SECTION 5 - School Planning
5.1 Overview

The key to effective school management is planning. The principal is responsible for developing plans to achieve strategic objectives through appropriate, effective and efficient allocation of resources.

5.2 What is Planning?

The purpose of planning is to provide an effective bridge between useful knowledge and effective action. Through planning, schools and their communities look ahead, anticipate events, prepare for contingencies, formulate direction, map out activities and provide an orderly sequence for achieving goals. Planning is used to gain control of the future through current acts

The plan should be unique to the school and address local needs and issues while relating to the Departmental agenda or priorities for the same period.

5.3 Types of Planning

There are two basic types of planning:

A. Strategic Planning - provides long-term (5 - 6 years) direction

STRATEGIC PLANNING
"Doing the Right Things
Mission, Goals, Change, Development

B. Operational Planning - implements the strategic plan on an annual basis.

OPERATIONAL PLANNING
"Doing Things Right"
Operations, Performance, Results

5.3 Preparing a Strategic Plan

While the principal has overall responsibility for the development and implementation of school plans, collaborative planning which involves all stake holders - staff, students and community - helps to establish a common purpose and commitment.

The strategic plan is the school's long term plan which sets down priorities for change and outlines a program of action for achieving the school community's agreed educational goals and priorities.

Essential Features of a Strategic Plan 

A strategic plan should take into account the external and internal influences which affect change, and should provide clearly stated processes for planning, implementing and evaluating program development and improvement.

The essential features of a strategic plan are:

  • a mission statement for the school
  • goal statements or anticipated educational outcomes
  • a time frame
  • planned levels of finance
  • staffing requirements
  • resource maintenance/replacements
  • a coordinated school action plan
  • a yearly review

Students, staff and parents and the wider school community need to have an input into the plan, but the role that the school council, led by the principal, plays in initiating and managing this process is crucial to the success of the plan.

The principal and the school council supported by members of the school executive must form a team to lead and manage the school improvement program. The school community participates in planning, facilitating, encouraging, sharing, advising, participating, stimulating, monitoring and evaluating.

 

5. 3.1 Clarifying the Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose or mission statement defines the shared vision of the school community for the future direction of the school. It reflects the aspirations and intentions of the whole school community and becomes the focus for all planning decisions.

A statement of purpose should include the following elements:

  • a purpose - providing an explanation for why the organisation exists. Defining a purpose involves resolving the competing claims of the school's stakeholders
  • a strategy - a description of the processes that will be involved in developing the school's organisation and its members
  • a set of values - a statement of beliefs that underpin the school's organisation

 

A good mission statement should be concise, precise, useable, positive and sensitive. (Owen, 1990)

Sample of Statement of School Purpose

The school seeks to ensure that all students, regardless of ability have the opportunity to reach their personal best. It has a mission to ensure all students understand that they are "creating and being responsible for their futures". It seeks to instil three main values - honesty, courtesy and courage. In determining its curriculum aims to provide relevant, up to date courses with an emphasis on technology.

 

5.3.2 The Situational Analysis

Long term plans for change cannot be determined until the nature of the school and its community is understood. A situational analysis or community profile is one way of learning about the school community and its special strengths and needs. A survey of staff, parents, students and other members of the community can be a good way to see priorities from different points of view.

A SWOT survey can reveal:-

  • Strengths eg. strong community participation, music programs, grounds.
  • Weaknesses eg. poor buildings, sporting facilities, distance from cultural centre.
  • Opportunities eg. new staff skills, community expertise.
  • Threats eg. falling enrolments, business closures.

Some Proforma are provided in Section 17.1 to assist with developing a situational analysis.

 

5.3.3 Setting Long Term Goals

The issues identified from the situational analysis and agreed to by the school community, will influence the school's long term goals.

The Department's Annual Agenda will determine which of these long term goals will be targeted in the school's annual management plan.

