West Midlands Regional Consultative Group

West Midlands Regional Consultative Group is a networking and discussion group hosted by West Midlands Regional Support Groups. They meet regularly as smaller consultative groups and occassionally as a full group.

Regional Consultative Group meetings

Birmingham RCG 1: 17 July 2006 (planning meeting for 06/07)
Venue: Hollyfields Centre, Erdington
Details to follow

Telford and Wrekin RCG 1: Thursday 28 September 2006
Venue: Meeting Point House (Telford)
Details to follow

Warwickshire RCG 1: Thursday 12 October 2006
Details to follow

Worcester RCG 1: Thursday 19 October 2006
Venue: University of Worcester
Items discussed:

• Updates: development of Worcester NACELL RSG thus far; report of NACELL RSG conference 20.9.06
• Membership of the Consultative group: disappointing response to invitations; need wider representation from primary schools and SLCs
• Promoting NACELL RSG sessions – temporary admin. support identified for Co-ordinator; putting together database; mailing next week
• Programme for 2006/7 –some amendments made
• Funding

Shropshire RCG 1: Wednesday 22nd November 2006
Venue: Grove International, Grove School, Market Drayton

• Review of PMFL in the area- Shropshire cluster groups set up with lead primary and secondary teachers, supporting primaries with half day mentoring.
• Feedback from sessions - very positive feedback from first session
• Future sessions - suggestions for next round of sessions
• 2006/2007 sessions

Birmingham RCG 2: Friday 15 December 2006
Venue: Hollyfields Centre, Erdington
Time:1300 - 1600

Black Country RCG 1 : Tuesday 9 January 2007
Venue: Brunel Room, Wolverhampton Science Park
Time: 13.30-15.30

Items discussed:

• RSG update – Black Country is currently in their second year as a Regional Support Group for Early Language Learning, this enables a wide range of support to our primary and secondary colleagues currently involved in delivering and planning the implementation of the entitlement.The activities delivered in the previous year were well attended and appreciated by the delegates, providing a great level of support and networking opportunities. The evaluation of those sessions has also informed the current programme, which aims to provide further support and guidance on the primary languages.
• Session feedback and evaluationResources Fair: a very successful and well attended session, giving attendees the opportunity to see and try the latest a wide range of resources currently on the market.
• CILT Training Zone – new online Training Zone will be launched at the Primary Languages show in March.
• Next steps, Three further sessions are planned to the end of the year, including Fun with Languages, Linking with the world and Podcasting in early language learning

Worcester RCG 2: Wednesday 10 January 2007
Venue: University of Worcester
Time: 4.00 p.m.

Items discussed:

• Membership of the Consultative group
• Resources Fair – February 7th
• March RSG session on Storytelling
• Remaining sessions for 0607
• Sessions for 0708
• Other business

Telford and Wrekin RCG 2: Monday 15 January 2007
Venue: TBA (Telford)
Time: 12.00

Warwickshire RCG 2: Tuesday 23 January 2007
Venue:
Time:

West Midlands RCG: Friday 2 February 2007
Venue: Martineau Centre, Harborne
Time: 1400 – 1600

Shropshire RCG 2: Wednesday 7 February 2007
Venue: Grove International, Grove School, Market
Time: 1400 – 1600
Present: Nichola Rooney, Hazel Crump, Helen Thomas, Victoria Door and Jane Somerville

Items discussed:

• Update on sessions
• Ideas for next year’s sessions
• Update of issues in Shropshire
• Budget report
• Primary Conference
  Details have gone out to Primary and Secondary schools this week.  Conference free to Shropshire schools.  Details available from www.shropshire.gov.uk/cpd.nsf
• Transition issues

Birmingham RCG 3: Friday 23 February 2007
Venue: Martineau Centre, Harborne
Time: 1200 – 1530

Items discussed:

Welcome and introductions
Updates from RSGs:

• Each group gave a brief account of what has been happening in their RSG, and what had worked particularly well. This included:
• B’ham -  Session hosted by Moseley SLC, delivered by Sophie and Andrea, on use of Powerpoint and IWB (Activ Primary).;
• Telford & Wrekin – practical activities for Christmas; also, planning session on use of pod-casting;
• Black Country – Publishers’ Fair – hard work but very useful;
• Warwickshire – Introductory session worked very well, and schools appear interested in introducing Asset languages following recent meeting;
• Worcestershire – Resource fair good but organisation demanding, practical activities very useful;
• Herefordshire – usually include 2/3 different focuses: brown paper ex. – what excites/challenges me; Christmas activities carousel; policy writing.

• Sharing issues and solutions. Issues/challenges raised included:
  
  
  • Timings of sessions:
  • Budgets
  • Steering Groups
  • Content of meetings

Black Country RCG 2: Monday 23rd April 2007
Venue: Wolverhampton Science Park
Time: 13.30 – 15.30

Birmingham RCG 4: Friday 4 May 2007
Venue: Martineau Centre, Harborne
Time:1400 - 1600

Items discussed:

• Welcome and introductions
• Updates from RSGs:
  • B’ham -  last session on Assessment, focusing on ELP and Languages Ladder; next session is subject to change of presenter – Helen Leigh has agreed to talk about using story and big books
  • Black Country – three sessions coming up, on pod-casting, international links and teaching strategies
  • Herefordshire – last session this week looking at LCP resources, big books and Teachers Talking French
  • Shropshire/Staffs – last session had been cancelled; previously session on Asset, well attended with students form Keele involved
  • Telford & Wrekin –two sessions in March – one on pod-casting  and one on international links; the next session will be provided by Martine Pillette
  • Warwickshire – report of a very successful session on the Training Zone, and next session will be a resources fair
  • Worcestershire – Hanley Castle had run a very successful session using three FLAs, each presenting a story using different approaches; the session on Asset has been changed to focus on the KS2 Framework

• Co-ordinators’ Training Needs:
  • Discussion centred on sharing ideas of what has worked well

• Programme collaboration
  • Some groups have already begun to plan the programme for the coming school year; others have meetings planned during the summer term to deal with this
    
    
• Conference
  
• There was discussion of the usefulness of a regional conference for primary languages
  

Telford and Wrekin RCG 3: Friday 18 May 2007
Venue: Civic Offices (Telford)
Time: 08.30

Black Country RCG 3: Monday 9th  July 2007
Venue: Wolverhampton Science Park
Time: 13.30– 15.30

NACELL Regional Support Groups are funded by the DfES and co-ordinated by CILT, the National Centre for Languages in support of the National Languages Strategy.