St. Benedict Street,
Kirkop ZRQ 10
Tel. No.: 21647237 Fax. No.: 21647131
Email: kirkop.primary.c@gov.mt
Development Plan
S
cholastic Years 2002 - 2005
Aims for Effective Teaching / Learning
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To achieve a high quality education, valuing creativity and co-operation as greatly as intelligence and diligence.
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To create a community in which the children’s academic, social, moral and physical development is promoted and developed, thus fulfilling the potential of each child.
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To provide all pupils with a secure, caring and friendly environment where discipline is firm, fair and consistent.
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To create situations in which children can celebrate their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses.
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To encourage children to be active motivated learners who continue to make sense of their work and world.
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To encourage children to see learning as fun.
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To create a positive and stimulating working environment, in which all staff are able to develop professionally and work individually and as a team.
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To recognize that, through the professional development of all staff, the school will grow and develop, enhancing the quality of teaching and learning for the children.
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To enhance the school ethos by exhibiting positive behaviour, both in and out of school.
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To establish management, organization and administrative procedures which complement and enhance the teaching/learning process.
Aims for Effective Partnership
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To encourage all staff, parents and children to work together in partnership.
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To provide contexts for the development of meaningful two way links with the wider community.
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To demonstrate a responsive, considerate and positive attitude towards all members of the school and the wider community.
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To emphasize and develop the important partnership between home and school in the education of the children.
Compilation of School Development Plan 2002 - 2005
The School Development Plan for the academic years 2002 – 2005 was compiled in different stages. The three professional development sessions, held after school hours, offered administration and staff an ideal opportunity to determine the progress or otherwise registered during the implementation stage of the four action plans targeted for the scholastic year 2001/2002.
In addition, during the other three afternoon staff meetings, a stock-taking exercise was regularly carried out in order to analyse the then current situation and get to know the implementation stage reached. Guest speakers were invited on two different occasions with the specific purpose to animate the sessions and stimulate staff into further discussion. The school’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, together with its current methodology and teaching/learning process, were placed under direct scrutiny by all the members present.
Moreover, during the scholastic year, feedback, both formal, during parents’ meetings, and informal, when parents felt the need to call at school to discuss their children’s progress, used to reach the school administration and their views accepted for consideration. When parents’ suggestions complemented teachers’ proposals these were given their due weight and implemented.
School Development Day was then held on Friday 24th May 2002 at the Best Western Hotel Les Lapins, Ta’ Xbiex. The theme, aptly chosen for the day’s business was: “School Development Increases School Effectiveness.” This topic underpins our firm belief that development and effectiveness are two crucial words in the educational process vocabulary. During the workshops a detailed school audit (Appendix) was meticulously carried out and scrutinized at length.
Over and above the different workshops, in addition to the usual questionnaire (Appendix), Mr Frans Borg, Director Office of Review at the Ministry of Education was invited to address the gathering and animate a discussion about “The school’s autonomy, identity and character.” Three vital characteristics, typical of Tomorrow’s Schools, that have found a prominent place in the new National Minimum Curriculum. At the same time, though, these have placed greater responsibility and accountability on all the educational stakeholders.
Later on, workshop conclusions and questionnaires were subsequently passed on to administration for the data gathering exercise and analysis. The proposals that managed to obtain the support of the vast majority were chosen as top priority objectives for the three-year School Development Plan to be launched this scholastic year.
The four objectives that are being planned this scholastic year are:
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Enhance professionalism and teaching
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Improve English language exposure
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Foster good behaviour and discipline
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Promote parental support
At St Benedict’s, we have also unanimously agreed to prolong further the implementation process of last year’s four objectives. Such a decision offers us the possibility to take the necessary corrective measures where we feel that targets have not been adequately met.
In our opinion, a long-term development plan would place the school in a better position to allow the action plans proposed to leave their impact and start bearing fruit. Continuous and regular implementation monitoring and evaluation of the strategic plan would be fundamental in our efforts to achieve the targeted goals.
The final compilation stage was reached during the end of year staff meeting when administration and staff agreed to give their final go-ahead to approve this year’s four main targets and consolidate last year’s. An important step that would help professionals secure ownership of decision, improve school efficiency and assure effectiveness.
It is true that sometimes it is easier said than done. But we have committed ourselves to work hard and take advantage of our strengths to overcome our weaknesses. We sincerely believe that the child is at the centre of all the teaching/learning process, and such action plans will focus specifically on the basic right of each learner to receive quality education.
Professionalism and teaching work together in close collaboration bearing in mind the child at the centre of all the educational process.
