Place Group provides four key services:

Development Services
Advising on policy development at both a regional and national level.

Strategic Consulting and Programme Management
Developing vision to meet local needs by shaping application of policy and joining up of programmes

Implementation of Sustainable Change Management
Delivering the vision to meet local needs

Assessment and Evaluation
Providing ongoing measurement of impact through Educational and Transformational KPIs

These Services are currently being delivered in the following areas:

Academies
Place Group is one of ten providers on the DCSF Academies Project Management and Education Advisory framework. Our role in the feasibility and implantation phase of Academy projects includes the following services:

• Project management
• Management of public consultations and communications
• Curriculum and education transformation support
• ICT consultation
• Recruitment and TUPE advice and consultation

BSF
Place Group is procured as one of five companies selected for the Education Advisor Framework by Partnership for Schools (PfS). We have supported over 30 local authorities and many hundreds of schools on their ‘transformation journeys’ and in developing and delivering their ‘Strategies for Change’. Our involvement includes:

• Strategic guidance including development of Strategy for Change / Vision
• Programme management
• Stakeholder consultation
• Dedicated school support including change management implementation plans to ensure vision delivery
• Specific deliverables for OBC
• Supporting evaluation and selection of LEP

In addition, we have been appointed at a national level by the DCSF to evaluate all BSF Wave 4 SfC Part 1 submissions and to provide the DCSF with a sustainable framework for future wave evaluations.

Local Education Partnerships (LEPs)
Place Group has supported successful consortia in being appointed as the LEP in Newcastle, Sheffield and STaG (South Tyneside/Gateshead). Our role includes:

• Bid strategy development - understanding of LA Vision / Strategy for Change (establishment and delivery)
• Education advice on policy, curriculum, pedagogy etc.
• Stakeholder consultation – interpreting/translating visions into design and environment briefs
• Developing education-driven ICT and design solutions to ensure focus on transformational outcomes
• Developing LEP Partnering arrangements and solutions

Primary Capital Programme (PCP)
Place Group has supported a number of local authority clients in developing the ‘Primary Strategy for Change’. Our support includes:

• Ensuring that the context, background, vision and rationale for the choice and sequencing of schemes is clear
• Developing strategy for joining up funding
• Collection and analysis of baseline data including education standards, surplus places, indices of deprivation, suitability and implementation of a range of qualitative measures
• Developing prioritisation matrices
• Stakeholder consultation

14-19 and National Diploma
Our support to local authority and school clients includes:

• Analysis of local demand
• Audit of existing provision
• Holistic strategy to take into account all school specialisms and locality agenda
• ‘Sales pitch’ and facilitation of schools to ‘choose’ diploma lines
• Brokering links with businesses to make Diplomas more relevant and successful
• Assisting the Local Authority in managing LSC transfer and optimising the opportunities that this creates
• Building capacity within the Local Authority in specific Diploma areas

Recruitment and HR
Building upon our role in the Academies programme, our wider services include:

• Strategic HR support and advice for discrete activities or ongoing change
• Advising on restructuring and reorganisation
• Development and implementation of HR Polices and Procedures, and KPIs
• Development and implementation of Performance Management processes
• Senior recruitment and selection
• Providing TUPE advice, support and delivery
• Undertaking Trade Union negotiations and consultation concerned with the above

Public Consultation and Communication
Our support services include:

• Design and implementation of a strategic marketing plan
• Definition of key messages by audience and channel
• End to end campaign management
• Management of two-way dialogue to incorporate feedback loop
• Use of ICT to encourage response and feedback
• Management of local press with specifically-designed PR campaigns
• Production of high quality marketing and communication materials