Strategic planning:
vision into reality
South East Regional Conference
1st March 2014
Clare Collins
NGA Lead Consultant
© NGA 2013
www.nga.org.uk
1
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
2
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 school
o Holding the headteacher to account for its educational performance
o 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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
3
Three core functions
Core Function
Ofsted criteria for effective governance
Setting
strategic
direction
Creating robust
accountability
Ensuring
financial
probity
© NGA 2014

clarity of vision and ethos

meeting statutory duties

engaging stakeholders

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
www.nga.org.uk
4
The language we use
Vision
Aims
Mission
Values
Ethos
Priorities
Strategy / strategic plan
School development plan
Targets / key performance indicators (KPIs)
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
5
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
6
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
7
Table discussion
What is your understanding of your school’s vision?
Look at the handout : Some visions
Do these constitute a vision statements?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
8
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!
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
9
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?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
10
The strategy document
Your vision
Priorities for improvement
Targets for each priority
Measurable milestones (termly?)
Monitoring arrangements
(max three pages?)
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
11
5. The targets or KPIs
Discussion
How many and how detailed should these be?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
12
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)
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
13
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?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
14
Framework for strategy development
Senior staff
GB/board
Strategy origination
Strategy approval
Strategy implementation
Monitoring
Review and amendment
Source: Caroline Copeman, 2011
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
15
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
16
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
17
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”
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
18
7. Monitoring the strategy
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
19
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
20
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?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
21
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
22
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?
© NGA
NGA2014
2013
www.nga.org.uk
www.nga.org.uk
23
23
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
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
24
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?
© NGA 2014
www.nga.org.uk
25
www.nga.org.uk
governorhq@nga.org.uk
0121 237 3780
© NGA 2013
www.nga.org.uk
26