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R Galea Head of School |
September 2002 |
Evaluation of Action Plan undertaken during Development Plan 2001
The new National Minimum Curriculum has placed greater responsibility on educational professionals working on site in their respective school environment. This also could certainly be interpreted to mean that the school’s autonomy, identity and character would be playing a major role when implementing school improvement.
At the end of scholastic year 2001/2002, the school administration and members of the teaching staff met to evaluate the success or otherwise of the School Development Plan that had just been implemented.
Last year’s four main targets comprised:
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raising academic standards
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updating motivating methodology
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tackling mixed-ability classes
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enhancing the school ethos
Opinions were unanimous that such significant actions to register improvement on all four fronts in just one single scholastic year, was highly improbable. Progress or otherwise all our targets could be better gauged on a long-term basis.
Our school’s strengths will have to be strengthened further still so as to create the corner stone on which our weaknesses could be remedied. Administration, members of the teaching staff, support staff, students and parents, all have expressed their willingness to work harder to achieve new goals.
Definitely, a lot of good work and commitment by one and all has already started reaping good results, but the final achievement could be better assessed say, in two or three years time. That is why this year it has been decided that a three-year School Development Plan for the years 2002 – 2005 would be more appropriate.
Undoubtedly, academic achievement is always one of the top priorities. But we proudly state that the school’s holistic approach – as our mission statement correctly puts it – has managed to work wonders. Those who can make the grade have already overcome the 11+ hurdle and are successfully pursuing their studies in the Junior Lyceums.
On the other hand low achievers have also found the necessary guidance to help them improve their self-esteem through other educational, cultural, social and extra-curricular activities. Prize Day, held on 6th June 2002 was a clear indication of the above.
The three staff development sessions held after school hours presented a golden opportunity to discuss the four main themes in the last year’s School Development Plan. During the first-term session the I.C.T. peripatetic teachers were invited to express their views and later engage in a discussion about I.T. as a medium in the teaching-learning process. It was a very healthy discussion aimed at improving and updating teaching methodology through I.T. in each class.
On the occasion of the second-term session Ms. Josephine Saliba, E.O. Primary Schools, was invited as a guest speaker when the theme for the meeting was Mixed-ability Teaching. Here too the afternoon was a huge success and workshops carried out excellent brain-storming exercises co-ordinated by the guest speaker. Members of the teaching staff committed themselves to start putting everything in motion with immediate effect, try new approaches and work on a long-term basis to achieve the desired results.
As regards the school ethos, we all agreed that this is enhanced in a multitude of ways. Without any shadow of doubt the first three targets for last year’s School Development Plan are, in a very direct way, fundamental to enhance the school ethos.
In order to project better its image, the school has now created its own Web Site; while the school’s printed stationery has its own school logo. The introduction of a new school winter and summer uniform for the Kinder classes, as well as some uniform adjustments for the Primary pupils, have strengthened the school’s identity. We are proud of our very hard-working School Council, where both teacher and parent representatives do their utmost to enhance the school ethos.
We are, however, still working hard to improve school-home relationship because we strongly believe that parent support and participation is an undisputed pillar on which to build further success and through which we can reach those pupils with a low-profile academic standard. The latter, in fact, will be one of our major targets and action plans for the school’s current development plan.
An ongoing process
Professionals plan to address the future needs of their school after having taken into consideration the past and present situations. School improvement and effectiveness have to be unconditionally endorsed by all the stakeholders if the members of the organization want to reap the desired results.
Quality assurance leads the way to school improvement. This has become part and parcel of our school’s mission statement over the last few years. A detailed programme of action plans are aimed at sustaining and improving various aspects of our school. Besides attempting to give our pupils the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their academic standards, our holistic approach aims at increasing that value added, which in turn facilitates the character formation of our future citizens.
Over and above the academic, our pupils have to develop physically, socially, emotionally, culturally, ethically. Moral behaviour ingrained at an early stage of childhood, places each individual in a unique position to obtain the best form of education founded on a set of core values. Quality assurance, in our opinion, is at the foundation of all the above.
During one of last year’s professional development sessions, the theme Mixed-ability classes - differentiated teaching induced us to ask ourselves a very important and pertinent question:
Why are children different?
In our attempt to answer the question, those present carried out a brain storming exercise and managed to create the list reproduced hereunder:
Children are different because of their:
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Children also differ due to their:
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Character
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Gender
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Personality
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Values
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Attitudes
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Behaviour
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Motivation
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Attention span
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Self-esteem
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Introvert / Extrovert
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Abilities (slow / fast learners)
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Initiatives
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Life style
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Effort and Perseverance
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Respect towards authority
- Different needs (special)
As a result of the extensive list produced above we can easily come to the conclusion that differentiated teaching should consequently entail:
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More planning
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Meticulous individual attention
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New methodology
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Different material and work
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Repetition of explanation
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Additional visual aids
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Group work
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Songs, games and competitions
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Further tolerance
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Constant lesson evaluation
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Parents’ involvement
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Sharing of ideas with other teachers.
