Activity	With Whom?	Why?	Duration	Resources
DAY ONE (08:30am – 12:30pm = 4 Hrs)
Meeting with the Principal	IED CPs with Principal	For introduction, exchange ideas about the purpose, time negotiation and team orientation.	08:30am – 09:15am (45 minutes)	Readiness Checklist. Supporting/Hindering Factors list. Who, when & why formats.
Round of the school	Anybody.	To learn the existing structure, methods and procedures being used.	09:15am – 10:00am (45 minutes)	Check list + Field notes Current Resources Format.
Introductions to teachers System of administration	Depending on discussion with Principal	To learn the existing structure, methods and procedures being used.	10:00am – 10:30am (30 minutes)	Field notes.
Team formation	Principal + Vice Principal	To identify stakeholders to include Principal, VP, Finance, coordinator, BOG representative, Two teachers (Senior, Junior), student, and parent (if available).	10:03am – 11:00am (30 minutes)	Format designed.
Awareness Workshop/talk with Team	All the team members.	To inform all the team members about the purpose.	11:00am – 12:30am (90 minutes)	Time Machine. Scenario Planning (basic idea) Sharing ideas. Charts and Markers etc.
DAY TWO (08:30am – 12:30pm= 4 Hrs)
Need analysis & Vision building	All the team members.	To identify the school vision, and to involve every individual in shared vision process	08:30am – 09:30am (60 minutes)	SDP Manual format and our own tool developed in class. (Charts and Markers)
Internal/external analysis	All the team members.	For the screening of internal/external situation of school	09:30am – 10:30am (60 minutes)	SWOC Analysis Format.
Decision on the duration of time	All the Team members.	To formulate a long term plan.	10:30am – 11:00am (30 minutes)
Setting Targets/ goals	Team divided into areas.		11:00am – 12:30pm (90 minutes)	SDP Manual
DAY THREE (08:30am – 12:15pm = 3:45 Hrs)
Designing the plan	Activities identification and to be prepared in groups (four groups accompanying one CP in every group)	To prepare a plan in light of identified targets and goals.	08:30am – 10:00am (90 minutes)	SDP Manual Charts and Markers.
Monitoring plan	Whole team		10:00am – 10:45am (45 minutes)	SDP Manual
Sharing with entire staff and Exit	Whole team + all the staff members.	To present the plan so that, every member could feel its ownership.	10:45am – 12:15pm (90 minutes)	Staff Meetings/discussion

School visit: 7, 13, 20 May, 2008

SCHOOL PROFILE (2008)

Name: London[1] Grammar School, Karachi.
Total Number of Students: 300
Total Number of Faculty. 21
System: Co-Education.
Medium of Instruction: English
Affiliated with: Sindh Board of SSC Karachi.

· School Management: Privately managed school in self-owned premises; Located in a residential area for last 15 years.

School Readiness Checklist

S#	Statement	Yes/No	Remarks
1	Does the school have a long-term vision	NO
2	Is there any existing school plan	NO
3	The stakeholders’ input will be available	YES	Except parents
4	the school data will be ready to be used in decision making process	YES
5	the school is knowledgeable about what other schools are doing to achieve change	YES
6	The school leadership is knowledgeable about current trends in educational reform	YES	To some extent
7	the school leadership is effectively managing human and fiscal resources	YES	To some extent
8	The school is not passing through some critical period	NO
9	The permission and commitment from system authority is available	YES

SDP Team Building

Owner
Principal
Vice Principal
Accounts Officer
An Experienced Teacher
A Novice Teacher
Montessori Teacher
A Female Student
A male student
Four CPs from IED.

School Vision

We, at the London[2] Grammar School, believe in the creativity of the learner. We aim to develop responsible and confident students who are capable of facing the challenges of society.

Our teachers and management strive to be role models who are professionals in approach and devoted to their work through continuous learning. We cherish parents as well informed participants in the learning of the children.

