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• Tuning in to School Culture
• ‘Big Ticket’ Items for 2017/2018
• Staff Meetings
Topics
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• WSE and inspection reports
• Mission Statement and other policy docs
• What’s celebrated – photos, Newsletters, website and other social media
• Parent Council & Student Council agenda
• Get to know staff – family issues, areas of involvement in school
• School role in the community
Tuning In
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• Minutes of recent Staff Meetings
• Minutes of recent BOM Meetings
• Records of the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process and the School Improvement Plan (SIP) that was published
• LC Results
• Summer Exam Reports – pay close attention to the teacher comments
Tuning In contd
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Are there other ways of
familiarising yourself with
the school’s culture?
Think/Share
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Big Ticket Items
1. Looking At Our School 20162. Framework for NJC 20153. Wellbeing Guidelines4. School Self-Evaluation 2016-
20205. Circular 0040/2016 –
Continuing SSE6. Circulars 0024/2016 and
0015/2017 –Implementation of NJC
7. Circular 29/2017 – Junior Cycle Resources (Professional Time & Admin Grant
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• These (LAOS, NJC, Wellbeing & SSE) are not 4 separate projects
• SSE should be used to implement Wellbeing, which is part of NJC, and develop LAOS
• The appendices to the Wellbeing Guidelines are excellent SSE tools
Big Ticket
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A set of clear, definable standards in two dimensions:
• teaching and learning
• leadership and management
To be used selectively
• choose what is relevant and useful
• do so reflectively and collaboratively
What is in LAOS?
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• You are required to publish the school’s SIP and its Wellbeing Programme to the school community – probably through website
• Use SSE and the Wellbeing Questionnaires to (further) develop the Wellbeing Programme
• Use SSE to examine aspects of the domains in LAOS
• JCT and PDST will support you and your school• Your BOM has a role here also – you’re not
alone
SSE/LAOS/NJC Links
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• Check if the school has started the process of developing and publishing a Wellbeing Programme, with input from students, teachers and parents
• Is there a Wellbeing Team in place?
• Has the use of Croke Park hours been decided and ratified by BOM? How much of this time allocated to SSE/LAOS/NJC? How will the 22hours/teacher be used?
Next Steps
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• The school may use the old syllabus for each of PE, SPHE and CSPE for its WB Programme but….Appendix I
• Recommend using new specification for each because the work already done and you may assess as short courses if >100 hrs
• The decision between syllabus/spec should be reflected in published programme
Syllabus or Specification?
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It is likely that you are at a table with principals from ETB schools who have already been involved in aspects of NJC and have availed of 3 days of inservice.
1. What has your school and other schools done to date, in relation to SSE/LAOS/NJC & WB?
2. Where will you start in your school?
Think/Share
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• Teaching & Learning on agenda of every Staff Meeting (& BOM Meeting)
• In secondary schools, your Trust may expect the charter to feature regularly
• Check current systems for:– Minute-taking and recording – who, where?
– Chairing meetings
– Deciding the agenda
– What’s recorded? Emailed or posted on board?
Revise/change, if necessary, through discussion
Staff Meetings
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• Venue
• Protocols – punctuality, mobile phones, confidentiality,
• Prayer/reflection to begin
• Managing the strong/vocal staff, creating a safe environment, democracy
• Create independence – you don’t have all the answers
• Did you promise to do something in particular for this meeting? Is it done?
Staff Meetings
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• Split items into
– Information
– Discussion
• Consider group-work for the items requiring discussion: Selecting groups?
• In advance of the meeting, look at the agenda and ask yourself, ‘what would be a good outcome?’ This helps you to steer the meeting towards a decision.
Staff Meetings – The Agenda
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• Seating arrangements – shouldn’t be an area where a group always sits
• Self-aware: watch your personal triggers
• Begin to recognise indicators of impending conflict
• Respect and other basic protocols
• Leadership is about positive influence
Staff Meetings - Other
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• Check minutes of last Staff Meeting
• Check the agenda and minutes of last year’s first staff meeting when drafting this year’s agenda
• In your letter to staff, invite items for agenda
• Finish with lunch, provided by the school?
• Remember: your enthusiasm may not be matched by staff
Your First Staff Meeting