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Professional Learning and Staff Training at The King’s School
Professional Learning and Staff Training at The King’s School (Senior School, Preparatory School, and Tudor House)
Person Responsible for Policy:
Date of Policy:
Proposed review date of Policy:
Version: Director of The King’s Institute
November 2020
November 2021
1.0
1. Purpose and Content
1.1. Commitment
The King’s School is committed to the ongoing professional development of all staff and has commissioned The King’s Institute to lead staff in all areas of their professional learning and training. This policy provides an outline of the major professional learning opportunities supported by the School and staff expectations. The King’s School seeks to build a vibrant culture of quality learning for all students, teachers, and staff across all facets of our community.
2. Definitions
2.1. For the purposes of this Policy:
Policy – is a statement that sets out the School’s official position in relation to a particular issue and any mandatory requirements.
Procedure - a statement that sets out the School’s standard and required practice for implementation of a School policy.
Guideline - a statement that is advisory or explanatory in nature and provides guidance on how School policies and procedures might best be implemented or applied.
3. Policy Statement
3.1. Support for Professional Learning outside of The King’s School
The School encourages teaching and non-teaching staff to pursue appropriate professional learning according to their career aspirations and the School’s strategic needs. This includes postgraduate study, NESA Accredited courses, professional body courses, peak-body seminars, co-curricular and VET training awards, and domestic and international conferences. Course costs, accommodation and travel may be funded in part or full by the School and relief from teaching or other duties based on need and budgetary considerations. Across any calendar year, staff engage in a wide variety of courses, seminars, and conferences with the support of the School in some capacity.
It is often a requirement of staff, who have received funded external professional learning, to share their learning in a visible way with the King’s community. This could be running or constructing a short course that other staff can participate in via face to face or via our learning management system. It may also involve writing a short piece for our in-house professional learning journal or being interviewed for our video series known as Kingscast.
There is a general expectation that individual departments/campuses conduct their own professional learning where staff disseminate information gathered from courses and deliver that information to their colleagues. Visiting educationalists often come to the School to lead courses and work with staff and students.
3.2. Staff Involvement in Professional Areas Outside the School
The King’s School is fortunate to be widely represented by its staff in professional bodies outside the School. Many staff gain valuable professional development for themselves and their colleagues as members of:
• New South Wales Education Standards
Authority (NESA) syllabus committees • NESA Higher School Certificate examination, judging, and marking committees • International Baccalaureate Primary
Years Programme consultancies and committees • International, National and State-based
Professional Teacher Associations The King’s School has hosted many educational conferences including the biennial National Boys’ Education Conference. Staff from the School have been active in the organisation of many other international and domestic conferences. Our highly qualified and experienced staff, coupled with our state of the art teaching facilities and conferencing capabilities make us an attractive host site for such events.
3.3. School Professional Learning Days and Programs
The King’s School emphasises the importance of collegiality as a critical component of school professional learning and continuous improvement. At The King’s School, most terms begin with one or two days of professional learning for the entire staff. The days include presentations by visiting academics and professional consultants who address strategic imperatives determined by The Office of the Headmaster or the Head of School of a respective campus. The King’s Institute is also an approved NESA provider of Teacher Accreditation Professional Development.
Staff also coordinate workshops demonstrating best practice in the classroom and in the whole School community. Opportunities for reflection are established to ensure staff take away the key components of our professional development days and incorporate into their teaching practice and work-related duties. 3.4. LeadCOMM
To develop a culture of continuous improvement and learning leadership among teaching and support staff, the School coordinates a professional series known as LeadCOMM. This program is informed by managerial and leadership theory at a postgraduate and executive level. LeadCOMM enables selected and motivated staff the opportunity to learn from the renowned scholars around the globe and inform the future of The King’s School and the broader education community.
From 2021, LeadCOMM takes on two forms. The first is a LeadCOMM seminar which may occur at least twice a year. Each school year commences with a LeadCOMM Seminar where school leaders meet to tackle a pressing strategic issue of the School under the guidance of internal and external experts.
