Session title: Perfecting Self-Assessment Writing

Understanding why it so often goes wrong – and how to put it right

Typical inspection issues

Leaders’ and managers’ evaluation of the college’s performance is inaccurate and does not focus sharply enough on the long-standing weaknesses.

Duration

Half-day session.

Information for event organisers

The Live Self Assessment model challenges the traditional approach to self assessment – the annual look back at the quality of last year’s provision. Typified by the need to justify one’s self to senior management, funding organisations or inspectorates, traditional self assessment can often feel overly bureaucratic. Writing with a third party in mind leads many staff to make mistakes that have significant consequences for the effectiveness of their quality improvement activities.

In this session, using their own self-assessment reports, delegates are guided through a process of identifying five categories of commonly made mistakes in self-assessment writing and four endemic mistakes when writing development plans. Then through a short exercise, staff practise a formula for writing effective judgements that collectively will produce a roadmap to outstanding for every aspect of their provision. This session often enables providers to realise the changes they need to make to systems, paperwork and the culture surrounding self assessment. It is an ideal session for establishing the need for change and the intrinsic desire to invest in the change journey.

Publicity information for potential delegates

Imagine creating an approach to self assessment so considered and comprehensive that it effectively writes your development plans for you – including your SMARTI targets; a system that removes the opportunity to make the most common SAR-writing mistakes; a system that becomes more colourful, polished and robust each time you use it – making your life and work progressively easier.

Live Self Assessment changes the experience of quality improvement from the often bureaucratic, form-filling approach created by inspection frameworks to a meaningful learning journey. Moving from the traditional annual historical self-assessment model, Live Self Assessment enables staff to assess and improve the quality of learners’ experiences whilst they are still with you.

This session will enable delegates to:

use their understanding of Live Self Assessment to challenge their status quo
identify the five most common SAR-writing traps in their own reports
identify the four most common issues with development plans
use the formula for writing judgements to produce impact-focused text
rework incorrectly written judgements
avoid bureaucracy and develop a new culture in which self assessment can thrive.

What the delegates say

For an overview of feedback on this session, please click here.

These comments can be invaluable when generating curiosity about forthcoming training.

Timings

Preparing for Live Self Assessment is a half-day session and would combine well with the following courses in a staff development day:

Contact

To discuss your requirements in detail, please phone or drop us a line.