The PAG Newsletter - Issue 15 (The Intern Takeover)
Contents
Guest Introduction from James Mellors?
In my close to five years as internship co-ordinator, I have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic people. The PAG internship is both a rewarding and challenging experience and our interns are an integral part of our team who participate actively in our business. No coffee runs and hours spent by the photocopier with us; we provide all interns with opportunities to take initiative, share their ideas, and become equal stakeholders in the projects they are involved in. Our Internship Passport ensures all interns receive the kind of variety, responsibility, and support that is hard to find in other internship programmes. We are very proud of the achievements of our interns during their time with us. I cannot point to a completed project which has not been genuinely and pertinently improved by the brains and effort of a PAG intern. We are also incredibly proud of the destinations of our interns on completion of the Passport. Whilst some interns continue with PAG as fully-fledged consultants, our leavers also go on to achieve wonderful things in their chosen fields.?
I am delighted to introduce this instalment of our newsletter- 100% created and compiled by our current class of amazing interns, and dedicated to all PAG interns, past and present.?
Create: Schools News: AP Wave and SEND Wave 3
By James Standfield?
June and July marked a busy period for Create: Schools as they continued to support proposer groups through the AP and SEND application processes.??
AP:?
At the beginning of June, invites to interview were sent out to successful trusts, marking the beginning of Stage 2 of the AP application process. Of the trusts that Create: Schools supported with their bids during Stage 1, proud that a very high percentage were successful in reaching the interview stage.??
From June 12th-July 11th, Create: Schools ran mock interviews for successful trusts in the lead up to their interviews with the DfE. For 90 minutes, two advisors would simulate the real interview by asking in-depth questions about the trust’s application, based on past interview questions. The applicants then received both oral and written feedback, along with additional practice questions to give them the best preparation possible.???
SEND Wave 3:?
With the deadline for applications approaching on August 31st, Create: School advisors are busy reviewing bids to ensure that proposer groups’ applications are as strong as possible. Bid reviews are one of the key services offered at Create: Schools across Mainstream, AP and SEND waves. It is crucial for both the trusts and the DfE that applications are of the highest quality to ensure that the vitally important special schools are approved.???
Create: Schools are determined to replicate the success of the AP wave, for the special school applicants. Thus far, 84 applications have been reviewed with just under a month to go before the deadline, which is a fantastic milestone!???
The Intern Experience?
By Declan Saviano?
I’m happy to say that my time as a PAG intern on the RCA (consulting) team was shorter than normal – but only because I have recently accepted the opportunity to stay on with PAG as a Consultant! Thanks to my internship experience, the choice was an easy one.??
Over the past four months, I have been able to both seek out areas in which I was interested and dip my fingers into them all, engaging with a variety of work across different areas of the business. The number of different projects I have been able to participate in and, in some cases, lead, is unusual for any internship and speaks to PAG’s faith in and support for its interns, as well as its flexible and flat internal hierarchy.??
Throughout my internship, I have conducted multiple in-person interviews with school officials for local authority-commissioned research into food provision in two counties, joined the PAG product development process by both proposing an original product idea and developing/fleshing out a product proposal for a client, helped my colleagues on the Growth team write a variety of exciting tender proposals, written and managed? various free school bids and TCaF applications, developed my client communication skills, and learned an enormous amount about the broader workings of both consultancy as a business and education as a sector. The only limit, it seems, was my eagerness to participate in the projects my colleagues were working on – a limit that grew smaller as time went on.?
PAG’s Internship Passport, which outlines the wide range of projects and modules that interns can participate in and learn about, proved to be a steady roadmap for this process through which I could easily envision the type of work I might be able to do here from my first day at the company. It showed me that no question was too small (or too big!) and gave me scope for my own growth across the course of the internship. But the best part of the passport was that it ultimately proved to be a vehicle for establishing strong working relationships, directing me toward genuinely approachable colleagues who were more than happy to indulge my interest in their projects and show me the ropes. All in all, the internship experience at PAG is a flexible one that rewards diving headfirst into engaging and challenging work with the support of intelligent colleagues.?
AMR News: The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS)?
By Karen Rodgers and Yurou Yin?
In 2021, the UK Government set up its Net-Zero mission aiming to reduce emissions from each sector of our economy for a decarbonised nation in 2025. In public sector, additional fundings have been initiated to meet the goal and one of them is the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). We want to introduce you to the scheme and what it means for schools and trusts.?
What is PSDS and what’s the aim of it??
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) is a scheme initiated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to help meet the UK Government’s carbon emissions targets. It is an important fund to assist public sectors upgrading their existing fossil fuel heating and hot water systems to cheaper, cleaner and renewable ones.?
According to the BEIS, Phase 3 will see over ￡1.425 billion of funding between 2022 and 2025. Over the past two years, the initial two phases have been running simultaneously, and now Phase 3c of the PSDS is currently in progress, with the application process commencing in autumn this year.??
Rising energy prices have a significant impact on everyone's lives, and even more so for schools that need to manage their annual expenses. Access to PSDS funding will effectively help schools to grow healthier in their spending, as well as providing a greener, warmer environment for children to study in.?
How can AMR assist??
Our partner AMR Consult has rich experience offering bespoke construction management consultancy and funding application support to schools and they have over 3 years of experience working with the PSDS government funding.? AMR has successfully secured and delivered multiple schemes over Phases 1-3.?
Throughout the PSDS application, AMR will provide full budget cost support including all Project Management, Engineering Design, Energy Calculations, Costing and Procurement services to ensure your school or trust is fully prepared for the bid and the energy system updates afterwards.?
For more information on the PSDS and on how AMR can help you secure the bid, click here !?
PAG Explains: Governance Reviews?
By Hayden Taylor?
