KAFEC was formally established in 1994 in recognition of the need for Kent & Medway colleges to work collaboratively and in partnership to improve the funding, quality and curriculum offer for potential and existing learners in Kent and Medway. Its membership comprises six further education colleges: Canterbury College, Hadlow College, MidKent College, North West Kent College, Thanet College and the recently merged West & South Kent College. It has a clear strategic direction with continuous improvement being one of the primary objectives.

PRD is a collaborative quality improvement process whereby professionals work together on a wide range of priorities and themes to improve provision and to take joint action to support each other to improve. It also plays a significant role in demonstrating an organisation’s capacity to improve; informing your organisation’s ability to improve and evaluate the impact and benefits of PRD on its performance.

What are the successful ingredients of useful and effective PRD for our organisations?

“Now there is a challenging question ... it is probably the right membership, clear identification of and shared agreement on the activities to be undertaken, perceived value added for all partners, light touch administrative burden and senior managerial support”.

Jane Spurgin, Director of Development for the Kent Association of Further Education Corporations (KAFEC)

Using PRD partner networks as a delivery agent is the approach KAFEC has adopted driven by its agreed collective strategic priorities. The principals have a formalised protocol about ways of working together and eight agreed strategic objectives, which form the basis of the collaboration, focussing upon driving up the quality of provision and improving performance. The use of cross provider networking groups, established to deliver the strategy, is proving most effective.

It has been interesting in that, whilst a range of sub groups were already strongly established (finance, funding and MIS, quality and curriculum, marketing, business development), over the past year a number of further networks have evolved arising out of the colleges’ identified need to work together on key emerging issues. For example, KAFEC has a range of other networks, some of which are listed here:

• Foundation Learning and Functional Skills;
• Equality & Diversity;
• ESOL;
• Learning Support;
• E-learning;
• High Education;
• LLDD;
• Online applications;
• Student Services;
• Offender Learning;
• Exams;
• ICT Managers;
• Maths;
• STEM; and most recently
• a Quality Administrators Group where members are liaising over preparations for forthcoming OFSTED inspections.

Critical to the success of these networks has been the identification of the right membership and this has been sought from principal/vice principal level. In the first year of these groups, bringing members face-to-face for a number of meetings so they get to know each other has been invaluable. The practice of the host college delivering a good practice item at the start of each meeting has been well received. The members have self identified the agenda that they wish to follow and, with the email links established, communication outside of meetings is becoming commonplace.

In assessing the value of the groups, members are clear that the most beneficial aspect for them is when they share good practice or ideas around a specific issue or item. For example, comparison of lesson observation processes; maths delivery – maths lecturers v. functional skills lecturers approach to engagement. With this in mind, the number of meetings planned for the forthcoming year has been reduced but the number of shared practice events has been increased – really focussing on practical transferable outcomes.

The ownership and longevity of the networking groups is supported by the adopted approach that event or meeting hosting is rotated by provider and, in many cases, the host college will also chair the meeting. By being fair and taking it in turns, engagement has improved and attendance and participation is good. Across Kent geography and distance can be barriers but fair rotation of events has helped to overcome such challenges.

And of course, the least amount of administrative burden on members has been key to engagement. KAFEC supports all the meetings and events in terms of making the arrangements, driving, agreeing and distributing the agenda, minute taking, guest speakers; rooming, etc. A central supporting arrangement is quite critical, certainly in the initial stages of a PRD group, in setting it up, getting it started and ensuring it is established and gaining its own momentum.

One last point is that, by working in cross-college PRD groups, it provides (most usefully) a central point of contact for external stakeholders, agencies, bodies etc who wish to discuss issues with all the colleges.

Are they worth it? Most definitely.

Jane can be contacted at KAFEC by telephone: 01634 383513 or by email: Jane.Spurgin@midkent.ac.uk