Schools_as_Organisations

SCHOOLS AS ORGANISATIONS Entitlement and provision for early year’s education In the Every Child matters agenda and the Childcare Act 2006 all 3-4 year olds are entitled to receive a free part time early years education of up to 12.5 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. The government make sure local authorities have funding to ensure that every child receives up to two years free education before they reach school age, if parents are wanting additional hours more than what is allocated to them then they will have to fund the additional costs. The early years provision in schools is about supporting very young children it is distinct from key stage 1 in each country within the UK, the concept is learning through play rather than formal education, studies have shown that learning through play is an important contribution for early years learning. Early year’s curriculum framework throughout the UK In English and Welsh schools the Foundation Curriculum runs from the ages 3 to 5 year olds, which means they are used in reception classes and in school nurseries. The early year’s foundation stage, which was introduced in September 2008, sets one standard framework for learning, development and care for all children from birth to the end of the reception year. Once in Year 1 teachers should continue to work to the principle of the EYFS (early year’s foundation stage) curriculum until the end of the autumn term in their class. In Scotland the curriculum is focused around the document Curriculum of Excellence. This document concerns the curriculum for 3-18 year olds. The curriculum for 3-4 year olds and the early primary phase (Primary 1) are presented as one level this means that in Scotland there is a distinction between the phases , children will only move onto Primary 1 when they are ready. In Scotland they have a strong emphasis on active and fun learning. In Northern Ireland pupils in year’s 1 and 2 are in the foundation stage, key stage 1 consists of year’s 3 and 4, and then key stage 2 consists of year’s 5, 6 and 7. Although in Northern Ireland there year groups have been divided up differently from the other areas of the UK the foundation stage remains distinct from the primary curriculum and again introduces formal learning when the child is ready. The way learning is managed through early years is that adults work alongside children on focused activities that involve specific aspects of either maths (numbers, counting, matching and patterns) English writing ( mark making, writing names) or language. Children can also work independently and self-select from a wide range of activities within or outside of the classroom. This helps them to develop independent learning. The different types of schools in relation to educational stages and school governance There are many different types of state schools as well as independent schools. Mainstream state schools have four different types of schooling. They are all funded by local authorities and follow the national curriculum; these schools are inspected by Ofsted on a regular basis These schools are: Community schools- these are run and owned by the local authority (or education and library board in Northern Ireland). This will also support the school through looking to develop links with the local community, and by providing support services, such as childcare and adult learning classes. The local authority will employ the staff and own the buildings and land. The local authority also decides which admissions criteria to use (these are used to allocate places if the school has more applicants than places). Foundation and trust schools- are run by their own governing body which determines the admission policy in consultation with the local authority. The school buildings and land is also owned by the governing body or a charitable foundation. A trust school will form a charitable trust with an outside business. Foundation and trust schools will have to buy any support services. The decision to be a trust school will be made by the governing body in consultation with the parents. Voluntary schools- these come under two types Voluntary aided schools which are mainly religious or faith schools although anyone can apply for a place. Voluntary aided schools are run by their own governing body in the same was as a foundation school. However the school building and land is usually owned by a religious organisation or charity. The funding to support the school is split into three’s, the governing body, a charity and the local educational authority – they also provide the support services. Voluntary controlled schools are similar to voluntary aided schools the local authority run and fund the school; they also employ the staff and provide the support services. The school building(s) are usually owned by a religious charity. Specialist schools- are usually secondary schools which can apply for specialist status to develop one or two subject specialisms. The government will give additional funding for doing this. In England 92% of secondary schools have specialist status. Special schools can also apply for the specialist status to be given for an SEN (specialism under the form of the four areas of the SEN code of practice) *SEN code of practice is a document which sets out the requirements for the identification and monitoring of pupils with special educational needs. There are also more types of schools which are not funded directly by the local authority these are: Independent schools- which are set apart from the local education authority, they are funded by the fees paid by parents and also earn income from investments, gifts and charitable endowments. They do not have to follow the national curriculum, the head