PhD Tutor Brochure

Connecting
outstanding pupils from
disadvantaged backgrounds with researchers from

top universities
2012 The Brilliant Club

www.thebrilliantclub.org

Our Vision:
An education system in which young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are proportionately represented at highly selective universities.

Our Mission:
To widen access to highly selective universities by placing PhD students in schools serving low participation communities to deliver university-style teaching to high performing pupils.

6 7 8

What is The Brilliant Club?

Testimonies

The Scholars Programme

48% 18% 2% 96% 36% 16%

of privately educated children gain a place at a highly selective university of state school children gain a place at a highly selective university of children eligible for free school meals gain a place at a highly selective university

9 10 11 12 13

Example Course Overview

Working as a Brilliant Club Tutor

Our Calendar of Provision

of privately educated children go on to study at any university of state school children go on to study at any university of children eligible for free school meals go on to study at any university

Job Specification

Application Process and Contact Details

Page 5 - Contents

What is The Brilliant Club ?

The Brilliant Club is an award-winning charity that recruits, trains and employs doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to deliver programmes of university-style tutorials to small groups of high performing pupils aged 9-18 who attend primary and secondary schools that serve low participation communities. The Brilliant Club was founded by two teachers who left their jobs in inner-city classrooms to build an organisation that mobilises the PhD community to address educational disadvantage and increase fair access to highly selective universities. In order to achieve our vision of an education system in which young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are proportionately represented at highly selective universities, we are working to create a movement whereby tutoring in a low participation school becomes an aspirational choice for PhD students across the country. Indeed, we hope that one day soon it will be considered normal to walk along a school corridor and see a PhD student delivering university-style teaching to a classroom of pupils. In the last academic year we placed 100 PhD students in low participation schools in London and the Midlands to
work with over 3,000 high performing pupils. In 2015/16 we plan to be working with over 10,000 pupils in schools across the country, and by this time we aim that 1% of all researchers will apply to work as Brilliant Club tutors every year. To make this happen, we are collaborating with universities including KCL, Oxford, Sussex and Warwick to create a structured programme that on the one hand equips pupils with the knowledge, skills and ambition to secure places at highly selective universities and on the other offers researchers the chance to engage and communicate with local communities through a training programme that develops teaching, transferable and leadership skills.

To widen participation in higher education, more money at eighteen is less Important than prolonged, sustained contact between schools and universities.

The factors that determine entry to university take effect at the age of fourteen or younger. Our universities are increasingly focusing their outreach activities on younger students.

Director, Office of Fair Access Director, The Russell Group

The Brilliant Club is different to many traditional forms of widening participation activity in that we work with pupils in a structured and sustained way from the primary school until they apply to university. We provide pupils with on-going support, which is embedded in school and furnished with university trips and academic conferences. We place a core focus on developing skills and raising attainment, and our programme is designed to translate academic potential into places at highly selective universities. The university-style teaching that our PhD students is the cornerstone of our provision and, in order to
ensure that this is of the highest quality, our aim is to develop a sector-leading training and support programme within the next two years. We are committed to a vision of pedagogy in which every programme we deliver emphasises progression to a top university, and helps pupils to accomplish this in the following ways:
Provide an intellectual challenge that takes them above and beyond their current level of study Develop five core skills: effective research, critical thinking, verbal communication, essay writing and self -reflection Show them how to become independent learners who take responsibility for their own development Ensure a transformative learning experience that advances their idea of what excellent learning is

Page 6 - What is The Brilliant Club?

Testimonies
Babak Somekh
PhD candidate, Oxford University The Brilliant Club is an excellent programme that has the potential to transform the UK education system. I have enjoyed my experience tutoring and am proud to be associated with such a worthwhile cause.

Yr 11 pupil
Expert Learners programme You should offer The Brilliant Club to as many people as you can it can really change your outlook on life.

Carly Mitchell
Deputy Principal, London Academy

Yr 9 pupil
Opening Minds programme You shouldnt change the fact that you let us think for ourselves.

The Brilliant Club has helped develop in our students a desire to graduate from a top university. It has acted as the beginning of their journey to this success and has made our young people believe it is possible.

