DEECD TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

1
DEECD TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

• Brett Windsor
• Wonthaggi Secondary College

2
Development of the school Strategic Plan 2009
2012

• Title Of Project

3
Summary of Project

• This project has involved the completion of our
  school Strategic Plan for the next 4 years. The
  Strategic Plan will underpin our decision making
  and focus over this time period and provide us
  with the opportunity to move in new and exciting
  directions.

4
Key Personnel
5
Key Personnel cont.
6
Key Personnel cont.
7
Description of project

• The project involved the following
• Preparation of the School Self Assessment
  document including interpretation of relevant
  school data for the preceding 3 years.
• Organising the School Review process including
  providing information to the school reviewer and
  organising other staff to meet with her. The
  staff were also asked to attend a meeting to hear
  the reviewers findings.
• Interpretation of the reviewers report on the
  progress of the school.
• Regular meetings with the Principal team and
  regional staff to discuss the reviewers report .
  A number of more informal meetings with other
  leadership groups within the school and informal
  discussions with the wider staff.

8
Description cont.

• Organising a staff PD day that focused on one of
  our key targets (Boys Ed) with well known expert
  in this area, Steve Biddulph. Very successful in
  getting staff on board.
• Writing the document using the department
  template but adding our own touches. This task
  was one that I gladly took on as a learning
  experience. The process involved getting a lot of
  feedback from other staff, particularly the
  Principal team. It also enabled me to start
  individual discussion with staff about the
  strategic direction of the school. Getting
  individual stake holders on board and developing
  programs that will be up and running in year 1 of
  the plan has been most beneficial.
• Presenting the plan to all staff. To this stage
  still incomplete although all have been provided
  with an electronic copy. The actual presentation
  will occur early in 2009 when I present the Plan
  to all staff.

9
Objectives of Project

• First and foremost the objective was to set the
  vision of where we want our school to be in 4
  years.
• A successful previous four years has allowed us
  to focus on areas that can take our organisation
  to a new level. What does this mean?
• Focus less on academic results and more on values
  education. Strategies are in place to continue
  our academic success.
• Focus more on encouraging students to do their
  best and aim for excellence.
• Focus more on programs that teach students the
  importance of respect, not judging others,
  inclusiveness and making good choices. An example
  is Rock and Water that all year 7 boys will
  undertake in 2009. Another is Mpower Girls that
  focuses on issues specifically relevant to girls
  such as peer pressure.

10
Objectives cont.

• Focus more on gender specific classes. A trial
  boys and girls only class in English will be
  trialled in year 1 of the plan.
• Focus more on engaging students in the quest to
  become lifelong learners.
• Focus more on developing classrooms that engage
  students. E5 will be trialled by some staff in
  year 1 of the plan with further development in
  subsequent years. E5 is an instructional model
  currently being investigated by DEECD and is
  designed to engage students in their learning.
• Ultimately our aim is to become an organisation
  that focuses more on more than just results, more
  than just academic achievements. We want our
  students to become well rounded, valuable
  citizens that value learning, value others and
  value doing their best. We want our staff to
  model the same values.

11
Some reflections on what Ive learnt.

• Probably the most important lesson learnt is that
  Technical Leadership is not possible without
  Human Leadership. It is the relationships with
  key stakeholders that allows strategic planning
  to take place. In particular our Principal team
  have had an excellent relationship over a number
  of years and we are often on the same page as to
  what is important and where we want our school to
  become. We have a shared vision.
• Personally what I have found is it is casual
  conversation that provides the best opportunities
  to ideas across and to give others ownership of
  the plan. The Rock and Water program is the
  perfect example of how a casual conversation has
  grown into a program that will become an
  important part of our strategic plan over the
  next 4 years. It is the best way to build those
  vital relationships that build trust and common
  understanding.

12
Some reflections on what Ive learnt cont.

• People like to be told they are doing a good
  job(this was very evident during the report from
  our reviewer to staff). All human beings like to
  be valued for the work they do. Even more
  importantly they want to be valued as people.
• Its impossible to get everybody on board
  immediately in a large organisation. Its not
  opposition to the plan that is the problem it is
  apathy. Thats why building relationships is so
  important.
• Regardless of the good intentions of an
  organisation they are often restricted by red
  tape and accountability structures. Our schools
  control over our own strategic plan is to some
  extent dictated by what the system prescribes.