teacher and the governing body decide on the admission policy. There are approximately 2,300 independent schools in the UK which are obliged to register with the department for education so that they can be monitored on a regular basis, although this may not be Ofsted but the Independent Schools Inspectorate. Academy schools- used to be set up by sponsors from businesses, although in 2010 the government introduced more opportunities for communities to become more involved in giving schools academy status. Academies have close links to the education authority; however they are not maintained by it, which means they have more freedom than state schools. Post 16 options for young people and adults Pupils aged 16 and over traditionally either left education and went into full time employment, or carried on with their studies. Although many pupils do still either choose one of these options, it is likely that there will be more opportunities available as the government have increased the focus on funding education for 14-19 year olds. The government guarantee that by September that a pupil leaves compulsory education there will be a place for them in further education. This “September Guarantee” started in 2007 and was later extended that 17 year olds who completed a short course will have the opportunity to extend their learning. September Guarantee * Full or part time education in school, sixth form, college, independent leaning provider or further education college * An apprenticeship or programme led apprenticeship which must include both the training element and a job work placement. * Entry to employment * Employment with training NVQ level 2 The reasons behind these requirements are that by 2013 that all pupils are required to continue education till they are 17. They will not be required to stay in school but they should do one of the paths shown in the “September guarantee” How schools are organised in terms of roles and responsibilities School governors- are usually a team of 10-12 but can go up to 20. School governors have the responsibilities of running the school. Governors are made up of a variety of people that have links to the school or the local community. There should be at least one parent governor and at least one staff governor. There is also a local authority governor appointed by the local authority, there is a local community governor who either works or lives in the community served by the school. School governors should work closely with the head teacher and the senior management team. Governors will be based on different committee’s which are responsible for different areas of school management; these include the school site, personnel issues or community cohesion. They will meet in these committee’s and then report back to the full governing body. School governor’s main duties entail of setting aims and objectives for the school, adopting new policies for achieving the aims and objectives. They also can provide local knowledge and providing a democratising role through the governing body representing local people in decisions about the local delivery in education. Senior management team- The schools senior management or senior leadership team will work closely with the head teacher. The team will usually be made up of more experienced staff that has management positions. In primary schools this will probably be the deputy head teacher, year group leaders (if the school has more than one entry) SENCO (Special Education Needs Co-ordinator) and the foundation stage leader. In a secondary school they may also have year group leaders and SENCO’s; however they may also have subject leaders. The senior management team will usually meet once a week or on a regularly basis to discuss issues which have come up and to make decisions concerning the running of the school or around the implementation of the school improvement plan (which is a document which sets out priorities for the school over a four or five year period). They then discuss how the information will be spread to teachers and support staff. Other statutory roles- There will be other staff roles in school which will be required legally. Apart from the head teacher and deputy head the two main others are SENCO’s and in primary schools foundation stage manager. The SENCO is responsible for managing and monitoring the provision for those with special educational needs within the school which includes * Ensuring liaison with parents and other professionals in respect of children with special educational needs. * Advising and supporting other practitioners in the setting * Ensuring that appropriate individual education plans are in place (which are targets and planned implements strategies for pupils with special educational needs) * Ensuring that relevant background information about individual children with special educational needs is collected recorded and updated The SENCO will also need to monitor and review the provision for pupils with special educational needs, they need to make sure the paperwork is in place for those who are in early years or school action or action plus. The foundation stage manager must ensure that the early year’s foundation stage (reception and nursery classes) is being run accordingly to the requirements of the EYFS. They will be responsible for making sure that observation, assessments and records keeping are up to date, they are also responsible for staffs in the foundation stage are trained in implementation. Teachers Roles of a teacher * To be responsible for planning and preparing to the national or Early years curriculum * To teach pupils accordingly to their educational needs * To assess, record and report on the development, progress and attainment of pupils * To take responsibility