This is a partnership between Lincolnshire Co-operative (LC) and Branston Community College (BCB) to raise achievement and secure specialist school status, introducing ‘Co-operation’ throughout the curriculum and raising students’ awareness of this business model. It involves a range of links that both organisations can sustain, while carrying on their ‘core businesses.
The Story
The Co-operative movement Principle supported by the Board is to “provide education, training and information.” This involves communicating the nature and benefits of Co-operation. LC is one of the region’s biggest providers of work experience (over 600 hours per year), it runs an enterprise competition for all Lincolnshire Secondary Schools, champions Healthy Eating in Primary Schools and created an Education Fund (around £80K pa). These activities are agreed and delegated by the CEO.
The Performance and Development Manager (PDM) is responsible for developing this partnership. By working with the College and agreeing the strategy with the CEO, a proposal set out the vision. This was agreed by the Board and the College Governors.
To implement and sustain commitment there are four tiers.
The Steering Group monitors impact, evaluation, progress against planned projects and agree future developments. It is responsible for reporting to the Board and Governors.
Monthly Operational meetings between the PDM and College Vice Principal. Project progress, operational constraints and emerging themes are discussed.
Advisor’s weekly reporting to the PDM. Informal discussions concerning individual projects and action planning.
Project co-ordinating function which acts as catalyst and conduit to help realise and support partnership projects. Employee volunteers are informed of opportunities through notice boards, staff newsletters and line managers.
Lincolnshire Co-operative presented to teachers on the project themes, successes to date and how to become involved. The Business Enterprise Advisor meets all teachers involved on an individual basis.
School Governors are consulted through reports from the Principal. Updates are included in the Principal’s newsletter for students and parents.
The representative student body is regularly consulted. Updates are provided in Assemblies. The CEO spoke at the College’s Awards Ceremony.
The partnership was announced in the local newspaper setting out the purpose and aims.
Lincolnshire Co-operative members are updated at the AGM.
Employees are updated through notice boards, project updates, AGMs, volunteering schedule, management conferences and staff newsletter. The College Principal spoke at our Awards.
Achievements
Comments from evaluations include how volunteering makes a positive contribution to personal development through increased communication, teamwork, motivation, presentation and problem solving skills.
The College is designing an electronic community notice board to display corporate message and community information in its foodstores. Students are designing and building a touch screen kiosk incorporating community information for us. Over 25 employees have benefited from College resources such as the use of the ICT Centre.
Ultimately, the partnership contributes towards the LC mission and was included at the AGMs. Members heard from students on how the partnership was contributing to the local community.
Involvement comes at the same time as exam passes have increased significantly:
The projects below are just a few examples:
Training provided to 65 teachers.
Five Primary feeder schools accessed Fairtrade curriculum materials and facilitating enterprise activities for around 150 students.
Direct learning from visits to our business:
25 students visited to see business systems in operation.
A day was spent with 350 students working on different business scenarios and marketing products.
Employee volunteers “judged” the quality of reporting, presentation, marketing etc of 200 students who had designed newspapers.
Student volunteers managed a “Fair Trade” operation selling goods throughout the year.
