Towards a Policy for Small Schools: Strengthening and Supporting - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Towards a Policy for Small Schools: Strengthening and Supporting Small Schools 26th June 2019

Community National Schools

• Established in 2008
• Publicly-managed, multidenominational primary schools
• Currently 14 schools
• 9 newly established – were ‘small schools’ for first number of years
• 4 divested/reconfigured schools – 3 of which are ‘small schools’ with 4 or less

mainstream classroom teachers

• September 2019
• At least 9 additional schools – 4 newly established and 5 reconfigured – all ‘small’

schools

Reconfigured Schools

• 1. Principal’s role in successfully leading the reconfiguration of a school
• Rebranding the school
• Promoting the school under a new ethos
• Redeveloping all school policies in line with the ethos of the school
• Managing the change process with existing staff, parents, children and community
• Integrating into the governance structures/systems of the new patron

Proposed Solution - 2 principal release days per week for principal in Year 1 of school reopening under new patron

• 2. Ensuring the meaningful reconfiguration of the school
• All staff members will need to engage in intensive CPD to ensure the ethos/patron’s

programme of new patron are implemented on top of all normal school activity Proposed Solution – School permitted to close for 4 days over Year 1 and 2 after reconfiguration to allow for whole-school CPD, planning opportunities etc.

Newly-Established Schools

• 1. Staffing Schedule:
• 15 pupils needed for P+1 teacher– difficulty in getting 15 with late appointment of principal
• Staffing schedule – excess of 5 on appointment figure for developing schools

Proposed Solution -

• 1. Reconsider the patronage competition process and ensure the new patron can appoint principal before Christmas

the year prior to the school opening so they can begin in January

• 2. Remove the need for +5 pupils on appointment figures on staffing schedule for developing schools
• 2. Running of building costs:
• Temporary accommodation – can have higher rates for energy. New builds are large schools, small numbers – large

bills with small grants based on pupil numbers Proposed Solution -

• Funding for running of school building taken on a case by case basis looking at the building and

not on enrolment-based

Newly-Established Schools

• 4. Workload of teaching principal in start- up school:
• Establishing a school from scratch – huge amount of promotional work – website development,

public meetings, meeting parents and children, policy development and consultation with parents etc.

• Teaching in a multi-grade settings – planning, resourcing, leader of teaching and learning across

school

• Developing and implementing innovative projects for students and to attract parents

Proposed Solution -

• 2 principal release days per week for principals in newly-established schools until (if) the

principal is made an administrative principal