The elements listed below, used in recent school consultations, can offer a useful guide for schools considering their own provision of supportive and inclusive schooling. The questions accompanying them can enable deeper enquiry into each element.
In practical and philosophical terms, how would you describe the culture of your school?
1.1 What are the everyday practices that reflect care, concern and respect for diversity?
How does the school communicate and celebrate its values and beliefs about a supportive school environment to its community?
1.2 How does the school reflect the belief that schooling contributes to a socially cohesive and culturally rich society? In what ways does the school support the development of global citizenship for all its community?
1.3 In what ways does the school indicate it has high expectations of all students?
1.4 What processes are used to sustain a commitment to a supportive, inclusive and equitable environment? What processes are in place to enable the school community to review and discuss how supportive, inclusive and equitable its environment is (a) as a school and (b) in terms of the wider community?
1.5 What opportunities exist for students to develop and sustain meaningful relationships with significant adults? How are students recognised for demonstrating caring relationships, showing concern or respecting others?
1.6 How does the school build positive relationships:
How do senior staff develop and implement a shared view of appropriate provisions for equity target groups?
2.1 How directly does the senior staff take responsibility for educational provision for students in the equity target groups? How does this take place? What mechanisms are used for allocating responsibility to senior staff?
2.2 How do senior staff allocate resources to students in equity target groups?
2.3 In what ways does the school leadership demonstrate the centrality of programs and practices that ensure access and participation in the curriculum for all students?
What role do senior staff have in ensuring access and participation in the curriculum by all students?
2.4 How does the school leadership ensure that all students have access to and participate in the curriculum? How is this documented?
2.5 How does the school leadership ensure collaborative processes prevail in decisions that affect the diversity of the school population? How does the school leadership ensure that all staff participate in planning to create a climate which fosters an inclusive supportive environment? How do school practices reflect participatory decision-making?
2.6 How does the senior staff support teachers and facilitate the capacity to cater for a diverse range of students?
2.7 How do staff, including senior staff, model and build respectful collaborative relationships:
2.8 How does the school reflect differences between leadership and management practices?
How has school organisation been responsive to the needs of students at educational risk?
3.1 In what ways has school organisation been modified to meet the needs of students at educational risk?
3.2 What plan is in place for the allocation of time, staff and resources to be linked to the needs of the equity target groups?
3.3 What programs are in place to support transitions in the student’s schooling?
3.4 How are support services linked to an overall plan for a supportive school environment?
3.5 How are initiatives for students at educational risk central to and integrated with whole school organisational practice?
How has the school modified the curriculum, both in content and delivery, to include diverse student needs?
4.1 How do you know the curriculum is meeting the needs, interests and concerns of all students?
4.2 How does the curriculum seek to engage all students with real world issues that educate them as citizens with the capacity to view the world critically and to act independently, co-operatively and responsibly?
4.3 How does the curriculum ensure students’ outcomes from schooling are free from the effects of negative forms of discrimination, harassment and violence related to gender, class, race, sexuality, cultural background, disability, socio-economic background or geographic location? [National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century]
4.4 How does the curriculum provide for students to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics, social justice and diversity? [National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century]
In what ways does teaching cater to differences in student needs, learning styles, performance levels, areas of interest and individual capacities?
5.1 To what extent do teachers use explicit teaching, self-directed learning and new technologies?
5.2 What evidence is there that teachers create supportive learning environments which:
5.3 What different assessment methodologies do teachers use to cater for the diverse needs of students?
5.4 How does the organisation of learning and teaching provide for a multi-layered curriculum, flexible delivery and individual learning plans?
5.5 How does the school utilise the expertise of particular staff members in eg mentoring?
What processes/mechanisms support this skill-sharing?
5.6 In what ways does the classroom organisation recognise differences in student needs, learning styles, performance levels, areas of interest and individual capacities?
5.7 How does the school arrange teaching groups so that all students are valued and supported in their learning?
5.8 What interventions are in place to ensure age appropriate literacy and numeracy outcomes and pro-social behaviours?
5.9 In what ways do school staff and support services staff work together to improve outcomes for students at educational risk? Describe the mechanisms used, both formal and informal, and the leadership role of senior staff in this process.
How does the school assess, monitor and report on progress of students in the equity target groups?
6.1 Which measures are used to demonstrate improvement against benchmarks and school targets?
6.2 How are monitoring and assessment data used to make judgements about curriculum directions?
6.3 How does the school identify students who are not achieving age appropriate literacy and numeracy outcomes? How is this data used to inform curriculum or address the needs of students?
6.4 How does the school’s Partnership Agreement demonstrate targets for improved outcomes for students from the equity target groups?
6.5 Which areas of the Partnership Agreement contain targets related to supportive, inclusive equitable schooling?
6.6 What mechanisms are used to track the access, participation, success and attainment of students from the equity target groups?
6.7 In what ways does the reporting model contribute to the supportive school environment?
6.8 How is tension resolved between being ‘supportive’ and reporting progress or lack of progress?
How would you describe the school’s relationship with its parent body and the broader school community?
7.1 How do members of the school community contribute to the development of the school philosophy, policies, processes and procedures?
7.2 Is representation encouraged from the equity target groups on the school council or parent representative groups? What processes exist to ensure this representation?
7.3 What information about the school is currently available to the school community?
Is it considered necessary that other information should be available to the school community? How is information about the school made accessible to:
7.4 What role does the school consider it does/should have in representing students?
7.5 How is the school pro-active on behalf of students?
7.6 What processes and strategies are used to systematically link the home, the previous school, other service providers and the wider community?
7.7 What partnerships exist between the school and the broader community?
7.8 How are positive relationships built between families and teachers?
7.9 How are parents included in the education of their children?
7.10 How are curriculum expectations and outcomes explained to students, their parents and communities?
7.11 How does the school demonstrate that it values differences within its community?
7.12 How does the school foster community participation amongst students?
How has the school dealt with school professional learning needs in relation to students in the equity target groups?
8.1 What opportunities are provided to extend teachers’ understandings and competencies in teaching and making appropriate provision for students from the equity target groups?
8.2 What induction processes are available to ensure new staff members are educated about the school’s culture and are cognisant of policies, processes and practices which enhance a supportive, inclusive school?
8.3 What approaches exist to develop teachers’ capacities to challenge discriminatory behaviour and to educate for democratic participation?
8.4 What whole school professional learning has there been in co-operative learning, individual learning styles and multi-layered curriculum?
8.5 What support and training is in place to assist staff to manage students with challenging behaviours?
8.6 How have non-teaching staff been educated to promote a supportive and inclusive culture?
8.7 Have Individual Professional Learning Plans been used to monitor the skills and knowledge of teachers in the area of supportive inclusive and equitable schooling?
What have been the major challenges in your school in developing a supportive school environment?
9.1 Which aspects of the development of an inclusive equitable supportive environment have you found to be contentious?
9.2 How has resistance to these developments been addressed?
9.3 What resource implications are there?
9.4 Which areas of implementation are taking the longest? Why?
9.5 Are there particular equity groups that are more difficult to include?
9.6 What support has been available? What has been valuable? What else is needed?
9.7 What areas of equitable supportive school environments are still to be developed?
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This page was last modified on 6th March 2008. The URL for this page is: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/health/inclusive/supportiveschoolcommunities/elements_of_a_supportive_school_community.
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