School Strategic Planning School Councils

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School Strategic Planning School Councils

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Why are we doing strategic plans?

• The biggest challenge confronting education in
  Australia is how to overcome the gaps between
  high performing and low performing students which
  exist across all school sectors
• (The Victorian Minister for Education and
  Training, Lynne Kosky Educating all Young
  Australians, 2004)

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What is strategic planning?

• Strategy, properly formulated, should provide the
  central point around which a school community can
  focus and unite to ensure that every child at the
  school can get the best possible education.
• A strategic plan is your schools voice.

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School Strategic Plan
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What outcomes are we trying to achieve?

• Student learning
• e.g. reading, writing, maths
• Student engagement well being
• e.g. attendance, positive relationships, safety
• Student pathways transition
• Into, through and between schools

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Strategic Planning Elements

• Purpose
• Values
• Context
• Goals
• Targets
• Key improvement strategies

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Purpose and Values

• Purpose fundamental reason for existing
• A purpose statement often has two core elements
• Who are we serving?
• What do we wish to provide them with?
• Values timeless and unchanging, as opposed to
  operating practices and strategies which should
  change

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Context

• Understanding the external environment, AND
• Whats happening inside the school

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Context

• Understanding the external environment
• Whats happening inside the school
• Tools
• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
  Threats)
• Mind mapping

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Goals, Targets, Strategies

• Goals what student outcomes we are seeking to
  improve aspirational describe level of
  improvement
• Targets intended performance results specific,
  measurable, time-bound
• Key Improvement Strategies 3 5 key broad
  activities that the school will undertake to
  achieve the level of desired improvement in the
  Goals Targets over the four year period

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School strategic planning template
Purpose
Values
Context
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Key questions for school council

• What outcomes is the school trying toachieve for
  our students?
• Where are we now?
• What does the school need to do?
• How will the school manage its resources to
  achieve these outcomes?
• How will we know if these outcomes have been
  achieved?

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Strategic Planning

• Do
• Get input from your community
• Leave off the rose coloured glasses
• Consider the people issues
• Prioritise your strategic choices
• Start simple

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Strategic Planning

• Dont
• Forget to consider how you will resource your
  plan
• File your plan away and only look at it once a
  year when reflecting on progress
• Create a set of wish lists your plan must be
  practical and do-able
• Crowd the plan with operational issues

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Relationship between Strategic Plans and Annual
Implementation Plans
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For more information

• http//www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/standards/account/ind
  ex.htm (for all strategic planning guidelines,
  templates and reports)
• http//www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/blueprint/default.asp
  (Blueprint for Government Schools)
• School System Development Division
• schoolaccountability_at_edumail.vic.gov.au