School Development Planning Boards of Governors Training May 2006

Programme Overview of School Development Planning in the NI Education System Requirements of the DE Regulations 2005 Issues surrounding the development/review of a Statement of School Values To focus on key processes underpinning effective School Development Plans To consider the process and pace of aligning current School Development Planning practice with the new regulations

Overview of School Development Planning in NI Education System The Education Reform Order (1989) introduced wide ranging changes which necessitated strategic planning by schools. The Northern Ireland School Improvement Programme, launched in 1998, provided guidance for School Development Planning and Target Setting. From 1998 WELB/CASS advocated and supported SD Planning as a process which enabled schools to manage change in a planned, paced and coherent manner. Most PP schools have engaged in this process to some extent – varies from school to school.

From Sept 2005 regulations are in place which ‘apply to the preparation and revision of a school development plan by the Board of Governors of a grant-aided school in pursuance of the requirements of the scheme of management for the school under Article 13(1) of the 1998 Order.’

‘Issues with which a SDP shall be concerned…’ DE Regulations 2005 A statement of the school ethos A summary of strategies for: Learning, teaching and assessment Promotion of attendance, good behaviour and discipline An evaluation of the nature and quality of: Pupil attainment Management Learning & teaching Professional development Curriculum including extra-curricular provision Special needs Pastoral Care Attendance, good behaviour and discipline Home/community links Accommodation

‘Matters which must be included…’ An assessment of: The current and projected financial position The existing plan. A summary of the challenges and opportunities facing the school. A list of the school’s key targets in order of priority, planned outcomes, actions to achieve them along with steps towards implementation. The extent to which the BoG has consulted with parents, pupils, staff and other organisations in the preparation of the plan. Arrangements for BoG, with Principal, to monitor, review and evaluate progress.

Stage 1 – School Ethos, Culture and Aims (Statement of School Values) The plan should start with a clear statement of the: School ethos – mission statement, vision, aims Underpinning values Distinctive characteristics. The strategic aims of the school will flow from these statements. This has to be set in the context of the school - An assessment of the challenges and opportunities presented by the local context within which the school operates (see inspection reports) In-depth review of the school’s strengths and weaknesses Discuss examples from DE SDP guidance - Page 60 Corpus Christi is reasonable, other examples do not necessarily address

Statement of School Values – Context Include statement about: Type of school The site School environment Buildings Facilities Number of pupils Average attendance Local context – links with parents and the wider community (meetings, consultation, information evenings, reports, parental involvement programmes, competitions and links with other organisations eg the Verbal Arts Centre).

Statement of School Values - Challenges/Opportunities What are the challenges? Social deprivation Fall in birth rate Finance Increasing diversity of NI population Inclusion Where are the opportunities? Commitment and flexibility of staff Increasing diversity of NI population Extra curricular provision Inspection outcomes Funding FSM falling enrolment Statemented children

Summary Context Ethos Challenges Opportunities http://www.deni.gov.uk/ For DE Guidance follow the links for Publications (at the bottom of the page 3). For DE Regulations follow the links for Schools, School Improvement Programme and School Development Planning.

The Process of School Development Planning 4 Key Stages - DE Guidance 2005 Confirmation of the school’s ethos, culture and aims. An audit of current provision and identification of areas for improvement. Prioritisation for action and the implementation of development planning. The determination of the arrangements for monitoring and the review of the plan in the light of that monitoring.

Stage 2 - Audit of Current Provision and Identification of Key Issues How well is your school doing? Current performance Internal environment eg pastoral care, inclusion External Environment eg Revised NI Curriculum, Entitlement Framework See DE SDP Guidance Pages 11 – 18 Current performance Compare across the school, in each subject and across similar schools (FSM, school size). Study across a number of years – 3-year rolling average The principal will present this info to the BoG. Must be evidence based – How do you know? Use available evaluation tools Together towards Improvement Evaluating Schools/Themes/Subjects The Reflective Teacher SETAQ IIP, EFQM etc

Stage 3 – Priorities for Action and Implementation Planning What more should the school be doing? Determining priorities (taken from Stage 2) Setting targets What must be done to bring about the proposed improvements? planning implementation (action planning) Key person is the principal – it is the role of the BoG to question his reports

Stage 4 – Implementation, Monitoring and Review How can progress be tracked and success measured? Frequency of progress reports Format of reports BoG have key role Frequency of progress reports – monthly, termly or annual Format of reports – written or oral presentation by key personnel

Alignment with Current Practice Effective for 3 years from the date on which the preparation or, as the case may be, the last revision of the plan was completed by the Board of Governors. Full audit at least once every 3 years Annual review in other years Revise no later than 6 months following an inspection report

You already have .... School prospectus Annual report School policies Prior involvement in self-evaluation eg IIP, SETAQ, Quality Assurance Inspection, Health Promoting Schools, DDGP Inspection Report(s)

You are required to ... Publish and provide copies for: each member of the Board of Governors of the school the principal the teaching and non-teaching staff WELB CCMS (where applicable) Make copies available to any person, free of charge, on request

Your commitment is to ... Be actively involved in, and engaged with the process of improvement. Understand the process and the contribution required of Governors, management and members of staff. Establish and agree the processes for monitoring and review. Ref Page 5 This may not be the responsibility of the full BoG – it may be dealt with by a sub-group.