1. Schools as Learning Organisations (SLO)
An Approach to School Improvement

2. Focus of the session
How do we know a school is a learning organisation?
How do schools become learning organisations?
What do I need to know, understand and be able to do next in my school?

3. One reform journey A new curriculum for Wales
A new national approach to Professional Learning
An increase in school to school working
ALN reform and a focus on Equity and Wellbeing
The development of a new Assessment and Evaluation Framework (including reforms to school inspection)
Reform of Initial Teacher Education provision
The establishment of the National Academy of Education Leadership
New Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership
Schools to be re-conceptualised as Learning Organisations

4. National Mission & SLO
Wales has an ambition that all schools develop as learning organisations, in keeping with OECD principles. Schools that are learning organisations have the capacity to adapt more quickly and explore new approaches, with a means to improving learning and outcomes for all their learners’

5. Why?
Why do schools need to develop into effective learning organisations?
New school curriculum for Wales:
It will require concerted effort and in many cases expanding and/or gaining new skills by teachers, teaching support staff and school leaders and many others involved to develop the new curriculum
The development of a thriving learning culture in schools across Wales and other parts of the education system is essential for the successful implementation of the curriculum and ultimately realising the vision of the learner within schools in Wales

6. Why? International research evidence shows:
A positive relationship between the SLO and staff outcomes like job satisfaction, self-efficacy, readiness for change, experimentation (e.g. Schechter and Mowafaq, 2012; Silins, Mulford and Zarins, 2002; Chang and Lee, 2007; Erdem, İlğan and Uçar, 2014)
These staff outcomes are in turn correlated with better student outcomes (e.g. Caprara et al., 2006; Klassen and Chiu, 2010)
A positive relationship between the SLO and student outcomes (e.g. Abdul-Haqq, 1998; Silins, Mulford and Zarins, 2002, 2004)

7. Schools in Wales as a learning organisation
The model focuses on realising seven dimensions, highlighting both what a school aspires to and the processes it goes through to become a learning organisation. Each dimension is integral to the four purposes, with well being at the heart. 
SLO provides an approach where schools can self-evaluate against seven dimensions as an integrated part of their self-evaluation and use the results to inform school development planning

8. Schools as Learning Organisations
Developing a shared vision centred on the learning of all learners
Creating and supporting continuous learning opportunities for all staff
 Promoting team learning and collaboration among all staff
 Establishing a culture of enquiry, innovation and exploration
 Embedding systems for collecting and exchanging knowledge for learning
  Learning with and from the external environment and wider learning system
 Modelling and growing learning leadership

9. Context of Donaldson review of Estyn
‘The introduction of the new curriculum will depend upon achieving a culture of collaboration and trust alongside a stronger focus on professional and organisational learning………..’ ‘Self-evaluation will play a major role in shaping the nature of reforms school-by-school…It will be important to ensure that self-evaluation is not seen simply as an extension of accountability but as being integral to schools as a learning organisation…….’
‘Many schools, particularly in the secondary sector, are currently some way from being able to engage in this type of self-evaluation and so become learning organisations’
Recommendation 5 outlines 4 main questions- one of which
How well does the school use self-evaluation and professional learning to identify its current strengths and set priorities for development?

10. TASK 1: Engaging with SLO
Engaging all staff in SLO and developing a shared language for school improvement conversations
Beginning to consider SLO:
Where are your areas of strength? What makes these areas well developed?
Which is the most important dimension to develop in your school?
Which dimension requires the most professional learning in order to improve?
What evidence might you use to consider each dimension?
What does effective practice in this look like?

11. Question…
Can you deliver the curriculum for Wales and other reforms unless your school is a learning organisation?

12. Where are we in Wales?
Developing schools as learning organisations in Wales
Mixed methods study design, including:
A desk study of relevant policy documents, studies, international and national data, etc.
An online School as Learning Organisation (SLO) survey that is completed by school leaders, teachers and teaching support staff
School visits: 8 in June and July 2017 resulting over 80 interviews with school staff and other stakeholders
Policy missions: Several
Multi-year OECD Implementation Support started in Sept 2016
Stakeholder workshops to discuss the preliminary findings and possible policy implications (22 March, 12 July)

13. OECD reviews & ongoing Implementation Support
Study and Survey Research
OECD reviews & ongoing Implementation Support
Ongoing OECD Implementation Support for the curriculum reform (since Sept. 2016)
2013/14
2016/17
2018

14. Key findings & points of reflection and action
More critical reflections are needed for deep learning and sustained progress to take place
A number of measures to ensure staff have the time and resources to engage in collaborative working and learning are within the control of schools
School leaders play a pivotal role in creating the conditions for a thriving learning culture
… but teachers and learning support workers also need to do their part to work and learn with colleagues beyond their department, subject area or school boundaries

15. The SLO Survey for schools
What is the SLO survey ?
How can I implement the SLO survey in my school?
Who completes the SLO survey?
How will I use the information in my school SER and school improvement plan?
We have been informed that the SLO survey will be released to all schools in April.
So…. What is the SLO survey ?
The SLO survey is designed to provide schools with a snapshot of their development against the seven dimensions of SLO.
The tool is a series of questions that will provide schools with a picture of their current performance towards becoming a learning organisation, and will therefore support them in targeting their school improvement work. Pilot schools selected by WG across Wales.
And how can I implement the SLO survey in my school?
The snapshot tool will be available online and will be shared with all schools.
And our advice would be that Schools should ensure that they have a shared understanding of the seven dimensions and have had to opportunity to discuss how these look in practice.
In terms of who completes the SLO survey?
All staff members should complete the SLO survey. This ensures that the snapshot presents a balanced representation of the whole school rather than just the views of the leadership team.
How will I use the information in my school SER and school improvement plan?
The SLO snapshot should allow schools to focus their improvement areas and identify areas where their practice is strong. It will show areas that would benefit from an investment of professional learning and allow schools to make informed decisions around where they should target areas for improvement. It can be used to scaffold and support school improvement conversations and promotes open, honest and transparent discussion around self-evaluation and development planning.