for all other adults within the learning environment * To communicate and co-operate with persons or bodies outside the school * To participate in meetings arranged for any of the above purposes * Usually to be responsible for managing an area of the curriculum, such as Geography, R.E etc. as included in the job description Teachers have responsibilities for planning and preparation of the curriculum for their pupils. In primary schools this will usually be for all subjects in the national curriculum. As well as the responsibility for their own class they will have the responsibility for another area in the school in the school. They may also be a member of the senior management team. Teachers will be expected to know about any curriculum changes and developments in their area and to feed back to all staff through staff meetings. They should also be there to advice and support staff in their subject area. Teachers will also have to monitor other teachers of their area. The local authority will also arrange forums which they will have to attend. Support staff Support staff roles in the school * to plan and prepare work alongside the teacher * to support learning activities effectively as directed by the teacher * to assess/evaluate pupils work as directed by the teacher * to report any problem or queries to the teacher * to give feedback to the teacher following planned activities Support staff numbers have increased in schools dramatically in recent years. This has been due to an increase in government funding which was based on the reduction of responsibilities on class teachers and a gradual increase in initiatives to raise pupil progress, many of which have been carried out by teaching assistants. There are many types of support staff these include * breakfast, after-school or extended school staff * midday supervisors and catering staff * care takers or site managers * teaching assistants * individual support assistants for SEN children * specialists or technicians (example: ICT) * learning mentors and parent support workers Roles of external professionals In schools there will e a wide range of external professionals working there. If you are working with an individual pupil and collaborate with your school’s SENCO you are more than likely to come into contact with different agencies or individuals. Even if you do not, you still need to be aware of the variety of professionals that will come and meet with the head teacher and other staff. These professionals include Education psychologists who are allocated by the local special educational needs department, they will support the SENCO in providing assessments and observations to pupils who have additional needs. They may also lead meetings with parents and make recommendations for work with individual pupils. Speech and language therapists (SLT) will work with selected pupils on speech, language and communication problems in both producing and understanding language. There should be a number of SLT working in your area or in some cases based in your school. However most SLT will work from an alternative location and will come into a school to work with pupils, parents and staff. Specialist teachers – may come into schools to offer advice and support to pupils with a range of needs, those needs maybe * behavioural support needs * social and communication needs such as autism * English as an additional language needs The Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) is also known as an Education social worker. They usually are based within your local authority; they will visit schools and work alongside the head teacher to monitor pupil’s attendance. They also provide support with issues around absenteeism. They also work with parents of children who have been excluded which are returning to schooling. The School Improvement Partner (SIP) will come into schools to support and advise the head teacher. The SIP will do this for 3-5 days a year. The SIP will have experience in school leadership and/or have worked with in a senior advisory role for a local authority. They work alongside the educational authority and will support the head teacher in looking at a way of developing the school through both the school self-evaluation (a document which looks at and evaluates the school’s progress) and pupil progress and attainment. This means not only looking at academic factors but through looking at extended school provision (extra out of school activities such as breakfast clubs and after school clubs) and liaising with parents. Physiotherapists/Occupational therapists may work with pupils outside school but may come in for meetings and discussions to support pupil progress. You may find that other teachers and professionals will come into your school. Teacher may visit your school for meetings such as ‘cluster groups’ they are designed to encourage teachers who have similar roles in schools in the local area, they come to meet and discuss their ideas and what they do in their schools. You may also find especially working in a special needs school that music movement and art therapists come into schools a few days a week to work with pupils. Schools ethos, mission, aims and values Ethos – the schools values and beliefs and how it feels The ethos is usually based on the philosophy or atmosphere of the school. The school’s ethos could be affected by the type of school it is for example it may be a religious school so their ethos maybe more spiritual. The ethos should have been developed through discussion with staff, parents, pupil’s governors and outside agencies or those in the community who have dealings with the school. Studies have shown that if the ethos of the school is positive it is a key factor in raising pupil achievement, developing