1. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin
18 May 2012- Issue 114
Letter from AoC London Regional Director
Dear colleagues
I wanted to take this opportunity to say goodbye to readers of the AoC London Bulletin. This is
the last contribution I’ll be making to the Bulletin as the next one appears on 1 June, the day
after I leave my role as AoC London Regional Director.
The Bulletin is one of the things I’m pleased to have been associated with during my three and
a bit years as AoC’s Regional Director. It’s evolved into something much more useful and
readable, following the changes we made after seeking feedback from members on its content
and style. It goes to an extended number of colleagues within London Colleges, in line with the
expansion of the number of Forums and networks in the last three years. During that time, AoC
London and London Colleges have established themselves more firmly as a body that needs to
be taken seriously. We have regular meetings with the Mayor’s Advisers and are represented
on the London Enterprise Panel, the Mayor’s Education Inquiry Panel and London Councils’
Young People’s Education and Skills Group, to name just three. We have regular inputs to AoC
regional meetings from senior colleagues in the funding bodies and Ofsted and have been
working to establish strategic relations with colleagues in DWP and Jobcentre Plus, conscious of
the growing importance of the Welfare to Work agenda for Colleges and their future funding.
I’m delighted that my successor, Caroline Neville, will be taking up the role of Regional
Director from 6 June. Many of you may know Caroline from her previous roles in the sector, as
a Principal, national and regional LSC Director and, most recently, policy adviser within BIS.
She is looking forward to working with you to take forward your priorities. She brings with her
a huge amount of experience in the sector, including her HE in FE policy role in BIS. This is an
agenda I know that many of you are keen to develop further in your College.
I’ve had great support carrying out the Regional Director role from the three Chairs of AoC
London Region I’ve worked with (Sue Rimmer, Kim Clifford and Ian Ashman) current and
previous members of the Regional Committee, the AoC London team, the AoC National team,
and from colleagues working in London Colleges. Without you, there wouldn’t have been a job
to do and without you, I couldn’t have done it. I’ve hugely enjoyed being your Regional
Director and wish all of you the very best for the future.
Kate Anderson
London Principals’ Forum, 8 May
Around 40 people attended the Principals’ Forum last week, where the main topic was the
revised inspection framework. Matthew Coffey, National Director, Learning and Skills at
Ofsted spoke about the new framework (please email Evelina Bagusyte for a copy of his
presentation). Maxine Room, Principal of Lewisham College, spoke about the College’s recent
inspection experience under the existing arrangements, although she pointed out that it felt like
an amalgam of old and new frameworks. Matthew has agreed to come to speak at next month’s

2. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
Regional Forum, by which time guidance on the new framework should have been published.
See below for more information about the event.
Also on the agenda was a presentation by Stephen Evans on the work he’s done as the first
stage in an AoC London LSIS Regional Response Fund Extension Project. Stephen analysed six
recent influential policy reports as the starting point for a project that will give three College
consortia (including one led by London Capital Colleges) the chance to test out their approach
to one of the three priorities provisionally identified so far:
• Defining London and FE’s mission
• Models of Engagement
• Creating Local Partnerships
For a copy of Stephen’s presentation, and to find out more about the next stages of the project
and how your College can get involved, please contact Kate Anderson.
Marketing Managers’ Network Meeting, 10 May
The Marketing Managers’ Network Meeting was held at Working Men’s College on Thursday
10 May. It was well-attended and provided Marketing Managers with a good opportunity to
network and share well practice. There were also a number of presentations. These included a
verbal update from Ben Verinder, AoC’s Director of Communications and a presentation from
Jo Gilham, who worked on a London Region PR campaign from January – March. Jo explained
the challenges she faced and made some recommendations for the future. There was also an
interactive workshop on Reputation Management from Fiona Carthy from the Knowledge
Partnership which was very well-received and we hope to provide further workshop sessions
on this important issue in the future. Fiona’s and Jo’s powerpoint presentations have been
circulated to Marketing Managers but if you are interested in receiving these please contact
Evelina Bagusyte for copies.
