Epping Forest College Strategic Plan for 2013-17

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Strategic Plan 2014 -17
The difference we make

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INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this document is to set out the strategic direction for the college 2014-17. It details the six strategic aims and the way in which they will be tracked and monitored.
The College, like any other general further education college (GFE), delivers a broad range of vocational courses at various levels allowing students to progress from one level to another, opt for an apprenticeship or go on to university or employment. We have just over 2000 full time students and around 1000 part time.
So it could be suggested that if all GFE colleges are the same, we should all have the same strategic aims, the same objectives and ultimately the same targets. After all, OFSTED measure us on the same criteria. The later remains but the former may have been true of colleges prior to incorporation in 1992 and indeed probably ten years hence.
However the landscape has changed, we are afforded freedoms and flexibilities from government and what we become is our destiny to prescribe. We know that we have an annual reduction to our core funding and therefore could simply sit and wait for the inevitable implosion where we could be at risk of a merger or become significantly small enough to be eaten up by an academy. Or we could take this as an opportunity to flex our flexibilities and identify our freedoms as an independent organisation and thrive.
There therefore becomes a need for a clearly defined strategy that will allow us to continue with our core business and yet identify markets to exploit to make us the first choice provider to employers and other key stakeholders and gain the market edge on our competitors.
The focus on the strategic aims gives us the vehicle to do this, to take calculated risks and achieve our goals. If we are successful then we will have identified some very unique selling points that clearly demonstrate the difference we make.

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MISSION
Empowering people with the skills and abilities to realise their full potential to achieve their personal aims and goals
VISION
Creating an amazing organisation by 2017
EDUCATIONAL CHARACTER
The Further Education sector faces fundamental and ongoing changes such as shifting educational priorities and reductions in government funding which present us with some significant challenges. Our focus for the next three years will be in driving up standards, maintaining quality in our delivery and providing a broader offer to meet the demands of employers and other key stakeholders.
The strategic plan demonstrates the determination and emphasis we place on the education and training needs of our students, our growing number of employers and the importance of the communities we serve.
We will work in partnership and collaboration with other providers of education and training where we can see a fundamental benefit to our stakeholders.
The college is determined to raise the quality of learning and teaching to consistently good or better and provide this within state of the art facilities which models best practice in ensuring our students are work ready by including those employers in the development of curriculum and facilities.
Our five core values of excellence, integrity, commitment, respect and enterprise will define the culture we wish to achieve. Our code of conduct will give us the boundaries of acceptable behaviour to allow the desired culture to grow and our strategic aims will give us the intended direction.
SUSTAINABILITY
The College recognise its responsibility for our impact upon society and the environment that arise from activities and the provision of services. The College is committed to understanding, managing and improving our environmental and social impacts.
It is recognised that our activities have an impact on the environment; we are developing an environmental policy that seeks to manage and mitigate these impacts. We are working to reduce our environmental impacts from all aspects of our business and reduce our carbon footprint.

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HEALTH & SAFETY
The Health and Safety of our staff, students and visitors is of the highest priority. The College regularly reviews working practice to ensure a workplace free of incidents and injuries. Our health and safety policy is fundamental in this process.
EQUALITY & DIVERSITY
The College is committed to maintaining an open and welcoming ethos where discrimination is challenged and Equality and Diversity is celebrated; where all learners and employees are respected and valued.
We continually review our policies and practices to ensure that the colleges’ inclusive environment is maintained
COLLEGE VALUES
Our five core values define our culture and expectations and support our professional standards
 Excellence - relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do
 Integrity - strive to ensure decency, fairness and honesty at all times
 Commitment - to be the best we can be
 Respect - demonstrate exemplary behaviour towards people and property
 Enterprising - forward looking and innovative in our approach to all college activities
CODE OF CONDUCT
 We will act at all times in a professional manner.
 We will communicate clearly and concisely in an appropriate and timely way.
 We will take responsibility and be accountable for our own behaviour.
 We will encourage innovation and creativity.
 We will take responsibility for our own effective development and learning to foster change and improvement.

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OUR SIX STATEGIC AIMS
 Dynamic and Inspirational Teaching, Learning and Assessment (Gerry)
 Excellent Success and Progression (Gerry)
 Innovative and exciting offer (Penny)
 Amazing people (Brian)
 Exceptional Resources (Brian)
 Entrepreneurial Edge (Penny)
( ) denotes the owner of the aim.

