The Berkshire Plus Project operates under a Cost Sharing Agreement (CSA) and its purpose is to assist teachers and education professionals involved in 16-19 provision in Berkshire to widen opportunities and raise aspirations for young people. 

Through the project we have developed, and are continuing to produce, a set of robust and relevant performance indicators covering all Level 3 graded qualifications and a map of curriculum quality.  For providers who have opted into the Level 2 Project we have also been providing indicators for Level 2 qualifications.

The project is about creating a professional learning community which is able to access, understand and use performance information and to access and apply best practice to raise standards of achievement.

The six Berkshire Local Authorities and all schools and colleges in Berkshire with post-16 provision are partners to the project and support the work we are doing.

The key factors leading to success in this Project include:

•  Building relationships with local providers and partners

•  Building effective professional relationships with other service providers ensuring value for money and accessibility of outside expertise

•  Focusing upon providing those products and services which cannot be provided by any one provider or partner alone

•  The provision of an annual conference where all stakeholders can meet and share ideas

•  The provision of general strategic information to assist providers and partners to shape local provision so that it meets the needs of learners and is cost effective

•  The provision of bespoke services on request (e.g. reports, information, training)

•  A committed and enthusiastic professional team with wide ranging experience of the 14-19 curriculum and issues impacting on this

•  Creating and facilitating local Good Practice Sharing Protocols, Information Sharing Protocols and CSAs to ensure that there is confidence, transparency, sensitivity and shared responsibility in the ways that the Projects' outputs and resources are used

Berkshire Plus Activities

In Berkshire all six LAs and all institutions with post-16 provision have been actively engaged in the project since its inception in 2002.  Activities have included:

•  8 annual conferences, attracting an average of 128 delegates each time, with an overall evaluation score of 4.1 out of 5

•  successful professional development sessions with topics including leadership, teaching & learning and information & guidance

•  development of the Science Website in 2004, through which Berkshire teachers of Science can download and/or submit curriculum materials

•  pan Berkshire subject networks in Maths and Sociology

•  provision of full ALIS and ALPS Reports

•  regular updates and information sent to all partners to the project in the form of a termly newsletter

•  involvement of over 20 providers in the Level 2 value added project (which is free of charge to those members of this Project who wish to participate)

•  access to a Members area on the website which includes access to the LPUK Curriculum Heatmap©

You can check the calendar for upcoming events.

For more information about this Project please call the main office on 0118 951 9578 or email office@learningplusuk.org