London Region AoC/BCS College Sport Conference, 14 May
There was an excellent turnout at the
conference held at Hackney Community
College on 14 May. The conference was
organised by a sub-group of the AoC
London Heads of Sport network and
sponsored jointly by London Region AoC
and BCS. A team of student volunteers
drawn from several London Colleges
supported the event, acting as stewards and
making a video of proceedings. The
conference featured plenary and breakout
sessions, giving colleagues working in sport
(academic and participation aspects),
enrichment and student services the opportunity to hear updates, inspirational speakers and to
learn from each other’s experience. The event generated a great deal of interest and
commitment, including among colleagues who hadn’t previously been engaged in AoC or BCS
network activities. The Regional Strategic Group for Sport and the Heads of Sport network will
now be looking to see how they can capitalise on the momentum and help to build greater
levels of participation in sport among London Colleges’ students and staff. AoC London plans
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3. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
to create a section of their webpage where the presentations from the conference and other
information about getting involved in the sport network may be found. In the meantime, if
you’d like more information about the event, copies of the presentations and information about
how to get involved in future, please contact Evelina Bagusyte.
AoC London AGM, Regional Forum and Summer Party, 28 June
The AGM, Regional Forum and Summer Party takes place at Barclays, 1 Churchill Place
(Canary Wharf station) on 28 June. Matthew Coffey has agreed to come back and give a further
update on the new Ofsted framework. In addition, there will be a practically-oriented session
addressing the issue of what good governance means in the current environment. Chairs,
Principals and College Nominees are invited to the event. Thanks to Barclays for their
sponsorship and for providing a venue for the event. Further information about the event will
be circulated soon but, in the meantime, please hold the date and start registering.
WorldSkills update – WorldSkills UK Competitions
There are no new updates since the previous Bulletin which encouraged Colleges to consider
getting involved with the preparations for WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. This is an ongoing
request so, if you’re interested, please contact patrick.gormley@apprenticeships.gov.uk for
more information.
Olympic and Paralympic games update
College Stage Stars Shine at London 2012
A group of 33 performing arts students from Barking & Dagenham College and their tutor
Mark Civil, Head of Performing Arts, have been chosen to take key roles at London 2012 this
summer. Mark beat around 800 applicants to be
selected as one of the London Victory Ceremony
Venue Producers who arrange the grand gold, silver
and bronze medal presentations.
On top of this, Mark – who is on a six month
secondment – is also chaperoning the large group of
students from the College’s School for the
Performing Arts & Technical Theatre who have been
selected to perform in the Opening Ceremony. The
students have been rehearsing hard for the £27
million ceremony which will take on a Shakespeare-
inspired theme to celebrate British culture.
Barking & Dagenham College photo
Mark, who will be working in a team to produce ceremonies at three of the London 2012
venues, said: “I took on the role so I could be at the heart of the London Games. It is really nice
to know that I am helping to present Olympic medals to athletes who have been working most
of their life to achieve at this high standard. I am really enjoying being part of this huge event; it
has been great to see how such a big operation works from the inside.”
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4. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
The budding dancers are working with Oscar-winning Film Director Danny Boyle, who
directed the well-known film Slumdog Millionaire, and who is also directing the much awaited
Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Thomas Kirby, Performing Arts Student at Barking & Dagenham College, said: “So far we have
been rehearsing a dance once a week for two months. We are working with a large group of
people, so it has been a great team building exercise. The opportunity has given me lots of
confidence; I am really into acting and had never danced until now. I now know I can dance
and this will help with my future career. I feel like I have really achieved something big and I
look forward to all of the rehearsals.” Mark Civil has many years of experience as a Producer /
Director and has recently led his students to deliver a showcase performance on the main stage
at the largest ever international skills competition and careers event, WorldSkills 2011, held
ExCel in London.
OTHER NEWS AND UPDATES
Talent Coaches Breakfast Club – UEL SportsDock
Join fellow UKCC Level 3 coaches (or those working towards it) to listen to recognised expert
and share your coaching insights. Coaches should be working with athletes/players/teams of
county/regional standard or performance or above.
The discussion is on Thursday 31 May 2012, 08.30am-11.00am at UEL SportsDock, Docklands
Campus, University Way, E16 2RD.
If you wish to book onto this event, please email SportsDock or call Reception on 020 8223 6888.
The Apprenticeship Awards 2012 and National Training Awards 2012
Please continue to encourage and enter people for the above Awards online. The Awards will
be announced at the Skills Show event 14 November, 2012, Birmingham.