16. Task 2: Developing a shared vocabulary
A discussion tool to encourage staff to develop a shared understanding of the language used in SLO.
What does this mean in our school?
What does it look like in our school?
Developing a shared vision centred on the learning of all learners
A shared and inclusive vision aims to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of all learners.
The school’s vision focuses on enhancing learners’ cognitive and social-emotional outcomes (including their well-being), encompasses both the present and the future, and is inspiring and motivating.
Learning and teaching are oriented towards realising the vision.
The school’s vision is the outcome of a process involving all staff, including governors and other stakeholders.
Learners, parents/carers, the external community and other partners are invited to contribute to the school’s vision.

17. The SLO survey for schools
What will I get back when all my staff have completed the tool?
Comparison of staff groups

18. The SLO survey for schools
What will I get back when all my staff have completed the tool?
Breakdown of dimensions

19. TASK 3: Reflecting on your own setting
Which findings might confirm what you already know?
What could surprise you or challenged your thinking?
What are your strengths, and how did they get to be that way?
What can you learn from your experience that you can use in developing other areas?
What could be the biggest differences in perception between school leaders, teachers and support staff?
Why might these be, and how might they be resolved?
Which aspects might need further investigation, and how might you go about this?
What might you be able to learn from and share with other schools?

20. The National Picture (pilot survey)

21. Professional Learning
SHARED
VALUES
School assesses current level and accesses appropriate professional learning
School scales practice in school to ensure that it has an IMPACT on pupils
SLO
SCHOOLS
PUPIL

22. Task 4: Discussion
What do you anticipate working well in your setting? (consider the SLO model, survey and any follow up discussions & work)
What might be the obstacles, if any?
How will this work be helpful in supporting improvement in your school?
What advice would you offer the system in moving forward with the Learning Organisation work? How can this work support the wider reform journey?

23. Cross Consortia Resources

24. Professional Learning in Central South Consortium January - March 2019

25. Welsh Government Funding for Professional Learning
Welsh Government announces investment in Professional Learning – 12th November 2018 “This is a time of great change in our education system and it will be impossible to deliver our new curriculum without a high-quality education workforce. That is why we are making it easier for teachers to learn and explore the curriculum, giving them the time they need and not compromising their day to day work or pupils’ learning” “We are also providing schools with the option of working together to help them make the changes ahead of the new curriculum. This means that staff can be released to be involved in collaborative professional learning and planning, drawing from the very best evidence-based research.”

26. Investment in Professional Learning
‘The National Approach to Professional Learning (NAPL), announced by the Education Secretary, will see £9 million in this financial year, increasing to £15 million next financial year’ Schools will receive funding in 2018/19 through regional consortia for distribution In 2019/20 funding will be provided to local authorities for local distribution

27. Principles of Grant Funding
The principles underpinning the distribution and use of this funding are that:
it is delegated in its entirety to schools and school budgets;
the method used to determine funding at school level is calculated on FTE teacher numbers at the latest verified census point. This is the data that will drive the WG funding allocation to Las. Central South Consortium has 7,536 FTE Teachers therefore this equated to funding of £ per FTE Teacher;
the funding is not exclusively reserved for support of teachers and leaders and is to be used to support all practitioners who support teaching and learning in classrooms including TAs/LSAs;
the funding should be utilised to support engagement with the regional professional learning offer, or a professional offer, for example an HEI, or to support professional learning collaboration across schools;

28. Grant terms and conditions: Further Guidance
the remuneration of individuals, creating roles and posts, to support the coordination of PL activities across a school or group of schools. These roles would support colleagues, departments or whole school approaches to critical enquiry, change management and SLO activities;
the release costs for practitioners to engage in research activities and critical enquiry, funding release time to investigate the implications of the new curriculum for their own teaching and assessment practice;
the release costs to enable practitioners to collaborate both within school and across clusters and networks of schools – engaging with collaborative professional learning and collaborative planning;
the allocations will be uploaded to their School Communities on Cronfa by no later than the end of the week

29. Professional Learning Plan: School Level
An example plan has been created for use by schools
The ‘agreed’ PDF version of the plan will be published on each school website by March 4th 2019.

30. Professional Learning Plan: School Level
Key questions for consideration:
How will you ensure that all staff access the key messages and have access to individual / school priority PL activity?
How will you enable the PL Lead to disseminate learning from the regional programme? What form will this learning take e.g. e-learning?
How will your PL Lead engage with the regional and cluster developments?
What engagement will learners, governors and parents have in this process?
How will you review the progress your school is making towards the success criteria within this plan?
What use will you make of wider purposeful collaborative activity? E.g. SIGs, peer enquiry, etc

31. Monitoring Requirements
Schools should publish their Professional Learning plans (either on a school or cluster level) outlining how they plan to support the professional learning needs of all practitioners within their schools and report annually report against those plans (again publishing a short report on their web-site).
Challenge Advisers within the regions should work alongside schools to consider the plans and in essence sign off to confirm that the plan meets the needs.
CAs will agree plans by March 4th 2019

32. What do you need from CSC?
What support might you need moving forward?
What for?
Who from?