School Motto

Light The Lamp Of Learning

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Strength (internal)	Weakness (internal)
§ Students are disciplined and motivated for learning. § Principal has autonomy in decision making § Existing computer lab § Two vacant rooms § Students of grade 10 are enthusiastic to take new challenges and initiatives. § Cooperation among teachers and punctuality. § Strong monitoring and follow-up by Management. § Good Matric result § Premises self-owned § 2 B.Ed trained teachers. § Parents regularly informed and invited as guests to activities in school	v Congested building v Untrained teachers v Computers are very old v High Teacher turn over v Lack of exposure to good practices v No supports and physical activities v Traditional teaching approaches/ No activity based teaching v Lack of facilities for physical activities for students v No library v Limited finance v Lack of English fluency among students v No formal policy guidelines of the school. v Leadership responsibilities concentrated with Principal and Vice Principal.
Opportunities (external)	Challenges (external)
· Possibility of renting premises to generate funds · Computers in 80% students’ homes · Public Park outside the school · Area Nazim is cooperative · Possibility of AKU-EB affiliation. · Principal has contacts with heads of other schools in the city	v Limited parental involvement v Limited awareness of new teaching approaches v Competing fee structure in neighboring Schools v Govt. policies frequently change v Inconsistent board policies.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

A WISH LIST

Teachers’ Professional Development.

1. In-school workshops – monthly

2. Short courses out of the school – one teacher in the first year and two or three teachers in the next four years.

3. Introduce Reflections or reflective journals –

4. Peer Coaching

5. Mentoring

6. Lesson Planning – sharing of teaching experiences

Management.

1. Section in-charges

2. Introduction of a Policy document.

3. Assign an additional responsibility to every teacher.

4. Installation of soft boards in all corridors to display students’ work.

5. Increase the number of computers and networking.

6. Library/recreational hall

Students:

1. Divide students in 3 houses along with teachers.

2. Clubs in class 9^th (Identified as a model class) – Drama & Art Club, Literary Club & Science Club. One day Kingdom – Outgoing 10^th class.

3. Displays (Resources day)

4. Research based homework.

5. Group work in classes.

Community.

1. Enhance collaboration with other organizations – visit to other schools

2. Fathers’/Mothers’ Day and sibling days.

3. Section-wise picnics.

4. Staff picnic.

5. Invitation to parents for functions & gatherings.

6. Sports week. (In a part of stadium)

7. Celebrating success and recognition with Parents.

Prioritized Goals and Objectives

A: Teaching Learning

B: Professional Development of Staff.

C: Management and Infrastructure

D: Community Involvement

Goals and Objectives for Five years

AREA	GOALS	OBJECTIVES
1. Teaching Learning	Goal 1.1 *Improve teaching practices in school for improved learning*	1. Initiate varied classroom teaching strategies 2008-2009 onwards through collaboration with peers. 2. Students to be engaged in giving presentations in class IV-X by 2010 3. Introduce Activity based and hands on activities in all classes up to VIII, for conceptual understanding by 2013. 4. Develop a resource room for teachers.
1. Teaching Learning	Goal 1.2 *Nurture creativity and confidence in students through co-curricular activities.*	1. Develop leadership skills in class IX and X students by forming Science, Literary and Drama Clubs 2008-2009 on wards to plan one co curricular activity per club for school. 2. Provide opportunity to all students within school to display talent and develop confidence through participation in various activities – 2008 – 2009 onwards.
2. Professional Development of Staff.	Goal 2.1 *Building a community of learners through professional development of staff*	1. To support teachers to implement new teaching approaches and reflective practice in the next academic year. 2. Initiate peer observations and mentoring in 2010. 3. Identify training opportunities and send at least 1 teacher x 4 subjects to attend workshops every year outside school from 2010 – 2013.
3. Management and Infrastructure	Goal 3.1 *Increase management effectiveness*	1. Delegate leadership responsibilities to 3 teachers as section heads on a rotational basis every year. 2. Prepare formal policy document for the school by August 2008 3. Identify courses and send Principal/Vice Principal for training in 2009 and 2010.
3. Management and Infrastructure	Goal 3.2 *Improve Existing Facilities in School.*	1. Establish library for students to provide reading facilities by September 2008. 2. Provide a room for indoor games to compensate for outdoor physical education activities by August 2008. 3. Equip computer lab with modern technology (at least 10 new computers with updated software and a printer) by 2013.