A process in vogue at the time of writing is governance reviews – an assessment of compliance and effectiveness in an organisation, that identifies strengths and plans next steps for improvement. There are several “selling points” on governance reviews, and you want ensure that your organisation is malleable and not prone to shortcomings should you want to take it in a different direction, so an impartial external assessment of your organisation’s processes means you have a comprehensive overview of what you ought to do contrasted with what you want to do – and where those categories overlap. The DfE may advise a review for your organisation, and the Governance Handbook will outline a framework for what an organisation needs in governance to be effective. Without good governance, your ability to grow and improve is impeded.?
PAG conducted a poll in which we asked boards not only if they have carried out a governance review in the past 12 months, but if they find it difficult to recruit and retain governors and/or trustees. 67% of respondents answered by saying that they have conducted an external review in the past 12 months, and that they do find it difficult to recruit and retain governors/trustees. Having dedicated governors and trustees is key to maintaining efficient governance, and so governance reviews serve as an excellent means to learn and develop skills in retention. Another benefit is the ability to prove to providers that your organisation stands up to external scrutiny and challenge. You will want to hear from a headteacher that your school is performing well, but to take that at face value instead of collating sources of evidence to prove it is the case is a sign of poor governance, so an external governance review can be a major point of emphasis in the quality of your organisation. It is important to know if you are succeeding in some areas and failing in others, but it only gets more important the wider your reach is. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, so regularly getting reviewed means that your governance processes and structures are in the best shape they can be as you grow as an organisation.??
Each organisation has a vision for success, and those responsible for carrying out that vision must ensure that their communication, delegation and reach are impervious to scrutiny on an advisory and statutory level. It is not simply ticking boxes, so positive judgements must be made as well as a calculated judgement that a review of governance is the best thing to do for your organisation. When you want your trust to be the best it can be, you should also understand that there may be unseen weaknesses, and an external review is the best way to amend those and develop further.?
To find out more about how PAG can support your organisation’s governance, get in touch here .?
Our time at PAG: A chat with ex PAG interns?
As it’s currently the PAG intern takeover, we wanted to reach out to previous PAG interns to find out where they are now and how their experience working with PAG has benefited them. We got in touch with Anna Fosse-Galtier and Ellie Wright to talk about the projects they worked on at PAG, the valuable skills they learned, and how their internships at PAG have helped them get to where they are now.?
What was the first project you worked on at PAG? What do you remember about it???
Anna: My first project was to support a Multi-Academy Trust (The Beckmead Trust) with the pre-opening of a new SEND school in Hailsham. I had to lead their pre-opening consultation with the local community. What I'll always remember is that they were the first project I worked on, and they became my biggest (and I have to say my favourite) client throughout my time at PAG up until the end as I was working on a free-school bid for them for Alternative Provisions.??
Ellie: During my time at PAG, I had the privilege of working on an opportunity area engagement review for Blackpool Council (one of my first long term projects). Blackpool was among the 12 areas chosen under the government's opportunity area policy, an initiative driven by the goal of enhancing social mobility, championed by former Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening.?
The primary objective of this engagement project was to identify the key barriers to social mobility in Blackpool and ensure that the policy's priorities aligned with Blackpool Council's initiatives. To achieve this, I had the opportunity to conduct interviews with various stakeholders, including children and young people, parents and carers, school leaders, and local business owners. This provided our team with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by the community. This project proved to be incredibly valuable during my internship, as it provided me with numerous opportunities to learn. In its early stages, I gained invaluable knowledge about conducting consultations with stakeholders and transforming qualitative data into insightful outcomes. Additionally, I honed my skills in strategy formation, report writing, and gained first-hand experience working on a government policy.?
Where are you working now? How have those skills helped you in your career???
Anna: I am now a Manager at Restorative Justice 4 All, where I act as Centre Manager for a Community Centre in Rotherhithe. This is the job I always dreamt of, as I find value and purpose in helping others, especially vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Restorative Justice 4 All is an incredible organisation, and our centre provides key services Restorative Justice values (power-sharing, equality, dignity, respect and involvement in decision-making). We run Resilience Youth Clubs during school breaks and holidays where we target young people at risk of becoming involved in crime with an early intervention model, we host after-school clubs, and tutoring. For families and residents, we also provide a Food Bank, a Community Fridge for those who are struggling with the rising costs of living crisis,? we have a free gym accessible to all, we provide accessible sports classes for individuals with disabilities, we run restorative justice wellbeing circles for people struggling with mental health or isolation, we also provide IT access (phones/computers) and digital support to tackle digital exclusion, you count it! All this falls under a big research project to build the first Restorative Justice Postcode in the world which I am leading on with others, and feel incredibly lucky to be part of. Without the research and consultancy skills that I acquired at PAG, I would not have been able to get to this stage, and I am forever grateful for everything I learnt there.?
Ellie: Currently, I am employed as a Year 6 teacher in a 3FE primary school in Salford and I am going to start my third year of teaching in September. My passion for education and education policy has been a driving force throughout my career, making my time at PAG an immensely fulfilling experience. While I had always had the desire to become a teacher, my time at PAG, along with the inspiring range of clients I had the privilege to work with, significantly influenced my decision to pursue teaching as a profession. During my time at PAG, I had the privilege of collaborating with remarkable MAT CEOs, among them Chris Huscroft from Edukos Trust, Beverley Owens from The Sovereign Trust and Sajid Gulzar and Phillipa Sherlock-Lewis from PACT. Witnessing the significant positive impact they had on primary education was truly inspiring and the achievements they made for our children and young people left a profound impression on me. I must commend PAG for partnering with such exceptional clients, as it allowed me to witness firsthand the transformative work being done in the education sector.?
You can read the full article on our website here .?
Live Bids?
For more information on current opportunities, you can check out the live bids page on our website here .?