Following a nationwide public vote the Rochdale Pioneers Museums and Touchstones Rochdale have won the Museums at Night competition. Their prize is to bring the artist Susan Forsyth’s Zusammen Choir to Rochdale on Thursday 16 May.

Zusammen means ‘together’ and the drop-in choir consists entirely of members of the general public and community groups who come together to sing together for one night only.  There are no rehearsals and no singing skill is required. Song sheets will be provided.

The choir will be accompanied by community bands, including Littleborough Brass Band, and will stop to sing at local landmarks including the Broadfield Park bandstand, the Rochdale war memorial and Toad Lane – home of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum and St Mary in the Baum Church.

All are welcome to take part and are asked to meet at Rochdale’s St Chad’s Church at 6pm, with the procession beginning at 6.15pm. The procession will end at the Rochdale Pioneers Museum at around 8pm.

To assist event organisers please register your intention to take part by emailing museum@co-op.ac.uk, calling 01706 524920 or joining the event’s Facebook page. Further details can be found at www.rochdalepioneersmuseum.coop/event/singrochdale.

This research began in 2011, and is due to be completed in 2014. It is undertaking a case study of two primary dairy farmer co-operative societies in Kenya, one with one with a stable and well-functioning governance system (Co-operative A), and one which had faced a number of governance challenges (Co-operative B). In Co-operative B a recent vote of no confidence had been passed on the board of directors, leading to its dissolution and the election of an interim board in its place. The research focused on two villages to understand the impact of each co-operative – Village A and Village B, where Co-operatives A and B respectively had a large number of members. A five-year study period was chosen, from 2007 to 2012, which coincided with the governance challenges experienced by Co-operative B.

Primary data collection was undertaken in Kenya between July and October 2012. Research methods included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and a number of different participatory exercises including matrix scoring. At the household level, the research focused on seven member households (two active and two inactive) and seven non-member households in each village. This article will present some preliminary findings on the differences identified in each village, and then explore the links between these differences and the governance of the respective co-operatives.

Changes identified in Village A and B

Changes in Village A

In Village A, eight out of the twelve participant households in Village A that owned dairy cows in 2007 confirmed that the size of their herd had been increasing over the five year study period from 2007 to 2012. A non-member, who bought his first dairy cow in 2006, described his growing herd: “They’ve been giving birth – got all these cows from this first one … “[1]. Through a breeding process, Participant A33 increased his herd of one dairy cow in 2006 to four in 2012. In Village A, all five active members also confirmed an increase in milk yields per cow. Members talked about how “[T]this cow now is producing more milk than the one I had in 2007″[2]. Another member explains why:

“We are feeding them [the cows] with the right kind of feeds. We have more knowledge now on how to take care of our cattle than we did in 2007. In 2007 we were using local bulls. Now using AI [artificial insemination].” (Participant A15)

Participant A15 describes changes to feeding and rearing practices as well as to breeding practices, and links these changes to improved knowledge. Four out of the five active members in Village A also confirmed increasing income from dairy farming over the five year period from 2007 to 2012.

Changes in Village B

In Village B, only three out of the 10 member and non-member households that owned dairy cows in 2007 confirmed an increasing herd. Unlike in Village A, not all active members in Village B confirmed that milk production per cow had been increasing over the five year period. An increase was confirmed by three out of the five active members, and with only two out of the five reporting an increase in income from milk. One member stated:

“I was better off earlier when doing dairy farming – income was high. Now have only small income from one cow – so income has decreased.” (Participant B4)

Unlike in Village A ,the majority of active members in Village B did not associate any increases to their household income with dairy farming. The household matrix scoring exercise on milk yields showed that although active members in Village B had increased milk production per cow overall from 2007 to 2012, this was at a much lower rate than active members in Village A – a 29% increase in milk production per cow occurred in Village B, compared to an 82% increase in Village A.

