college voice
Autumn Half Term 2020
Your staff magazine
W
A Great First Half ith the football and rugby seasons in full swing I can’t help feeling like a manager giving a half time team talk! The good news is, we’re definitely in the lead after a very tough, but successful first half term. Coronavirus. Thanks to all the planning and preparation over the summer, our Covid-secure environment is proving very effective in keeping the virus at bay. At the time of writing this message, we have had only eight confirmed cases (5 students, 3 staff), with about 30 students self-isolating at home. Please keep up the good work of ensuring students comply with the health and safety rules and of responding quickly to any suspected cases.
Enrolments and Withdrawals. Enrolment has gone well all round – adults, apprentices and young learners – with only Higher Education falling short of target. Many thanks to staff across the college for coping with far more students than planned in many areas, and for working hard to keep them all on course. The number of early withdrawals is much lower than last year, which is great news for the learners and for our financial health. Higher Education. Our HE student numbers have been on a downward trend for some years, but I’m determined to reverse this. We’re working on a new long term HE strategy and in the short term we’re planning some new courses for January which will get us moving forward again.
Sadly, all the signs are that we’re in for a tough period in the next few weeks, with redundancies rising sharply across the country and further lockdowns quite likely. Supporting our students to stay safe and be as positive as possible – as well as supporting each other - is going to be really important.
So, in the middle of all the uncertainty and extra challenge of the pandemic, we’re managing to deliver good quality training and education to a huge range of students. We are Bristol’s College, and we’re proving just how responsive and resilient we can be.
Teaching and Learning. Our blended learning strategy is working well for most students, although there are 10-20% who are struggling to engage with on-line teaching for various reasons. We’ve got three big challenges to solve – digital access, delivering enough practical teaching to develop hands-on skills, and getting English and Maths lessons sorted out; we’re going to be moving towards a lot more face-to-face English and Maths teaching after half term.
Andy Forbes
Thanks once again to all of you for all the hard work. It’s certainly paying off.
contents Your staff
magazine
Autumn Half Term 2020
Principal’s welcome
page 1
Employee Survey Action and Results
page 3
Introduction Headline Results Emerging Themes and Priorities for Action Strategic Leadership Communication Development and Progression Health and Wellbeing Next Steps
The impact of COVID-19 and the recent lockdown on safeguarding
page 5
Safer Schools App Supporting students How to contact students safely
Estates and infrastructure
page 7
The Advanced Construction Skills Centre (ACSC) at SBSA Davy House ESFA Capital Grant 2020/21 ICT Infrastructure
Student Survey Staying safe is a joint effort
page 9
Employee Survey Action and Results
T
he response to the staff survey run by HIVE at the tail end of last academic year was very encouraging; the results gathered are valid, reliable and credible as representing the feelings of colleagues at the College from across our departments, functions and teams. Your input has enabled us to take stock of your feedback and to develop some lasting programmes of change to help improve the college in ways that you have told us are relevant to you. It is clear that there is a great deal to
Headline Results
Response Rate 68% For our first survey (in seven years), this is a great response rate and we want to thank you for your participation and the valuable information you have provided.
3
Engagement Index 6.6 This is measured by combining responses to a number of questions to show us how engaged our employees are. We scored 6.6 which is a moderate score indicating that while our colleagues are engaged there is room for improvement.
be positive about the College and its staff – you told us that you were able to be yourself at work and that you are a highly dedicated team committed to the wider goal of providing a first rate education to the learners and City we serve. Your feedback is very much appreciated, the plan outlined in summary below is intended to address the areas that you told us were the most important for us to improve on. This is just the start of the conversation however, continuing to hear from you about things we are doing well and areas where we need to improve and how we can improve will be equally as important; over the course of this year you will see targeted Pulse surveys and listening events conducted to inform this further.
