The KAUST School Strategic Plan 2017-2020

CONTENTS SECTION ONE

Vision and Mission

2

SECTION TWO

Plan and Four Areas of Focus

4

SECTION THREE

Teaching and Learning

6

SECTION FOUR

Professional Culture

11

SECTION FIVE

Engagement

15

SECTION SIX

Organizational Development

19

SECTION ONE

Our Vision The KAUST School vision is to become a Beacon School, reaching stature and recognition as an International Baccalaureate School.

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The KAUST School mission is to provide an exceptional International Baccalaureate education that empowers students to be resourceful and responsible global citizens.

We will achieve our mission by providing opportunities for all learners

SECTION ONE

Our Mission to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile.

INQUIRERS KNOWLEDGEABLE THINKERS COMMUNICATORS PRINCIPLED OPEN-MINDED RISK-TAKERS CARING BALANCED REFLECTIVE

SECTION TWO

Our Plan

Inspiration.

Integrity.

Achievement.

This document sets out the Strategic Plan for The KAUST School (TKS) for the next 3 school years, 2017/2018 – 2019/2020.

Up to now, The KAUST School’s strategic plan consisted of Strategies for Action that were identified in the last CIS/NEASC accreditation visit. The school’s Leadership Team has worked on streamlining all actions into a coherent strategic plan that also contains the recommendations from the last IB Evaluation visit. It is not a new plan, simply a more transparent way of presenting our vision and actions for the years ahead working towards becoming a “Beacon School”. It will also help us prepare for successful re-accreditation in 2020 with CIS/NEASC and the IB. The IB pedagogy and practice underpin this plan and the IB philosophical framework drives strategic practices and approaches.

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SECTION TWO The Strategic Plan consists of

Four Areas of Focus: For each of these areas value statements, commitments, actions and success indicators were developed.

Teaching and Learning

Organizational Development

Engagement

Each of the three divisions (Kindergarten, Elementary School and Secondary School) as well as academic support areas have developed strategic plans connected to the overall TKS Strategic Plan.

Professional Culture

We will monitor progress against our objectives using our success indicators. The TKS Board of Education (BoE) approved progress indicators (PI’s) are also monitored annually.

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SECTION THREE Area of Focus:

Teaching and Learning 6

Commit to We

ensuring students’ social, emotional, and physical needs are met

We Will:

SECTION THREE

Value child-centred and holistic education

• develop collaborative approaches and collective responsibility for student well-being. (TL1.1) • continuously review written curriculum to ensure students’ social, emotional and physical needs are being addressed.

(TL1.2) • ensure transitions into and within the school are well supported. (TL1.3)

Our Success Indicators: • There are practices and procedures in place that support student well-being.

• There is a written curriculum for PSPE/PHE. • Students feel supported and cared for as indicated by student voice data.

• There are processes in place that support students in transition.

Area of Focus: Teaching and Learning

TL1

We

SECTION THREE

TL2

Value

learning success for all students

Commit to We

● ●

challenging all students to continually develop. empowering students to become self-regulated learners

Our Success Indicators: • An inclusive approach is visible in our teaching practices.

We Will:

• There is continual and measureable growth in student learning and development.

• develop an inclusive approach to meet the diverse learning needs of all students. (TL2.1)

• Collaborative planning, with a focus on pedagogy, is scheduled in all divisions vertically and horizontally.

• facilitate collaborative planning with a focus on pedagogy.

(TL2.2)

• Staff interpret data, define goals and take meaningful action for student learning.

• use assessment to support, as well as measure, learning.

(TL2.3)

• Documentation of curriculum and student learning reflects the ATLs as outlined by the IB.

• plan for, teach, and assess the Approaches to Learning (ATL).

(TL2.4)

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Area of Focus: Teaching and Learning

We

Value constructing meaning from real-life experiences We Commit to ● constructing meaning through collaborative inquiry

● delivering a conceptual curriculum that explores the interconnectedness of academic disciplines

We Will:

● working within global and local contexts

SECTION THREE

TL3

We

Our Success Indicators:

• increase teamwork and collaboration amongst students. (TL3.2) • develop systems to ensure vertical alignment and review of curriculum. (TL3.3)

• Student voice is evident in the inquiry process.

