 
Week 4 - Local School Management
|  | Quality Improvement and Accountability in Partnerships 21:
Local Management in South Australia |
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Listing of Papers | |
MS HELEN TUNBRIDGE AND MR BRONTE STUART
South Australia, , Australia
Introduction
PARTNERSHIPS 21 enables and promotes local decision-making and flexibility within a broad, systemic framework of policy, priorities and mutual accountability. It is the local management model for South Australia.
Effective planning under local management is an important principle for quality improvement and accountability. One of the principles of the South Australian model for local management, Partnerships 21, is the concept of continuous improvement. This paper explores the links between three-year strategic planning, the three-year resources strategy, mutual obligations between the Department and the local sites, and improved student learning outcomes.
This paper should be read in conjunction with the companion papers from the Partnerships 21 Taskforce for this online conference, i.e.,:
- An Overview of Partnerships 21;
- Governance in Partnerships 21; and,
- Resource Flexibility in Partnerships 21.
Background
In November 1999 schools and preschools in South Australia were invited to form a partnership with their communities and join Partnerships 21. An extensive training and development program for local management is provided through a range of workshops and support materials in the areas of:
- community partnerships and governance;
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- strategic planning, quality improvement and accountability; and,
- organisational management.
The information in this paper is a summary of the materials provided to South Australian sites through workshops and a resource folder entitled, 'Establishing Partnerships 21' published in September, 1999 and revised regularly through the ongoing process of review. Section 2 of the resource folder focuses on Quality Improvement and Accountability and the work of the Office of Review.
Developments So Far
Under Partnerships 21, schools and preschools have significant responsibility and authority in the management of their site operations within government policies and directions. A Quality Improvement and Accountability Framework has been designed to assist school and preschool communities to further develop their own plans and priorities for extending and improving student learning, and to facilitate self-management through monitoring, evaluating and reporting on performance in effective planning, monitoring and resource management. The Quality Improvement and Accountability Framework builds upon the past success of schools and preschools in planning, monitoring and reporting.
The Quality Improvement and Accountability Framework will streamline the work schools and preschools currently do in planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting. Under local management, schools and preschools will develop the understanding and skills, which will enable them to examine how their use of resources can enhance learning and care outcomes.
- The framework is underpinned by the following planning principles.
- The focus for planning is the improvement in learning outcomes for students and children.
- Planning is integral to the monitoring and review cycle.
- Planning assists in the allocation of resources to agreed priorities.
- Effective planning occurs when the needs of children and students are addressed.
- Planning needs to be responsive to local needs and departmental policy.
- Effective planning needs to involve all stakeholder groups.
Each of these principles will only be accomplished within the broader context of effective leadership and management. Effective planning requires the context for the school and preschool to be well-researched. This requires knowledge of the clients and their previous and current environments. Communication and decision-making structures and processes need to be well understood and easily accessible to all members of the school and preschool community. The current performance standards of the children and students in a range of areas need to be known. A genuine attitude of wanting to engage in partnership building with the local and wider community needs to be evident.
Components of Quality Improvement
The Quality Improvement and Accountability Framework is made up of the Three Year Partnerships Plan and the Services Agreement, the process of Annual Operational Planning and the Annual Report.
1. The Partnerships Plan. This embodies the actions which schools and preschools will undertake to enact the Services Agreement over a three-year period. The Partnerships Plan is a strategic statement that identifies the central purpose and values of the school or preschool, the student learning outcomes it will focus on, the developmental priorities it will implement, and the way it will use its resources to achieve all of these.
2. The Services Agreement. This operates in conjunction with the Partnerships Plan and Annual Operational Planning. It covers the following areas:
- community partnerships and governance;
- curriculum;
- human resources;
- financial and physical resources;
- student services; and,
- accountability.
Within each of these areas, the mutual obligations of Partnerships 21 schools and preschools and state office are identified. The Chief Executive, the chairperson of the governing council and the principal or director, sign the triennial Services Agreement.
The Three Year Resources Strategy. This provides the integration of the resources that will be used in the school's or preschool's program to deliver high quality learning and care for every student and child. It includes a description of the resources that will be used in supporting the achievement of the site's strategic directions and objectives.
The Three Year Resources strategy integrates the following components.
- Finances. The income, expenditure and cash flow for the site is recorded in detail over the term of the Partnerships Plan. This plan also incorporates information regarding financial resources allocated to achieve objectives described in the strategic directions.
- Human Resources. The salaries and staff that are allocated to the site for the term of the Partnerships Plan are described.
- Physical Resources. The funding allocated to grounds, buildings and curriculum resources is identified. This is based on the information provided in the Asset Management Plan.
Annual Operational Planning
Annual Operational Planning is the planning and management that guides the operation of schools and preschools over a twelve-month period. It provides the means by which the Three Year Resources Strategy is put into effect for each year.
In Partnerships 21 schools and preschools annual operational planning will consider these factors:
- the local context;
- the objectives of the Partnerships Plan for the current year;
- the Annual Report from the previous year;
- the Services Agreement; and,
- the resources available to the school or preschool.
