School Development Planning Initiative SDPI Regional seminar 2005 School Development Planning Initiative Planning 2005: Focus on Your School Regional Seminar 2005

Planning 2005 Focus on your School SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Planning 2005 Focus on your School

SDP Process Review Mission Vision Design Evaluate Aims Implement SDPI Regional seminar 2005 SDP Process Review Improved Practice Priorities Mission Vision Aims Design Evaluate Action Plans & Policies Monitoring Implement

Work with Individual Schools 04-05 SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Work with Individual Schools 04-05 Review: 19% Mission Vision Aims Design: 63.6% Evaluate: 17.4% Implement

Progress of SDPI: SDP Process SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Progress of SDPI: SDP Process Approx. % of SDPI RC Facilitation Work on each Stage of SDP Process

Schools’ Progress in School Development Planning SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Schools’ Progress in School Development Planning Huge variations…. Context factors: Trustee/VEC, WSE/SI, ARCs SDP process: Stage and Stages Focus in SDP: Subject Dept., Guidance, B&D Structures for SDP: Coordinator, ISM review Partnership in SDP: Limited…. SDP documentation: Proliferating….. - Plans and policies - Work in progress - Process records

SDPI – Regional Seminar Programmes 2002 - Process Folder – managing the documentation - Review to Design - Continuing the Planning Cycle 2003 - Action Planning – Process and School Supports - Policy Formulation - School Self Evaluation (LAOS) 2004 - Subject Planning - Strategy Statement - Ed. (Welfare) Act - Planning – Implementation and Evaluation - Special Needs 2005 - National Trends / Progress in Planning - Effective Policy Development - Subject Planning – moving on

Emphasis on Learning and Teaching SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Emphasis on Learning and Teaching Definite emerging trend: A planning focus on learning and teaching, rooted in the day to day reality of the classroom - Collaborative Subject Planning

Partnership? Trustees Board of Management Staff & Principal Staff & SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Partnership? Trustees Board of Management Staff & Principal Staff & Principal Parents Students Support Staff How do we develop partnership? – a key challenge

What should we be noticing …? SDPI Regional seminar 2005 What should we be noticing …? Improved outcomes at the end of a cycle in relation to priorities addressed during the cycle – at least better outcomes than might have been expected if they had not been addressed Positive impact of the learning environment Stronger focus on students’ learning needs and on their implications for curriculum and teaching methodologies A willingness to review classroom practice Communication and collaboration between teachers Within subject areas Across subject areas At whole-staff level leading to coherence in the planning, delivery and evaluation of the curriculum and to consistency in the implementation of school policies and procedures

What should we be noticing …? SDPI Regional seminar 2005 What should we be noticing …? Discernable culture of groupwork Positive teacher morale Effective partnership and consultation processes Collaboration beyond the staff A sensitivity to unintended outcomes (positive and negative) A strategic awareness of how the school is developing and of the interconnectedness of the parts within the whole Ownership A commitment to ongoing improvement based on self-evaluation and planning Outcomes may take many forms—the most crucial relate to school culture. (Consider separate handout sheet)

What if no collaborative planning … SDPI Regional seminar 2005 What if no collaborative planning … Staff are reluctant to discuss school matters in groups One or two people try to dictate the agenda for everyone else Quiet staff members have no voice (or choose to have no voice) Principal /Deputy ----responsible for everything Sweeping generalisations are made at staff meetings without any evidence to back up statements Planning is based on gut reaction from staff meeting issues Committees are set up without clear mandate/ brief and focus Consultation and communication are very limited

What if no collaborative planning … SDPI Regional seminar 2005 What if no collaborative planning … Teaching and learning are only talked about in emergency situations  or not at all Some staff assume they have no learning to do--they were trained and know it all Long term vision of the school is virtually non existent Whole staff development is a 'circle the wagons' exercise It’s always ‘a someone else’s responsibility to change’ attitude Problem solving is a fire fighting exercise---moves from one solution to another without reflecting on the bigger picture Parents and students are not consulted – ‘not in my life time’ Posts of Responsibility are written in stone----review is not part of the process Policies are the principal's responsibility

