Creating A School Vision

Staff Development Day, July 20, Term 3
Session 1: 9:00-10:30
Welcome back and welcome new staff
School culture and vision (all staff)
Morning Tea
Session 2: 11:00-12:30
Teaching staff: What Works Best 2020 update: Collaboration
SLSOs: Library and Technology Admin
Lunch
Session 3:
1:00-2:30 Stage meetings
2:30-3:30 Time in classrooms and to program
Acknowledgement of Country
Learning Intention:
To develop a deeper understanding of the importance of a shared vision that
aligns school culture and belief to ensure our collective focus is on effective
practices for school improvement.
Success Criteria:
● Discuss and explore themes that contribute to our culture and vision.
● Revise the school vision statement.
● Reflect on and possibly adjust your personal teaching philosophy and be
able to judge how it aligns with the school vision and culture.
● Identify changes that you can make to your current practices if necessary, to
align more with the school’s culture and beliefs.
● Reflect on how you can further enhance your collaborative practice and
skills.
Session 1: What is school culture?
MacGilchrist and colleagues argue that school culture is expressed through “three inter-related
generic dimensions”: professional relationships, organisational arrangements, and opportunities
for learning.
School culture, therefore, is most clearly “seen” in the ways people relate to and work together;
the management of the school’s structures, systems and physical environment;
and the extent to which there is a learning focus for both pupils and adults, including the nature of
that focus.
Culture can take different forms. There may exist several cultures: pupil culture, teacher cultures, a
leadership culture, non-teaching staff culture, and parent culture.
Teacher cultures have received most attention in relation to school improvement.

A school’s culture is shaped by its history, context and the people in it.
School culture is one of the most complex and important concepts in education.
Schein considers the basic essence of an organisation’s culture to be:
the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an
organisation, that operate unconsciously, and that define in a basic ‘taken for granted’
fashion an organisation’s view of itself and its environment.
These are the heart of school culture and what makes it so hard to grasp or change.
Culture may present itself as static and set but in reality it is constantly evolving and
being reconstructed.
Culture element 1: Andy Hargreaves- 4 Teaching cultures
● Individualism — classrooms as “egg-crates” or “castles”. Autonomy, isolation and insulation prevail,
and blame and support are avoided.
● Collaboration — teachers choose, spontaneously and voluntarily, to work together, without an

external control agenda. Forms include: “comfortable” activities—sharing ideas and materials—and
rigorous forms, including mutual observation and focused reflective enquiry.
● Contrived collegiality— teachers’ collaborative working relationships are compulsorily imposed, with
fixed times and places set for collaboration, for example planning meetings during preparation time.
● Balkanisation — teachers are neither isolated nor work as a whole school. Smaller collaborative
groups form, for example within secondary school departments, between infant and junior teachers,
and class teachers and resource support teachers. Hargreaves (1994)
Using Hargreaves’ four teaching cultures think about the style that most closely represents our school’s
culture.
Culture element 2 School structure and systems
Time, space, opportunities.
Strategic Directions 2 and 3 2020
● Wellbeing team- Led by Lara- You Can Do It updated,

Playground, reflection and Restorative Practice
● Numeracy improvement team- led by Joel- assessment and
tracking, developing a case management approach for
improving numeracy; maths PL
● Instructional Leadership- Coaching, pBL, PBL and PL - Led by
Hollie
Cultural element 3
Jigsaw reading activity
In small groups each team will become an ‘expert’ on a topic. The team will identify two
representatives to share the group’s understanding with the whole school.
Restorative Practice (Sue, Mischa, Nicolette, Jess, Sean),