Long term goals should lead to improvements in:

  • teaching and learning
  • parent and community participation
  • support services
  • school management
  • resources and assets

Long term goals should be:

  • able to be measured so as to demonstrate the degree of successful implementation
  • achievable
  • flexible enough to allow for changing circumstances
  • consistent with the statement of purpose

Some long term goal statements might be designed to:

  • fully develop the creative talents of all students.
  • provide educational opportunities and experiences which enable all children to maximise their potential.
  • develop quality teaching programs which meet the needs of all students.

 

Sample Planning Timetable
  • Develop/review SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT.
  • Identify the CONTEXT in which the school is operating. This should involve the school and its community in determining the external and internal factors which impact on its organisation.
  • Identify the needs of students, teachers and the community.

 

  • Determine SCHOOL FOCUS AREAS and personnel responsible for the respective focus areas.

 

  • Write annual school report. After the first year the REVIEW phase will provide the basis for the annual school report.

 

  • Develop FOCUS AREA OVERVIEWS and FOCUS AREA ACTION PLANS. This planning could occur during a School Development Day.

 

  • Develop the school's COORDINATED ACTION PLAN and revise FOCUS AREA ACTION PLANS.
  • Implementation of FOCUS AREA ACTION PLANS.
  • Fine tuning of COORDINATED ACTION PLANS and FOCUS AREA ACTION PLANS based on information gathered during the ongoing review.
  • Commence evaluation, reporting and improvement processes.

 

  • Begin cycle again

 

 

5.3.4 Developing the Annual School Plan

The annual management plan details initiatives and ongoing programs for the year. The annual school plan will also develop from a current needs analysis and links intended outcomes with necessary resources, both financial and physical, establishes responsibilities and determines quantifiable indicators of success.

Some examples of different layouts for annual school plans are included in Section 17.2

 

5.3.5 Developing Action Plans

Action plans breakdown specific outcomes from the annual school plan. Action plans specify who, what, when and how. The action plan will also specify indicators of success for purposes of evaluation.

Forms for developing an action plan and a sample P & C action plan is provided in Section 17.2

 

5.4 Implementing an Evaluation Program

In November 1996 the Premier and the minister released for consultation a series of documents outlining a School Accountability and Improvement process involving school self-evaluation.

 

5.4.1 School Self-Evaluation

  • Focuses on improving schools
  • Emphasises the importance of student learning and achievement
  • Involves the school community, including teachers and parents
    Each school will conduct an annual self evaluation which will include consideration of progress in achieving statewide and school priorities.
  • The principal, staff representative and parent representatives will participate in the self-evaluation. Where appropriate, community and senior student representatives will join the committee, Representatives will make regular reports to their nominating groups, detailing discussions and directions in the committee's work.
  • All accumulated participation and learning outcome data available in the school will be provided to the committee. Committee members are to be made aware of the confidential nature of the data and will sign documents to that effect. Information that would identify individual students will not be made available to the committee.
  • The committee's deliberations and recommendations will be the major basis of the school's annual report.
  • A specific website will be established in 2001 

5.4.2 Annual School Reports

  • provide an opportunity for schools to account to their community
  • focus on school performance
  • give fair, reliable and objective information
  • report on student learning and achievements.
  • every school will produce an Annual Report
  • The school's annual report will be the responsibility of the principal and will be produced in collaboration with the staff, parents, students and the school's self evaluation committee.
  • Copies of the school's annual report will be provided to each family in the school with copies being available on request from the school and the local district office.

 

It is important that you are familiar with the specific requirements for this process. Enquiries should be directed to a Chief Education Officer (School Improvement) or your District Superintendent. The school annual report will be the public declaration of the effectiveness of the school's plan.

 

 

REFERENCE

"Planning and Evaluating School Improvement"

Robert Lewis 1997
Tamworth District Office
PO Box 370
TAMWORTH 2340
Ph: 02 67 685 819
Fax: 02 67 685 820
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