How will EROs changing approaches affect School Self-Review?

Today Marcus and I were involved in a session on School Self-Review with Te Uku Principal and Deputy Principal, run by Richard Clarke.
Excellent dialogue around the purposes and processes of school internal self-review.
We looked at:

ERO's Changing approach:

Most schools are reviewed on a three year cycle

Currently ERO is trialling differentiated reviews that provide more support for schools that are struggling and more responsibility for high performing schools

Return times are based on ERO’s confidence that the school is providing a quality education for all students and maintaining an on-going process of continuous self improvement

• Not or not yet confident (12-24 month return)

• Confident (3 year return)

• Highly confident (4-5 year return)
Self review is the tool through which schools monitor and sustain this continuous improvement

Self review involves investigating evidence about student outcomes and current ways of doing things to find out where improvement is needed. Planning for school improvement requires schools to set goals and targets for better student outcomes and make changes that are necessary to bring about those improvements. (MoE, 2003)
So, What are we currently reviewing?

• Student Progress and Achievement

The Annual assessment plan would enable student achievement data to be reviewed as part of the regular review cycle. This would be used to set goals, test assumptions, as well as inform next year's 'targets'

• Staff performance

This would also come under the regular review cycle and be based on the management systems guidelines and procedures for attestation and appraisals

• School's Annual and Strategic Aims

Here we see a strategic review cycle as well as a regular review cycle being implemented. The annual plan would remain part of the regular cycle, with the Strategic Aims being revisted over a longer period of time. Milestones and check points for the Strategic Aims would need to remain flexible so as to account for the more 'emergent reviews' coming up each year.

• School Personnel

Regular review cycle: The Principals appraisal to be arranged, staff job descriptions, staff performance self-reviews, professional inquiry, staff reflections, classroom walk-throughs, attestations, and performance appraisals all with set time frames.

• School finance

Regular review cycle: Processing audit requirements, ratified budgets set, annual Report with Accounts and Variance Reports completed. Budget reviews, Staffing and Funding reviews July1 return.

Strategic review cycle: 5 year property funding allocation
• School Property

Regular review cycle: Hazards checks and Maintenance reviews covered off within set timeframes.

Strategic review cycle: 5 year property Review and the 10 year allocation of funds would be processed
• School Health and Safety


Strategic review cycle: At least once every two years, undertake to review how the school implements health education

• School policies and Procedures

These will be reviwed at the time a strategic, regular and or emergent self-review is implemented. Any area that has policies or procedures related to their self-review will be reviewed as part of this process. All policies and procedures will remain current.

Schools are expected to:

• focus on continuous improvement in order to ensure every child or young person has the education they are entitled to in which they meet with success

• undertake an on-going process of school self review that keeps us focused on what matters and whether or not we are achieving what we set out to achieve



Internal (self) review is complemented by external (ERO) review

http://www.vardon.school.nz/staff_ero.htm