The second form of LeadCOMM is a new initiative called the LeadCOMM Colloquium. The LeadCOMM Colloquium is a fortnightly support structure for staff undertaking postgraduate study. Teachers and staff who are undertaking postgraduate study or having postgraduate study being supported by the School have the opportunity to meet with the Director of The King’s Institute and the Headmaster to support their study in a tutorial support format. Staff who enrol in the LeadCOMM Colloquium are provided with the best onsite support and insight into their postgraduate studies that the School can provide.
It is anticipated that some of the learning outcomes of the LeadCOMM programs include:
• Encouraging personal, curricular, and organisational change. • Establishing better working relationships among colleagues, including organic mentorship relationships between experienced and new teachers and support staff. • Creating a community of practice for exploring new teaching ideas or addressing perceived (or unperceived) problems and concerns. • Helping teachers and staff make a connection between theory and practice through the sharing of “real world” practices. • Giving a voice to aspirational leaders. 3.5. Pre-Service Teacher Professional Experience Program
The Pre-Service Professional Experience Program provides our teachers with the opportunity to work with practicum students in a collaborative way so that they can learn more about the teachinglearning process. The King’s School seeks to form partnerships with numerous universities based in New South Wales and Australia more broadly to establish greater continuity in the practicum student learning experience. We invest extensively in both the development of our teachers’ ability to supervise pre-service teachers and in terms of future teacher recruitment.
The key function of these professional experience partnerships is to provide alignment of the provision of professional experience places to foreseeable demand for teachers in different learning areas and stages of schooling. One of the benefits of these partnerships is that the number of students we take on for professional experience entitles us to greater professional learning opportunities provided by universities across Australia.
3.6. Professional Learning Library
The professional learning library houses books, periodicals, journals, and a variety of additional resources. Material from the Australian College of Educators (ACE), The Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL), The Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER), Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA), The Professional Reading Guide, NESA, Teaching and Educational Standards and a range of additional educational institutions is available to staff.
3.7. Staff Appraisal
The King’s School is developing its own Staff Appraisal System designed to improve productivity, and quality of teaching and learning in a supportive and developmental environment. High quality teaching and teaching support is essential to improving student outcomes and reducing gaps in student achievement. The Staff Appraisal System will provide teachers and nonteaching staff with meaningful appraisals that encourage professional learning and growth. The process is designed to foster staff development and identify opportunities for additional support where required. The appraisal process involves collegial discussions, lesson observations, self-reviews, and confidential student and colleague surveys/interviews.
3.8. Staff Induction
All new members of the teaching and non-teaching staff commence a Staff Induction Program from the moment an offer of employment is made. The program begins with a series of bespoke online training modules tailored to the new employee’s job description. The Staff Induction Program contains a series of assessable learning task to ensure that all staff have a clear, comprehensive, and
accountable understanding of their role at The King’s School. It also provides new staff with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with our structures, processes and personnel.
These online modules are followed with an introductory day where staff are formally welcomed to The King’s School and are given the opportunity to complete any onsite administration required prior to their first official working/teaching day.
To ensure that our new members of staff feel welcome and understand The King’s School’s approach to teaching and learning, all commencing teachers undertake a ‘Mentoring Program for New Staff’ during their probation period. This is coordinated by the Professional Practice and Accreditation Leader and supported by new-staff teacher mentors. During both Term 1 and 2, new teaching staff are required to observe two classes (one within their department and one outside their department) and have their teaching observed by their Head of Department/Deputy Head (Academics) and mentor.
At the conclusion of this process, the Professional Practice and Accreditation Leader obtains surveys on teacher efficacy from two of the commencing teacher’s classes. The data collated from these surveys, along with feedback from the Head of Department/Deputy Head (Academic), is used for new staff to complete a reflection of their pedagogy at The King’s School.
3.9. Teacher Accreditation
The School is committed to assisting staff meet their accreditation requirements. An important part of the accreditation process is providing support and coaching to teachers to ensure they meet the AITSL standards and demonstrate professional growth as educators.
Mentoring is an important skill in teacher development where teachers can break down their isolation and support professional learning in ways that focus on the daily work of teachers and teaching learning situations. Through the mentoring process, individuals are allowed to interrogate their practice, reflect and then reappraise the values, theories and aspirations attached to their individual theories of learning and teaching. The kind of relationship individuals have with their own learning, requires active contribution to knowledge and experience, respecting new and innovative approaches and recognising as well as understanding how their contribution fits with their own purpose and the support that is expected of them.