effective behaviour management and anti-bullying and peer support strategies. Mission This is the schools overall intention as set out by the head teacher. The school’s mission is a modern equivalent to a motto, which means it should stay short and be easily remembered. It will also overlap with the school’s vision and aims Aims The schools aims are more than likely to be found in their prospectus and in other school literature. Aims are usually set out by the head teacher in collaboration with parents, staff and the community Values Values of schools are usually based on the moral code which will inform its development. Core values are at the heart of many communities and belief systems. Although there may be some differences in the way in which people view them, they will usually include respect for self and others and are related closely to personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and citizenship education. They may also be tied in with the school rules. How ethos, mission, aims and values may be reflected in working practices. The schools ethos should always be reflected in the working practices of the staff. The schools literature may set out a very clear ethos, but it should be apparent from walking around the school that pupils and staff carry it out in their day to day practice Children at the centre of everything- children should be valued in the school and there should be a culture that their learning and development is celebrated in a variety of ways Working together – it should be clear that pupils collaborate with one another effectively to achieve both as part of the learning process and in forming relationships with others. Attitudes of pupils and staff – there should be a positive atmosphere in the school, demonstrated by staff and pupils taking pride in their surroundings and by the way in which learning takes place. Community cohesion – this is the way in which the school forms links with external members of the community and through partnerships with others to advance children’s learning Inclusive learning – a positive recognition of the importance of diversity and equal opportunities to a safe and secure learning environment for all pupils Methods of communicating a schools ethos, mission, aims and values The schools aims and values should be communicated as much as possible, throughout the school, on the schools website and in the schools literature. This is so important because these sources are where potential parents and pupils and others gain their first impression. Know about the legislation affecting schools Laws and codes of practice and how schools are affected by legislation Schools as well as any other organization are obliged to operate under the current legislation. Here are a few key parts of legislation Data protection act- means that schools and other organisations should only keep and use information for the purpose in which it was intended for. It also needs to be kept securely on site, whether it’s in a locked filing cabinet or on password protection computers. If you are asked to update any pupil information you should do this while you are on school premises, you must never take any information offsite with you. All information about pupils is confidential; you must not share any information about the pupils without parental consent. When discussing pupils with others make sure you only disclose the information that is needed, adults working with a particular child may need this information others are just being curious. The UN Convention on rights of the child 1989 (UNCRC)- was drawn up in 1989 and ratified by the UK in 1991 there are 54 articles included, these which are directly related to schools are as follows * Article 2- children have a right to protection from any form of discrimination * Article 3 – the best interests of the child are primary consideration * Article 12- children are entitled to express their views, which should be given consideration in keeping with the child’s age and maturity * Article 13- children have a right to receive and share information as long as that the information is not damaging to others * Article 14- children have a right to freedom of religion, although they should also be free to examine their beliefs * Article 28- all children have equal rights to education * Article 29- children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. They should also learn to live peacefully and respect the environment and others Education act 2002- there have been a lot of educational acts and these will be continuing to be updated. The 2002 act brought in several changes to schools regulations, staffing and governing, this was further amended in 2006 to include a duty of schools to promote community cohesion. This means that schools are required to work alongside other community cased organisations and to develop links and a shared sense of belonging, while valuing the contributions of different individuals and different communities. Children Act 2004 and childcare Act 2004- The children act 2004 came alongside the every child matters framework and had a huge impact on the way in which schools address issues of core welfare and discipline. Under the joint requirements agencies such as social services and education, work together to take on more responsibility for pupil welfare. There are five outcomes for children and young people under every child matter be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. The childcare Act 2006 places more responsibilities on local authorities to * Improve well-being for young children and reduce inequalities * Ensure that there is sufficient childcare to enable parents to work * Provide information to parents about childcare * Ensure that local childcare providers