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Strategic Planning for Schools

A complete and practical guide to establishing a

strategic plan for your school

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What this guide contains

Based on sound management principles

Developed for schools Contains key issues needed to

create a strategic plan Presentation slides and explanation

notes and exercises for workshops.

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Strategic Planning

Chapter One.Definition, Purpose, Function

and Process

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What is Strategic Planning?

The word ‘strategy’ comes from the Greek. It refers to: “The office of the General”…

Therefore the concept of Strategy is about planning and attaining objectives

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Why do we Strategically Plan? To allow many to join the process of

achieving the goals TEAM DEVELOPMENT

To ensure the goals are well planned To ensure that there is a process to

achieve the goals that is realistic.Underlying Strategic planning is the belief

that if you plan you will achieve more than if you don’t plan

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The Outcome of Not Planning?

Teams are impossible to create Coordination is difficult In the worst case situations there can

be significant factional division New Board member question directions and

decisions because they were not planned Little planning leads to poor articulation of

decisions

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The ‘Strategic Plan’ players:The Sponsors The Board The Head

Their staff and senior staff Key donors Key school groups: P&F, Old Scholars Most ‘strategic plans’ are created as a result of the

interaction and decision making that emerges from these groups.

The Head is usually crucial in presenting to the Board the Vision they have for the ‘strategic plan’ and its implementation.

The Board will ensure that the process is thorough and judge its Visionary quality for the school.

The Board will consider the resources implications and whether the future of the school will be secured by the ‘strategic plan’.

The best ‘strategic plans’ become the Head and the Board’s and is also that of the wider school community

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The Board as Sponsor

They should play as a single voice in the context of The ownership The school long term interests The interests of the Board as

represented at the timeWHICH IS DOMINANT IS IMPORTANT

TO KNOW!!

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The Head as Sponsor

The Head Plays in the context of: Long term interests of the school Long term interests of education Short term educational needs Building preferences Pressure from the Board

ESSENTIAL TO KNOW THE KEY INFLUENCES

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Key Donors as Sponsors

They can change the priorities of a school through the donation of money

They can influence key groups in the school to create a political need

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Key School Groups as Sponsors

They can create agendas that influence strategic plans They can have great pet projects! When is influence distortion? When is interest narrow and

destructive or creative and enhancing??

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The Strategic Environment

Educational Objectives / Visions What are they? Agree on what to pursue and what not to develop within the school’s

strategic future Political Environment

Old Scholars and Key pressure groups Board Individuals: the Headmaster’s perspective

Leadership Environment Head’s Visions Chair ambitions Board Senior staff

The Financial Environment What can we afford to do? Give a Number. Develop the time line for the implementation of the Strategic plan

1 10WHERE ARE YOU?

SUCCESS CONTINUMN??

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Success in the Strategic Environment

Sociability (the essential Board attribute to ensure success)

Focus on resolving problems Order of problem solving Crisis management of arising problems Confidence in problem solving

Understanding of the School environment and how it works!!

PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY

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Strategic planning framework: assessing the starting points

Define context and intended outcomes……. Growth pathway or sustainable

programmes pathway

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Understanding the objectives of Strategic Planning will help you evaluate success

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AIM FOR THE ISSUES THAT IMPACT ON THE

KEY PARTS OF THE SCHOOL

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Students and their achievement

Relationships in the school

Reporting within the school

School Initiatives

School Reputation

Academic

PastoralSpiritual

Cultural

Sporting

Staff to Students Staff to Parents

Staff to StaffStudents to Students

Written

OralTo Parents

To Students

To other Staff

Personal Professional

DepartmentalProgramme

School

Specific Image Community perception

Vision and Mission

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AIM TO DEVELOP THE SCHOOL ACROSS THE RANGE OF FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

ORGANIZATIONAL

OPERATIONAL

ORGANIZATIONAL

VISION

MISSION

MANAGEMENT

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Core Dimension / Perspective

Management (operational)

Mission (organizational)

Vision (societal)

Student Achievement

Relationships

Reporting

Initiatives

ReputationThe school S

trategic

Plan

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Strategic planning: assessing the starting points – external issues External to the school there may be some

important strategic planning matters Associations that the school belongs to may be

in need of reflection. These may include: Sporting and Academic associations

Any new associations or groups that need to be joined or created

What should be participated in at the wider than local school level

Active participation in Independent school associations

Political debate Funding debate Litigious matters

Decide who and how much time

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The Strategic Roadmap

DirectionIdentification of projects

Funding

ImplementationTHE SCHOOL S

TRATEGIC

PLAN

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Establishing the Criteria that will guide your Strategic Plan

Core Dimensions of the School (The Drivers of Performance)

Embed Your Core (Foundation) Values In Real School Activity

Student achievement We value….

Relationships We value ….

Reporting (Communications) We value…

Initiatives We value….

Reputation We value ….

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Getting Started 1 At Board level: Pass a minute about developing the Strategic

Plan a.s.a.p. Develop a policy about the Strategic Plan

Purpose, scope, intent. Define the expected quality of the school you want

to see develop Appoint the Management Committee Define a budget Allocate a time expectation

These are your evaluation criteria

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Getting Started 2

Select a Planning Team to coordinate the Strategic Planning process Suggest

Head Finance Director Board Representative

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Getting Started 3

Appoint tactical support Suggest

Architect with Master Planning capacity and with appropriate design brief

Should include design preferences eg contextual architecture and modern interiors; building standards for 100 years of school use

Consultant engineers

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Getting Started 4 Establish a line of communications with

the Local Council Refine the school connections to local gov’t Defining and refining the school’s aspirations

with the local council is never complete. Appoint a person responsible. Brief and wheel out the Head frequently. Invite Local Council member frequently to the

school Write articles for the local press frequently. At

least once a week. Share Master Plan with the local council

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Core Dimension / Perspective

Management (operational)

Mission (organizational)

Vision (societal)

Student Achievement

Relationships

Reporting

Initiatives

Reputation The school Strategic

Plan

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The Strategic Scaffold: Level One

The Strategy: A clear statement about what we want to

achieve Broad Initiatives

Indicate what we will do to achieve the Strategy Resources

Money,Time, Skill development Evaluation Criteria

Knowing you are on track and being successful