RHA working in partnership with centre managers
Under the direction of Rex Hall Associates, PfS is entering a new, interesting and exciting phase in its development. Whilst many of the existing policies and practices will obviously remain unchanged, some minor changes will be introduced, some of which are listed below:
1. For administrative and geographical reasons, it has been necessary to amend the allocation of critical friends to centres. Attached is the list of the 162 PfS centres and their allocated critical friends. Where there is a change, this will take effect from 1st April 2008.
This list may be reviewed again within approximately twelve months.
2. All centres will receive a minimum of one visit a year from a critical friend.
Most centres will receive two. Additional visits may also be necessary e.g. to support the QiSS process, as a response to specific needs or requests etc.
Over the course of the visit, when and where practical, the critical friend will welcome the opportunity to meet briefly with the LA Line Manager and Club contact.
3. Critical friends will continue to support centres via email and telephone.
4. Prior to a visit from a critical friend, you will be sent a copy of the revised Record of Visit form. To help with the forward planning for the visit, you will be requested to fill in basic information, such as the number and times of your PfS sessions, the total number of hours of your programme, an outline of your daytime and holiday programmes, a list of bullet points of issues to be discussed with the critical friend, and finally, the dates of your Annual Report, Business Plan and Annual Review.
Please ensure that this information is returned in good time for your visit.
5. The Record of Visit form will continue to focus on the issues relating to the delivery and strategic development of the PfS programme, whilst also reviewing the following key aspects of policy and practice:
The partnership with the LA
Partnership with the Club
The monitoring and recording process
6. A draft copy of your Record of Visit will be completed for your approval within two weeks of the critical friend’s visit. Once agreed between the centre manager and the critical friend, the report will also be forwarded to the LA Line Manager. If appropriate, it could also be forwarded to the Club contact.
7. A record of any other visit by a critical friend will be recorded on a Notes of Visit form, to be shared as outlined in point 6.
8. Copies of the Record of Visit and the Note of Visit will be posted in an allocated folder for your centre on the new RHA Playing for Success website.
9. All centres will be expected to produce the following documents:
Annual Report – by September of each year.
Business Plan – by April of each year
Annual Evaluation Report – by September of each year.
10. Should further information and guidance on the above points be required, please contact your critical friend.
11. Any points of information that you might require regarding more specific aspects of PfS will need to be directed to the appropriate person within Rex Hall Associates (see RHA promotional leaflet for details) and not to the DfE.
We look forward to working with you.
Alwyn Morgan - Lead Associate, Critical Friendship
Mandy Kelly – Associate, Critical Friendship
Kevin McCooke – Associate, Critical Friendship
20th March 2008