Lord Adonis
Director, The Institute for Government The Brilliant Club does a simple but profoundly important thing. It enables some of our best young university researchers to apply their skills in schools. Nothing does more to encourage teenagers to go on to university than seeing dynamic university researchers and teachers in action.

Hi Chris, It's Jeanette, from the Dr Faustus summer sessions last year. I just wanted to thank you for all that you did for us, and for teaching me so many things that helped in unexpected ways throughout the year. I kept all of the material that you gave us in my English Lit folder and ended up pulling out and sharing most of the criticisms that you'd given us throughout the year. I'm sure you'd be proud to hear how my class related those extracts to Othello! And I know that they definitely helped me get my A*; I'll be studying at the University of Manchester and will take what you've taught me to there as well! Thank you again, Jeanette 17th August, 2012. (The day after A-Level results day.)

Page 7 - Testimonies

The Scholars Programme

Placing PhD students to work with children aged 9-18
Our Scholars programmes are designed to emulate teaching and learning at a top university. We recruit, train and employ doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in a school to deliver a programme of university-style tutorials that takes pupils above and beyond their current level of study. We offer a range of ready-made materials for tutors to deliver and these cover most subject areas, as well as this, providing support for those who want to develop a new programme based on their own research. The programme starts with a launch trip held at a leading university, where tutors deliver an introductory tutorial to pupils, who also take part in a range of structured learning activities. Over the following four weeks, tutors spend half day a week in school, usually delivering two tutorials per day to small groups of no more than six pupils.

Each week pupils are required to undertake reading and writing assignments which tutors mark briefly, leading to the completion of an extended assignment which tutors then mark thoroughly. The programme then finishes with another trip to a leading university, where pupils take part in a range of activities including a feedback session where marked assignments are returned to them and a graduation ceremony. Once the programme has ended, The Brilliant Club offers an Extended Learning Programme to schools, including targeted conferences and schemes of work which build on the good work of the tutor by providing information and guidance, and further embedding in the school a culture that champions high expectations and academic success.

We offer placements in four subject streams: Arts and Humanities, Natural Science, Physical Science and Social Science.

In March 2011 we placed our first PhD student from The University of Oxford to deliver an Expert Learners programme to 18 KS4 students in our Founding Partner School. After taking part in 6 university-style tutorials, every student produced a 2000 word essay to A-Level standard and three essays were an A grade at A-level according to national assessment objectives. Immediately there was a tangible impact on the pupils learning: at the start of the programme 3/19 students were achieving 5A*-A grades in their internal assessments, by the end of the programme this number had risen to 12/19. We worked with the pupils again in the subsequent academic year and were delighted to find out this year that 14 of the 18 have been offered places at Russell Group universities, including two Oxbridge places. We continue to receive excellent feedback from students and staff we work with, including an average 9.3/10 response to the statement I would like to take part in The Brilliant Club again.

Page 8 - Programme overview: Scholars Programme

Example course overview

Yr 10 Philosophy - Can terrorism ever be justified?
Tutorial
1 Was Nelson Mandela a freedom fighter or a terrorist? (25 mins)

Content
An exploration of the idea that one persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter, using the life of Nelson Mandela as a case study.

Skills
Research skills - Using Google effectively - Evaluating sources Referencing

Activities
Nelson Mandela brainstorm Using source materials to further the enquiry Critical discussion Was Nelson Mandela a terrorist or a freedom fighter?

Assignments
1) Pupils are to undertake further research into Nelson Mandelas life and answer the question Was Nelson Mandela a terrorist or a freedom fighter? in no more than 250 words.

Tutorial 1 is an introductory session that takes place at the programme launch trip, which is held at a top university. It is designed to engage the pupils with the subject before the hard work starts next week in school. On the trip pupils will also take part in a carousel of activities, including: a campus tour, a skills workshop with qualified teachers and a widening participation session led by university staff. A survey of the history of terrorism both in terms of the development of terrorist violence and the discourse that surrounds it. Exploring the idea of a discourse around terrorism Communication skills - Logical reasoning - Appropriate tone for tutorials Comparing, contrasting and categorising examples of terrorism Beginning to conceptualise, and possible define, what terrorism actually is 1) Pupils are to complete The Hamster Riddle, showing their reasoning. Thereafter, pupils are to explain their logic in the fewest possible words. 2) Pupils are to write 400 words explaining what a discourse is and how the discourse around terrorism has developed. 1) Pupils are to write 400 words explaining the main features of consequentialism and deontology, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages.