Emerging Themes and Priorities for Action From the results it is clear that we have work to do in a number of key areas and we have already started to address those that you told us were the most important to you:
Strategic Leadership For you to feel truly engaged, you need to understand not only what the mission and purpose of an organisation is, but how your individual role contributes towards it and that you are trusted to deliver. You told us that we need to do more of this and better. The SLT are committed to be: Available to answer your questions: you will see over the course of this year a series of dedicated question and feedback sessions designed to answer directly any questions you wish to raise – the next is scheduled for 25 November 2020. Strategically focussed: the recently published Strategic Plan for the college sets out our vision and intent for the college and will form the context around which the rest of the People Strategy work will be based. Empowering middle management to make informed decisions: providing the training, support and guidance necessary to allow our middle managers to take a more active role in decision making relevant to their departments. This programme has started with the introduction of Programme Managers, and the roll out of a training package to support ADs, HoDs and all with managerial responsibility.
Communication This is very closely related to strategic leadership and you told us that you would like more open and transparent communication of the colleges’ strategy and objectives. In addition to the measures laid out above, we are committed to improving this by: Communicating the results of this and future surveys openly. This summary will be followed up by sharing the detailed results with your College Leadership Team lead who will be able to speak with you about the results most relevant to your department. We have also shared these results with our Trade Union partners and will continue to engage with the valuable insight they are able to give. Giving colleagues an opportunity to participate in the conversation through regular pulse surveys and listening events.
Category scores – these are all within the average range
Development and Progression You expressed a desire to enhance your knowledge and skills and want to feel like there are great opportunities for career progression and development for everyone. We have started to work on this in the following ways: A management and leadership training programme for those with managerial responsibility; designed to impart the skills and the understanding of the context in which the college operates to enable informed decision making. The first elements of this programme are being delivered now. We are reviewing our approach to the staff appraisal system with the intent of creating an easier to use and understand process which enables the holding of meaningful conversations between staff and their line manager that is centred on both past performance and on realising future potential. A clear career structure for all staff mapped to an integrated framework of supporting qualifications, training and development.
Health and Wellbeing The data from the survey shows us that this is one of the most positive drivers of engagement but that there is room for improvement. You know how to access the support available but do not always feel valued for the work you do so we are recognising our colleagues’ contribution through: A scheme to re-introduce long service awards, recognising 5,10,20,30 and 40 year’s continuous and loyal service. The delivery of staff awards on a termly basis rather than as an annual event. The introduction of a peer to peer recognition scheme as part of our employee benefits portal.
Next Steps We know we have a lot of work to do together to improve employee engagement and think this is best addressed within teams so we will be sharing all the survey results with you via your designated member of the College Leadership Team. This way you will be able to see the results that relate to your area of the college and work together to create an action plan to make the improvements that are important to you. The Human Resources and Organisational Development team will be exploring ways to improve colleague development opportunities and career progression pathways and you should expect to see more detail on these schemes as plans mature. In the meantime, we value your feedback and would encourage you to engage with the college, either directly to the HR&OD team or through your line manager on any areas of importance to you.
The impact of COVID -19 and the recent lockdown on
safeguarding
T
he ongoing pandemic is having a significant effect on our students which can be seen by the numbers of referrals and categories of concerns raised this year, in comparison with the same period last year, with increases in anxiety, home issues, self-harm and online safety.
Beyond the challenges in terms of mental health there are other safeguarding issues which have increased nationally in recent months. One of these being Prevent related concerns. As you will be aware Prevent is the government anti-terrorism agenda which aims to identify groups and individuals of concern, support settings such as ours and work with individuals at risk of radicalisation to move them away from groups looking to exploit them. During the lockdown radical groups have sought to use the opportunity with more of us being online, increased isolation and fear of the unknown to recruit potential members. They have done this through a range of means including the spreading of conspiracy theories such as the idea of test and trace as a government plan to increase control of the population. Through sharing these views they aim to draw individuals into conversations in chat groups and social media where they can provide information to support their views. The increased profile of the Black Lives Matter agenda while threatening right wing ideologies has also provided these groups with an opportunity to spread their message. Groups like the “Proud Boys” and “Blue Lives Militias” in the USA are very obvious examples, but this is also happening in the UK with recent action by the youth led group “Generation Identity” during which fountains outside the Victoria Rooms were dyed red and a sign put in place reading “rivers of blood” in reference to the anti-immigration speech by Enoch Powell.