Other implications of these differences are:
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Positive
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Negative
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To reach the above stated targets, we at St. Benedict’s recommend to work on the following action strategies:
Enhance professionalism and teaching by:
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providing professional, technical and logistical support to enhance teachers’ professional improvement
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encouraging staff participation in courses and/or seminars that affect the teaching/learning process
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identifying those steps that can foster a positive teacher-student rapport
Improve the English language exposure by:
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promoting awareness of advantages in English language use
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consolidating the existing school and class libraries
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monitoring teachers’ use of English as a medium during explanation
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targeting parents’ language ability by means of weekly afternoon courses
Foster good behaviour and discipline by:
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creating an environment where mutual respect rules
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developing structures and opportunities that enhance self esteem
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focusing more individual attention on those with behavioural problems
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approving a set of criteria that aims to curb any form of harassment
Promote parental support by
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encouraging participation in the School Council
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maintaining a regular and positive school-home relationship
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supporting parents’ active and effective participation in organised school activities
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developing a culture that parental support is a prerequisite
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emphasizing the importance of the vital role that parents have as their children’s first educators
| Aim: | To boost professional growth |
| Key Area: | Learning and teaching |
| Development target: | To enhance professionalism and teaching |
| Persons Responsible: | Administration, teaching staff, E. O. Primary |
| Action: |
Teachers to be encouraged to apply for courses that eventually enhance their professionalism After-school professional development sessions to tackle particular professional training Head of School to intensify class visits and advise according to specific appraisals Teachers’ commitment to make further use of teaching resources available |
| Resources: | Administration, E. O. Primary, teachers, clerk, University of Malta |
| Timescale: | Not Applicable |
| Evaluating Strategies: |
Monitoring classroom teaching Teachers’ progression reports Courses’ attendance |
| Criteria of Success: |
Teachers’ attendance for Diploma or Degree and Seminars Participation in Seminars and other professional courses Teachers’ progression reports by Head of School and E.O. Demand on school’s teaching resources |
| Aim: | To raise overall level of attainment of English |
| Key Area: | Curriculum content |
| Development target: | Improve English language exposure |
| Persons Responsible: | Administration, teachers, Complimentary Education teachers and Eduction Officers |
| Action: |
Head of School to encourage pupils to use English during informal conversations Purchase of more English reading books for both class and school libraries Parents to be invited to participate in paired reading weekly sessions at school Teachers to increase use of English as a medium during explanation An extra English reading session once a week followed by reading tasks for homework Additional comprehension passages to enhance use of idiomatic English and new vocabulary Kinder pupils to be encouraged to express themselves in English Encourage children to express themselves in English. Correct and praise as and when necessary On a roster basis, during morning assembly, different classes to read some prose or poetry to the whole school More frequent use of school’s Reading Room |
| Resources: |
Administration, teaching staff, parents School Librarian Audio-visual aids Library books Exhibition Area |
| Timescale: | Not Applicable |
| Evaluating Strategies: |
Monitoring teachers’ record of work Monitor use of English as a medium during class visits by Head of School Monitoring students’ class/home work Attainment in routine tests/examinations Level of English used during conversations |
| Criteria of Success: |
Attainment in local and public examinations A higher overall level of exposure to English Greater number of pupils making use of school’s lending library Parents’ positive feedback Literacy Survey results Rewards, Praise and Certificates |
| Aim: | To disseminate good practice and discipline |
| Key Area: | Pastoral, Teaching / Learning, and Behaviour |
| Development target: | To foster good behaviour and discipline |
| Persons Responsible: | Administration, teachers, student services |
| Action: |
Help children enhance their self esteem Create an environment where mutual respect and courtesy are the accepted norm Support a learning climate in which pupils value their worthiness and capabilities Praise and reward to help promote self confidence Focus on behaviours and conditions that will enhance a sense of security Identify ways of encouraging children with low self esteem Develop a safe, supportive environment committed towards a positive type of discipline Promote a desirable and acceptable form of behaviour Curb or eliminate undesirable and disruptive behaviour Plan a clear set of criteria to indicate that any form of harassment is unacceptable Celebrate success and improve upon weaknesses Seek parental support and collaboration |
| Resources: |
Administration, Teaching Staff, Support Staff, Parents, Education Division, Local Council Personal and Social Skills Programme Anti-Bullying Policy Teachers’ Code of Ethics Students’ Code of Discipline |
| Timescale: | Not Applicable |
| Evaluating Strategies: |
School Ethos assessment Student participation during lessons Improvement in teacher-student relationship Improvement in student-student relationship Number of students reported for misbehaviour |
| Criteria of Success: |
Improved school ethos Overall progress in student output Adherence to school uniform rules Reduction in number of misbehaviour reports Absenteeism and truancy |
