John Wheatley College

Scottish Library and Information Council

New Models for Colleges and their

Learning Centres

Presentation

Monday 27 November 2006

CASE STUDY OF EXCLUSION

CONSITUENCY PROFILE - SHETTLESTONEducational Profile Scotland Shettleston Constituency Above+/Below –

Scottish Average

Numbers leaving School 62,483 941 -

Numbers with no SQA qualifications

4,116

6.6%

106

11.3%

+71%

Numbers with SQA Highers 27,573

44.1%

300

31.9%

-27.8%

Full Time Higher Education 20,255

32.1%

200

19.7%

-38.5%

Full Time Further Education 11,520

18.2%

219

21.6%

+18.5%

Unemployment 121,940 2,580 +84%

Lone Parent

Families

90,902

4.5%

2163

7.5%

+66.7%

Average Household Income £18,200 £13,440 -26.2%

Income Support

Claimants

401,100

10.1%

13,200

26.7%

+165.2%

Households with no cars 860,541

42.6%

22,466

77.9%

+82.9%

Numbers with limiting long-term illness.

684,804

13.7%

14,200

23.4%

+70.8%

OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN SCOTLAND 2004

THE ‘CHALLENGE’ OF THE CATCHMENT AREA

John Wheatley College’s catchment areas in:

• GREATER EASTERHOUSE;

• GLASGOW’S EAST END; and

• NORTH LANARKSHIRE

ARE THE MOST CHALLENGING IN THE SECTOR

COLLEGE PROFILE

• ENROLS CIRCA 5,500 students per annum

• WORKS IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL AGENCIES

STUDENT PROFILE – 2004/05

• PROVISION MAINLY PART-TIME – NON-ADVANCED FE

• 53% OF STUDENT POPULATION FEMALE

• HIGH PROPORTION OF LOCAL PEOPLE

• 76%+ ENROLMENTS FROM 20% POOREST POSTCODES (more than x2 sector)

College Vision Statement

John Wheatley College seeks to offer opportunities in Lifelong Learning of the highest quality to raise educational attainment levels in

the East End of Glasgow and Greater Easterhouse to the Glasgow norm.

It also seeks to play a central role in the economic and social regeneration of these and

other communities in its catchment area.

College Mission Statement

John Wheatley College strives to provide an excellent and inclusive lifelong

learning environment for Glasgow’s East End, Greater Easterhouse and the

other communities it serves.

External Recognition of the High Quality of College Provision

Cross-college elements Grade

Educational leadership, direction and management Very good

Access and inclusion Very good

Guidance and support Very good

Resources and services to support the learner Good

Staff Very good

Quality assurance Very good

Quality improvement Very good

July 2005

External Indicators of Quality• SQA Gold Award Winners

– Partnership of the Year - 2004 – Learner of the Year - 2004– Centre of the Year - 2005

• Scottish Adult Learning Partnership

– Learner of the Year - 2006– Young Learner of the Year - 2002

College Community Ethos

• Decentralised approach to learning– Greater Easterhouse Learning Network – Eastend connected

• Focus on the learner– Individual Learning Plans– ‘cafeteria’ approach to programme design – community control of £500,000 of teaching

resources

Ambition to Produce World Class Learning Environments

i) Easterhouse Building – opened August 2001

ii) the Bridge – opened July 2006

iii) the East End Campus – will open February 2007

The College supports community-based learning in the Greater Easterhouse Learning Network and in East End Connected.

Shared ServicesThe Bridge

New Library ServiceThe new Library service planned (some ten years ago) as part of a Community Development Strategy.

The Strategy sought to:

• provide a new College in Easterhouse;• provide a new Arts Centre for the community;• provide modernised leisure and sports facilities (including a Healthy Living Centre);• provide other cultural and leisure facilities (including a new public Library)

All part of a ‘Cultural Campus’

The Bridge- formerly the Cultural Campus- formerly the Arts Factory

Opened (eventually) in July 2006

It comprises:- the new College building;- a new public Library;- new Flexible Learning facilities;- a 250 seat theatre and a dance studio;- a re-developed swimming pool and fitness suite;- recording studio facilities

It is run, under a complex Service Level Agreement, by Greater Easterhouse Arts Company (GEAC)

The New LibraryEstablished under a related Service Level Agreement.

Its main features:

i) Glasgow City Council runs the College’s Library;

ii) College staff transferred to the Council (services ‘bought back’);

iii) combined book stock;

iv) combined Library catalogue run by Glasgow City Council;

v) outstanding new Library (which includes the former College’s Library and FLU); and

vi) College responsible for Flexible Learning opportunities (with REAL network).

Council also provides archive services for the College.

Advantages of the New ArrangementsThe arrangements yield advantages in:

* enhanced promotion structures for College staff

* greater access to a range of professional Libraries support

* purchasing economies of scale

* ‘footfall’ and ‘Activity’

Easterhouse Library 23rd in Activity

. . . . now 5th

This in a ‘deprived’ community

Advantages of the New Arrangements

* enhanced Library related activities (personal appearances by authors etc)

* access – the public able to use other College Libraries (planned at Haghill)

* more flexible opening hours

* access to cafe

College ‘gains’Use of SFEFC/HMIe self assessment toolkit suggests big Quality Gain already

There have been ‘issues’ since July but nothing suggests

that these are major difficulties or ‘deal busters’

Element Grading 05/06 Grading 04/05

Learning Resource Organisation

Good Very Good

Staffing Very Good Good

ICT integration Good Good

User Support Very Good Very Good

Accessibility Very Good Good

Inclusiveness Very Good Very Good

Quality Assurance and Improvement

Good Good

EvaluationEvaluation is the key to continuous improvement

SLIC Development Fund Award 2006* developing cross sector Library services

This will seek to:

• assess efficient government impact;

• assess impact on service of new arrangements;

• evaluate the Service Level Agreement;

• impact of integration of quality systems (including HMIe Quality Framework); and

• identify critical ‘success factors’.

Results will be disseminated in Autumn/Winter 2007.

Wider Policy Context

Scottish Executive’s ‘transforming public services’ agenda.

Values underpinning Reform:

• the promotion of social justice and equality• building for the future• efficient government.

The Bridge project seeks to address these objectives and the anticipated ‘reform outcomes’.

Elements of Reform• public services are user-focused and personalised

• public services will seek to drive up quality and be innovative

• public services will be efficient and ‘productive’

• public services will be joined-up and rationally organised

• public services will be accountable to those for whom they are provided

Public Service Reform – How will the Public Benefit?

The object of Reform is to ‘make a real difference’ by:

• maintaining and enhancing the overall quality and volume of public services;

• providing simpler access to public services – the ‘one stop’ approach;

• providing a universally high standard of service with clarity about what the public might expect;

• exploiting new ways of providing services;

• providing straightforward redress when things go wrong;

• giving individuals and communities a ‘real say’ about public services;

• providing greater choice to service users; and

• providing clear, transparent information about

services and performance.

What’s Next?

In March 2007 we will open our new East End Campus

It will:* be highly sustainable and eco-friendly* also operate a ‘shared service’ approach to Library

and flexible learning provision;* set even higher standards than the Easterhouse

Campus

The Bridge

Any questions?