2 What is terrorism? (75 mins)

3 How can we justify our actions? (75 mins)

The establishment of an ethical framework which can be used to evaluate the moral standing of actions, focusing in particular on consequentialist and deontological thought. The application of the ethical framework developed in the previous tutorial to the issue of terrorism.

Academic writing Style - Logical reasoning - Appropriate style for academic writing

Establishing an ethical framework to evaluate the moral standing of actions Applying that framework to moral problems Evaluating consequentialism and deontology Evaluating definitions of terrorism and identifying their implications

4 Can terrorism ever be justified? (75 mins)

Academic writing Structure - Conventions for academic writing - Organising writing

Analysing whether or not terrorism can be justified from consequentialist and deontological viewpoints Attempting to give a definitive answer to the main question Presentation of first drafts for critical examination by peers and by tutor Revision of prior material and synthesis of ideas

1) Pupils are to write 200 words setting the parameters of the essay by evaluating the literature and assuming a definition of terrorism 2) Pupils are to write 600 words applying the ethical frameworks to the issue of terrorism, previously defined

5 How can we help each other learn? (75 mins)

The presentation of first drafts to the rest of the group for peer review.

Presentation skills - Giving effective presentations - Critically engaging with other pupils

1) Pupils are to write a 200 word introduction and a 200 word conclusion to their extended essay. 2) Pupils are to complete the second draft of their extended essay for submission.

Tutorial 6 takes place at the graduation trip, where our tutors traditionally offer a range of one -off taster tutorials in all subject areas, emulating the choice that pupils might enjoy at university. On the trip pupils will also take part in a carousel of activities, including: a question panel with current undergraduates and a feedback session where their essays are returned to them. Pupils also attend a graduation ceremony. Once the programme has finished there are opportunities for pupils to remain involved in The Brilliant Club. For example, we hold a separate Extended Learning Conference for pupils at each Key Stage, including a UCAS Conference for Year 13 pupils held at Freshfields LLP in Central London. Many Partner Schools choose to deliver schemes of work that accompany the conferences in tutor time as well. In addition, we hope that this year we will be able to offer an Academic Conferences for pupils at each Key Stage, where pupils will be able to present their papers and peer-review each others work, as well as socialising with other like minded pupils.

Working as a Brilliant Club Tutor

The university-style teaching that PhD students deliver is the cornerstone of our provision and, in order to ensure that this is of the highest quality, our aim is to develop a sector-leading training and support programme within the next two years. To make this happen, we are collaborating with universities including KCL, Oxford, Sussex and Warwick to create a structured programme that on the one hand equips pupils with the knowledge, skills and ambition to secure places at highly selective universities and on the other offers researchers the chance to engage and communicate with local communities through a training programme that develops teaching, transferable and leadership skills. PhD tutors will join our Researcher Development Programme, which can be completed over a flexible timescale. The programme includes three school-based placements alongside a specifically designed training programme led by OFSTED rated Outstanding teachers. The details of each placement and an outline of how they fit together into the one-year programme are included on the next page.

As a Brilliant Club tutor you can expect:

To be trained to a high-standard by experienced teachers. Our training and support programme takes place over pairs of half-days throughout the year and focuses on learning theory, teaching technique and the context of the UK education system. To be provided with ready-made materials to deliver, including lesson plans, readings and resources. Alternatively, if you want to design a programme based on your own research interests, we offer structured support to help you do so as part of the training. To have an Enhanced Disclosure CRB check carried out and paid for, allowing you to work unsupervised with children of all ages, and to be given guidance in professional codes of conduct when working with young people. To be assigned a Programme Officer at The Brilliant Club who will provide support throughout the delivery of your programme.

Our programme links with the Roberts Report (2002) which recommends that PhD students should have ten days training per year to develop transferable skills.
me By designing your own program her, teac ified qual a with support from skills , you will develop your planning on as well as get fresh perspectives le. your research from young peop

Once you have been cle ared by the CRB your Enhanced Dis closure is transferable to other activities. However, it is recomme nded that they are renewed eve ry year.

