Investors in People

• In September 2013 Horizons Specialist Academy Trust achieved the Bronze Investors in People Award.

What is Investors in People?

Investors in People is the national Standard which sets out a level of good practice for training and development of people to achieve business goals.

The Standard was developed during 1990 by the National Training Task Force in partnership with leading national businesses, personnel, professional and employee organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Institute of Personnel and Development (IPD).

The work was supported by the Employment Department.

The experiences of the UK's most successful organisations, large and small, representing all sectors of the UK economy, were very positive and the Standard received the full endorsement of a wide range of interested parties.

The Standard provides a national framework for improving business performance and competitiveness, through a planned approach to setting and communicating business objectives and developing people to meet these objectives.

The result is - what people can and are motivated to do matches what the organisation needs them to do. Investors in People is cyclical and should engender the culture of continuous improvement.

Why go for the Investors in People Award?

• To demonstrate that we recognise that people are our organisation’s most important resource and we are committed to the training and development of our staff as the key to improving performance.
• IiP assists us to use an enabling framework to support our establishment’s ‘core business’ – raising levels of achievement for children and young people.
• Links our establishment’s aims and objectives directly to the development of our staff.
• Provides a useful framework for us as an educational establishment to manage the things that we have to do and those that we want to do.
• To demonstrate our achievement to a wider, non-education sector.
• To judge how well we are managing, involving, training and developing our staff.
• The proven benefits of the Investors in People process include increased effectiveness, higher skill levels and a more committed and flexible staff.
• Helps organisations like ours to continuously develop and improve the skills of staff.
• Promotes and develops good leadership;
• Supports the celebration of success and individual achievement.
• Recognises innovation and continuous improvement.
• It is a prestigious national Standard which gives us recognition of our good practice on a par with that achieved by other organisations.
• OfSted are recommending that establishments aim for the IiP Award as a benchmark for grading how successful establishments are in terms of leadership & management and its investment in the school community.
• The recognition process provides a high level of challenge and encourages you to be innovative in improving your approaches to the development of staff.

The fundamental purpose of the Standard is to ensure the effective development of all staff to improve the performance of the school and the achievements of children and young people.

What are the benefits for children and young people?

• The good practice planning and staff development promoted by the Standard helps to support the learners. It makes establishments look at the impact of planning for improvement and staff training and development on their own performance and on the achievements of learners. It is the performance of all staff that makes a difference to how well children and young people achieve in every aspect: in attainment and wider aspects of achievement, in their qualities as learners and in their social and personal development. Improving the establishment’s practice in these aspects is at the heart of its work and has a clear impact on the effectiveness of its work in the community. Gaining recognition can improve the morale of staff and their sense of pride in, and identity with, the establishment. It gives a strong message to other groups within the community that yours is a school or centre which aims to do the best by the young people it serves.

What are the benefits for parents/carers and members of the school community?

• Experience shows that parents/carers and members of the community are supportive of establishments achieving the Standard. Many already know about it because they have come across it in their own workplaces. Schools can show parents and local businesses that they are reaching a nationally recognised standard.

Horizons Specialist Academy Trust Investors in People report 2013