An essential tool in effective school improvement is the establishment of a clear detailed vision.  A clear vision underpinned by associated values and behaviours which is established with input from all stakeholders, provides a clear direction for the future.

The new half day course provides participants with a process by which to formulate and implement shared vision, values and agreed behaviours within the national and local context. The process enables Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers, Governors and Senior Leaders to establish and implement a clear, highly detailed vision and values which has input from ALL stakeholders; one which  is reflected within the school’s  aims and objectives, can withstand rigorous questioning,  informs curriculum planning and delivery; can be easily implemented upon return to school and, most significantly, drives school improvement.

Commenting on the new course, tutor Gill Hampton said “All too often in my experience, schools confuse mission statements, wider vision and aims.  It is very common to find that, although schools have a set of aims in a school brochure, staff, parents, pupils and other significant stakeholders do not know the school’s vision and values and have not had input into them…as a result vision is not demonstrated within the school ethos and day to day life, nor is it driving the curriculum delivery or school improvement as a whole.”

“This course has been developed to support headteachers, senior leaders and governors. It provides them with a clear process to help them to formulate and implement a shared vision and values. It also assists in facilitating conversations about personal behaviours that demonstrate commitment.”

A spokesperson for the company said “We are delighted with the new course. We know from feedback from our customers that this is an area that existing headteachers, new headteachers and governors will find particularly useful.”

The pilot course is scheduled for 23 May 2012 at Heath House Training and Conference Centre in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. A full course description is available on the company website http://www.pbm-group.co.uk/courses/displaycoursesname.php

Alternatively this course is available as tailored school based training.

To discuss school based consultancy, please e-mail admin@pbm-group.co.uk or telephone 01889 567014.

In response to the Serious Case Review of ‘Little Teds’ nursery, Plymouth, we are offering a reduced tariff to day-care nurseries on the accredited, ‘Safer Recruitment in Education’ workshop.

PBM Training and Consultancy: Uttoxeter, Staffordshire: 22 December 2010

Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility and further to the publication of this and other  Serious Case Reviews, we are offering a reduced tariff on a limited number of places on the accredited, ‘Safer Recruitment in Education’ workshop*. 

For a limited time and in support of our own commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, places on this course are being offered to private day care nurseries at discounted delegate rate of £95 plus VAT.  

Dates are:

• 17 February 2011 (Eight places currently available)
• 17 March 2011 (Six places currently available)
• 04 April 2011 (Seven places currently available)

Learning from core resources and the application of  findings and recommendations , the aim of the workshop is for nursery managers and senior staff to develop skills and knowledge in support of recruiting and employing staff safely and appropriately. 

A spokesperson from the company said today: “We cannot take all the credit. Debbie; the accredited tutor for this course, is passionate about safeguarding. Following the publication of the Serious Case Review she wanted to take action to ensure that the workshop was accessible and affordable for as many nursery managers and staff within day-care nurseries as possible; the theory being that if more managers access and benefit from the workshop more children will be protected. Debbie has an exceptional track record with the company. Her subject knowledge and ability to engage with participants enable her to impart difficult emotional and potentially dry subject content in an engaging clear and informative way. As a company we hope that this reduction in price will enable many more nursery managers to access this valuable training event.”

About PBM

PBM training and consultancy is part of PBM Inspection Services Ltd. The company is passionate about education, school improvement and raising standards. It is owned and run by people who have taught and managed schools and who care deeply about the quality of education schools offer. The Company has supplied educational services since 1996. It was formed to provide inspection services for Ofsted. During the fourteen years, PBM Inspection Services Ltd has worked with a number of other companies and organisations. With its partners it conducted hundreds of Ofsted inspections throughout the country in schools across all phases, types and sizes, carried out thousands of lesson observations and talked to tens of thousands of pupils. In the process, it has accumulated extensive knowledge and experience of schools nationally and of their school improvement needs and is very well placed to support schools wishing to develop. The company has developed a reputation for providing high quality training and professional development courses. The company ethos is to provide services and support that are high quality.

For more information about PBM Inspection Services Ltd or the courses featured within this article please contact the administration team on 01889 567014 or e-mail admin@pbm-group.co.uk

Acknowledgements

*“Safer Recruitment in Education” Workshop

Acknowledgements: The course was commissioned by the DCSF, created by the National College (formerly NCSL) and now promoted by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

These are face-to-face, taught sessions offered as an alternative to the CWDC on-line training course and aimed at delegates who prefer to access and complete the course in a classroom environment.

The Workshop provides an opportunity to share experience and best practice and review and refine process and procedure in support of a safer school culture. It is delivered by an accredited tutor and leads to an Ofsted-recognised certificate valid for 5 years.

PBM training and consultancy are delighted to announce the launch of three new safeguarding courses. The three new safeguarding courses complement the Safer Recruitment workshop* which is already provided by the company.

PBM Training and Consultancy: Uttoxeter, Staffordshire: 14 December 2010

Following on from the success of the Safer Recruitment Workshop* PBM are delighted to announce the launch of three new safeguarding courses;

• ‘Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Young People – Level 1’** (also known as ‘Child Protection Training’ – Level 1)
• ‘Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Young People – Level 2’***
• ‘Safeguarding Level 1 refresher****.

The courses are aimed at all staff and volunteers who work with, or have a responsibility for, the provision of children’s services. Each of the courses covers a wide range of issues experienced throughout children’s services; early years environments, primary schools, secondary schools and FE settings.