"From 2013/14, by successfully completing the training sessions and school-based placements that make up The Brilliant Club Researcher Development Programme, participants will be awarded a King's College London 'Statement of Teaching Proficiency', which can be used as evidence for an application for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) through their accredited provision.
Rita Mota, who is a PhD student in European Law at Kings College, London, was placed in Wyborne Primary School as part of our Key Stage 2 pilot last July. She delivered a ready-made programme of philosophy tutorials around the question What is Fairness? She told us: Before I started the programme, I was a little bit sceptical as to how well children would react to such complex issues. It was a constant surprise and a pleasure to see that they actually had more to say about fairness than many adults! This September, many of the pupils will be moving up to the Eltham Foundation School, where they will continue their journey with The Brilliant Club. We asked Rita about the transition and she said: After taking part in the training programme, I was prepared to deal with low ambitions but it was still a shock to see such bright students underestimate themselves. I would say that one of the best parts of the programme was to finally hear them talk about what university they would like to attend!

Page 10 - Working as a Brilliant Club tutor

Our Calendar of Provision

Although schools are able to book standalone Scholars programmes, we believe The Brilliant Club has significantly greater impact when our provision is embedded across the school, offering structured and targeted support to high performing students across all key stages. We offer a calendar of provision which runs throughout the school year and aligns placements at specific times for each key stage, ensuring a clear pathway for progression. Whilst we appreciate that it may be impossible to confirm availability this far in advance, current tutors suggest that having the information as soon as possible is useful for planning placements around other commitments.
Key Stage 2 Age of pupils: Tutorials Total hours Training dates (weekend) Programme dates (five days) Graduation trips (one day) Payment 9-11 years old Group size = 6 Time = 60 mins 50 hrs over 8+ days w/e of Sat 14th Sep w/b 30th Sep to w/b 4th Nov w/b 13th Jan 450 + travel allowance Key Stage 3 12-13 years old Group size = 6 Time = 60 mins 50 hrs over 8+ days w/e of Sat 12th Oct w/b 4th Nov to w/b 9th Dec w/b 3rd Feb 450 + travel allowance Key Stage 4 14-16 years old Group size = 6 Time = 60 mins 52 hrs over 8+ days w/e of Sat 25th Jan w/b 24th Feb to w/b 31st Mar w/b 12th May 450 + travel allowance Key Stage 5 17-18 years old Group size = 4 Time = 75 mins 52 hrs over 8+ days w/e of Sat 24th May w/b 16th Jun to w/b 21st Jul w/b 22nd Sep 450 + travel allowance

Note: Most of our programmes are scheduled to take place within these specific time periods, but there is some flexibility in terms of days of the week as sessions are always repeated on at least one other day. In the event that you have other commitments on one or two of the specified days it may be possible to make alternative arrangements but this will need to be agreed with your Programme Officer.

One-year Researcher Development Programme

Whilst we PhD tutors are able to deliver standalone Scholars programmes, we believe that the benefits are far greater for pupils and tutors when they deliver a series of programmes that are accompanied by a specifically designed training programme that builds upon their experience of placements across all age groups. Working closely with the Researcher Development Unit of the Graduate School at Kings College, London we are offering a one-year Researcher Development Programme which PhD tutors will automatically be enrolled on and are able to complete over a flexible timescale. Tutors will deliver a ready-made programme at Key Stage 3 during autumn term, followed by a second programme (ready-made or tutor designed) at Key Stage 4 during spring term and then complete the year by designing and delivering a programme based on their own research to A-Level pupils at Key Stage 5. In addition to this, there is also a Knowledge Transfer Project that will coincide with our 2014 PhD Conference is also being planned. The Researcher Development Programme is open to PhD students from all universities.
Alex Papple, a researcher in Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging at Barts Cancer Institute, was placed in a school just outside London to deliver a programme of biology tutorials that he designed together with a fellow Brilliant Club tutor. He told us: I relished the challenge of formulating a learning programme that would push the pupils academically whilst remaining accessible and engaging. There was a real satisfaction in seeing the pupils enthusiasm for the material and their astonishment at the interesting facts our research had unearthed. Alex delivered his programme to small groups of Year 9 pupils at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred, who asked to video examples of his teaching. When Advanced Skills Teachers at the school gave their feedback, they said learning was taking place that went beyond normal classroom lessons. Alex will be joining the Researcher Development Programme this autumn, and says It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience first time round, and I left feeling motivated to become a better tutor.