Internal Monitoring
Schools and preschools are also expected to develop processes that use data to answer the question, 'How well are we doing?' Schools and preschools have control over the process of measuring standards of performance, current strengths, and the success of their strategies and directions for change against agreed benchmarks, such as the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework.
Schools and preschools are expected to use effective internal monitoring processes involving a cycle of data collection, analysis and interpretation of the performance data, and implementation of strategic action, maintaining good practice and improving outcomes. The data from the previous year's annual report has an important place in internal monitoring.
Annual Report
The Annual Report is the formal report given by schools and preschools to their communities and to the Department. The governing council reports to the school or preschool community and to the Chief Executive.
Schools and preschools are required to report on their:
- Partnerships Plan objectives, using performance indicators and targets set for their priorities in the plan;
- core business, using the performance indicators described within the Partnerships Plan; and,
- use of special purpose funding and the results of that usage.
The Annual Report is the basis for the development of the next annual operational planning cycle and indicates possible adjustments to the Partnerships Plan.
The Office of Review is developing Guidelines for Annual Reports that will assist sites in developing their annual reports.
Where to Next?
External Monitoring and Verification. A process of triennial external reviews co-ordinated by the Office of Review is planned for all sites and services, both locally and statewide. External reviews will add value to regular internal monitoring and self-assessment processes, strategic and annual operational planning, the assessment of student learning outcomes in key areas and in staff performance management.
The Office of Review will also review all state office services focusing on the strengths of the state and local partnerships.
Managing Change
Support for sites moving into Partnerships 21 is provided through a range of workshops, resource materials and district and state office follow-up. At the 'Establishing Partnerships Workshop', a large amount of time is spent developing and writing Partnerships Plans, following guidelines and advice from the Office of Review.
A Partnerships 21 booklet, Shaping the Future through Partnerships Plans, was recently published. It describes the purpose of each section of the plans. Illustrative examples from a range of sites across the state support the quality development of future plans. This booklet is available on the Internet at:
www.partnerships21.sa.edu.au
Communication
For a planning process to be implemented successfully, all stakeholders need to be well informed about the priorities and directions for their sites. All Partnerships 21 sites are being encouraged to publish their Partnerships Plans. Funds have been provided for sites to use in publishing their plans and a range of tools are being developed to assist all sites with future publishing.
Analysis of Plans
The continued monitoring of trends across the whole system is seen as an important process to inform future priorities for the Department of Education, Training and Employment. A comprehensive database has been designed, which assists the approval process for the Partnerships Plans. This database provides useful information about the strategic directions of sites across the state. The database can be used by other sections of the Department to look closely at the strategic directions, priorities and trends for schools and preschools.
What Has Been Achieved?
Representatives from over 520 of the state's 928 school and preschool communities chose to participate in 'Establishing Partnerships 21' workshops during the latter half of 1999. Forty per cent of South Australian schools and preschools entered Partnerships 21 for the start of the school/preschool year, by signing a Services Agreement, writing a Partnerships Plan and developing a Three Year Resources Strategy for their sites.
Conclusion
Under Partnerships 21, schools and preschools are entering into an era of refining their strategic planning through continuous quality improvement and accountability for the improved learning outcomes of their children and young people. The three year focus for planning and resource allocation is providing greater continuity and flexibility in their planning processes. These processes of quality improvement, accountability, strategic management and strategic planning are contributing to building on the success of quality improvement and accountability in South Australia. Through partnerships with their governing councils, Partnerships 21 school and preschool leaders are integrating the processes of strategic planning, quality improvement and accountability as they shape the future of local management in South Australia.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Ms Helen Tunbridge is a superintendent on the Partnerships 21 Local Management Taskforce and has a liaison role with the Office of Review. Helen commenced her teaching career as a primary and special education teacher in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, where the majority of students were from low socioeconomic backgrounds. She became the principal of a small country primary school at Watervale and later, principal of a large primary school in the South East of South Australia. Helen was then appointed as superintendent of the Upper South East District and subsequently, of the Southern Range District in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. In 1998, she was the Assistant Director, Schools supporting the operations of schools across the state. Helen has also been the executive officer for the Partnerships 21 Principals' and Directors' Advisory Group. An interest in strategic planning and reporting quality outcomes lead to her recently completing a Masters Degree in Educational Management, focusing on quality improvement and accountability.
Mr Bronte Stuart is a superintendent on the Partnerships 21 Local Management Taskforce. He is involved in a range of areas, including global budget management, quality improvement and accountability, and information technology. Bronte commenced his teaching career as a primary educator in country South Australia. He has worked in a variety of schools and held a range of roles including resource teacher in Aboriginal education. In 1993 he became deputy principal in a remote Aboriginal community and was involved in the establishment of a homelands school near Maralinga in the state's Far North West. Bronte subsequently held principal and deputy principal positions in Millicent, Port Augusta and Victor Harbor. During this time, social justice and learning technologies were of particular interest for him. Bronte has also been active in the South Australian Primary Principals Association as an executive member.
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