A spokesperson for the company said” The courses have been written and developed by Debbie Smith. Debbie has an exceptional track record with the company. Her subject knowledge and ability to engage with participants enable her to impart difficult emotional and potentially dry subject content in an engaging clear and informative way. Based upon Debbie’s track record, we are confident that the new courses will be beneficial to participants. All courses are quality assured, so we eagerly await the feedback from the pilot courses”

About PBM

PBM training and consultancy is part of PBM Inspection Services Ltd. The company is passionate about education, school improvement and raising standards. It is owned and run by people who have taught and managed schools and who care deeply about the quality of education schools offer. The Company has supplied educational services since 1996. It was formed to provide inspection services for Ofsted. During the fourteen years, PBM Inspection Services Ltd has worked with a number of other companies and organisations. With its partners it conducted hundreds of Ofsted inspections throughout the country in schools across all phases, types and sizes, carried out thousands of lesson observations and talked to tens of thousands of pupils. In the process, it has accumulated extensive knowledge and experience of schools nationally and of their school improvement needs and is very well placed to support schools wishing to develop. The company has developed a reputation for providing high quality training and professional development courses. The company ethos is to provide services and support that are high quality.

*“Safer Recruitment in Education” Workshop

Acknowledgements: The course was commissioned by the DCSF, created by the National College (formerly NCSL) and now promoted by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

These are face-to-face, taught sessions offered as an alternative to the CWDC on-line training course and aimed at delegates who prefer to access and complete the course in a classroom environment.

The day is predominantly workshop-based, focussing on group work, the open sharing of experience and best practice and the application of appropriate policy, procedure and process to working examples.

It is delivered by an accredited tutor and leads to an Ofsted-recognised qualification which is valid for 5 years.

**Level 1; ‘Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Young People is a full day course designed to provide a secure knowledge base for all front-line staff and volunteers who work with and/or care for children and young people. It is suitable for staff new to a post or role  or those desiring a thorough refresher. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the essentials of safeguarding training and provides participants with a practical toolkit of resources to enable them to carry out their role effectively.

***Level 2 is a three hour course, providing detailed information on ‘next steps’ and the multi-agency approach set out in ‘Working Together… 2010’. Prevention is key to safeguarding and requires all organisations that come into contact with children, their parents or carers to contribute. The course is aimed at those with designated senior responsibility for Safeguarding and Child Protection and examines how to most appropriately engage other agencies.

****Level 1Refresher: This is a three hour course designed to refresh and update ‘Child Protection’ skills and knowledge in line with the  statutory requirements to do so as set out in government guidance. This course is intended for those who already have completed a thorough introduction to the subject of Safeguarding & Child Protection and are seeking an accessible yet informative update briefing.

The value of effective self evaluation systems has been widely recognised as being essential in bringing about effective school improvement. It is essential that schools have rigorous systems in place, not only in preparation for inspection but also as a tool to assist them in planning school improvement. This has been highlighted recently by amongst others; Brian Lightman, General Secretary of the Association of School Leaders.

“As part of inspection and accountability the principle of self-evaluation is critical…School leaders and inspectors still need mechanisms that clearly outline the schools understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and what it needs to do to improve…Self-evaluation has been a key driver of school improvement.”

To assist schools in evaluating their current systems and processes, and to help them check their judgements, PBM have introduced the School Pre-Inspection Audit Service. This service provides an audit of the school’s current self-evaluation system and checks its’ preparedness for inspection. The audit aims to gather first hand evidence and helps senior leaders to verify their own judgements. The audit checks the school’s evaluation of pupils’ achievement, their behaviour and safety, the quality of teaching, and the effectiveness of leadership. The scope of the service generally includes data analysis, work sampling, lesson observation, and discussions with pupils, but can be tailored to the schools individual requirements. The audit is carried out by consultants who are, or have been, inspectors and whose background includes experience as headteachers or senior leaders. The service helps schools to quality assure their existing systems, giving them time before inspection to identify any areas for improvement in advance of inspection.

A spokesperson for the company said “We have developed this service in response to our client’s requests. The service gives headteachers and senior leader’s confidence in their judgements and in the evaluation systems that they have in place. It is a unique opportunity for headteachers and senior leaders to work with an experienced consultant with an extensive background within inspection. The service will enable headteachers and senior leaders to be fully prepared for inspection whether under the current framework, with judgements feeding into the SEF or under the new framework.”  

The new service assists schools by helping them to evaluate their existing systems. The company plans to introduce a sister service to assists schools in the creation and development of tailored self-evaluation systems. More information on this service will be available within the next few weeks.

For more information on this service please visit the consultancy section of the PBM website: http://www.pbm-group.co.uk/consultancy/displaycoursesname.php

This September PBM introduced a 20% discount voucher system for all members of the loyalty scheme.

 The vouchers enable members to receive a 20% discount off the cost of any PBM courses held at Heath House in Uttoxeter. Each voucher allows one participant to get a 20% reduction off the cost of one place on any one-day, two-day or three-day course.

 A spokesperson for the company said “We are absolutely delighted. The voucher scheme has been exceptionally well received with many members maximising their savings by using the vouchers against two and three day courses such as “Inspection Skills Training for Headteachers” or “Evaluating Achievement in the Primary School”. The scheme has done exactly what we hoped, and allowed our members to make the most of their training budget”

 The 20% discount vouchers are one of many benefits offered to members of the PBM loyalty scheme. In addition to the five 20% off vouchers, members also receive:

• a standard 10% discount off any subsequent course bookings (Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer)
• The Nine day course discount. (Nine days before a course runs, we notify members of any remaining places. These places are offered to our members at greatly reduced prices.
• Advance notification of any pilot courses. 

 For more information on becoming a member go to the following page: http://www.pbm-group.co.uk/login.php or telephone 01889 567 014. Membership is free.