Intrinsic Motivation (Hollie, Blake, Jamie, Nik, Kerrie, Kristyn)
Student voice and choice (Pip, Rachel, Tamsyn, Lucy, Nat)
Role of the teacher (Joel, Pat, Richie, Kathy, Kate)
PBL (Lara, Karlie, Callum, Semelisi and Nicola)
Breakout groups- Learning Hub, Staffroom and Kangaroos
In preparation for the whole staff sharing session, record your group’s thinking to the
following:
1. What are 3 key ideas that summarise the article/s?
2. How are the ideas presented currently reflected in what we do at Camdenville?
3. Based on what you have read and your discussion, identify 2 ways that we might
further refine our practices or support teachers new to Camdenville in relation to
your topic.
2012- We considered the 21 C themes in
education
Globally aware- global citizens
Critical thinkers, problem solvers
Creative and innovative
Cross cultural understanding
Collaboration and team work
Entrepreneurial
Self reliant and resilient
Understanding Environmental issues
The 21 c ‘literacies’: (to be literate in the 21 C)
Media, environmental, digital or information, financial, civic, health and wellness
2013
At Camdenville our diverse school community of staff, students and families work
together to build a stimulating, inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Through engaging and innovative learning experiences students and teachers

collaborate to solve problems as inquisitive and adaptable learners.
We believe students at Camdenville PS develop the skills, values and attitudes

necessary to become engaged and responsible global citizens.
Learning to thrive
Schools do need to be reinvented as a key part of learning eco-systems; webs of civil society institutions
powerful enough to enable humanity to address the problems which both threaten it and offer spectacular
opportunities. Schools in diverse settings and conditions are already innovating their foci and their
methods to help their learners – not just pass tests, or even get a job – but to thrive.
(Valerie Hannon, 2017)

Where is what we have discussed today reflected in our vision statement?
At Camdenville our inclusive school community of staff, students and families work together to
build a stimulating, evolving and supportive learning environment.
Through engaging future focused and evidence based learning experiences students and teachers
collaborate to solve authentic problems linked to the real world.
Students drive their own learning and develop skills to succeed at life, including resilience,
persistence, confidence, getting along with others and organisation.
Staff view themselves as researchers and co learners who are responsive and ensure that they
engage in reflective practices to meet the needs of the ever changing educational landscape.
Our community values developing happy learners who have a sense of social equity, connect
globally, learn in natural and adaptive spaces and view themselves as being part of an ecosystem.
We believe students at Camdenville PS develop the skills, values and attitudes necessary to
become connected and empathetic global citizens.
During the term you may reflect on discussions
from today, the readings shared and the school
vision to adapt and refine your personal
philosophy and practices.
Morning Tea
*Teachers please meet back in the Hub at 11am
Session 2: What Works Best 2020 Update
First released in late 2014, What works best synthesised
research to identify seven of the most effective practices
in education, What works best quickly found a wide
audience among NSW educators. It has remained
popular and well-used, providing an accessible point of
entry to the evidence on effective teaching practices.
What works best 2020 update has been released and now
identifies 8 themes:
● High expectations
● Explicit teaching
● Effective feedback
● Use of data to inform practice
● Assessment
● Classroom management
● Wellbeing
● Collaboration
Our Tell Them from Me teacher survey data shows that our school collaborative culture is ‘high’ and
appreciated by staff but it is always an element that requires ongoing enhancement, especially with staff
changes.
The following session will provide you with time to explore your own thinking around collaboration through
an online PL.
You begin the course by reading the collaboration part of WWB and WWB in practice followed by a self
reflection that will be sent to the executive staff.
Online PL followed by lunch at 12:30pm
After completing the course and grabbing some

lunch, please meet back for stage meetings at 1pm
ES1 & S1 in the Rosellas

S2 - Cockatoos Room
S3 -

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Staff Development Day, July 20, Term 3

the management of the school’s structures, systems and physical environment;

Teacher cultures have received most attention in relation to school improvement.

● Collaboration — teachers choose, spontaneously and voluntarily, to work together, without an

Strategic Directions 2 and 3 2020

● Wellbeing team- Led by Lara- You Can Do It updated,

Restorative Practice (Sue, Mischa, Nicolette, Jess, Sean),

Through engaging and innovative learning experiences students and teachers

We believe students at Camdenville PS develop the skills, values and attitudes

(Valerie Hannon, 2017)

After completing the course and grabbing some

ES1 & S1 in the Rosellas

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