are trained * Introduce the early years foundation stage for under 5’s * Reform the regulation system for childcare, with two new registers of childcare providers to be run by Ofsted Freedom of information Act 2000- started in January 2005. This act was to promote transparency and accountability in the public sector. This information can be found from anytime in the past. Any person can request information held by the school, however this must be done in writing. Schools have a duty to provide support and assistance to whoever may request information, however there are cases in which schools will need to protect information that is confidential Human rights act 1998- there are a number of equalities laws which may affect schools. These are designed to ensure that all children will have the same rights to education. The human rights act is linked to the 1950 European convention on Human rights act, this act came in at the end of the second world war, although was binding international agreement it did not become a law. Under the human rights act individuals in the UK have particular rights and freedoms but these must be balances against the rights and freedoms of others. A key provision of the act is that it is unlawful for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with a convention right Some of the articles which have a direct link to school provision are: * Article 2 of part II- the first protocol the right to education (although this does not mean the right to go to a particular school) * Article 8- the right to respect for private and family life * Article 10- the right to freedom of expression Restraint of pupils is permitted under the act, to protect the rights of others or to prevent crime or injury. However the school or local authority should have a policy on this. The special educational needs (SEN) code of practice 2001 and disability discrimination act 1995/2005- under the SEN code of practice, parents and SEN children have an increased right to mainstream education. This has had an impact on the number of children who have special educational needs being included in mainstream schools and on the number of individual support assistants who support them. It has also had training implications, as in to support inclusion; schools must now support children with a variety of different special needs. This means the effect of children is more positive because they are being integrated into mainstream schools. The Disability Discrimination act and subsequent legislation regarding access for all has meant that all schools built have to make provisions with children with disabilities for example they will need to have ramps, lifts and disabled toilets. Existing schools before the act was first introduced do not need to do this unless they have had modifications to existing buildings, like extensions or new blocks. This act also provides that schools cannot exclude a child from any school life such as school trips or any other outside provision Regulatory bodies relevant to the education sector which exist to monitor and enforce the legislative framework Health and safety executive (HSE) provides guidance and monitors the legislative framework for all organisations whether these are industrial, business or educational. Schools are required to comply with the health and safety at work act 1974. This means that the schools will need to comply with the health and safety laws in a number of ways employers are responsible for health and safety and this will depend on the type of school and is required to: * Carry out risk assessments and appropriate measures put in place in new situations or those which may pose an increased risk to adults or children such as on a school trip * Complete and hold appropriate paperwork (such as accident recording) which may be requested for inspection under the act * Have a school health and safety policy and make sure the staffs are aware of this. School specific regulatory bodies- Ofsted (the office of standards in education, children services and skills) was brought into regulate and inspect the provision and education of children and young people, and to report their findings. They will report directly to parliament and all school inspections are obtainable through their website. All registered teachers are required to be members of the General Teaching Council. It functions are that of a regulatory role of the teaching profession. There is a code of conduct and practice to which teachers are required to achieve Why schools have policies and procedures All schools and other organisations are required to have school policies and procedures. This is so that parents, staff, governors and others who work and helps run the school are able to work from a comprehensible set of guidelines. There is usually a large number of policies for one school. Each school may title them differently, however they all need to outline the school’s purpose, aims and responsibilities of the staff Policies and procedures schools may have Staff- Pay policy Performance management policy Grievance Policy Pupil welfare- Safe guarding policy Health and safety policy Drugs awareness policy Behaviour management policy Economic education policy Anti-bullying policy Teaching and learning Curriculum policy (one for each subject) Early year’s policy Teaching and learning policy Planning and assessment policy Marking policy Equality, diversity and inclusion Equal opportunities policy Race equality and cultural diversity policy Special educational needs or inclusion policy Gifted and talented policy Disability and access policy Parental engagement Homework policy Attendance policy Home-school agreement How school policies and procedures may be developed and communicated Schools not only need