| Aim: | To place stronger emphasis on the role that parents should take |
| Key Area: | Curriculum and extra-curriculum content |
| Development target: | To promote parental support |
| Persons Responsible: | Administration, teachers, School Council, parents, Education Division |
| Action: |
Encourage parents to participate in School Council elections Organize regular school activities and talks for parents to help them develop the required skills Launch a once-a-week afternoon course for parents to introduce paired reading Invite parents to attend a one-day Seminar aimed at enhancing their reading potential Work hard to elicit parental collaboration, especially in difficult situations Consider parents as partners in order to strengthen school-home links Foster a climate of respect, trust and co-operation between parents and school Make parents feel welcome to come to school to discuss their children’s progress Exhort parents to create a learning environment at home as well |
| Resources: |
Administration Teachers Parents School Librarian Education Division Officers Ministry of Education School Premises School Library Audio-Visual Aids |
| Timescale: | Not Applicable |
| Evaluating Strategies: |
School Council Meetings Attendance during school activities Parents’ Days Teachers’ feedback |
| Criteria of Success: |
Number of parents nominated to run for School Council elections Participation during school activities Increased school-home reciprocal trust and co-operation Parents offering their free time and abilities to enhance the school ethos |
Workshops - School Audit and Evaluation Questionnaire
The 2001 SDP had 4 main targets, namely: to raise academic standards (1), to update motivating methodology (2), to tackle mixed-ability classes (3), to enhance the school ethos (4). For EACH of the four targets indicate TWO points where you succeeded and ONE point where you failed.
Helpful glossary
Effort, academic results, homework, classwork, use of English
as a medium, pupil participation, correcting mistakes, use of IT, use of
resources, group work, individual attention, graded work, repeated explanation,
praise and reward, discipline.
Which of the four targets indicated in the School Development Plan 2001/2002 should be considered concluded, and which one do you think should be taken into consideration once more?
Suggest TWO NEW OBJECTIVES that the school should seriously consider during the scholastic year 2002/2003.
What type of assessment policy do you put into practice? Indicate below.
Do you think the school ought to consider new solutions as regards school discipline? If in the affirmative kindly indicate TWO reforms.
Mention TWO other measures that should be considered for implementation during the next scholastic year.
What changes would you like to see as regards Head of School-teachers communication? (Notices, various information, meetings)
Do you think that the School Councils were a step in the right direction?
YES / NO
Support your choice with factual evidence.
What type of parent participation, or commitment, would you suggest?
Do you keep parents regularly informed of their children’s progress? How?
Here you can suggest new methods of teacher-parent communication.
School Audit - May 2002
A most crucial step prior to formulating the school’s Development Plan is the school audit that is carried out so as to establish where the school stands at that particular point in time. An evaluation exercise of the data collated consequently determines the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
A summary of the data gathered follows hereunder:
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Educational toys and story- telling books in Maltese for Kinder classes
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Kinder toys to be used by Kinder pupils only
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Stricter enforcement of disciplinary measures as regards pupils’ punctuality
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Teachers expect more frequent informal staff meetings
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Projects and research work to help pupils raise academic standards
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Some feel they were not constant in the use of English as a medium
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Others found it very difficult to allocate enough time for I.T.
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Graded work to reach the different achievers in mixed-ability classes
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Discipline in class and adherence to school rules
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Intra-Staff communication
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Tackling behaviour problems
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New disciplinary methods: Rewards, certificates and trophies
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Counselling where necessary
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School Information Planner : (Every week or 15 days)
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Head’s paternal approach appreciated, but stricter discipline with the senior classes could improve overall behaviour
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Introduction of Newsletter, Tick-In reports to inform parents
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School Disciplinary Board suggested
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Better use of Notice-Board for staff notices
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Complementary education groups were extremely successful
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The need for attractive and stimulating material in class
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Peripatetic teachers’ time-table helps class teachers plan their own work
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Prize Day to be held during the 1st Term
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Guest speakers to address talks for parents on various subjects
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Parent-Teacher co-operation should be considered a must
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Parents should help and support at home teachers’ work at school
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Parents to be invited more frequently to talk things over
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A questionnaire for parents gives the school feedback of parents’ views
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Parents’ participation during the organization of activities is welcome, but they should never interfere in academic matters
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Stakeholders committed themselves to consolidate positive school ethos