2. www.pdst.ie
• Tuning in to School Culture
• ‘Big Ticket’ Items for 2017/2018
• Staff Meetings
Topics
3. www.pdst.ie
• WSE and inspection reports
• Mission Statement and other policy docs
• What’s celebrated – photos, Newsletters,
website and other social media
• Parent Council & Student Council agenda
• Get to know staff – family issues, areas of
involvement in school
• School role in the community
Tuning In
4. www.pdst.ie
• Minutes of recent Staff Meetings
• Minutes of recent BOM Meetings
• Records of the School Self-Evaluation (SSE)
process and the School Improvement Plan
(SIP) that was published
• LC Results
• Summer Exam Reports – pay close
attention to the teacher comments
Tuning In contd
6. www.pdst.ie
Big Ticket Items
1. Looking At Our School 2016
2. Framework for NJC 2015
3. Wellbeing Guidelines
4. School Self-Evaluation 2016-
2020
5. Circular 0040/2016 –
Continuing SSE
6. Circulars 0024/2016 and
0015/2017 –
Implementation of NJC
7. Circular 29/2017 – Junior
Cycle Resources
(Professional Time & Admin
Grant
7. www.pdst.ie
• These (LAOS, NJC, Wellbeing & SSE) are not
4 separate projects
• SSE should be used to implement
Wellbeing, which is part of NJC, and
develop LAOS
• The appendices to the Wellbeing Guidelines
are excellent SSE tools
Big Ticket
8. www.pdst.ie
A set of clear, definable standards in two dimensions:
• teaching and learning
• leadership and management
To be used selectively
• choose what is relevant and useful
• do so reflectively and collaboratively
What is in LAOS?
12. www.pdst.ie
• You are required to publish the school’s SIP
and its Wellbeing Programme to the school
community – probably through website
• Use SSE and the Wellbeing Questionnaires to
(further) develop the Wellbeing Programme
• Use SSE to examine aspects of the domains in
LAOS
• JCT and PDST will support you and your school
• Your BOM has a role here also – you’re not
alone
SSE/LAOS/NJC Links
13. www.pdst.ie
• Check if the school has started the process
of developing and publishing a Wellbeing
Programme, with input from students,
teachers and parents
• Is there a Wellbeing Team in place?
• Has the use of Croke Park hours been
decided and ratified by BOM? How much of
this time allocated to SSE/LAOS/NJC? How
will the 22hours/teacher be used?
Next Steps
14. www.pdst.ie
• The school may use the old syllabus for
each of PE, SPHE and CSPE for its WB
Programme but….Appendix I
• Recommend using new specification for
each because the work already done and
you may assess as short courses if >100 hrs
• The decision between syllabus/spec should
be reflected in published programme
Syllabus or Specification?
15. www.pdst.ie
It is likely that you are at a table with principals from
ETB schools who have already been involved in
aspects of NJC and have availed of 3 days of
inservice.
1. What has your school and other schools
done to date, in relation to SSE/LAOS/NJC
& WB?
2. Where will you start in your school?
Think/Share
16. www.pdst.ie
• Teaching & Learning on agenda of every Staff
Meeting (& BOM Meeting)
• In secondary schools, your Trust may expect
the charter to feature regularly
• Check current systems for:
– Minute-taking and recording – who, where?
– Chairing meetings
– Deciding the agenda
– What’s recorded? Emailed or posted on board?
Revise/change, if necessary, through discussion
Staff Meetings
17. www.pdst.ie
• Venue
• Protocols – punctuality, mobile phones,
confidentiality,
• Prayer/reflection to begin
• Managing the strong/vocal staff, creating a
safe environment, democracy
• Create independence – you don’t have all the
answers
• Did you promise to do something in particular
for this meeting? Is it done?
Staff Meetings
18. www.pdst.ie
• Split items into
– Information
– Discussion
• Consider group-work for the items
requiring discussion: Selecting groups?
• In advance of the meeting, look at the
agenda and ask yourself, ‘what would be a
good outcome?’ This helps you to steer the
meeting towards a decision.
Staff Meetings – The Agenda
19. www.pdst.ie
• Seating arrangements – shouldn’t be an
area where a group always sits
• Self-aware: watch your personal triggers
• Begin to recognise indicators of impending
conflict
• Respect and other basic protocols
• Leadership is about positive influence
Staff Meetings - Other
20. www.pdst.ie
• Check minutes of last Staff Meeting
• Check the agenda and minutes of last year’s
first staff meeting when drafting this year’s
agenda
• In your letter to staff, invite items for
agenda
• Finish with lunch, provided by the school?
• Remember: your enthusiasm may not be
matched by staff
Your First Staff Meeting
21. www.pdst.ie
In your experience of Staff Meetings:
1. What works well?
2. What factors contribute to a poor
meeting?
Think/Share
Editor's Notes
This would be a good area to consider as it is closely aligned to the principles underlying NJC.
This would be closely aligned to NJC implementation.
