Issue 4, October 2000

This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the requirements that the revised National Administration Guideline 2 places on schools as they undertake strategic planning.

Each Board of Trustees with the principal and teaching staff is required to:

i) Develop a strategic plan which documents how they are giving effect to the National Education Guidelines through their policies, plans and programmes, including those for curriculum, assessment and staff professional development;

ii) Maintain an on-going programme of self-review in relation to the above policies, plans and programmes, including evaluation of information on student achievement;

iii) Report to students and their parents on the achievement of individual students, and to the school's community on the achievement of students as a whole and of groups (identified through 1 iii above) including the achievement of Māori students against the plans and targets referred to in 1 v above.

The National Administration Guidelines (NAGs), Guideline 2

• Revisits the vision and core values expressed in its charter;
• plans how to realise these aspirations;
• responds to any local or national priorities;
• identifies social, educational, and technological developments that are likely to have an impact on the school and gathers relevant information to guide it in responding to these changes;
• uses assessment information to plan programmes of teaching and learning;
• builds in professional development to support the programmes of teaching and learning.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a strategic plan specified in Guideline 2?

The strategic plan provides a focus for school improvement. Strategic planning gives the school's stakeholders an opportunity to contribute ideas for the future and suggest solutions for current concerns. A strategic plan clarifies how the broad goals and ideals in the school's charter will be realised. Guideline 2 ii requires regular self-review by each school, including the evaluation of student achievement. In working on its strategic plan, the school brings together, examines, and justifies all of its "policies, plans, and programmes" to show that it is meeting the requirements of the National Education Guidelines and that teaching and learning in the school benefit the students.

What are the elements of a strategic plan?

Each school describes its vision or mission and long-term aims in its charter. The strategic plan specifies how these aspirations will be achieved and is likely to include:

• a set of milestones (what are our steps to achieving each goal?)
• a timeline (by when should we complete each milestone?)
• strategies (how will we achieve the milestones?);
• scenarios (what will the results of our planning look like in practice?);
  
  The strategic plan should also include a schedule for overall review.

• What are some general principles of strategic planning?
  
  Strategic planning uses all the current information about the school, including assessment information, as the basis for high-quality decision making. It links this "internal" information with such external factors as national education initiatives and local or larger issues. Strategic planning is an opportunity to reshape assumptions and understandings about the school.
  
  Strategic planning includes forecasting how demographic, economic, technological or other changes might affect the school. Some examples of "future questions" include:
  
  
• What external factors are likely to have an impact on our school in the future?
• How might developing technology impact on what we do and how we do it?
• How might our vision for the school need to change?
• What factors will make our school distinctive in the future?
  
  Strategic planning is an opportunity to develop "stretch" goals that aim for the fullest possible achievement.

Who creates the strategic plan?

The principal and board develop the plan in close consultation with the major stakeholders:staff, parents/caregivers, and students.

Who uses the strategic plan?

The principal , board, and teachers are the main users, but the strategic plan can also be used:

• to show the community where the school is headed;
• to provide education or business partners with a profile of the school;
• to serve as the basis for self-evaluation and external evaluation;
• to provide continuity when handing over to a new board of trustees or when new members of senior management or new teachers come into the school.

Who should be consulted?

The school's community should always be consulted, together with identified groups, including Māori parents and whànau, other distinct groups, and the parents/caregivers of students with special needs. Schools need to set up methods of consulting appropriate to their community.

How can schools include all their stakeholders?

As a discussion starter, many schools are asking their parents/caregivers, staff, and students if the aims and vision spelled out in the charter are still appropriate. Schools can use a variety of methods for this discussion, for example, talking about scenarios, writing visions of what the school could look and feel like, or asking for comment. Finding a method that engages and inspires the school's community is essential to finding out what the key stakeholders think and feel.

What is a good way to begin a strategic plan?

"We have so much to do and it all seems too much" - it can seem difficult finding time to stop and look at the big picture, as set out in the National Education Guidelines. Many boards begin their strategic planning by breaking down what they must consider under the key management areas identified in the six Nags

These are:

• curriculum requirements and student achievement;
• documentation and self-review;
• employer responsibilities;
• financial and property management;
• health and safety;
• administration.

Schools then list any identified goals that are particularly relevant to them (for example, maintaining special character or teaching in te reo Māori) under these headings.

As part of strategic planning, schools need to consider their charter and mission statement in relation to the evolving goals that they identify for their students. They also need to factor in any external considerations, such as national education initiatives and community and social issues.

What should a school's strategic plan look like?

There are no requirements for the format, length, or style of a strategic plan. Each school can create a plan in the format that best suits its needs.

Issue 10
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines the support available to schools and teachers as they address the need for students to develop high levels of competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values) in physical education and physical activity. It also includes the amended sections relating to physical activity in the National Education Goals (NEGs) and National Administration Guidelines (NAGs).

Issue 9
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines support that is available for schools in addressing the needs of their gifted and talented students.

Issue 8
This issue of Sharpening the Focus, is a newsletter for boards of trustees, principals, and teachers on school management and administration.

Issue 7
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks at the intent and effect of the Education Standards Act 2001, which has introduced the requirement that every school's charter include planning for improvement of student outcomes.

Issue 6
This issue of Sharpening the Focus discusses the National Education Guidelines' requirement for boards of trustees to identify and provide for students who have special needs related to disabilities, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems. It also answers some frequently asked questions.

Issue 5
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the relationship between the revised National Administration Guideline 2 and professional development and answers some frequently asked questions.

Issue 4
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the requirements that the revised National Administration Guideline 2 places on schools as they undertake strategic planning.

Issue 3
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at what schools will need to consider as they align their curriculum and assessment policies and practices to the revised National Administration Guidelines 1 and 2.

Issue 2
This issue includes information on Kia mahitahi - working together, Frequently Asked Questions, and Better Relationships for Better Learning.

Issue 1
This newsletter backgrounds the recent revision of the National Education Guidelines, outlines the help to be offered to schools as they adjust to the new requirements, and answers some frequently asked questions.