Recent Management Consultancy Projects: Abdab Ltd  

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) – Diploma Support Programme 2

An Abdab consultant was appointed as a ‘Lead Trainer’ to enable the successful delivery of one of the proposed 17 Diploma ‘Lines of Learning’ for pupils aged 14-19 years in secondary schools in England to be rolled out over the years 2008-2010.  

He was appointed as the Lead Trainer in the West Midlands, the East Midlands and East of England regions and has responsibility to ensure training takes place within those regions of education practitioners who will be teaching the Diplomas as they are introduced. Responsibility evolves around successful liaison with several key stakeholders including Sector Skills Councils, SSAT, LSN, Local Authorities, Education Business Partnerships, Awarding Bodies and local Employers

Learning and Skills Network (LSN) – Diploma Bespoke training / consultancy

An Abdab consultant was appointed as a Diploma trainer by the Learning and Skills Network (LSN) to assist consortia, schools and colleges through training and consultancy that is provided through the government funded (DCSF) Diploma Support Programme.

Edexcel – Diploma Training / consultancy

An Abdab consultant was appointed as a Diploma trainer / consultant by the Awarding Body Edexcel, to assist consortia, schools and colleges through training and consultancy that is provided through the Practitioner Support Programme.

LSN & Lewisham Borough Council / Lewisham College – Consultancy support for Diploma bids.

An Abdab consultant, working in partnership with the Learning and Skills Network (LSN), was the deputy project manager for a major submission for Gateways 2 and 3 14-19 Diploma bids for a large London Local Authority.  The consultant wrote the Project initiation document setting out clear roles and responsibilities for all key stakeholders and devised a project plan, communications plan, risk register and other project documentation.  He then managed the quality control processes to ensure that the Diploma bid documents complied with minimum standards through a multi-faceted vetting process. All ten Diploma bids were successfully submitted on time with the Gateway 2 appeal bids being successful.  The result of the Gateway 3 bids will not be known until March 2009.

Bromley Borough Council – Consultancy support for Diploma bids

An Abdab consultant assisted a local authority consortium to devise and write the bid to apply for delivery of a 14-19 Diploma in the ‘Gateway 3’ bidding round. Significant advice was given on the content and quality for the bid.  The outcome of the application will not be known until March 2009.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) – Quality Assurance consultancy

An Abdab consultant was appointed to assist the standard setting body, QCA, to instil quality control procedures within the production of teaching and learning materials for the 14-19 Diplomas which were produced by Awarding Bodies and Diploma Development Partnerships (DDPs).  Following the quality assurance procedures, the materials were ‘signed-off’ by QCA and ultimately the DCSF as ‘fit for purpose’.

Aimhigher – Birmingham and Solihull Area – Review of funding

An Abdab consultant carried out a wide-ranging review of the use of the Aimhigher (Hefce) funding in the Birmingham and Solihull area colleges.  This involved a research programme involving 10 major colleges in the locality and interviews with key stakeholders.  At the conclusion of the research phase an interim and a final report was submitted with findings and recommendations.  The review examined the cost-effectiveness of the funding in terms of its outcomes and benefits for pupils relating to widening participation, progression, achievement and attainment.

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) – Diploma Support Programme

An Abdab consultant was appointed as a ‘Diploma Lead Practitioner’ to enable the introduction of one of the proposed 17 Diploma ‘Lines of Learning’ for pupils aged 14-19 years in secondary schools in England to be rolled out over the years 2008-2010.  His role was to train education professionals on new pedagogy and principles relating to the Diplomas.