5
Due to the concerns above, the online safety and wellbeing of our students needs to be a key priority. All instances of online abuse are a safeguarding concern. Please stay vigilant and make a referral via My Concern.
Safer Schools App In these unprecedented times, we know many people are spending more time at home and using social media to ensure that physical distancing does not become social isolation. The positive power of technology will help keep our community digitally connected but we also know that more time spent online by our students can lead to greater levels of risk. To that end, the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership and Safeguarding in Education Team have developed the The Bristol Safer Schools App. It us free and provides access to advice, guidance and CPD accredited training, with a specific focus on making children and young people safer in the online world. The app is a rich source of information and resources regarding practical online safety tips, such as social media, sexting, gaming or scams which may be helpful for spotting signs of online abuse in our own students or supporting students in dealing with online abuse. To download the app, simply follow the steps set out in the image. Make sure to allow push notifications to keep up to date with tips, advice and guidance on how to make our students safer.
Supporting students
1. Mobile phones
Conduct and terms of use Do not share your personal mobile numbers with students via text messaging, including the instant messaging apps, such as WhatsApp. The college provides a range of alternative platforms for instant messaging, such as Microsoft Teams. These alternatives can be downloaded to a smart phone, laptop or desktop and should always be used in the first instance.
The safeguarding team co-ordinates a range of support services for our students. Please signpost students to them to help improve their wellbeing and support: •
•
The online “TogetherAll” wellbeing platform which students can access using their college email addresses to create a login. See the student support area on the website for more information https://www.cityofbristol.ac.uk/support/ academic-personal-and-wellbeing-support/
In order to safeguard you while using your personal mobile to contact students, please ensure you dial 141 then the number of the person you wish to call. By prefixing the phone number with 141 it will withhold your number to ensure your privacy is maintained. Do not leave a message if the phone goes to voicemail as this may record your phone number and provide it to the student along with your message. Please note, this communication method is one way only. Students will not be able to call staff on their personal mobiles as the caller’s number will be withheld.
Counselling - this is run by ‘Off The Record’ and consists of 6 weekly sessions either in college or remotely depending on what the student prefers. Referrals to this can be made by the safeguarding team so please refer for counselling via My Concern. The safeguarding team will assess all requests.
•
Mindfulness groups which will be in place for the second half of term. Please ask students to contact Jonny Elphinstone via email jonny.elphinstone@cityofbristol.ac.uk if interested. •
The C card sexual health scheme.
How to contact students safely
2. Turn your computer into a telephone
Cisco IP Communicator is a Windows PC-based softphone application that lets you use your personal computer to make calls. Offering the latest in IP communications technology, it is installed on all staff laptops but not configured.
With a USB headset or USB speakerphone and Cisco IP Communicator, you can easily access your college phone number and voicemail. All you need is an internet connection and remote access to your corporate network via Always on VPN which is the technology used to connect college laptops to the college, whether you are working from home or traveling on business.
If you have got a college extension and wish to use this technology then you will need to log a call with the IT Helpdesk who will be able to configure your laptop so that it can be used. The functionality is the same as when using a college physical phone; there is no option to make video calls.
