APPENDIX H
CURRENT PROVISION
FOR EDUCATION
COMPARED WITH
PROPOSED PROVISION
IN A
PARLIAMENTARY VISITOR
AND INFORMATION
CENTRE (PVIC).
This paper presents the current constraints
experienced by the Education Unit and identifies the opportunities
and benefits a PVIC would bring in conjunction with a redeveloped
website and outreach programme.
All the exhibition and education areas in the
proposed PVIC are flexible and will be bookable for Members' use.
NUMBERS
| Current provision and role
| Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
11,000 school children visited Parliament through the education programme in 2005-6. This will increase by a further 17,000 over the next two years, giving a total of 28,000 formal learners.
The Education Unit does not have the capacity to provide visits for informal learners.
| A total of 100,000 learners (both formal school visits and informal learners) can be provided for.
|
| Existing facilities cannot support groups of more than 32 students, although there is strong demand from schools for this.
| Groups of up to 250 (such as large year groups or pupil parliament sessions) can be catered for at a time and potentially two groups of this size per day.
|
| There is a waiting list of about two terms in advance for school groups wanting to participate in the education programme and visits have to be rationed in order to ensure priority is given to schools that have not visited previously.
| With the capability to provide for up to 100,000 learners a year existing demand can be met, along with additional demand generated from the website and outreach activities. More schools will be able to visit Parliament and participate in the educational programme.
|
| |
FACILITIES
| Current provision and role | Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
| There is no dedicated space for education provision. Instead, the Unit is given access to the Macmillan Room in Portcullis House and a meeting room in 1 Parliament Street.
| All educational visits would be consolidated in new, purpose-built facilities. This would provide a much better experience for visiting groups while allowing the release of meeting rooms back to Members' use.
|
| The rooms currently used do not have any computer facilities for students or education staff/teachers.
| The new areas would be equipped with computers, interactive white boards, access to video-conferencing facilities and a dedicated digital TV channel for educational use.
|
| No provision is made for groups with special needs.
| Purpose-built facilities, incorporating the latest best practice and standards, would enable the Unit to offer a dedicated programme for students with special needs.
In addition, a prayer room would be available for groups that required this facility during the day, as would a space for those children whose religion requires them to eat apart from others.
|
| No purpose built space is available which allows for good flow of students and sound proofing. Groups of students have to be brought through busy areas that are in constant use by Members and their staff. School groups that arrive early or that are waiting for their transport home have to wait in common areas and security points.
| The new facilities will be designed to incorporate proper acoustics, ergonomics and relevant standards for circulation of large numbers of people.
Consolidating activities in the PVIC will provide clear access routes for groups, along with dedicated waiting areas, that are separate from the facilities for Members' guests in the Palace and minimize disruption in other parts of the Estate.
|
| Current activities offered to groups are constrained by the format of the rooms available and how furniture can be moved by staff, while returning these rooms to their conventional use by 6 pm each day.
| Six flexible rooms will be provided that can be turned into larger spaces, when required. Multiple and different sizes of groups can be accommodated simultaneously, allowing the Unit to tailor sessions to meet the learning needs of each visiting group.
The rooms can be configured in different seating plans—classroom style, around tables, cinema seating, or to simulate the layout of a committee room or the chamber, etc.
This will also make it easier for Members to talk to larger school groups from their constituency, or several groups visiting at the same time.
|
| Nowhere is provided for schools to eat their own prepared lunches, which is a significant problem for schools traveling a distance to come to Westminster or for younger pupils.
| A large lunch area which is capable of hosting up to 250 people. Packed lunches can be eaten here.
|
| Students have to keep their bags, coats and other belongings with them in the teaching space as there is nowhere to store them.
| Lockable cupboards will be available adjacent to these areas. These can be assigned per group or per room so that groups can arrive and leave according to their own timetable without disturbing others.
|
| Students have to use existing toilets provided for all staff, Members and the public. These facilities are not always suitable for younger children and can become congested when school groups arrive or depart.
| Dedicated toilets will be provided for the education area which include small toilets and hand basins for smaller children.
|
| Staff are currently based some distance from the areas where they meet groups and then have to escort these groups to the relevant meeting rooms. Within the limited time available for a school visit, time is lost getting both staff and groups to the correct location.
| Visiting groups would come directly to the PVIC, where their sessions would take place. Workspace and facilities for staff would be provided in the same area where education sessions are provided.
|
| Separate booking systems are currently used for the education programme and for other forms of visit to Parliament.
| A central electronic booking system would be established for all groups, with the option of an online booking system.
|
| |
STAFF
| Current provision and role | Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
9½ people currently work in the unit
1 = Head of Unit
1 = Educational Co-ordinator
2 = Communication and Outreach Officers
2 = Visits Officers
2 = Assistant Visits Officers
1 = Office Manager
0.5 = Office clerk
| 19 staff would support the education programme offered through the PVIC, the website and outreach activities.