School Reality Whole School Evaluation Subject Inspection SDPI Regional seminar 2005 School Reality Whole School Evaluation Subject Inspection Self-evaluation

Looking at our School Foreword – Chief Inspector SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Looking at our School Foreword – Chief Inspector LAOS was prepared by ESRU of DES Inspectorate To assist schools in process of internal review and self-evaluation To assist schools in fulfilling quality assurance obligations under Education Act 1998 To provide a clear framework for external evaluation by the Inspectorate Education partners contributed to its development

SDPI Regional seminar 2005 LAOS Towards school improvement through internal review and self-evaluation School context factors central School selects focus in the light of context factors Consistent with SDP approach….

LAOS - School Operation SDPI Regional seminar 2005 LAOS - School Operation

SDP in Action School Improvement SDPI Regional seminar 2005 SDP in Action School Improvement Planning Infrastructure Planning Process Planning Documentation Planning Outcomes

Planning Infrastructure SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Planning Infrastructure Structures SDP Specific - SDP Coordinator, Steering Committee, Task Groups, Policy Formulation/Review Committees Pre-existing structures School Calendar (meetings) SDP Whole Staff SDP Working Groups Subject Departments Communication Partnership Engagement

Planning Process A sense of: Where the school is at SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Planning Process A sense of: Where the school is at Where the school is going Promotion of effective learning and teaching Pro-activeness re change and development Self-evaluation Short/Medium/Long-term dimensions of SDP

Planning Documentation SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Planning Documentation Clear understanding of the relevance and management of documentation School Plan Process Folder – drafts of policies and action plans, reports of meetings held Subject Department Planning Folders Focus on documentation as a reference point, not as an end in itself

Planning Outcomes Improved outcomes re identified priorities SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Planning Outcomes Improved outcomes re identified priorities Positive impact of the learning environment Communication and collaboration between teachers Effective partnership and consultation processes Commitment to ongoing improvement based on self-evaluation and planning

SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Workshop 1. Using the worksheet identify where your school is at under the headings: Planning Infrastructure Planning Process Planning Documentation Planning Outcomes 2. Identify areas for immediate attention

WSE process … Letter plus Looking at Our School Reporting Inspector SDPI Regional seminar 2005 WSE process … Letter plus Looking at Our School Reporting Inspector Pre-evaluation meetings 3 / 4 / 5 Subject Inspections 1 week duration approximately Meeting all committees / groups / support Inclusion of Board of Management, Parents, Students Post- Evaluation – oral feedback Report

Meetings etc. BOM / Local VEC Teaching staff SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Meetings etc. BOM / Local VEC Teaching staff Parents Council – invitation to all parents Student Council Senior management Principal & Deputy Principal In-school management & other key groups School plan task groups

Documents collected - DES SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Documents collected - DES Building & Accommodation Timetables Examination Info Programmes Enrolment Recent Inspection Reports

Documents collected - School SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Documents collected - School Promotional Information Policy Documents School Planning Folder Curriculum, options Staffing BOM Parents Council Students Council Management – Schedule of Posts & Post Holders Extra-curricular Special Needs and other groups

Post evaluation meetings SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Post evaluation meetings Principal & in-school management Teaching staff BOM Record of post evaluation meetings and meetings with parents included in WSE Report Factual Validation of Draft Report Issuing of Final Report to school BOM

Advice from other schools SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Advice from other schools Evidence – planning folder, meeting records etc. Coherent Documentation Ongoing Progression Influence of Mission Statement Evaluation

SDPI Regional seminar 2005 Discussion / Response

SDPI Plans for 2005-06 Continuation of work programme in hand SDPI Regional seminar 2005 SDPI Plans for 2005-06 Continuation of work programme in hand Support Services for Post Primary Education, pp. 34-36 Individual Schools Cluster-based Support Groups Regional Seminars Summer Schools School Planning Diploma (NUIG) Resource materials—developmental work SDPI Website