The Innovation Unit

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Dear Sir or Madam,

Please supply the following information relating to your organisation's involvement with The Innovation Unit http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk

1. the names of projects that you are working on with The Innovation Unit

2. details of the objectives, time frames and current status of the projects

3. the cost of these projects and the name of the budget that they are paid from

4. the name and rank/grade of the person in charge of the project.

Yours faithfully,

John Walker

foi, Training and Development Agency for Schools

Dear Mr Walker,

Thank you for your email dated 15 March 2008 regarding The Innovation
Unit. We are treating your request under the terms of the FOI Act 2000.

I can confirm that your request has been forwarded for the review and we
will respond as soon as possible and within 20 working days as per the
Act.

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to
contact us at [Training and Development Agency for Schools request email]

Regards

Freedom of Information Officer

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foi, Training and Development Agency for Schools

Dear Mr Walker,

Further to your FOI request, please see our response outlined below.

Should you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at [Training and Development Agency for Schools request email]

Regards

Freedom of Information Officer

Please supply the following information relating to your
organisation's involvement with The Innovation Unit
http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk

1. the names of projects that you are working on with The
Innovation Unit

1. The Effective Practices in CPD Programme -Extension project, in Farnley Park High School (Leeds), Conyers School (Stockton on Tees) and Linton Village College (Cambridgeshire).
2. Communities for Learning project (a project which builds on the Next Practice strand of work which IU has developed.

2. details of the objectives, time frames and current status of the
projects

The Effective Practices in CPD Programme -Extension project, in Farnley Park High School (Leeds), Conyers School (Stockton on Tees) and Linton Village College (Cambridgeshire).

Linton Village College

1. Consolidating and extending the provision of personalised training for NQTs and initial teacher training by developing new mentors and extending the coaching skills of expert mentors.
2. Consolidating and extending the training of new leaders through coaching and personalised training plans by extending the range and frequency of line management meetings, providing a new cohort of leaders access to NCSL accredited courses and providing leadership training for Heads of Faculty.
3. Applying the learning from the first year project to Support Staff CPD and Performance Management.

Farnley Park High School

The approach adopted was one of Appreciative Enquiry with the four stages of Discovery, Dream, Design and Deliver. An innovative curriculum model and pedagogical approach for Year 7 were produced and 2 new primary trained staff were appointed.

The challenge this year is to maximise what had been achieved, whilst being sensitive to the challenging circumstances and to undertake 7 further projects during 2008-2009 using the Appreciative Enquiry Model, developing ideas for the Future school and helping the school to focus on key priorities of improving teaching and learning. These projects would include nearly one third of the school workforce. One of the projects involves the wider children's workforce around the school community. This is an overall ambitious programme but the school needs to make rapid and widespread progress to raise achievement and move from its National Challenge status and it needs support from the local community.

Conyers School

In its first Effective CPD Programme, the school focused on the use of coaching trios to ensure consistent high quality teaching and learning across the school. For their extension they are extending the coaching model to the middle management to ensure consistent high quality management across the school.

Through the support and challenge model provided by The Innovation Unit it was recognised that the support staff was also in need of a programme and a delivery model for leadership training.

Support staff, nationally, are playing an increasingly important role in raising achievement and this has been recognised by the focus given by TDA in their workforce development framework and the DCSF working group examining pay and conditions.

Though there is an increasing range of training courses for support staff both generic and job specific, apart from the range available for Business Development Managers, there is a limited opportunities for coherent leadership programmes for school support staff.

As a result of changes in teaching workforce remodelling and the "24 tasks", support staff in Conyers and other schools undertake middle management roles such as Year Managers that were previously undertaken by teaching staff and they have responsibilities for staff - teaching and support staff - as well as students.

Conyers built into its development plan 2008-2009 the intention to focus on leadership across the school but needed support to research and develop a programme for support staff leaders and consider the best means of delivering it.

All projects

The Effective Practices in CPD Extension project was contracted from 19 January 2009.

The Innovation Unit has submitted interim reports, and the project will be finalised on 31 March 2009 with receipt of the final reports.

The project is current and is in its final phase.

3. the cost of these projects and the name of the budget that they
are paid from

£30,000 + VAT

Funding is paid from TDA's Effective Practices budget.

4. the name and rank/grade of the person in charge of the project.

Tom Leftwich, TDA5

Communities for Learning project (a project which builds on the Next Practice strand of work which IU has developed

2. details of the objectives, time frames and current status of the
projects

Communities for Learning project (a project which builds on the Next Practice strand of work which IU has developed.

A project between July 2008 and March 2009 to further develop, record and share learning from the Innovation Unit Next Practice in Communities for Learning strand of work (including 8 'field trial sites' and approximately 20 schools in total). TDA has commissioned the project in order to support our objectives (in particular our remit to deliver support for the Government's extended services programme, but also our role in school workforce reform). The project is nearing completion and final reports will be provided by Innovation Unit on completion. TDA intends to make these reports and the key learning from the project accessible to local authorities, schools and others.

3. the cost of these projects and the name of the budget that they
are paid from

Approximate cost £100-200,000. This budget line is named 'Innovation'.

4. the name and rank/grade of the person in charge of the project.

Marcus Starling, TDA Extended Services Professional Lead.
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Dear foi,

Thank you for such a comprehensive answer.

Yours sincerely,

John Walker