AREA		GOALS		OBJECTIVES
4. Community Involvement	Goal 4.1 *Build links with other school to learn better practices.*		1. To expose selected senior students and club in-charge teachers/section heads to other practices through visits to other educational institutions/schools in the city from the year 2009-2010
4. Community Involvement	Goal 4.2 *Build links with parents and the neighboring community through various activities.*		1. Parents to be involved in planning and participating in school activities in 2010-2011 2. Provide learning opportunities to parents and form a PTA for active engagement with school by 2013 3. Identify the opportunities in neighborhood and rent-out school premises/facilities for use in the evening or summer holidays. 4. Increase interaction of students and teachers with the neighborhood community through melas and awareness campaigns from 2011 on wards.

ACTION PLAN for academic year 2008 – 2009

Goal 1: Improve teaching practices in the school for improved learning.

Objective	Action		Who will Do It?	By When	Resource	Estimated Cost
*Initiate varied classroom teaching strategies 2008-2009 onwards through collaboration with peers*		* Introduce and follow-up regular lesson planning meeting for each subject on a fortnightly basis * Monitor the lesson plans and give feedback/ Self reporting through lesson diaries/ plan format	Initial stage: Vice Principal: KG – V Principal: VI – X Next Stage: Respective Section In-charges Peer/self review	1 meeting period every fortnight in each subject. 1 week prior plan submitted every Friday to the respective person(principal/ VP, section in charge, peer)	20 Files + 150 format (Lesson plan tool) Make modification in timetable. Time – Time for reviewing plan and giving feedback	Files: Rs: 300 Formats: Rs: 300 1 Period for meeting. every week
		Incorporate one activity for students’ critical thinking or inquiry in each lesson plan.	Each teacher- self review.	Throughout the year.	Stationery, (Charts, Markers, worksheets etc.)	Charts: Rs: 1000 (for entire year) Markers: Rs: 500 (all activities) Others: Rs: 300
		One research based homework in one subject every month.	Subject teacher at every grade level.	English – Aug, Jan Math – Sep, Feb Science/S. Studies – Oct, Mar Urdu/Islamiyat – Nov	Human resource, computer facility at home/other sources (newspaper, books, magazines etc.)	Teachers’ own resources and time.
		Observation tool to be prepared Classroom observations with feedback.	Principal, vice Principal, Section In-charges, peer	4 observations in a year Phase I: Aug. Sep. Phase II: Oct. – Nov. Phase III: Jan. – Feb. Phase IV: Mar.– Apr.	Observation Schedule & time. 100 Observation Tool copies.	20 minutes in each class. Photocopies of observation tool. Rs: 200

Goal 2: Nurture creativity and confidence in students through co-curricular activities

Objective		Action		Who will Do It?	By When	Resource	Estimated Cost
*1. Develop leadership skills in class IX & X students by involving them in planning and organizing activities 2008 – 2009 onwards.*	* Form; Drama Club Literary Club Science Club in class X * Assign one student and one teacher in-charge.		1 class Teacher + Er, Ra R. Ra. K. Principal		August 2008	Human Resource, 1 period allocation,		4 teachers. 1 period.
	One day kingdom.		Ms. Se, Hi.		One day before winter vacation	Human Resources, Planning and ask allocation schedule, 1 day allocation		25 students of class X 2 Teachers 1 school day
*2. Provide opportunity to all students to display talent and develop confidence through participation in various activities 2008 – 2009 onwards.*	Drama Club Activity		Club + In-charges		September 2008	Mic system, seating & stage arrangement, 1 period allocation		Rs: 1000 1 period
	Science Club Activity		Club + In-charges		January, 2009	Stationery, Other resources depending on activity, teachers’/students’ time.		Rs: 1000 3-4 periods
	Literary Club Activity		Club + In-charges		April 2009	Mic System, seating & stage arrangement, 1 period allocation		Rs: 1000 2 periods
	Sports Week		All Teachers + Sports Committee		February 2009	Stadium, Sports equipment, transportation (outsourced).		Out sourced through sports teacher (No monetary cost to school)
	* Hire a Tae-Kwando teacher * Tae-Kwando classes for I – V (girls + Boys) VI – X (boys only)		Principal Instructor		August 2008 Once every week	Salary Space (Public Park, 1 Period allocation)		Rs: 10,000 No cost to school

Goal 3: Build a community of learners through professional development of staff.

