1. School Development Planning
Boards of Governors Training
May 2006

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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.’

5. ‘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

6. ‘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.

7. 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

8. 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).

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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

18. 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.