Links between the findings and co-operative governance

Over the 2007 to 2012 study period, co-operative members in Village A were found to have increased their dairy cow herd at a faster pace than members in Village B. They were also able to increase milk production and their income from milk at a greater rate. A number of different areas were linked to these improvements including access to training, access to farm inputs and access to credit from the co-operative. This section will focus on one area – training, and explore its links to co-operative governance. In response to a question on who organised the training, a Participant responded:

“The Society [Co-operative A]. They organise most of them. They invite us, bring the teacher and educate us.” (Participant A14)

Co-operative A was repeatedly linked to the training that took place in Village A, by both members and non-members. Rather than delivering the training itself, Co-operative A was found to act as a conduit through which others could access its membership area. Its board directors and staff had established good working relations with both the membership and with external actors in the local area. This was reflected in the way the staff gathered data from the membership through surveys, and then analysed this data and used it to improve the delivery of training to the area. It was also reflected in the way the representative board director for Village A interacted with his members through regular meetings and in the way he disseminated information at the village level. These processes, which were linked closely to the way governance structures were set up and used in Co-operative A, meant that they were able to successfully identify training needs in Village A, attract appropriate training providers (such as different government ministries, private farm input suppliers and NGOs), and successfully mobilise farmers to receive the training.

In Co-operative B, over the five year study period there had been regular resignations of directors representing Village B – three different directors had been in place over the five year study period (directors are usually elected for a three year term), compared to one in the area for Village A. The current representative for Village B was involved in long protracted meetings at the co-operative to identify a way forward for the society and was not able to commit to any regular interactions with the membership. In Village B previous directors talked about how they had been active in organising educational visits and farmer-to-farmer training. However, they explained that during recent terms held at the co-operative they had not been able to focus on the wider needs of their members due to the ongoing governance issues in their co-operative. In Village B the co-operative had also been unable to successfully mobilise farmers for training in some areas. For example, they had not been able to gather sufficient interest from within the membership to mobilise a women’s savings and loans group. In Village A, a similar group was found to have been running for over a year, and was being used by an NGO to access women for training in a number of different areas. Co-operative B had also not been able to develop as many external links to actors in the local area. This meant that it had no working relations with an important training provider in the locale – the Ministry of Agriculture, and had been unable to facilitate agricultural training into Village B.

Conclusions

The preliminary findings suggest an important link between co-operative governance and the extent of impact that the co-operative can have on people’s lives. Co-operative governance processes and structures that are able to maintain a more responsive link to the membership, and establish good working relations with key external actors, are better able to mobilise members and attract other actors into the area to deliver wider services that can help improve people’s living conditions.

The conference has been sponsored by The Co-operative Group Central & Eastern Region and is free for up to two delegates* from schools or Trusts. It is also supported by The Midcounties Co-operative Society, The Midlands Co-operative Society and the Heart of England Co-operative Society and has been jointly planned with the Co-operative College.

There will be a variety of workshops, discussions and support events of wide interest to a variety of schools either interested in being a co-operative Trust school or Academy or who are already well-established. Themes will include:

• What is a co-operative school and how do I become one?
• What do I do in the first period in the new status?
• Dealing with today’s challenges (for example Ofsted).
• Ideas within the curriculum for co-operative schools.
• Working with a co-operative partner.
• Developing membership.
• Making clusters of schools work.
• Networking and working together.

There will be a high demand for places so early booking is essential.

To book visit www.co-operativeschools.coop (see events menu), or apply directly through the Co-operative Group’s online system at http://is.gd/uOACtg.

For more information about the conference see flier. For general enquiries about the event please email SCSbirminghamconference@co-operativeschools.coop. If you have questions about a booking you have made ring 01908 361500.

Schools Co-operative Society Birmingham conference

There are a range of significant crises, from climate change and peak oil to financial shocks and growing inequality. Education policy is fixed on an increasingly narrow and ideological agenda, and being divorced from research and reality. Academic critique, letters and protest from teachers and unions appear to have little impact.