Objective		Action	Who will Do It?	By When	Resource	Estimated Cost
*3. To develop teachers to implement new teaching approaches and reflective practices in next academic year*	Quarterly in-school workshops for all teachers on 1^st Saturday: *(topics identified below:)* * Creative Lesson Planning & collaborative learning		Ms. Gha.	1^st week of Aug. 2008	Classroom/school, charts/markers, refreshment.	Stationery (purchased) Refreshment: Rs: 500
	* Activity based teaching.		Ms. She.	1^st week of Nov. 2008	Classroom/school, charts/markers, refreshment.	Stationery (purchased) Refreshment: Rs: 500
	* Teachers Motivation		Madam Ati	1^st Week of Feb. 2009	Classroom/school, charts/markers, refreshment.	Stationery (purchased) Refreshment: Rs: 500
	* Reflective Practices.		Ext. Facilitator	1^st Week of April/May 2008	Classroom/school, charts/markers, refreshment, pay to external expert.	Stationery (purchased) Refreshment: Rs: 500 External Expert: Rs: 2000
	Writing reflective memos in their diaries		All teachers.	Every Friday	25 diaries/Ex-books	Diaries: Rs: 1000

Goal 4: Increase management effectiveness

Objective	Action	Who will Do It?	By When		Resource	Estimated Cost
*Delegate leadership responsibilities among 3 teachers as section heads on yearly rotational basis from 2008 onwards*	* 3 teachers assigned as section heads for: Pre-Primary Primary. Secondary. * Appoint a new teacher.	Principal & Vice Principal		August 2008	Time Resources – Decrease work load (1 period each week) of section heads.	1 period each week. Salary: Rs: 3000
*Prepare a formal policy document for the school by August 2008.*	2 meetings of management and teachers to identify and formulate clear rules and regulations for school. (Policy guide lines for students and staff).	Management, Principal, Vice Principal and Teacher representative		July - August 2008	Samples/Specimens, Human Resource, stationery for documentation, Refreshment.	Stationery & Refreshment: Rs: 500
	Print a formal document for reference.	Management, Principal		September 2008	Printing Cost.	Printing (5 copies): Rs: 500

Goal 5: Improve existing facilities in the school

Objective	Action		Who will Do It?	By When	Resource	Estimated Cost
*Establish library for students to provide reading facilities by September 2008.*		Purchase furniture * One table * 6-8 chairs * Three wall shelves. * Floor seating: Carpet (10’x 12’) Cushions (8 – 10)	Management, Principal, Accountant	July, 2008	Finance, Transportation outsource, Labor Charges (Carpenter) and staff support Wood, Cushions, Carpet.,	Table: Rs: 500 Chairs: Rs: 2000 Wood: Rs: 3000 Carpenter: Rs: 1000 Transportation: Rs: 300 Carpet: Rs: 5000 Cushions: Rs: 1000 Support Staff time:
		Prepare a list of existing books in the school.	Ms. Amb	August, 2008	Time, 1 Staff member.	2 Hrs.
		Assign 2 teachers for cataloging and setting up.	2 teachers.	August, 2008	2 teachers + 1 support staff, Time	4 Hrs (one school day) 2 Staff members.
		Assign library periods in the class timetable of students from KG – X.	Vice Principal	September 2008	1 period per week, one teacher to be assigned	All class teachers – 1 period each.
*Provide a room for indoor games to compensate for outdoor physical education activities by August 2008.*		Make a partition in Library room.	Principal (Out sourcing carpenter)	August – September 2008	Labor Charges, Time	Ply boards: Rs: 1000 Laboring: Rs: 300 Support Staff.
		Purchase: Table Tennis (01) Carom Board (02) Ludo + Chess games (04)	Management, Principal, Vice Principal, Accountant	September – October 2008	Finance, time, Labor, out-sourced transport, support staff.	Table: Rs: 6000 - 8000 Rackets & Balls. Rs: 350 Carom Board: Rs: 500 Ludo & Chess: Rs: 300
*Equip computer lab with modern technology (at least 10 new computers with updated software and a printer) by 2013.*		Acquire quotations for PIV computers and purchase 2 computers.	Management Principal + Computer Instructor	July, 2008	Telephone calls, letters, finance	Telephone, Letters: 100 Computers: Rs: 30000 Transportation: 300
		Discard/Repair out-of-order computers.	Vice Principal, Computer Instructor	July, 2008	computer expert (out sourced), service charges	Maintenance: Rs: 1000
		Purchase posters related to Computers.	Computer Instructor	August, 2008	Finance.	Posters: Rs: 200

ACTIVITIES

JUL 08

AUG

SEP.