The entry deadline is 5.00pm 25 May 2012. If you would like more information, please email
info@nationaltrainingawards.com
NAS Provider Conference: London & SE Providers Achieving Excellence
The event is on Friday 25 May 2012 from 10am to 4pm at Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close,
London SE1 9DD. Please find attached Agenda.
Please contact Nicola Mayell at The London Work Based Learning Alliance to register your
interest in attending.
The Great Sportsmanship Programme (GSP)
GSP is an innovative and inspirational education programme that gets sportsmanship into the
hearts of young people whilst boosting results in PE, English, PSHE
Citizenship, Civics & Communications. Students enjoy the true two
minute stories about sportsmanship. Teachers can use the free
workbook (with pre-prepared classroom tasks) along with the free
Tutor’s Guide (containing the answers). Stories are available on Great Sportsmanship.org blog
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5. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
and the Great Sportsmanship facebook page. Additional stories are availabe in the book and
eBook. The programme also boosts interest in, and participation of, sport.
Note: Watch this unique inspirational video "If one day I score, I’d be so happy that I’d fly."
If you are interested in integrating sportsmanship into your teaching programmes please
contact GSP Founder and author, Paul Smith.
Developing the community curriculum in FE colleges: conferences
The free of charge conference aims to highlight practical examples and resources that could
assist colleges in developing responsive curricula for their communities. The events’ dates:
• 12 June 10.30am – 3.00pm Abbey Centre, London
• 19 June 10.30am – 3.00pm Kings House, Manchester
• 20 June 10.30am – 3.00pm BVSC, Birmingham
For more information please visit the NIACE website.
Award Winning Students Champion Adult Learners’ Week at Kensington and Chelsea
College!
The College, which is backing the national event being held from May 12-18, was this week
toasting two of their adult learners – Sophie Beale and Jo Miller – for their success in a high-
profile millinery competition run by Grazia Magazine. The competition
to find Britain's next great hat designer was judged by some of the most
famous names in millinery including Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones.
Sophie, who studied HNC Millinery at the College last year, was
crowned the winner for her elegant bird creation inspired by the British
seaside. The talented 29-year-old from London said: 'Hearing I'd won
almost gave me a heart attack! I really want to pursue a career in
millinery and winning this is amazing!' Since completing her course
Sophie has been working as a freelance milliner and was recently
commissioned as a designer for a Chinese commercial millinery
company. Photo: Sophie Beale, KCC
Jo, 37, who is in the final months of her HNC Millinery course at the
college earned the runner-up title. Formerly an Audience Development
Officer for a Gallery in North Lincolnshire, Jo decided to pursue her
interest in millinery with a summer school course that eventually led to a
life changing decision to relocate to London to train as a professional
milliner. Speaking about returning to education Jo said: “The course at the
college has been brilliant. I always wanted to study millinery but never
pursued it when I was younger. I did a short summer course and that was
it – I decided to go all the way. I gave up my job and here I am doing what
I love. I found the return to education really exciting and would encourage
Photo: Jo Miller, KCC those in the same situation to go for it. It's not as scary as it seems, and can
really change your life!”
You can read the full article at the London Colleges website.
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6. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
Recent meetings
Date Event/meeting Attendees Feedback
8 May AoC London AoCLR See Headlines
Principals' Forum
10 May Marketing JS See Headlines
Managers’ network
meeting
10 May AOC, YOT, Secure JS The following topics were discussed:
Estate working • Terms of reference
group on young • Allocation of Working Groups on
offenders and Protocol, Risks and Communications
access to sustained • Making sure our respective networks
and successful FE are engaged in this work and how we
placements can communicate and implement our
recommendations.
