School Development Planning Initiative
Guidance Planning
Programme
 Guidance Plan -What is it?
 Guidance planning issues
 Getting started
 Review process
 Collecting the data- guidance planning
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Resources
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Planning the School Guidance Programme: NCGE
Guidance Handbook Supplement : NCGE
The 9 (c) Document : Inspectorate
School Development Planning: An Introduction
for Second Level Schools
 School Development Planning-Draft Guidelines(3)
 Looking at our School (LAOS): Inspectorate
(Area 5: Quality of Support for Students, p.37)
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Guidance Planning ‘Issues’
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Is the Guidance Plan similar to the School Plan?
Who is responsible for writing it?
Who will tell the staff/principal about it?
What does the Guidance Inspector want to see in
operation?
 How often will the Guidance Inspector call?
 What does Guidance mean---different emphasis
in different schools?
 What policies should we have in the Guidance
Plan?
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Guidance- ‘reeling in the years’
 Careers teacher
 Career guidance teacher
 Guidance counsellor
 Culture of isolation-some happy with that!
 Individualistic approach-many happy with that!
 DES-guidance is for all
 Ed. Act 1998 9(c)- main focus: access and what is
appropriate guidance in each school?
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Guidance Now
Student Support Services
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Guidance Counsellor
Chaplain*
HSLO*
Resource*
Tutor
Year Head
Deputy/Principal
Subject Teacher
Care Team
Other?
*not available in every school
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Support Structures
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Guidance Plan
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The Guidance Plan is an attempt to set
down in writing what was already
happening in good practice………
 And to focus on areas for improvement
 And to implement strategies for their
improvement
 And to evaluate the effectiveness of the
strategies
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Why a Guidance Plan?
 Education Act 1998, Section 9c: “ensure that
students have access to appropriate guidance”
 Education Act 1998, Section 21: “make provision
for a school plan”
 Guidance is focused on student progress and
development in three key areas: personal &
social, educational, and career
 Appropriate Guidance??
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9(c) Document
 Access
 Appropriate Guidance
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Advantages of the Guidance Plan
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Promotes guidance within the school
Staff involvement rather than one person’s
responsibility
Clear direction established for the future
Student focused
Others?
Key question:
plan/planning/policies/programme?
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Guidance – Who Delivers and
What Is Delivered?
Personnel
Student
Student
Student
Support 1 Support 2 Support 3
Guidance
Counsellor
Others
GC and
others
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Getting Started:
The Guidance Plan (1)
Permanent Section: Established Features
(Example)
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Subject choice
Pastoral Care Policy
SPHE
Study skills seminar for 3rd & 6th year students
Assessment tests for incoming classes
Bullying Policy
Others
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The Guidance Plan (2)
Development Section: Areas for Development
(Example)
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Incoming first year students
New students-mid year: procedures
Developing a careers programme for 2nd years
TY work experience
Bereavement Policy
NB
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Number of priorities?
How are these agreed as priorities?
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Getting Started-Moving to Review
1.
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5.
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7.
8.
Staff/Parents/Students/BoM-Briefing
Invite volunteers for a guidance planning group
What guidance related policies are in existence?
What guidance practices /customs are in
existence?
How will the guidance review be carried out?
What is the guidance priority in my school?
How will consultation with the guidance
partners take place?
How will communication with the guidance
partners take place?
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Review of Guidance
in Your School
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Who are the Guidance Partners?
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Who could help you?
(principal, tutors, year-heads, subject teachers,..)
Key Review Questions
 Who will you ask?
 How will you ask?
 What will you ask?
 When will you ask?
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Review
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Open ended
Flavour
Broad to narrow
Start broad—what are the issues?
Collating
Presenting the findings
Making a decision -priority
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Review - SCOT Analysis
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
CHALLENGES
THREATS
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Diagnostic Window
What is working well?
Evidence
What is not yet working well?
Evidence
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Whole School Planning
Mission Statement
School Guidance
Legislative/Trustee Policies
Whole School Policies
Student Support Policies
Admissions
Home-School Links
Meitheal/Cara/
Student Council
Code of Behaviour/
Suspension/Expulsion
Pastoral Care
Anti-Bullying
Substance Misuse
Special Needs
Extra-Curricular
Health and Safety
Staff Development
Bereavement
IT Usage
Curriculum Development
Guidance
Child Protection
Homework
Breakfast Club//Lunch Club
Others?
Teaching and Learning
Subject Department Planning
Others?
Others?
Guidance Planning Folder
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Loose pages
Reports from colleagues
Report from staff discussion
Resources
Draft policies
Agreed policies
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Who?
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GuidanceCustom and Practice Policies
What is the unwritten procedure/policy?
Examples
 Making appointments/leaving class for an
appointment
 Signing up for a course-TY/LCVP/LCA/
5th year/2nd year options etc
 Giving up a subject
 Outside speakers
 One to one meetings
 Confidentiality-exceptions
 Care team-meetings
 Others?
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Policies for the Guidance Plan?
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Special Needs/Disabilities
Substance Abuse
Statement of Strategy Attendance &
Participation, Records & Reports etc.
Anti-Bullying (students)
Child Protection
Career Guidance
Counselling
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Policies for the Guidance Plan?
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Data records
Distribution of assessment/aptitude tests
SPHE
RSE
Internet use
Pastoral Care
Interculturalism
Others?
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Mapping the Guidance Programme
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
September
October
November
December
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LAOS-Guidance
Area 5:Quality of Support for Students
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Special Needs
Disadvantaged backgrounds
Minority groups
Guidance
SPHE
Pastoral Care
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LAOS: Guidance
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Guidance policy and organisation of
guidance programme (appropriate
guidance for all, extent to which guidance
plan is part of school plan…)
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Implementation of guidance policy (full
use of resources, balanced and effective
provision, use of referral services……)
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Rules of the Planning Road
 Consult
 Draft
 Ratify
 Communicate
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Guidance Planning Map
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Communicate with staff/principal
Guidance planning folder
Seek volunteers
Record what you do
Plan for gaps---review
What policies are in place?
What policies are not yet in place?
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Closure
SDPI National Office:
SDPI Website:
01 805 7729
www.sdpi.ie
Enquiries re this presentation to:
Paul Fields, Regional Coordinator
Tel:
056 7760212
Mobile: 087 2377471 (Paul)
Email:
paulfields@sdpi.ie
(This presentation was prepared by SDPI at the request of NCGE)
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