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

Workshops.

Incorporate one activity for students’ critical thinking or inquiry in each lesson plan.

One research based home work in one subject in every month.

ENG

MATH

SCI, S.ST

URD,ISL

ENG

MATH

SCI, S.ST

Classroom observations with feedback

P-1

P-2

P-3

P-4

Form drama club, literary club, science club.

Drama club activity

Science club activity

Literary club activity

One day kingdom

Sports week

Hire a tae-Kwando teacher

Tae-Kwando classes for 1-5(girls and boys),

vi-x (boys only)

Quarterly in-school workshops for all teachers on1st Saturday:

*Lesson planning workshops

(1^st week)

(1^st week

Activity based teaching workshop.

(1^st week)

Teacher motivation workshop.

FEB

Reflective practice workshop.

(1^st week

Assign responsibilities as section heads to 3 teaches from Pre-primary, primary and secondary section.

Preparation of Policy document.

Print a formal document for reference

Prepare a list of all available books for library setup.

Assign a teacher for cataloging.

Purchasing furniture for library setup.

*one table, * 6 to 8 chairs, * three wall shelves, * Floor seating, * Carpet,

* Cushions

Assign library periods in the class time table of students from KG-X

Make a partition in library room for in-door re-creational activities.

Arrange :

Table tennis(1)

Carom board(2)

Laddo games (4)

Floor seating for laddo games.

Acquire quotations for PIV computers

Discard/repair out of order computers

Purchase posters related to computers

AUDIT QUALITY

	Yes /No
Are objectives/actions aligned with the vision/values of the school?	YES
Will completing the actions produce the intended outcome?	YES
Does implementation of the plan require any change in the management structure?	YES
Are the resources required for actions in place?	YES
Can progress be measured?	YES
Is the action plan likely to improve students’ learning?	YES
Will this plan be shared with all stakeholders?	YES

REFLECTION

What had been the overall experience of school development planning like?

When someone is verbally instructed on how to swim or any other activity, they may feel confident initially and assume that they have understood the whole process of swimming and it will now be easier to practically employ that learning in water. Of-course they will not get its actual taste, the difficulties, complexities and hindrances until or unless they actually engage in swimming. When it comes to the real situation, theories are forgotten and one builds on own understanding and discovers, adapts and invents new strategies in the quest for survival.

This was the exact situation with us, when we were planning to visit school. Before first visit we were confident assuming that we had understood the whole story and now it only needs to be shared with the school and we would easily make the school development plan. But, it was midnight, total darkness or the water was much deeper! We were experiencing the actual field, the challenges, the realities, expectations, mind was full of our questions and we sought answers. It was a situation to survive from the darkness or from the deepwater. The collegial relationship of the group kept us afloat as we had assigned individual roles to each member to ensure the contribution and ownership of each member.

Because of this strategy, gradually, the darkness started to fadeout like the early morning light and we were able to see things a bit clearer. The early morning light gave us some view for our understanding as we proposed a plan but only three days visit remained before the full day light.

The role-play in the session before the visit prepared us on how to behave partially in the field. The SDP manual provided a skeleton on how to proceed. In the school after the first visit we came back feeling very confident and satisfied as the principal had been extremely cooperative and good ideas had been generated between the teachers, students and management in the team. However the second visit proved more challenging but we managed to complete a brief action plan by the third day.

What were the challenges faced? To what extent did you anticipate them and how did you respond to the challenges?

The experience was enriching for all of us as we had resolved situation alternated our approaches and strategies in the practical situation. It was interesting to note that students made such a worthy contribution to the process. We felt a sense of being part of the school as we internalized its issues, challenges and its strengths. At times we also felt frustrated when we could not pursue what we considered as priorities but the management was not keen on the same idea.