Mentoring is one of many tools for professional development and learning for the mentor. It is seen as a means for encouraging systematic critical reflection. It is also a means to help mentors articulate the skills and knowledge they may have, which are frequently tacit.
The mentoring program is coordinated by the Professional Practice and Accreditation Leader in the following areas:
Proficient Teachers are those who have received Provisional or Conditional Accreditation and are required to work towards Proficient Teacher Accreditation over a set timeframe. This involves the teacher demonstrating that they have met the Standard Descriptors at Proficient Teacher level in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and collecting evidence of practice. The path to Proficient Teacher Accreditation is a structured induction into teaching that supports the development of your practice at the level of Proficient Teacher. It develops confidence and expertise in the practice of teaching through consistently meeting the Standard Descriptors at this level.
To cater for the individual needs of the teacher and their progress towards meeting their Proficient Teacher Accreditation Maintenance Cycle requirements, opportunities will be provided on a minimum of two occasions per year for each teacher to undertake a review and/or discussion with their supervisor to obtain feedback on their professional practice. The Australian Professional Standard for Teachers – Proficient (APST) will be used to inform this discussion.
Experienced Teachers are those who are involved in the AIS ISTAA accreditation process that provides eligible teachers with an opportunity to be accredited by ISTAA at the level of Experienced Teacher. Teachers satisfying the requirements for accreditation at the level of Experienced Teacher will move from Band 2 to Band 3 of the salary scale in the year following the submission of a successful application. It is anticipated that the majority of teachers will progress to Band 3. Teachers will be guided on the process of creating their portfolio for submission.
Teachers are also encouraged to consider the two voluntary higher levels of teacher accreditation which recognise experienced, highly skilled and exemplary teachers. They are Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. Highly Accomplished teachers are characterised as advocates of the profession, who contribute to the professional learning of peers, act as mentors to new teachers and demonstrate strong engagement with the School and local community. Lead teachers hold exemplary teaching records and can demonstrate their impact on whole school and system processes. They are committed to quality teaching and learning and their leadership have impacts on the school, their students and colleagues which extends to the broader community.
The King’s School, as a Teacher Accreditation Authority, has policies and procedures that clearly outline the Teacher Accreditation support and expectations for all academic staff. These policies and procedures are the foundation behind an extensive support network that includes the Director of the King’s Institute, Professional Practice and Accreditation Leader, Deputy Heads (Academic), Heads of Departments and Mentors who all have a role to play in a teacher’s authentic experience of Teacher Accreditation. There is additional practical support with these policies and procedures provided via a dedicated Teacher Accreditation landing page on KingsNet with specific accreditation resources, templates and guides tailored to teachers at our school. Teachers at King’s are also supported with their Teacher Accreditation Profiles and Professional Learning Reflections on NESA’s ETAMS to ensure that accreditation is accessible and rewarding.
3.10. Research and Higher Degree Support
The King’s Institute regularly publishes ‘Best Evidence Briefs’ to keep teachers and staff abreast of the most important research influencing the School at any given stage during the school year. It also hosts an annual Research Symposium whereby teachers, staff, and academics who conduct research within, or in conjunction with, The King’s School present their work to other members of staff and members of the School Council.
The King’s Institute also supports teachers and staff who choose to undertake post graduate study by offering an in-house higher degree supervisor capability. Staff may request assistance with their post graduate assessment tasks and research directly with the Director of the King’s Institute. The Director also maintains an extensive list of research priorities and ongoing research projects that capable staff are eligible to use in determining their higher degree prospects.
4. Approval
4.1. Approval of this policy is through the Core Executive of The King’s School.
5. Principles
5.1. Objective Understandings of Teaching and Learning Quality
Learning manifests in many forms at The King’s School. In acknowledging this dynamic system, we prepare both teachers, staff and students to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. Consequently, students at King’s are able to successfully navigate a rapidly changing world ensuring their active participation in an increasingly complex liberal democracy. To achieve this, we expect teachers who are capable of leading learning to ensure that students are able to communicate their ideas effectively, think creatively, work collaboratively to solve problems and manage their own learning. Teachers provide students with agency to develop the skills and attributes that empower them to confront new challenges, take initiative, and persevere through difficulties and setbacks.