Here are a few reminders about how to keep in contact with students during their online learning timetable. When using personal or remote devices for contacting students, staff are required to comply with the college’s Staff Code of Conduct, as outlined in section 9.5: Staff should not establish or seek to establish social contact with students for the purpose of securing friendship or to pursue or strengthen a relationship. Staff should not give students their personal contact details and under no circumstances should they have secret social contact with students (any off site or out of hours contact should be risk assessed and agreed by your line manager). For any queries and for further information and about the app please contact Safer Schools using the details below or using the blue live chat function on the bottom left hand side of website www.oursaferschools.co.uk
3. Outlook enabled text messaging
You can also have access to a two way text messaging system via email. This enables a member of staff to email a student mobile number with the email being converted to a text message. The student can reply and their message is sent directly into the email inbox of the staff member. They can reply to that again and if needed the student can reply again and so on. If you would like to use this system, please email mis@cityofbristol.ac.uk for more details.
Estates infrastructure and
The Advanced Construction Skills Centre (ACSC) at SBSA The project to deliver the new ACSC commenced in April 2020 and continues on target to be fully ready for the new academic year 2021/21. The new building is due to complete at Easter 2021 and the refurbishment of the former motor vehicle workshop will complete by July 2021. Motor vehicle will relocate to the new building at the start of the summer term. The new building is more than 50% completed already and the target is for the building to be weather tight by the end of November 2020. The centre will house our wood trades, machine shop, maintenance workshops and wet trades for construction. As part of the project there will be a bicycle contraflow, on Christopher Brain Street, creating a shorter and safer access route to the rear of the site, where an additional covered shelter will be provided to increase our capacity for up to 70 bikes. 7
Davy House The project to market Davy House for sale and disposal, post summer 2022, has commenced and strong interest from residential and care sectors has been expressed. Our property advisors are coordinating the offers to be received mid-November 2020 and reported to Corporation in December 2020. This strategic project is linked and supported by the planned move of construction trades to the ACSC, for September 2021.
ESFA Capital Grant 2020/21 The College has received a capital grant from ESFA for Condition Maintenance of the Estate. The grant follows surveys completed on behalf of the ESFA in 2019, known as Condition Data Collection (CDC). The grant will assist with property maintenance and renovation across all centres. The context of the funding award, perhaps means much of the work to the fabric of the building, engineering services and ICT infrastructure, may not be easily visible, however we will also see benefit from toilet refurbishments at College Green Centre, security works at College Green Centre and SBSA, a refresh of science labs and some internal redecorations and flooring renewals. The grant funds are available in the current year only and planned for commitment by 31st March 2021.
ICT Infrastructure It remains an extremely busy period for our IT team, responding to the changes of our blended curriculum models and increased requirements for home working and study. We continue to work with curriculum teams to meet the needs of students, balancing resources to support these new learning environments. The team have also rolled out the latest phase of ICT capital investment, for new staff equipment. This has increased the numbers of staff laptops to create a more mobile and flexible working platform. This infrastructure investment has already been rolled out in staff rooms across the college, providing docking stations for the new equipment, and we are now focusing on similarly upgrading the teaching rooms. Over the next few months to the end of the calendar year, the equipment in classrooms, supporting the interactive whiteboards, will be changed to provide docking stations for the laptop equipment. This will complete the strategy for staff flexibility of working with the allocated laptops supporting classroom, staffroom and home working, where appropriate. The programme is to complete Parkway/AEC and SBSA in the first phase with College Green and Ashley Down following. It will be essential that staff with laptops, have the equipment with them when in College to benefit from these improved facilities.
Student Survey The annual induction survey has been completed and we would like to thank everyone for their efforts in supporting us to get the highest uptake for many years. The survey had a 70% response rate on study programmes which was a significant increase from the 19-20 induction survey (43%). The data has been sent to each department to review but provided some interesting insights into how Covid-19 has impacted our students. It was clear from the survey that those students who do not have access to online devices feel more excluded from learning at college and that learners are more likely to access digital learning using a mobile phone at level 2 and below.
Staying safe joint ef fort is a
All students and staff should wear face masks or visors in communal places e.g. reception, corridors and specialist areas such as hair and beauty salons. Can every member of staff ensure that students leave classrooms wearing a face covering. Staff are also asked to remind students to wear their face coverings in corridors and other communal areas. 9