Professor Mike Apple from the University of Madison, Wisconsin will present his ‘Interrupting the Right’ thesis, that the Right wasn’t always so powerful and the left could learn from its rise to dominance and take practical action. Mervyn Wilson from the Co-operative College will ask whether the co-operative schools movement provides a vehicle for interrupting the right and developing an education system that will be adequate to meet the crises we face.

‘Inform and inspire’ sessions will learn from co-operative organisations in a range of sectors including education, to ask what might a co-operative school and education system look like?

The afternoon will be spent discussing academic and practical issues around developing the co-operative schools movement, producing an agenda for action at the end of the day.

The event takes place on Thursday 4 July at the CIS Tower in Manchester city centre and costs £25 for teachers and academics and £7.50 for PhD students. For more information visit www.coopedagainstthecrises.org.

Download the flyer here

Many describe the education system as being in crisis, with legislative reforms impacting from Early Years to Higher Education. Central to these reforms is a notion that greater competition is needed to drive up standards. Can marketisation and privatisation of the system improve access to and standards in education provision? Will these strategies reduce or exasperate the massive inequalities in the system today? Is there an alternative? Are strategies based on co-operation and collaboration more likely to succeed in addressing these issues?

For more information visit http://socialsciencecentre.org.uk/blog/2013/04/20/mervyn-wilson-co-operation-or-competition-which-way-forward-for-education.

The South-West Plymouth Educational Trust comprises six primary schools and other providers of educational services for children from birth to age 11.

The Ofsted report identifies that the school’s membership of the Trust has benefited training for teachers and given staff opportunities to share best practice and work with colleagues from other schools. Membership of the Trust also shows school leaders and governors’ ‘vision and ambition to improve the school still further’.

Pilgrom Primary Ofsted report

The Co-operative Crew, which grew out of student council members, consists of 26 students from years 7, 8 and 9 at Golborne High School and years 4 and 5 Lowton Junior and Infant School. Students visited Reddish Vale, a co-operative school in Stockport, for inspiration, and also got to know each other and develop their ideas through a residential trip. The Young Co-operative has now collectively decided to create a farm and sell produce to the local community. Enterprise ideas include making an eco-friendly greenhouse out of 2.5 litre water bottles, making raised beds and building chicken coops. Together, students have agreed on a membership system, approved and contributed a membership fee of £1 per person, designed membership cards and created four working parties which will each develop an action plan.

The two schools involved in the Young Co-operative, which are both in the Wigan area, have partnered with the Co-operative College, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, Wigan and Leigh College, and the University of Central Lancashire to form the Golborne and Lowton Co-operative Learning Partnership, otherwise known as GoaLCo – a name proposed by student members of the Trust, who are also trying to recruit members to the Trust.

The Young Co-operative usually meets after school and at lunch time. Chairman Jack, who is responsible for managing paperwork and bringing ideas together, says that the Action Kit has been a useful tool to take to meetings. “It explains what co-operatives are all about and how we can learn for them, and it is also useful as a guide about what we need to do as a co-operative,” he explains. He added: “There is a lot in there about how to run the meetings and designate the jobs you need.”

One thing members of the Co-operative Crew learned from the Action Kit is that they needed to democratically elect members into various roles through an anonymous vote. So far, students have taken on the positions of chairman and vice chair, treasurer and vice treasurer, fundraiser and designer – who has been tasked with overseeing the development of a website, logo and leaflets. Ryan, who has been designated the role of treasurer, said: “The job descriptions in the Action Kit are useful; now I know what I need to do to in my role, for example looking after spreadsheets and researching business bank accounts.”