14 May London Region KA, EB See Headlines
AoC & BCS College
Sport Conference
16 May AoC BDM Meeting EB The following topics were discussed:
• Local Enterprise Partnership
• FE Commercial
• Regional Up-date
17 May Meeting Jill KA Regular catch up meeting
Lowery, SFA and
Mike Pettifer,
YPLA
18 May Clerks’ Network JS The following topics were discussed:
meeting • NUS Presentation
• Governors Council report
• Foundation Code of Governance
discussion
• Modification of the Instrument &
Articles discussion
• Clerk & Governor Training &
Development
• Recent Inspections updates
18 May Meeting with Vic KA Quarterly catch up meeting
Grimes,
Apprenticeships
18 May AoC Directors’ KA Event taking place at the Institute of
away day Arbitrators
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7. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
Future meetings
Date Event/meeting Attendees Agenda
22 May Initial meeting with IA, KA, JS Regular catch up meeting
John-Paul Marks,
JobCentre Plus
24 May College KA, The following topics will be discussed:
Procurement • General update
Efficiency Forum • Sharing of efficiency savings
• Opportunities for Collaboration
• CPC update
• Sourcing & Benchmarking
25 May LEST Meeting JS Regular catch up meeting
25 May NAS Provider JS Speakers include Cathy Walsh, Vic Grimes,
Conference: London Matthew Coffey, and Chris Cherry from
& SE Providers LSIS and Sean Kearns from CXK.
Achieving
workshops include: FS/GSCE Delivery in
Excellence
Apprenticeships; SASE Compliance; Raising
Participation Age; Management of
subcontracted provision; Higher
Apprenticeships and Ofsted: Getting Ready
for Inspection.
29 May AoC London Head AoCLR The following topics will be discussed:
of Student Services • AoC Student Services update
Network Meeting • DCLG’s work on youth homelessness
• IAG/holistic and engagement
support for early leavers - Care
Leavers and Teen Parents
(male/female)
• No Free Lunch? Campaign
• AoC London updates
31 May FE Principal KA, JS Regular meeting ahead of the
Meeting, Ian Principals’/GLA meeting on 14 June.
Ashman, Michelle
Cuomo and Andrew
Gates, GLA
31 May AoCLR Regional AoCLR Agenda to be confirmed
Committee meeting
1 June OSG Meeting JS Regular meeting
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8. AoC
Events and Dates for the Diary London Region Members’ Bulletin, 18 May 2012
 AoC Equality and Diversity Conference, Wednesday 23 May 2012, Holiday Inn
Bloomsbury, London. For more information please visit the AoC Create Events website.
 AoC London Heads of Student Services Network meeting, Tuesday 29 May, 10.00am-
1.00pm at AoC Offices, Stedham Place. Please email Evelina Bagusyte for more
information.
 London Skills and Employment Convention, Friday 29 May, 8.30am-4.40pm at Church
House Conference Centre, London. For more information please visit Inclusion Events
website.
 AoC Purchasing Conference and Exhibition, Tuesday 29 – Wednesday 30 May 2012, ICC,
Birmingham. For more information please visit the AoC Create Events website.
 AoC London Regional Committee, Thursday 31 May, 3.00pm-5.00pm at AoC offices,
Stedham Place. Please email Evelina Bagusyte for more information.
 AoC London Finance Directors’ Network meeting, Wednesday 13 June, 9.00am-1.00pm
at AoC offices, Stedham Place. Please email Evelina Bagusyte for more information.
 AoC London HE Coordinators meeting, Wednesday 20 June, 3.00pm-5.00pm at AoC
Offices, London. Please email Evelina Bagusyte for more information.
 The College Finance Directors’ Conference and Exhibition, Wednesday 20 and Thursday
21 June 2012, The International Centre, Telford. For more information please visit the AoC
Events website.
 BCS/AoC National Sports Conference 2012, Thursday 21 & Friday 22 June at Aston
Business School Conference Centre, Birmingham. For more information please visit the
AoC Create Events website.
 AoC London AGM, Regional Forum and Summer Party, Thursday 28 June, PM, Venue
Barclays, 1 Churchill Place. Please email Judith Smyth for more information.
 AoC CIS/MIS Managers’ Network meeting, Friday 29 June, 10.00am-1.00pm at AoC
offices, Stedham Place. Please email Evelina Bagusyte for more information.
Policy and other documents
If you wish to contact the AoC London office to give feedback on this bulletin, to request
additional information where we have offered it, or to provide suggested content for future
issues, please email Evelina Bagusyte.
Kate Anderson Judith Smyth
Regional Director Executive Manager
kate.anderson@aoc.co.uk judith.smyth@aoc.co.uk
Evelina Bagusyte Cyheme Bilouta
Regional Coordinator Team Administrator (part-time)
evelina.bagusyte@aoc.co.uk cyheme.bilouta@aoc.co.uk
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