Bradford College University Centre - The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline

1. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
Context of the ITT provider, including its ethos
Bradford University centre is the largest provider of Higher Education outside the university
sector in England and delivers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and professional
courses. McMillan School of Teaching, Health & Care currently offers a range of courses
including PGCE Secondary in Maths, Science, ICT, Citizenship and Vocational qualifications.
Last year stand two of the Diploma experience was successfully delivered to the Vocational
cohort of (no to be confirmed) x students.
Identification of Diploma lines offered and numbers recruited
In September 2009 we offered 85 places to all secondary PGCE students in 7 Diploma Lines.
Possible subject routes where identified to support the students with their application process.
Diploma Lines Allocation Possible Subject Routes
Business Admin and Finance 6 ICT LT Bus FT CiT M
Creative Media 8 ICT
Engineering 10 ICT Sc M
Hair and Beauty 5 Bus FT Sc H&S
Hospitality 15 LT
Information Technology 16 ICT Bus M
Society Health and Development 25 CiT Sc H&S
ICT - Information Communication, LT - Leisure and Tourism, Bus - Applied Business, FT - Food and technology
CiT – Citizenship, Sc – Science, H&S - Health and Social care, M - Maths
Initially we had 104 applications out of a
possible 120 (to be confirmed). In order to
process the applications 3 main factors
were taken into consideration; input from
the subject tutors, the quality of the
application and the availability of the
diploma line requested. All applications
were completed using a Google docs form
which automatically populated an online
spreadsheet which could then be exported
into a database. The form was accessible
via Moodle, though it can be emailed. This
meant students could complete the form at
home. Paper copies were also made
available should any students encounter
difficulties obtaining access to the network.
The Strand 2 The Delivery
In the previous year the strand 2 diploma had been delivered in the last two weeks of the
academic year. This year a much more flexible approach has been adopted, however for this
to be effective it was paramount that there was suitable lead in time. Preparation started in
the May with the priority given to contacting as many relevant bodies / stakeholders as
possible. Diploma Line leaders, The Diploma Manager for the region, School Mentors, Initial
Teacher Educators in Schools, other Strand 2 providers (Middlesbrough Scitt, Durham Scitt,
Manchester University), the Bradford Education Business Partnership, the DCSF Diploma
Support Team and the providers subject leaders.

2. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
In collaboration with some of the other providers it was decided to break down the success
criteria into manageable and quantifiable aspects; each element was broken down into time.
A number of hours where allocated to each task to ensure that the trainees indeed had a two
week additional experience and to indicate the time each task should take the student.
Allocated Activity Success Criteria
Hours
18 Industrial experience (3 days) 18 hours completed experience in an industrial
setting.
13 Occupational currency Successfully completion of the “Occupational
Currency for Practitioners of Diplomas” Short
Course provided by
www.canterbury.ac.uk/education/ocpd
(Or completion of the occupational currency
audit.)
6 Attend lectures in college Attendance of all twilight sessions at Bradford
College
24/09/09 4-6pm “The 14-19 briefing”
08/10/09 4-6pm “Funky Skills”
15/10/09 4-5pm “ Industrial Placements”
14/01/10 4-6pm “Diploma Assessment”
6 14-19 Reform and Diploma Research Create a presentation for an audience re why a
14-19 reform was needed, what the diploma is
and who it is for.
6 Contribute to planning and creating To have contributed to a, or part of a, SOW for
schemes of work your chosen Diploma Line.
Observation of (or participation in) consortium
Diploma planning sessions
6 Experience functional skills To experience teaching functional skills or to
have completed functional skills to obtain a
deeper understanding of the skills needed. To
attend the “Funky Skills” lecture.
6 Shadowing a diploma teacher To organise shadowing of diploma teachers
within your consortium. To have completed the
related focus task
6 Shadowing a diploma learner To organise shadowing of diploma learner
through your consortium. To have completed
the related focus task
6 Assessing diploma work To attend the “Diploma Assessment” twilight
session. To sample mark part of a diploma
module.
74
Essentially the main criteria was taken and turned into additional standards that the students
could evidence in a supplementary PDF, twilight sessions were organised and documentation

3. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
created. The ICT PGCE students have been asked to create an E-portfolio of evidence using
Mahara software. The intention is to trial the e-portfolio and if successful to use it across the
strand 2 course next year. But perhaps most critically it was important that the students had
ownership of their own development and were not restricted by time elements other than all
aspects of the criteria had to be completed by the end of the course to be successful. This
meant that they could complete their 3 day industrial experience when it was convenient to
them. There are six possible opportunities where students could complete their placements;
however it could also be possible for it to be completed at other non teaching times such as
weekends. For the flexible approach to work communication would be key. Thus not only
were all contact details taken but a forum was created for the students on Moodle and it was
important that this was checked on a very regular bases so responses could be swift and
relevant.
Collaboration with partners
It was agreed with the Bradford Education Business Partnership Team that they would
organise the industrial placements for an agreed fee. The post codes and diploma line
relevance of placements that were available were then posted on Moodle and students could
then request which they preferred based on where they were able to travel to. They were
then given full details of the company for them to contact directly to confirm a mutually
suitable time for the placement. This information was passed back to the business team who
then followed it with confirmation letters to both the companies and the students. Once the
placement was completed the students gave an evaluation and the business team sent a
thank you letter to the company. So far this system seems to working effectively.
Mentors were presented with the Diploma experience and given an outline of the programme
at meeting for all mentors as it was important to gain their support. The feedback was very
positive and mentors were happy to give support and take the opportunity to gain more
knowledge of the diplomas themselves. It was made clear to the mentors that the
responsibility of the experience would be with the students. There were concerns raised re
the shadowing a diploma teacher and student as mentors were not clear where or when the
diplomas in their area were being delivered.
The consortium meetings attended were mainly to become familiar with the management
process and to learn the jargon. It was however an opportunity to raise ideas with the
diploma teachers re the best way for the trainees to gain their experience. During the
Diploma Line Leaders meeting it was raised that teachers would probably not respond to
students contacting them directly, that it would be best for contact to be between the leaders
and the college. They would outline what they could offer and when then it could be matched
to the students e.g One of the schools that are leading the Information Technology diploma
offered a series of 2 days for 4 students, during these days the morning would be spent
shadowing the lessons and the afternoons spent supporting planning and looking at assessed
work with a diploma teacher.
Meeting with other providers was extremely useful and reassuring. This led to some of us
meeting again to discuss different delivery routes in detail and gave some quality assurance.
Delivery outcomes
So far the experience has been very positive. There have been some students who have
dropped out as they are concerned that they would not be able to handle the additional work
with other commitments, where possible other students who were not originally successful
upon application have been given the opportunity to gain the experience. From October to
December 15 students have completed their diploma experience in the classroom although
some of the students have experienced it in a different line to the one initially chosen, and 25
industrial placements have been successfully completed.

4. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
In January students will complete a
tracker which will give more indication
as to the progress of the course. This
was felt needed to complement the
flexible approach, it is important that
students do not fall into the trap of
leaving every thing until the end of the
course. Again a form created in google
docs, which can be posted on moodle,
will be used. This can then be
incorporated into the database which
will keep track of individual students
progress and allow some students who
have not made sufficient progress to be
supported.
Evaluation
It is early in the course to give a full evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of the course.
Feedback from the students so far is very positive. The twilight sessions have been very
successful and students can see that the experience could both enhance their job
opportunities as well as their teaching.
Some of the main barriers have been the schools; some of the students faced some
negativity from teachers generally regarding the new diploma. It had been important from the
beginning to whilst sell the benefits of the diploma to the students make them aware of the
some of the pitfalls that are often apparent with any new qualification and to be very honest
with them. There had been some concerning press from the TES and the elections in
looming have also not helped promote the diploma.
It is proving hard to place students in schools to gain the shadowing a teacher and student
experience in the diploma line they are allocated to as the take up of the qualification in the
area in relatively low. However diploma line teachers and leaders have been very supportive
and some flexibility into the line students actually experience has been necessary. It was felt
that the diploma was delivered in such a new and unique way that the actual subject line was
less important than the method of delivery however it is not the preferred method. Students
have been invited to local events, such as recruitment days and taster days. These have
been particularly interesting for the students.
Hi Clare,
Many thanks for co-ordinating student attendance at yesterday's event.
Your students worked really hard and in many cases were thrown in at the deep
end due to staff absence.
Please pass on our thanks for volunteering and for their enthusiastic participation.
I hope they found it useful and enjoyable.
Kind regards
Angela
Angela Ackroyd
Diploma Policy Officer

5. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
This is an email received after some of the students helped at a local diploma recruitment
event.
More positively the collaboration from the local consortiums and other relevant bodies has
been very supportive. Particularly with Bradford Education Business Partnership who have
worked hard to find suitable placements for the students. This has saved a lot of time and
made use of the business contacts that they already had. They were very familiar with the
diploma as they already placed both diploma teachers and students in placements and were
very happy to come and give a seminar on expectations whilst on industrial placement. This
was also seen as an opportunity for the students whilst on placement to give more detailed
information about the diplomas to the local employers. These are some of the comments
students posted on the Moodle forum:
Hi Clare,
I have also started my IP today at Bradford Council at Jacobs Well
arranged through Justin Booth. Seems good so far.
Telling everyone i meet about diplomas!!!
Thanks
Hi Clare,
I have managed to get in touch with my contacts sent via yourself,
my placement is with Bradford District Care Trust in Saltaire. My
placement is a jam packed 18 hour programme, where I have the
chance to meet a range of IT professionals within the care trust at
Saltaire. The only downside (still being positive) is that my
placement is spread over 4 days rather than 3 days so im there till
Friday, however its the experience, knowledge and contacts that I
will build which is crucial for my career.
Will post more info throughout the week.

6. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
Hi Clare,
Hope you're well and enjoying half term. I completed my Industrial
Placement last Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at the Robinson
Group. It went well and was good to see how IT is used in a wide
variety of business uses within the company. All the staff were very
happy to talk to me and answer any questions and discuss how IT is
used within their roles. It was really interesting to see how much IT
is used within a company such as theirs.
Cheers
Once the industrial placement is complete students are asked to complete an evaluation of
their time and forward this to us to further evaluate. Here are some extracts from those
evaluations.
“A very worthwhile experience with a dedicated caring team”
“My co-workers also found my knowledge of diplomas useful and made
sure all the diploma leaflets were on display”
“Have made contacts that can be used to enhance my knowledge further
and help students gain information.”
“To get a complete idea of the nature of the work, skill required to be
successful and how this sector can be incorporated into the diploma
programme – All intended outcomes met”
“Enjoyed the placement and learnt a lot regards to the museums and the
creative and media diploma line”
Regarding the possibility of some students at the end of the course having outstanding
components, a flexiweek has been incorporated at the end of the PGCE course to “mop up”
any individuals. It is hoped that the regular tracking will help to both motivate the students, to
remind them of what is still outstanding, but also to highlight students that may need
additional support. Using forms in google docs has been very time saving and effective and
is an easy way to collate a mass of information in a structured way. It also allows the data to
be exported to a database for manipulation making queries and reports easy to retrieve.
Obviously further evaluation of the courses success will be completed at the end of the year,
however consideration for next year to aid management of the course the cohort could be
divided into much smaller groups and allocated industrial placements and school experiences
at suitable times through out the year. Staggering the groups would be necessary as there is
a limited number of school diploma placements available at present.
The flexible approach is proving manageable; students on the main are very proactive and
have taken ownership of the course. Communication and collaboration is key to its success
Appendix 1 – Application form to use technologies to support it has been vital.
and being able
The Diploma Experience, Strand 2 Application
Please complete this form fully and honestly.

7. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
It is important that you acquire maximum benefit from your industrial experience. Therefore it is
best not to request experience in an area that you may already be familiar with.
* Required
Title
• Mr
• Mrs
• Ms
Forename
Surname
PGCE Secondary Subject *
• ICT
• Citizenship
• Maths
• Science
• Food Technology
• Vocational ICT
• Vocational Health & Social Care
• Vocational Leisure & Tourism
• Vocational Applied Business
Which would be your prefered Diploma line? (This may not be the one allocated to you) *
• Business and Finance
• Creative Media
• Engineering
• Health and Beauty
• Hospitality
• Information Technology
• Society Health and Development
Your Experience
Use these text boxes to describe both any previous work experience you may have and what type
of industrial experience you would like. Even if your industrial experience is relativity limited you
may have some really useful skills that you feel a company could benefit from
What work experience do you already have?
What area of industry would you like your work experience to be in?
What do you feel that you could offer this industry?

8. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
Contact Details
These details will be given to Bradford Education Business Partnership so that they may contact
you directly with regards to your placement
House No
Street name
Town
County
Post Code
Home Telephone no
Mobile telephone no
Email address
Preferred method of contact
• Mobile phone
• Letter
• Email
• Home phone
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Appendix 2 – Tracker form
Progress Tracker – Diploma Experience
This forms helps you to track your progress. Below some key tasks are outlined that will help you
to achieve the additional standards. Please complete them as honestly as possible, you are not
expected to have them all completed at this point although i would suggest knowing the diploma
line taught locally to you and the consortium schools is perhaps the first thing that you need to
identify.
You also need to know when and with who you will be completing your industrial experience.
Please indicate when you are expecting to complete your experience. You will not be held to this
date, it just gives me an idea of numbers.
Thanks
Clare Wolfenden
* Required
Forename *
Surename *
PGCE Route * Your secondary PGCE course

9. Bradford College University Centre
The 14-19 Diploma Experience Programme Outline 2009/10
(TDA Strand 2)
Diploma Line Subject *
Progress Tracker * Tick the tasks you have completed so far
Contacted Industrial placement
Have set date for Industrial placement
Have read through tasks and understood them
Completed Occupational Currency
Identified schools teaching diploma in your area
Contacted a school teaching diploma in your area
Identified consortiums in your area
Contacted a consortium in your area
Completed a presentation for parents re diploma and 14-19 reform
Contributed to a Scheme of work for diploma teaching
Been involved with the delivery of functional skills
Participated with aspects of assessment of the Diploma
Organised shadowing a diploma learner
Organised shadowing a diploma teacher
When are you hoping to complete your industrial experience *
October break
Christmas break
February break
Easter break
May break
June Flexi week
Weekends
Other
Any other comments
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