The Centre for Excellence in Leadership contracted Phil Barnett Associates Ltd to research and write our publication "Equality and sexual orientation - the leadership challenge for further education." I am delighted with and proud of the result, published by CEL in December 2006. The report is groundbreaking and sets out a vision and recommendations that the sector should act on.

The research was undertaken meticulously, using statistical and ethnographic methodologies. The company worked directly with college principals, staff and learners. Their skill, sensitivity, reliability and thorough professionalism was appreciated by all concerned.

Lynne Sedgmore CBE Chief Executive Centre for Excellence in Leadership

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“Phil Barnett delivered a highly successful programme of equality and diversity training for 60 senior and middle management staff at Ayr College. He designed the content of the training with the college and took the time prior to the training, as part of a needs analysis, to meet with groups of staff to gauge their needs. This determined course design and ensured its relevance.

Phil developed a programme that combined supporting us to understand what the law requires in practical terms, and helping us to go beyond technical compliance, to examine best practice and wider educational thinking. This was welcomed and enjoyed by all. In particular we enjoyed the many examples of good practice from around Britain he was able to share with us.

The training was activity based, and highly participative, leading to the development of practical action plans. Phil’s training style was confident, flexible and open. He engaged everyone in debate and discussion. The training left us with confidence and clarity about our next steps.”

Bette Hay – Staff Development Officer Ayr College

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“London East Learning and Skills Council contracted Phil Barnett Associates Ltd to deliver a wide ranging programme of support, consultancy and training designed to embed the use of Equality and Diversity Impact Measures (EDIMs) into the LSC’s work and that of its providers.

Phil designed and delivered high quality training to LSC staff that helped them locate equality and diversity in the wider context of their work. It was practical, supportive and effective.

Phil met with all further education, work based learning and adult and community learning providers to support them develop their own EDIMs along with action plans to meet them. He was always persuasive and effective in doing so. His extensive sector experience enabled him to work skilfully and very credibly with providers of all kinds. As a result, EDIMs are successfully embedded in the work of the sector across East London.

During the course of this work Phil was always available to discuss progress and offer advice. He was flexible and creative in his delivery and completely reliable and professional in everything he did.”

Carole Prance – Development Manager Equality & Diversity London East Learning and Skills Council

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“Phil Barnett worked with West Herts College for three months to help us prepare for reinspection. Unfortunately, equality and diversity had not, prior to my principalship, been a college strength. Phil helped us update our equality policies, improve the equality and diversity content and appearance of our prospectus, and produce attractive materials to market and promote equality and diversity to students and staff.

Working with MIS and curriculum staff, he helped the college establish a set of equality and diversity targets for improving learner outcomes and diversifying our staff. He also helped us develop practical quality improvement plans to meet these targets. Phil worked with Student Support staff to design new equality and diversity induction packages for our students.

He supported HR staff to work with the Black Leadership Initiative and the Network for Black Managers and to sign up to the “Positive About Disabled People” initiative as part of our work to diversify our staff.

Phil was very responsive to our needs, always positive and supportive, and highly regarded. He helped establish a high profile for equality and diversity at all levels in the college. His wide range of practical and strategic experience was invaluable to us. As a result, we are enthusiastic and confident about the future progress of our equality and diversity work. OFSTED was very impressed.”

Elizabeth Rushton – Principal West Herts College

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“West Berkshire Training Consortium, a work based learning provider, has contracted Phil Barnett Associated Ltd to provide staff training on two occasions. The first round of equality and diversity training supported staff to clarify their equality and diversity goals and decide how to go about meeting them. Phil helped us look at some of the experiences of learners facing unfair treatment due to their gender, race, disability or sexual orientation and to think through precisely what we needed to do to overcome any barriers to their success.

As a result, staff revised their work place visits procedures and guidance and strengthened learner induction by ensuring that learners were aware of our commitment to equality and knew how to make complaints and exercise their rights.

We have subsequently had Phil back to deliver refresher training for existing staff and introductory training for new staff, particularly in the light of new disability rights legislation. This was greatly appreciated by staff and was expertly designed and delivered. Phil brings a fund of practical sector experience to his training which gives it great depth, accessibility and credibility.”

Tammera Easterling – Operations Director West Berkshire Training Consortium

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"Phil Barnett created and led a programme of equality and diversity training for the whole staff of Berkshire College of Agriculture. It was highly successful and engaged teaching and business support staff at all levels of seniority. It looked at a wide range of "issues" including race, sexual orientation, disability, gender and learning difficulties.

The training wove this range of issues into an easily understood package that staff felt empowered to act on with confidence. It helped us see the connections between quality improvement and equality improvement. It was very practical and helped us understand and meet the equality and diversity requirements of OFSTED/ALI inspection. Phil's follow - up report on training outcomes was invaluable in helping us embed the lessons of the training into our everyday work.

The training was skilfully designed and delivered. It facilitated debate and discussion and was a powerful, positive contribution to the development of the college."

Sue Halesworth – Head of Quality & Partnerships Berkshire College of Agriculture

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