THE ALEXANDRA SCHOOL
STRATEGIC PLAN (2009 – 2014)
“THE QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE – The Mission and the Work”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Strategic Plan (2009-‐2014) for the Alexandra School, “A QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE – The Mission and the Work” identifies the coordinated goals of the school within the policy directives of the Ministry of Education as well as the initiatives and methods being employed to achieve these goals. It was structured to serve as a virtual road map for the work at the different levels of the school’s organizational structure. It will also provide a process for engaging the different stakeholders and supportive partners to ensure high student achievement and the development of socially well adjusted citizens. These individuals will also be expected to be well equipped with the skills and abilities to critically assess, confront and overcome the challenges of an ever changing technological society of the future. The plan will also direct the attention of the school’s decision makers towards ensuring a safe, comfortable and aesthetically presentable compound that is conducive to the teaching and learning process focused on sound academics, civility, creativity and a sense of high social responsibility through service to school, community and country. There were five critical areas that were identified as the pillars that should guide the work of the school over the next five years.
HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT:
As we practicing professionals seek to ensure high student academic achievement we will utilize eight supporting structures that can complement the efforts of staff and students in ensuring realization of our goals. •
There will be a more direct focus on guidance and early intervention to assist those students who are identified as at risk of failing. One teacher will be assigned the duty of “Teacher Coach” to receive and act on information from subject teachers and the Guidance Counsellor. This teacher will interact with parents as well as coordinate a group of student mentors who will serve as “personal tutors” in assigned areas. These mentors would have volunteered as part of their required school service component
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There will be the initiation of an “Excellence Pyramid” that will emphasize personal accountability and all-‐school support. This will involve the notion of “support buddies, mentors, student advisors, teacher coach, guidance counselor and administration.” This will also be supported by an improved “After-‐School Study Hour” programme
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We will forge closer interaction with parents and the general community relative to the quality work being produced by students. This will be done by way of annual open-‐ house displays of students’ work.
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We will seek to motivate students by way of the promotion of role models and mentors. This will be done by way of regularly scheduled addresses by and interactions with outstanding former students and successful practitioners in different sectors of the wider community.
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We will seek to promote a student and academic friendly classroom. This will be done by containing class sizes, exposing teachers to different classroom management techniques and by encouraging different subject matter related displays within the classroom.
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There will be a dedicated focus on in-‐house training of teachers. This will be approached initially by the creation of a specifically structured Staff Development Committee that will accept responsibility for upgrading the skills of teachers in the areas of Instruction, Assessment, Classroom Management and Technology Integration.
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The process of motivating students by way of rewards and affirmations will continue and become more expansive and consistent.
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Students will be given the added initiative to work in a sustained and dedicated manner in an attempt to gain a place in a sixth form at Alexandra.
CURRICULUM:
In our attempts to more positively impact students, there will be significant streamlining and diversification of the curriculum. To this end, there are six major initiatives that will be coordinated. •
After completing the basic junior school course of study, all students will be afforded the opportunity to streamline their programme in accordance with their career focus. This will be predicated on the provision that they must also undertake an accepted basic core in association with their strand focus in the areas of Science, Business, Technical-‐ Vocational and a General option.
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The school will accept as a specific responsibility the development of the students’ ability to speak properly and to present themselves to the general public in a confident and articulate manner. In pursuit of this, each student throughout the school will be required to undertake at least one Creative-‐Expressive subject per year group and will also be expected to make different addresses and presentations at selected times.
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There will be a focus on creating a nexus between what is done in school and what is expected in the world of work and the wider community as a whole. In seeking to establish this connection all students will be expected to complete at least one research and exploration project in the junior school as well as to undertake one real life solutions project in each year of their senior programme. These will include the use of the computer for Web Quests and Virtual Institutes as well as the creation of an annual original Musical Drama, Study Guides and a School Publication.
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The curriculum will also be used as a vehicle to develop student leadership as a strategy for student success in all areas inclusive of academics and personal development.
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Each subject department will be expected to accept a high level of responsibility for student success in the particular subject offerings. This will involve a protocol that
requires the presentation of termly schemes of work and supported by a coordinated schedule of regular departmental planning meetings.
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Staff training and retraining in support of curriculum goals and programmes will be a significant strategy within our plans. In addition to the established national training opportunities, there will be a dedicated staff development focus as well as opportunities for staff to be exposed to international best practices.
CONFIDENT, CIVIL AND CARING CITIZENS In appreciation of the fact that school should seek not only to develop sound academics, but also have a responsibility for the total personality of its students to function in the wider society in positive and cooperative ways, this sub-‐section has identified a number of specific strategies to accomplish the identified goals. •
Cleanliness of self, teaching environment and the general compound will be totally promoted. There will be specific initiatives taken to support this focus.
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Opportunities will be created for exposure and personal interaction geared towards developing a high level of self-‐esteem and self-‐confidence within students, especially while presenting themselves in public forums.
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Initiatives will be coordinated to give students the opportunity to inculcate high moral, socially acceptable values, care, empathy and social responsibility. Staff will be encouraged to serve as models in this particular area
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Teamwork and accountability will be promoted by way of the different extra-‐curricular activities and sports programmes offered within the school as well as the promotion of different authentic learning experiences
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The notion of service to school, community and country will become a focal point of the school’s work. This will be supported by way of mentorship programmes and the different clubs and leadership positions within the school’s structure.
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Different structures and programmes will be developed and coordinated to support a regime that identifies and promotes different anger management and conflict resolution strategies
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Student leadership will be a significant strategy in helping to develop the student that is confident, civil and caring.
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It is accepted that all students must be aware of and required to respect the identified rules and protocols of the schools. Relevant protocols will also be developed to inform the relationships and interactions between the different levels of the school’s organizational chart as well as the different stakeholders.
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Partnerships will be forged to promote parents as genuine partners in the holistic development of their children.
TECHNOLOGY MASTERY We have accepted the view that in today’s information based society, technology mastery must be seen as a major objective of any school. Hence, a number of strategies have been identified to promote technology use to enhance communication at all levels of the school’s organizational chart as well as to ensure fluency, creativity and use appropriateness. •
All students will be exposed to a basic course of computer studies in the junior school.
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A technology team will be established from among qualified and interested members of staff to work with the Information Technology Coordinator to plan and recommend programmes, processes and technology use issues to be addressed within the school.
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The school will develop and maintain an updated Web Site.
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There will be a coordinated effort to expand technology facilities at the school to encourage greater technology use.
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All students will be required to complete a specified number of computer based projects during the course of their school career.
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All students will be given opportunities to be exposed to different moral and ethical issues that impact computer use and explore appropriate answers and responses.
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKERS It has been accepted that in contemporary society where there is significant information turnover, one’s ability to think critically and creatively will determine one’s level of success in the wider world. Hence, specific strategies have been identified to promote and develop our students as critical and creative thinkers. • •
The purposeful creation of a service regime that challenges the students’ level of sensitivity, empathy and social responsibility will become a major focus of the school’s work.
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The school’s curriculum will be so designed as to encourage and support at least one multi-‐skilled original musical dramatic production per year.
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The students’ original work will be promoted in the wider community to encourage critical support by way of open-‐house displays.
There will be a decided focus to develop and sustain an interdisciplinary project regime giving students the opportunity to identify the connectedness of the different subject areas within a school’s programme.
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The curriculum design will be used to support student research and student expression as crucial to the individual’s total development. This will begin at first form and be maintained at all levels of the school.
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There will be a school publication that will afford students the opportunity to use their different skills in real life situations.