-----Original Message-----
From: aimhigher [mailto:aimhigher@harrisoncowley.com] 
Sent: 14 April 2005 14:42
To: aimhigher
Subject: Aimhigher Practitioner Bulletin - April 2005

Welcome to the April edition of the Aimhigher practitioner bulletin, designed to provide all those working for Aimhigher with relevant programme news and details of national resources.
 
If you have comments or suggestions on the content of the bulletin, or any other communications enquiries, please contact the National Communications Resource Team (NCRT) on 0117 929 7096 or email aimhigher@harrisoncowley.com.

Consultation on Aimhigher post-2006
The funders have recently embarked upon a consultation process with partnerships and stakeholders to consider the future development of Aimhigher, and have had discussions with some partnership representatives on a draft consultation document. The publication of the final document will be delayed until 6 May because of publishing restrictions during the election period (please see guidance below). As part of the consultation process, regional seminars will be held on 13 May (Leeds), 16 May (Birmingham) and 18 May (London). Click on the link below for more information.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/news/index.cfm 

Evaluation update
Following the first meeting of the Evidence Steering Group on 6 April, an update on all five strands of the evaluation programme is now available. Click on the link below for more details.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/resource_material/monitoring___evaluation/evaluation.cfm 

Communications resource pack launched
The NCRT has developed an online communications resource pack including guidance on developing a communications plan, media relations and organising events. Click on the link below for more details.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/resource_material/communications_resource_pack.cfm 

Manchester's inclusive agenda unveiled
The University of Manchester launched a comprehensive menu of widening participation activity at a special Open Evening on 14 March. This new programme of work, published in their Widening Participation Prospectus, is part of the University's commitment to become the most accessible research-intensive University in the UK by 2015. Click on the link below for details of the event.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/news/index.cfm 

Promotional materials - new artwork available
Following requests from a number of practitioners, the DfES is developing generic artwork that can be used by regional and area partnerships to produce banner stands, letterhead and business cards. The artwork will be available to download from the Resource Bank section of the practitioner website in the next few weeks.

Election guidance
The general principle governing communications activities during a General Election is to do everything possible to avoid competition with Parliamentary candidates for the attention of the public. Click on the link below to download a copy of the official guidance. 
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk 

Aimhigher induction pack
An induction pack has been developed for new joiners to the Aimhigher programme. Available to download from the practitioner website, the pack can be tailored to suit the needs of regional and area partnerships. Click on the link below to download a copy.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/resource_material/about_aimhigher/induction_pack.cfm  

Consultation on school funding 
In February the DfES launched a consultation on the new school funding arrangements, which aim to reduce the number of dedicated funding streams in schools, giving a greater degree of control over school budgets to head teachers. Click on the link below to respond to the consultation - the closing date for responses is 13 May.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conDetails.cfm?consultationId=1307 

Communications training
Following feedback from practitioners, the NCRT is proposing to run two training courses to support Aimhigher practitioners in their communications activities. These day-long courses would be held in each of the three regional clusters (for example, in Bristol, London and Leeds) with a maximum of 20 participants per event.
 
The first course would cover basic media training including an introduction to print and broadcast media and workshops on press release writing, selling to the media and handling media interviews. The second would focus on communications strategy including reaching target audiences, engaging with stakeholders and overcoming barriers to action.
 
If you would be interested in attending either (or both) of these courses, please email your preference to aimhigher@harrisoncowley.com. Alternatively, if you would like to suggest other types of communications training, please let us know.

Access agreements launched
The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) announced its decisions on access agreements on 17 March, setting out how all publicly funded providers of higher education in England who decide to charge tuition fees above the standard level will safeguard and promote fair access. Click on the link below for further information.
http://www.offa.org.uk 

Request for case studies
The practitioner website includes a current practice section, showcasing some of the successful activities being undertaken by regional and area partnerships. We are keen to gather more examples of innovative and interesting Aimhigher activities, which others can draw on for inspiration. Please use the case study template provided to let us know about your activities.
http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/resource_material/good_practice_examples.cfm