Strategic planning: vision into reality South East Regional Conference 1 st March 2014 Clare Collins...

Strategic planning: vision into reality

South East Regional Conference

1st March 2014Clare Collins

NGA Lead Consultant

© NGA 2013 1www.nga.org.uk


Purpose of the session

To develop our understanding of the governing body’s role in ensuring our

vision becomes reality by:

1. Clarifying expectations of governors and governance

2. Looking at the starting point – articulating the vision

3. Examining how we achieve the vision

4. Thinking about how the strategy should be expressed

5. Discussing options for targets and how these are measured

6. Deciding who does what

7. Determining how to monitor the strategy


1. The strategic role: January 2014

• The ‘board of governors’ should operate at a strategic level, leaving the head teacher and senior school leaders responsible and accountable to it for the operational day-to-day running of the school.

• The board should avoid its time being consumed with issues of secondary importance, and focus strongly on three core functions: o Setting the vision and strategic direction of schoolo Holding the headteacher to account for its educational performanceo Ensuring financial resources are well spent

Departmental advice for school leaders and governing bodies of maintained schools and management committees of PRUs in England

The DfE want all governing bodies to operate as non-executive boards


Three core functions

clarity of vision and ethos

meeting statutory duties

engaging stakeholders

Setting strategic direction

Creating robust accountability

Ensuring financial probity

for teaching, achievement, behaviour and safety

strengthening school leadership

performance managing the headteacher

contributing to school self-evaluation

solvency and effective financial management

use of Pupil Premium and other resources to overcome barriers to learning

Core Function

Ofsted criteria for effective governance


The language we use

Vision

Aims

Mission

Values

Ethos

Priorities

Strategy / strategic plan

School development plan

Targets / key performance indicators (KPIs)


Being strategic

The GB determines the vision and ethos … and a strategy for achieving this

The vision and ethos describe the sort of school we want to be in three to five years time

GBs do this by:

• Setting goals or aims and agreeing the school’s development priorities • For each priority setting targets or KPIs for the short and longer term • Structuring most of the GB business towards monitoring progress against

these • At the end of the year, formally reviewing and evaluating the strategy


2. Articulating the school’s vision

The vision should:

• Describe what your school will look like in three to five years’ time

• The school’s ethos should clearly articulate what is valued

• Describe what the children will have left the school having learned

– Does this need to be measured?

– Can this be measured?

• Take account of stakeholder views

• Be developed by the school

• Be agreed and owned by the GB


Table discussion

What is your understanding of your school’s vision?

Look at the handout : Some visions

Do these constitute a vision statements?


3. Achieving the vision

In order to achieve the vision, it is necessary to identify:

• Where the school is now (through self evaluation)

• Where you want the school to be (the vision)

and

• How the school will get there (by determining the priorities to be pursued

and targets to be achieved)

which is the …

Strategy!


4. What does a strategy look like

Discussion

What should a strategy document look like?

As a table or a plan? 1 or 3 or 10 or more pages?

Is it the same as the school development plan?


The strategy document

Your vision

Priorities for improvement

Targets for each priority

Measurable milestones (termly?)

Monitoring arrangements

(max three pages?)


5. The targets or KPIs

Discussion

How many and how detailed should these be?


The targets or KPIs

– Need to be high level … so a maximum of about 6

– Must be SMART:

specific / measurable / agreed / realistic / timebound

– Should not just be hard nosed: value what you measure and measure

what you value

– Should include one for quality of teaching

– Must be broken down into measurable milestones (termly)


6. Who does what

Discussion

We’re always being told to stay strategic

and not to involved in the operational.

What does this mean in practice?


Senior staff GB/board

Strategy origination

Strategy approval

Monitoring

Review and amendment

Framework for strategy development

Source: Caroline Copeman, 2011

Strategy implementation


Quick quiz

Strategic or operational …

• Writing the prospectus

• Attending a parents’ consultation evening

• Going into class to observe the quality of teaching

• Taking part in staff interviews

• Undertaking a health and safety audit

• Listening to children read

• Writing tenders and bids

• Checking the single central record


Strategic (i.e. governance) Operational

Monitoring reports on quality of teaching against pupils’ outcomes

Making judgements about the quality of teaching

Receiving financial audit report Governor coming into school to supervise book-keeper

Ensuring necessary audits have been carried out by qualified professionals

Governors undertaking audits e.g. health and safety

Interviewing senior leaders Interviewing teachers

Agreeing to invest in school buses Organising the bus routes

Agreeing to a building project Obtaining quotes for cost

Ensuring school is marketed well Writing school prospectus


Staying strategic

• Distinguish when you are governing and when you are volunteering in another capacity

• Use your time to best effect - on the key school priorities, not just compliance and ‘policies’ … differentiate ‘principle’ from ‘procedures’

• Ensure the school improvement plan has a limited number of high level targets / KPIs with measurable milestones against which the GB can monitor progress

• Check that school leaders are equipped to do their jobs (including HR, procurement, health and safety) to avoid operational support from governors

• Do not do someone else’s job: see the joint statement with ASCL and NAHT: “What governing bodies should expect from school leaders and what school leaders should expect from governing bodies”


7. Monitoring the strategy


The GB needs to decide

• What is monitored … and by whom

• How often to monitor

• What will be monitored

• What evidence will be required to back judgments

• How this will be reported


Key documents

• Strategy framework which includes the vision / school aims / key

priorities / KPIs or targets

• School development plan

• HT reports on progress being made

Questions:

1. What evidence should the headteacher bring to the GB to back

judgements on progress being made?

2. How does the GB monitor?


The headteacher’s report - strategy

Governing bodies should play a strategic role and leave the running of the school to the headteacher they have appointed

(Governors) should check on progress and review regularly their strategic framework for the school in the light of that progress

(both from the DfE Governors’ Handbook)

GBs need information and updates on how the strategy is being implemented and that the expected progress is being made.

The HT should report on:• Progress towards achieving KPIs / targets: evidence (data) must be provided • Reasons for targets not being met as expected - with particular reference to

budget allocation and staffing structures and specific initiatives • Actions taken to address issues raised• Adjustments to the strategy necessary for targets to be met


Visiting the school

• Is the purpose of school visits clear?

– In order to get to know the school

and / or

– To monitor the strategy

• Is there a policy and protocols which have been agreed and shared with

staff?

• How do governors report on visits?



Governance making an impact

• Set the vision and ethos, including what the children should leave the school

having learned

• Stay strategic and focused on improvement priorities: leave the operational to

school leaders, and delegate

• Don’t get overwhelmed by compliance and reviewing policies: focus on principles,

delegating procedures

• Recruit good school leaders (a future challenge) … and trust them to recruit good

staff

• Ensure school leaders are equipped to do their jobs, including HR, procurement,

legal advice, and CPD


Reviewing the session

The session has covered …

1. Clarifying expectations of governors and governance

2. Looking at the starting point – articulating the vision

3. Examining how we achieve the vision

4. Thinking about how the strategy should be expressed

5. Discussing options for targets and how these are measured

6. Deciding who does what

7. Determining how to monitor the strategy

Has it developed your knowledge and understanding of making vision reality?


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Strategic planning: vision into reality South East Regional Conference 1 st March 2014 Clare Collins...

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