The Young Co-operative have raised £144 already, including £50 from a bake sale, to finance their activities. Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust have given compost to the project, and the grandfather of one of the primary students has offered to donate hens. Co-operative Crew member Ciara is speaking to the local council about getting caddy bins for the Young Co-operative to use, and there may also be an opportunity to work with Wigan and Leigh College. A student in film and TV production and media technology from UCLan is helping students to make a film to promote the activities of the Young Co-operative. The member in charge of fundraising has been searching the internet for ideas to raise money for the Young Co-operative’s activities, along with activities such as trips. Suggestions, which students will propose to the school council, include allowing painted nails in school for a day and holding an ‘own clothes day’.

Members of the Co-operative Crew agree that being a part of the Young Co-operative made them feel more mature. Secretary Lucy, who is responsible for minuting and typing up meetings, said: “Being in a co-operative for me means being a part of something. I have realised that you can achieve things when you give your time.” Sophie, who baked many of the cakes for the Young Co-operative’s bake sale, said: “I’m part of something bigger now: I feel like an important part of the school.” These sentiments were echoed by vice chair Jack, who feels that “everyone is as important as each other in this school”, and Lauren, who agreed that “we feel like a family in this school.”

Young Co-operatives co-ordinator Katie Thorpe, a languages teacher at Golborne High School, summed up the group’s progress so far: “To get something out you have to put something in, and the students have realised that every little thing they do helps. They have made all the decisions and all the rules. It is the students who have moved everything forward. Everyone has joined in together and done something really good.”

Find out how to set up a Young Co-operative, and download the Action Kit, from www.youngco-operatives.coop. 

Ms Munn said: “At the moment the legal forms of co-operatives are determined as Industrial and Provident Societies or co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and there is no provision in the relevant acts for co-operative schools. They have to work around the existing legislation in a clumsy and a confusing way.”

The bill has been given an unopposed first reading and will be given a second reading on 26 April.

Watch the bill presentation here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-22189336

Read Meg Munn’s speech here

Training@Hopwood tutor Gill Hulton set tasks showing the learners, who had diverse skills and backgrounds, how co-operation and teamwork can produce excellent results. At the end of the course all learners had to present their findings to the group, which included the use of historical film footage alongside modern facts and figures. The course was so popular that some learners rated it the best course they had ever been on!

Providing the unemployed with this qualification is part of the continued partnership between Hopwood Hall College and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum. This relationship means that students at the College can now gain valuable work experience opportunities at the Museum – which has the added bonus of students being able to learn about Rochdale’s heritage at the same time.

For more information please contact Training@Hopwood, 13 Drake Street, Rochdale, OL16 1RE or call 01706 358 490 to speak to the helpful team Karen, Emma, Sue and Angela.

The report highlights significant strengths in the school, describing teaching as outstanding. The report also notes that students feel safe and their behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It also states that students demonstrate a very mature attitude for their age. Other highlights include an innovative new curriculum and a complete update in the style of teaching to ‘state of the art’ learning methods, which have rapidly increased the rate of progress of students. In addition, inspectors identified that the governing body knows the school well and is supportive, highly challenging and robust. The report also states that students do well whatever their level of ability, links between home and school learning are strong, and that students have excellent relationships with their teachers. They enjoy coming to school because it is a welcoming place to be and they know their teachers care about them as individuals and their progress as learners. The school is a happy, harmonious community. Inspectors found that students say that the list of what makes the school a special place is ‘endless’.

Head Teacher Tony Hand, who said he is immensely proud of children, staff and all connected to the school, said: “It is an accolade to have received this judgement but not something we intend to squander or take for granted; we will not be resting on our laurels!  We will be doing all we can to build on our success to date and to continue to deserve to be considered outstanding.”

Terry Dix, Chair of Governors and former leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “It makes me feel proud, honored and privileged to be a part of the team at Dosthill School. This is a wonderful result and everyone connected with the school who has helped us to achieve this status should be congratulated and celebrate the achievement. I talked to the Lead Inspector about the positive impact of being part of a trust during the inspection.”

The Head Teacher and Chair of Governors are now devising a suitable way to celebrate the outcome of the inspection. The full report is is below.

Dosthill Primary School Ofsted report