Page 11 - Our Calendar of Provision

Job Specification: Researcher Development Programme

Working closely with the Researcher Development Unit of the Graduate School at Kings College London, we have designed a Researcher Development Programme (RDP) which all of our PhD tutors (we recruit form all universities) will automatically be enrolled on and will be able to complete over a flexible timescale. The programme consists of three in school placements, one at each age group with a training module attached to each placement. Tutors can start at any time of the year, and can complete all three placements in one year or over several years. The programme also allows PhD tutors to deliver one programme and then decide if they want to deliver another, with no commitment beyond an individual placement. Once a tutor has successfully completed all three placements they will become one of our AST (Advanced Skills Tutors) and no longer be required to complete training for further placements. The RDP includes three school-based placements. As part of each placement tutors are responsible for delivering a programme of six tutorial sessions (which may include more than one tutorial) to small groups of pupils aged 9-18 yrs. The first and last sessions take place at the launch and graduation trips respectively, both of which are held at leading universities and tutors are required to attend on both days. The other four sessions are held at the placement school, and are typically arranged such that the tutor will make a total of four visits, usually delivering no more than three hours of teaching per visit. Aside from preparing and delivering the sessions, tutors are also responsible for marking selected pieces of work that their pupils produce and providing them with effective feedback on how they can improve. The marking load is around 400 words per pupil per week, giving an average total of 4800 words per session. Tutors must also mark their pupils final extended assignments and return them with detailed feedback at the graduation trip.

*PhD Students will only need to complete one Assessment Centre, but we recruit throughout the year.

Summary of requirements
For each Scholars programme tutors must: Complete training programme (two half days) Prepare fully in order to deliver tutorials with clarity and confidence (in some cases designing a full programme) Attend a launch trip held at a top university (one day) Make four visits to a school, delivering up to four hours of teaching per visit (four half days) Mark selected pieces of pupil work, including final extended assignments (two of which must be edited for a journal) Attend a graduation ceremony held at a top university (one day)

Remuneration
One-year Researcher Development programme: 1350 (3 placements) Travel allowance is applicable for all programmes

Page 12 - Job Specification

Application process
Our application process consists of the following three stages: (i) Application form, (ii) Assessment centre and (iii) One-to-one interview. The application form must be completed and submitted electronically and, if it meets our criteria, you will be invited to an assessment centre that will be held at the Teach First National Office in London (London Bridge) or at your university. We have a rolling application system and there are no specific deadlines by which application forms must be submitted. Assessment centres run throughout the year and we will post on our website when availability for a programme is approaching capacity. When all placements for a programme have been filled, any existing applications will roll over to the next set of placements. We have set out details of the application process, including what to expect at each stage and how to prepare, in our Application Guidance (AP2). We recommend that you read the guide carefully before submitting your Application Form (AP1). Both of these documents are available at www.thebrilliantclub.org. In 2013/14 we are taking bookings from schools in London, the South East, and the Midlands. We will also be running pilot programmes in other regions from March 2014 so please do get in touch even if you are based outside London.
Confidence. I have learned not to belittle myself or my ability. Carrying out independent research with minimal help from a teacher.

Paolo saying why, why, why in response to every answer! The whole group staying in school late to finish their dissertations to high standard.

What are your

strongest memories
of taking part in The Brilliant Club?

Contact details
If you have any queries regarding the organisation, the opportunity to work as a Brilliant Club tutor or the application process please send us an email at:

Have you developed any new skills as a result of The Brilliant Club?

apply@thebrilliantclub.org
If you would like to speak to us then please feel free to call our applications, the please call our office and we will be happy to help:

More positive and motivated to get into a top university.

It has just reinforced to me that anything is possible.

0203 117 1986

Have you changed the

way you think

about university?

Page 13 - Application Process and Details

www.thebrilliantclub.org