to make sure that policies are in place, but they are revised and updated on a regularly basis. It is likely that each policy will be dated and when the policy will be revised and updated. There are a lot of “model” policies which are available from their local authority as writing them up is time consuming. Depending on the policy, the schools senior management team or person responsible for a curriculum area may draft up a policy and then have it checked by other staff during a staff meeting. The governing body will then have to agree to it before it takes to effect. Roles and responsibilities of national and local government National government- the role of the department for education is to be responsible for education and children’s services. This means that as well as being responsible for drawing up and educational policy. It also looks into new ways of developing the quality of services available to children under the fine outcomes of every child matters. It has also set up and administers the school league tables. Other aspects of the Department of education are: * Funding research into education based projects and those which are concerned with children and young people * Developing work force reform * Promoting integrated working for all those who work with children and young people * Developing the role of the third sector (those who are non-governmental, voluntary and community organisations, charities and others who work with children) Local government- department for education will provide services to schools in the area in the form of advice and support. These services are: * Social services * Children services * Youth services * National health services Local authorities will need to provide documentation which outlines their own vision and plans for the development of government initiatives. This will be through, for example their local children and young people’s partnership plan, which will set out the way in which children’s services are integrated and described, how and when improvements will be achieved in the local area. It is similar to school policies; local authorities will also have policies which relate to wider issues, such as their own guidelines for schools for the use of restraint or guidance of the use of medicines. Most local education authorities will employ specialist advisers to deal with areas such as maths, ICT or to advice on areas such as special education needs or foundation stage. They also employ specially trained teachers for children who have behavioural needs or dyslexia. The local authorities will sometimes provide these services for free to the schools, but there are cases where the school is expected to pay for these services. If there is any change to the education policy the local authority must be expected to pass this onto the schools and offer training if required. Roles of schools in national policies relating to children young people and families Schools are expected to know and show that they are working from the national policies, which are relating to children, young people and families. An example of this is every child matters framework which provides a wide ranging impact on provision for children and young people nationally. As part of this community cohesion school have been developing their central role in communities through projects, such as extended schools programme. Ofsted will also inspect against this criterion. Schools need to develop their own policies in line with national requirements, such as child protection and safe guarding children following guidelines from local educational authorities. Roles of the organisations working with children and young people Since there is a wide range of organisations which work with children and young people, it is important they liaise with one another and share their knowledge, ideas and experiences. As well as developing links with one another for the pupil support and community cohesion, it is more than likely they will have meetings between different services. Although they will work with and alongside schools, they may work in a different way which means all parties should be aware of this. However the impact of a closer working organisation can only be beneficial to all concerned and has the best interests of the child. These organisations maybe *Social services – are there to give immediate support when ensuring care of a child, they will work in partnership parents, schools and other organisations, and they ensure that the child is safe from harm. *Health services- they will liaise with social services if a child has been harmed, and whether the child was hurt accidental, or deliberate. In some schools especially special needs schools there may be an onsite nurse or doctor for the day-to-day care of pupils. *Police / probation Services – the police will work alongside other agencies to ensure that the child is safe from harm. All police have a child abuse agency, these units have been set up to determine whether the police should begin a criminal investigation or take other immediate action. *Voluntary services – help children if they need to talk about situations that are going on in their lives, help them make right decisions. They can also give them experiences that they might not other wise get. Most of these voluntary services are charity based. Bibliography Burnham, Louise Baker, Brenda Supporting Teaching and learning in schools (primary) http://stonebridge.laserlearning.org/PDF/TDA32-6ReadingA.pdf Laser learning, understanding Legislation http://stonebridge.laserlearning.org/TCC_Template_TV.aspx'ur=100059&ln=TDA32-6.4 Good practice example video https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/QCDA-09-4355.pdf http://www.tameside.gov.uk/socialcare/children