It was a new experience for all of us as we were never exposed practically to such opportunity to develop a school development plan. So, new experiences use to be opportunities as well as challenges and initially rapport building was a challenge for us as we were strangers in the school, which some how took time.

Secondly, working in a group is not an easy task because different people, different capacities, different understanding levels and dimensions, different ideas and perceptions, it become much harder to adjust. Sometime, it becomes difficult to make mutual decisions and agreements with each others’ ideas. So, to over come with all these differences, we unanimously distributed different stages among the group members and gave the full decision power to the individual for his/her stage process and the rest remained bond to accept. However, we all were also contributing according to our understanding.

The school owner, Principal, Vice Principal and other team members were very much cooperative and they spared their valuable time for the process. Therefore, we managed to complete our task in the given time frame. However, we faced difficulty to motivate the SDP team members for an active involvement. Initially they showed very much concern and interest, but as the activities and brain storming progressed further, they become exhausted as they had never done such an activity. At one stage during our second visit, a member of SDP team told us that we are still waiting for your efforts as you are involving us but doing nothing by yourself. So, we gave suggestions, new ideas from our learning at IED and motivate every individual again and again that the process needs their contribution as they are the direct stakeholders of the institution, while we are facilitating them to produce an implementable school development plan.

What are the lessons learnt? How did the theory of strategic planning inform the practical experience? To what extent did your understanding evolve as a result of engaging in this process? Share examples.

Working hands on with the tools developed and the SDP manual in the actual school context was certainly a rewarding experience. Initially while using the SDP manual in an imaginary context with one group members’ school was a little difficult but when we used it in the actual school everything made greater sense. Our learning on the strategic planning exercise, adapting and using tools was enhanced. Making a concisely worded vision statement, goals required us to employ efficient writing skills as the school members required assistance in putting together the collated ideas. Going through the actual planning process has given us so much confidence that in the future we would not only be able to make plans for our own schools but also start a joint consultancy to advise schools on planning (Ha, Ha!!) It led us to think creatively for alternatives and solutions to problems within limited resources and gave us sleepless nights as we carried the school home with us and kept pondering over the existing situation.

Based on your real experience of engaging in SDP, what new knowledge can be added to the existing literature on school development process in Pakistani schools.

Currently schools in Pakistan have limited know-how on strategic thinking and planning, especially as a formal process. Engaging all stakeholders in school processes is a novel idea for schools, which the school was quite willing to accept. The strategic planning and capacity building go hand in hand. It was a starting point to initiate strategic thinking and building capacity, but limited capacity and experience proved to be a demoting factor to strategic thinning and planning process. It was found that the school members were very enthusiastic to initiate this new activity but their limited knowledge and traditional ways of working, constrained them from engaging fully in the process. However on being supported they moved forward and admitted to having looked at things in a new light. After this first planning activity they would be better oriented the next time they do such an activity but according to us they would require partial support one more time before they can proceed independently. The school that we visited had a motivated principal and vice principal who had already started thinking of improvement activities for the school but had no formal documented vision and planning process. Some of these activities were also not a regular feature but occasional events planned on a one time basis as an individual initiative.

As reported by many that we belong to an oral culture, therefore the formal writing down of activities and plans proved cumbersome and required a lot of support continuously as it easily turned off people involved. As observed in our school while framing the vision, goals and objectives a greater input was required from our side. Also as M.Ed students we were expected to provide insights on new approaches as well as ideas and solutions. We had to probe the school to think of their own solutions to issues while also giving suggestions based on our own learning from M.Ed. The planning activity can therefore be a starting point for developing strategic thinking. We were mostly engaged in verbal discussion and noting down responses with limited use of tools and templates. Tools and processes should be developed which would be based on oral responses or simple yes/no kind of responses, especially in the initial planning activity.

[1] Pseudonym

[2] Pseudonyms have been used – keeping the ethical considerations in mind we have used Pseudonyms instead of actual names

A Journey into Creative Writing

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Strategic Plan for School Development

PRE- VISIT PLANNING: March 5, 2008