It is well documented in contemporary educational research that there can be no improvement in teaching and learning without objective observation of the interaction between teachers, students, and the learning content. The King’s School is committed to providing teachers and students objective and constructive feedback on their learning and pedagogy. Observing teaching and learning, and discussing it in a way that’s productive, is not a natural act. For many of us, productive discussion requires slowing down the part of our brain that quickly judges what we’re seeing. Like other skills, learning to see and hear the particulars of teaching practice requires practice.
From 2021, The King’s School will begin the implementation of “Learning Observations’ whereby objective observation data of student and teacher learning across the School will be analysed to make determinations of professional development and strategic learning priorities. Teachers and students will be observed using a combination of face to face systematic and digital observation techniques. Data is analysed by a range of school and academic stakeholders to promote dialogue aimed at improving learning performance.
5.2. Quality Teaching and Learning at The King’s School
The features of our teaching practice are derived from the extensive empirical support of the Quality Teaching Framework and Authentic Pedagogy. This means that our teachers are committed to students constructing their knowledge through disciplined inquiry in order to produce artefacts and discourse that have value beyond school.
To achieve this, our pedagogy;
• is fundamentally based on promoting intellectual quality. We achieve this through focussing on producing deep understanding of substantive and important concepts and skills. This aspect of our pedagogy treats knowledge as something that requires active construction on the part of the student and for them to be able to engage in higher-order thinking and substantive communication. • understands and harnesses the importance of creating a quality learning environment.
This occurs when teachers create classrooms that foster productive work that is clearly focused on learning. Pedagogy that drives a quality learning environment sets high and explicit expectations whilst concurrently developing positive relationships between students, teachers, and their peers. • explicitly seeks to identify the significance of the learning for each and every student.
Such pedagogy draws clear connections with student identity and contextual perspectives. 6. Procedures
6.1. The King’s Institute serves as a ‘one stop shop’ for all staff within the King’s community to seek advice about the learning and training needs they require. Staff are encouraged to come and discuss their individual and collective learning needs to ensure their application process is as smooth as possible. Whilst approval processes for professional learning and training requests flow through respective line managers, it is ultimately The King’s Institute that determines the eligibility, merit and potential efficacy of the professional learning and training being undertaken and holds accountability for such expenditure to the Headmaster and Bursar’s Office. From January 2021, and regardless of campus, all school expenditure for professional learning and staff training will be handled by The King’s Institute. No other account holders within the school are permitted to spend school funds on professional learning and staff training activities. Attempting to reconcile professional learning or training expenses within accounts outside of The King’s Institute may render the bearer personally liable for such expenses.
6.2. Procedures for Professional Learning Support
All staff should feel free to discuss their needs with their respective line manager or the Director of The King’s Institute at any time. Formal planning procedures are necessary where absence from timetabled teaching responsibilities/work and/or school funding are required:
Staff wishing to attend external seminars or conferences should:
• Discuss the professional learning request with their immediate line manager, respective Deputy Head, or the Director of The King’s Institute. • Complete the form “Staff Professional
Learning Application Form” which is available in KingsNet. • Submit the above form via KingsNet for consideration. • Await notification from The King’s Institute. • Should the application be successful, undertake the external professional learning event/seminar/conference. 7. Policy Feedback
The King’s School is very keen to support the Professional Learning of all staff at the School. Staff are encouraged to make suggestions for the improvement of the program at any time through The King’s Institute.
8. Publication
8.1. This policy is published on both internal platforms (ie CompliSpace and KingsNet) and via the annual King’s Institute Professional Learning Journal.
9. Policy Implementation
9.1. This policy will be managed by The King’s Institute through platforms, such as KingsNet and regular communication with Heads of Campus and their Executive Teams.
10. Policy Review
10.1. This policy is to be reviewed annually.
Proverbs 24:16
www.kings.edu.au P: +612 9683 8555 E: tks@kings.edu.au A: PO Box 1 Parramatta 2124, NSW Australia Cricos No: 02326F The Council of The King’s School, ABN: 24 481 364 152 Incorporated by The King’s School Council Act 1893
