have delivered clear and measurable outcomes in respect of individual training planning over the last 2 years.

• At the end of the course 30% of our trainees had exceeded their predicted grade at interview;

• The improved process of target setting, reviewing and monitoring has contributed to the improvement in the trainees’ overall achievement against the Standards for 2010/11 86% assessed at Grade 2 or above and the forecast for 2011/12 is again in excess of 80% across all phases

ABOUT US

Subject Adviser TeamsWe have delivered clear and measurable outcomes in respect of the support provided and successful deployment of our Subject Adviser Team. • The External Examiners (Spring 2012) commented on the commitment of the

Group to engage in an ongoing development process; • Subject Advisers continue to value the financial support provided to attend their

annual conferences; • Evaluations undertaken during 2011/12 indicate an improvement in the quality

of provision across the partnership. Evaluations of the course show a significant increase in the number of trainees who would recommend the course;

• Evaluations from school based trainers and subject advisers support this view, showing a confidence in the course that underpins our achievements in 2010/11.

Trainee Attainment We have delivered clear and measurable outcomes in respect of Trainee attainment over the last 2 years: • There has been a significant increase in the percentage of trainees achieving at

Grade 1 and 2. This supports the view that the Group is driving up high quality attainment against the Standards for all its trainees;

• All trainees who complete the course achieve QTS with no trainees assessed at Grade 4 over the last 3 years;

• We set ourselves the target of increasing the number of trainees who complete the programme at Grade 2 or above

“This course worked

really well for me. I believe that trainees should have as much “hands on” experience

as possible.”

“Great

being classroom

based; learnt more

from being there and

getting stuck in!”

What do our Trainee Teachers say?...

“I thought the course provided an excellent foundation for the rigour and resilience needed to sustain the pace of change and demands of teaching.”

During our 20th anniversary we have been contacting our past Trainee Teachers to find out what they thought about their Initial Teacher Training course and how it prepared them for their teaching career. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“I really believe that the on-the-job

training I received meant that I had the experience necessary to make me employable in a difficult

subject job market.”

“Once in school I realised a lot of inset we did

had already been covered in training, therefore, putting me in good

standing amongst peers.”

“Teaching provides you with a chance to help

society, while the teaching qualification not only gives you a pedagogy for the

classroom, but the confidence and ability to make a fundamental difference in

society outside of it.”

“I am very

grateful to the Robert

Owen Group as they gave me

a chance to become a teacher

and were able to see the

potential in me.”

ANNUAL REVIEW

Robert Owen House18 Burgess StreetLeominsterHerefordshireHR6 8DE

T: 01568 615510 F: 01568 620386E: [email protected] www.robertowen.org

Member organisations:The Robert Owen Foundation Registered Charity 1135628The Robert Owen Society IPS29301R (& an exempt charity)The Marches Consortium IPS28287R (& an exempt charity)The Robert Owen Academies Trust 08220540The Robert Owen Business Innovation & Enterprise Society IPS30008R

Published by the Robert Owen Group November 2012All information is correct at the time of going to print.Copyright The Robert Owen Group

If you wish to receive this document in another format please contact us on the above details.

Photography: we acknowledge with thanks individual trainees, staff and schools.

Documents

Robert Owen Group Vision and Service Delivery Plan 2012-13