Developing the Association Strategic Plan

1. Developing the Association Strategic Plan June 2008 for AMT, Association Committee, Trustees

2. Trustees agreed plan be revised to: • Cover a five year period – Jan 2009 to Dec 2013 • Be clearly strategic with operational elements removed to annual planning • Draw upon the existing Association Plan as much as possible for continuity and to build on achievements to date • Take forward the Reshaping project influencing it and learning from it • Support the development of regional and association annual plans • Allow for priorities summary so all WEA stakeholders can understand and act to achieve the plan • Be developed and consulted ahead of Strategic meeting of Trustees and management in September

3. AMT April - key themes: • Revitalisation and renewal • Sustainability • Difference • Responsiveness • Diversity • Working together and building good practice • Focussing on what we’re good at, improving or dropping the rest • Outward looking with partners, to government to wider social issues and in civil society • Advocating influencing and leading to defend/promote adult learning

4. AMT April - priorities • Maintain responsiveness to learners and communities: working with the community and in many communities • Sharpen strategic focus and profile through doing what we do well and dropping other things, building the strands and marketing our work through these • Take advantage of our difference as space opens up behind Leitch • Engage with tutors as ambassadors, quality improvers, curriculum developers, advocates • Develop partnerships and relationship management • Revitalise: finance, marketing, branches, tutors, staff and management • Campaigning, advocacy and influencing and making the case to government – and locally • Anticipate and plan for dramatic funding change • Build/share good practice: develop Inter-regional work as the ‘loose’ in the ‘tight-loose’

5. Updated vision? • An Outstanding provider • Of Democratic adult education • Making a difference nationally, regionally, locally • Inclusive and diverse and taking forward the values of liberal education • With great tutors that build the WEA in every class • Sustainable: environmentally, financially, in staff volunteers and governance • Building social capital within an infrastructure of educational opportunities for adults that help them change their lives • Long standing mission continually reviewed and renewed in new circumstances (curriculum, teaching methods, modes of study, relationship to communities, partners and civil society)

6. Proposed Plan outline • Introduction by the President • Executive Summary • Mission and Vision Statements • Critical Issues (SWOT, internal/external) • Statements of Direction (the old four tweaked) • Association Goals (prioritised) • Regional and Function plans arising

7. Work – statement of direction • The WEA’s work is to develop a range of educational activities meeting the needs and interests of adults returning to education to improve their skills and knowledge for themselves, for their involvement in communities and workplaces and their understanding of the world - its environment, societies and cultures. • The WEA’s work encourages all these adults to: become aware and involved in an association that advocates continuing education as essential to democracy; become more active citizens; and to play a vital role in taking that work forward. • The methods of work used throughout the WEA reflect and reinforce democratic educational principles • The WEA’s work includes campaigning, influencing and alliance building to ensure that a high quality adult education is available to all through an infrastructure of many providers – not just the WEA itself

8. Workers – statement of direction • The WEA’s workers include all those it pays to employ (staff and tutors) and those who it uses as volunteers (in such activities as organising, promoting, campaigning, evaluating, fund-raising and governance). Workers in the WEA are capable, confident, resourceful, versatile and responsible for delivering the work of the Association. • Wherever they are in the organisation, WEA workers have the information they need to do their job and represent the WEA. This is accompanied by a range of appropriate continuing professional development and training that is systematically part of their work and informs their review and performance management. • WEA tutors are key to taking our work forward. They are expert in their subject and in their teaching methods and develop these through reflective practice and with others in a network of WEA tutors. They are involved in developing the overall work of the Association and the relationship is professional but more than just contractual. They meet all WEA students as equals and see themselves as part of the Association as a whole.

9. Supporters – statement of direction • The WEA’s supporters act to further the aims of the Association and its work. They include members, donors, supporters, affiliated organisations and other partners. They understand the work of the WEA and how they can contribute as volunteers or in other ways. • Their voice is heard through the Association and they seek to encourage all students and potential students to hear of our work. • The structures through which supporters work are clear and communication with and between supporters is effective and builds the WEA’s voice, work, resources and reputation.

10. Money – statement of direction • The Association gets its money from a range of sources including the LSC (and its successor), other government departments and agencies, partner organisations, learners and donors. • It uses it effectively and sustainably to maximise its impact in supporting the work of the WEA. The Association continually looks to cost efficiencies to maximise resource directed to the work, build reserves and minimise environmental impact and carbon use. • This includes, where appropriate, technological solutions and review of operational locations that are not directly linked to the provision of learning and engaging with individuals, communities and partner organisations.

11. Goals for each • Arising from the four statements • Each capable of being broken into actions and outcomes which are measurable • Each ‘owned’ in one of the AMT Boards and reported to Trustees, with goal oriented agendas • All prioritised and reviewed annually with top five strongly communicated to all • Self assessment becomes a whole organisation activity related to reviewing progress with goals

12. Example goals: by 2013 • Our income will grow overall but we will receive less than XX% from one contract • Ofsted will judge us as outstanding in next inspection • We will have XXXXX members and YYYYY supporters • Our governance will have X:Y:Z proportion of recent learners drawn from our three educational strands • Our website will have XXXXXX hits per year • We will have a Framework for Excellence score in the top 10% of providers in England • Our direct operations will be carbon neutral

13. New Board structure? • Three functional AMT boards: Finance and Resources; Communication & Development; Education & Strategy • Each has an RD from North, Central & South (plus Scotland) • With annual move-on for one RD in each board? • With sub-boards and committees linked in to these three • Three Inter-regional Boards based on current RQCs but with clear Terms of Reference, resource and reporting • One ‘Performance and External Affairs Board’? • Scrutiny and governance linked in by Officers

14. Benefits • Goal directed • Clearer AMT and Trustee agendas and built around the plan and reports from these boards • Sub-boards and other projects linked to main boards – e.g. TOR for nominees group • More noting, approving and delegating • Better flow of decisions and communication • More devolution and peer working

15. Association Strategic Plan • Has agreed goals that we will know when met • Is annually reviewed through self-assessment • Is prioritised - with the top five goals widely published • Is understood and worked to by all from tutors to President • Informs all management and Trustee decisions

16. Devising goals • How do we frame them? • How do we invite proposals? • Who do we involve? • How to we finalise them? • How do we prioritise them? • What’s the timetable up to September meeting?

17. Next steps • Do you agree with the thrust of the proposed new plan? • What goals should be derived from the Statements of Direction? • Welcome proposed goals that are: • Association wide • Strategic • Measurable • Start with “in 2013 the WEA will…”

18. Propose your goal • At WEA regional and national meetings between now and 12th September • To your Regional Director or the General Secretary • Post a comment to the WEA’s Education Blog: http://weaeducation.typepad.co.uk/ • E-mail ptempleton@wea.org.uk