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STRATEGIC AIMS & OBJECTIVES
STRATEGIC AIM 1
Dynamic and Inspirational Teaching, Learning and Assessment
That fosters interest, curiosity and the motivation to achieve at the highest levels
 Graded as outstanding in Ofsted terms and also by our local employers and students in their feedback to us
 Deliver learning in ‘real life’ contexts supported by the smart use of technology
What we need to do
1. Ensure good and outstanding learning across the range of learning activities Ensure our Teachers, Assessors and Trainers will be at least good and outstanding at best
2. Enable our students to achieve their aims and goals
3. Deliver an aspirational culture that delivers high expectations
4. Keep our learners safe
5. Celebrate diversity, challenge discrimination
6. Provide a breadth of enrichment and work ready activities

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STRATEGIC AIM 2
Excellent Success and Progression
Which makes our students highly prized / or sought after by employers and universities
 Success rates which are in the top 5% nationally
 commercial experience for all our full-time students
What we need to do
1. Encourage our learners to achieve the best they can through stretch and challenge and have the opportunity to progress through the levels of provision
2. Encourage employers to come to us to interview and choose the best students for their businesses
3. Ensure our students are in the top 5% of achievers
4. Demonstrate how our students are work ready through commercial enterprise
5. Achieve an overall student success rate of 90%
6. Develop, implement and monitor service standards for all support areas

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STRATEGIC AIM 3
Innovative and exciting offer
Identifying key markets which we will develop to provide industry specific standards and gain a reputation of being the unique provider and the provider of first choice
 Provision which is unique to the organisation
 Standards which are simply the best
What we need to do
1. Identify key untapped markets through ensuring we have up to date and relevant local/regional market intelligence
2. Raise our game to industry standards
3. Contribute to the local agenda for economic growth
4. Become known as a market leader
5. Create an offer that is sought after, being the employer of choice, attracting and retaining high calibre staff
6. Develop a successful Higher Apprenticeship offer

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STRATEGIC AIM 4
Amazing people
That provide the resources, leadership and change management strategies to enable the College to reposition itself in the market and ensure its future success.
 Ensure all staff are aware of the significance of their role in the creation of a learner centred organisation and in enabling every learner to maximise their full potential.
 Introduce clear and simple performance management system at all levels of the organisation.
What we need to do
1. Ensure the governing body provides the corporation with an appropriate range of skilled and experienced members.
2. Ensure Governors receive regular training, updating and appraisal to carry out their duties and responsibilities effectively.
3. Provide an annual costed staff development plan based on college strategic priorities
4. Identify staff development needs to ensure links between the classroom wider observation process and staff appraisal.
5. Take appropriate steps to address any disproportionate representation of various groups particularly at middle and senior management level to better reflect the composition of the population from which our students are drawn.
6. Ensure there are appropriate systems of staff recognition and reward.
7. Reduced staff absence to 2.5%.
8. Introduce Service Level Agreements to include observing performance of support staff.
STRATEGIC AIM 5
Exceptional Resources

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Continue to develop the College’s estate in line with a robust and realistic accommodation strategy.
 Ensure the quality of accommodation is appropriate for the provision of and access to equipment to support learning and teaching.
 Ensure that ILT resources in support of learning and teaching are robust and effective.
What we need to do
1. Ensure that data regarding enrolment, retention, achievement, progression and success rates are easily accessible, reliable, timely and accurate and can be used to promote improvement in quality of the learner experience.
2. Generate sufficient income for the maintenance and enhancement of accommodation and equipment.
3. Maintain the College building to a high standard and “as new” condition
4. Continue to raise the awareness of College staff and governors in general and middle management in particular of the financial environment in which they operate and their responsibilities and accountability in the use of college resources.
5. Ensure the College remains financially sustainable taking account of the following measures:
- Maintain payroll costs at the sector average or below for general FE colleges (as measured by SFA).
- Ensure targets relating to utilisation of teaching staff, average class sizes are met.
- Meeting learner targets.
- Reduce SFA & EFA dependency.
6. Continually seek value for money and efficiency through benchmarking, market testing and appropriate collaboration.

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STRATEGIC AIM 6
Entrepreneurial Edge
Work relentlessly to identify and secure positive outcomes in pursuance of Key markets in specific industry sectors
 Route out new opportunities
 Follow every ethical lead
What we need to do
1. Build an entrepreneurial reputation.
2. Promote a can do and competitive culture.
3. Manage stakeholder relationships.
4. Rigorously address poor performance.
5. Engage in bidding opportunities.
6. Undertake qualitative market research.
7. Manage risk

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The Strategic Plans overarching framework includes the College Mission and Vision, the Core Values of the organisation, Code of Conduct for governors and staff and the Strategic Aims and Objectives
The objectives are further underpinned by a set of headline targets which will permeate across the organisation.
Progress made will be reviewed termly and reported on in the college annual self- assessment report.