1 = Head of Unit
1 = Educational Co-ordinator
4 = Communication and Outreach Officers
4 = Visits Officers
6 = Assistant Visits Officers
1 = Office Manager
2 = Office clerk/bookings administrators
|
| The Education Unit draws on three full time equivalent Visitor Assistant posts to assist in the delivery of the education programme.
| In the PVIC this would be increased to six VAs who would be available to assist the Education Unit.
|
Visitor Assistants provide a welcome to visitors to Parliament and can answer basic questions about the work of Parliament, within the context and duration of a tour.
For exhibitions and special events costumed interpreters have been employed with great success to help visitors better understand aspects of Parliament's work and history. However this facility can only be provided very occasionally within current resource levels.
| In the PVIC the Visitor Assistants would be supported by staff from the Information Offices of both Houses, who would be on-hand to explain the work and procedure of Parliament and answer questions in more depth. Feedback from the public and learning groups could then be used to enhance the Frequently Asked Questions and other areas of the website.
Costumed interpreters would also be used to engage and inform visitors.
|
| |
HOURS AND
TIMETABLES
| Current provision and role | Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
| Very few educational sessions are provided outside of school terms.
| The education facilities could be used all year round by different groups of both formal and informal learners.
|
| No provision of sessions outside of normal opening hours
| The PVIC will be open seven days a week and workshops and activities could be offered on every day.
|
| The constraints of the Parliamentary calendar mean access to the Palace, the galleries and Members is not guaranteed.
| The Education Unit will adopt a "mix and match" set of modules tailored to meet the needs of the group and the availability of facilities at the time. A variety of activities and space to provide them means not everyone requires a tour of the building.
|
| As there is no place for groups to have lunch visits are fitted in the hours before or afterwards. Visits are therefore shorter.
| Students can spend 3-4 hours on their visit, and over a lunchtime. This makes it better value in terms of the time and money spent to get to Parliament. As a result, students have more opportunity to talk to Members and officials informally, as well as part of the learning activities.
|
| |
AUDIENCES
| Current provision and role | Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
| No provision is made to teach other groups about Parliament, such as families, adult learners, community groups etc.
| In the new facilities visitor talks could be provided. These could offer visitors an explanation of the work of the House after a tour; explain a particular aspect of the work of the House; or accompany and contextualise exhibitions.
|
| The variety of sessions on offer is currently limited due to the nature of the space, facilities and staff levels available.
| A dedicated purpose built space means that all types of activity could be catered for, ranging from debates, art workshops, drama sessions, photography etc.
The Unit can also offer themed events, including video conferencing (for events linking Members with schools across their constituency, for example) and joint events with other organisations on a larger scale.
|
| The Education Unit is not involved in providing text for guides or exhibition panels. The input from these education professionals into other areas of learning within the Houses is limited.
| Based on a model of many other heritage organisations the Education Unit should be at the centre of all activities which involve learning. The role of learning and engagement is key to everything in the PVIC and the Education Unit staff are the specialists and advocates for this.
|
| Although groups can engage with the building on a tour with the Education Unit there is limited opportunity for students to learn from objects in the existing Parliamentary collection. Nor is there an opportunity for self-directed learning in an exhibition environment.
| People will be able to learn with the aid of the Parliamentary collection and interpretation in an exhibition space. This will also help encourage interaction with various topics and can assist in self-directed learning.
|
| |
OUTREACH
| Current provision and role | Potential future provision and role in a PVIC
|
There are two recently recruited members of an Outreach Team. They are part of a wider strategy to increase the levels of outreach that the Education Unit develops, particularly for schools and groups who are unable to visit Parliament.
The Outreach Team also supports Members in their work with schools and young people and works with Members' staff both at Westminster and in the constituency.
| The PVIC would provide a physical base for the outreach team to hold conferences and workshops with organizations with similar aims; training sessions for outreach workers; talks for community groups.
The Outreach Team would continue to support Members in their work with schools and young people.
|
| Although citizenship is at the core of all that is taught by the Education Unit it is not specifically addressed with those who provide citizenship teaching.
| The facilities could be used to run workshops for Citizenship Co-Ordinators and trainee teachers, ongoing professional development and subject-based seminars for teachers and lecturers, etc. In this way the PVIC would fulfill its role as a centre of political and citizenship education. A programme of active citizenship classes would be run for young people.
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