• Collaboration is embedded in learning engagements.

• strengthen connections across disciplines to enhance learning. (TL3.4)

• Systematic approaches to curriculum review across programmes are established.

• include local and global contexts in curriculum documentation (written, taught and assessed). (TL3.5)

• Units of study across the programmes are based on content that is significant, relevant, challenging and engaging.

• Collaborative planning across subjects is scheduled.

• Units of study across the programmes address issues of global and local importance.

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Area of Focus: Teaching and Learning

• develop approaches which enable students and teachers to co-construct understanding. (TL3.1)

SECTION THREE

TL4

Value

diverse cultures and perspectives

Commit to We

● developing International Mindedness and intercultural understanding

We Will:

Our Success Indicators: • Additional language curricula are developed.

• A broad mother tongue programme is in place.

● expand understanding of languages and cultures, including host country. (TL4.1)

• Profile attributes are embedded in the written, taught and assessed curriculum.

● develop in students and teachers the attributes of the learner profile. (TL4.2)

• Action / service is embedded in our curriculum.

● build the competencies students need in order to make ethical decisions, solve problems and manage conflict. (TL4.3)

• Scope and sequence of ATL skills are school-wide.

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Area of Focus: Teaching and Learning

We

Area of Focus:

Professional Culture

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Area of Focus:

Professional Culture

SECTION FOUR

SECTION FOUR

PC1

Value

the collaborative process

Commit to We

●

Our Success Indicators:

a culture of collaboration

• Agreements are developed and implemented related to collaboration

We Will:

and teaming.

• create and foster a collaborative environment founded on shared agreements and balanced participation. (PC1.1)

• Collaborative planning is scheduled in all divisions vertically and horizontally.

• share our beliefs, inquiries and results with colleagues and provide time, space and resources for everyone to be effective.

(PC1.2)

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Area of Focus: Professional Culture

We

Value informed decision-making guided by the school’s mission

Commit to We

● making thoughtful and transparent decisions based on multiple sources of information, which include gaining perspectives, researching best practice and collecting data to determine next steps

We Will: • develop our culture of data-informed decision-making (PC2.1)

Our Success Indicators: • Practices are in place for using data to

inform curriculum, guide teaching and learning, and support school-wide strategic planning.

• Key strategic decisions and processes are

documented and shared with all relevant stakeholders.

SECTION FOUR

We

Area of Focus: Professional Culture

PC2

We

Value ongoing professional learning and development

Commit to We

SECTION FOUR

PC3

● planning and evaluating teaching and learning collaboratively, providing relevant professional learning opportunities ● providing ongoing teacher development for Saudi nationals

Our Success Indicators: •A strategic vision for whole-school, divisional and team development will be implemented and shared, supporting the school’s strategic plan and mission.

We Will: • develop a planned approach to professional learning and development, with targeted opportunities for personal learning. (PC3.1)

•Enhanced engagement in professional inquiries and Communities of Practice.

• enhance the Professional Learning and Performance (PLP) process. (PC3.2)

•A school-wide definition of Communities of Practice, with an identified purpose and ways of working, is in place.

• develop and nurture talent and create opportunities for leadership. (PC3.3)

•Practices will be in place for all professionals to participate in inquiries.

• explore ways to enhance the Advancement Program for Saudi nationals. (PC3.4) •

•Increase in the number of opportunities for existing staff to engage in leadership roles.

offer ongoing training for Thuwal teachers. (PC3.5)

•Reviewed TDP program is in place.

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Area of Focus: Professional Culture

● building leadership capacity

Area of Focus:

Engagement 15

Area of Focus: Engagement

SECTION FIVE

Value connections with the community

Commit to We

● utilising the resources and facilities in the community to enrich our programme

SECTION FIVE

We

E1

• further develop relationships with the university and KAUST community as well as in Kingdom. (E1.1)

Our Success Indicators: • A database has been created that documents links with the university and beyond, and evaluates all collaborative projects.

Area of Focus: Engagement

We Will:

SECTION FIVE

E2

Value home school partnerships Our Success Indicators:

Commit to We

•Our calendars include parent information

sessions, PAC, PFL, PTC and SLCs** and the agendas, minutes and programmes are published.

● providing opportunities to engage and collaborate with parents

•Parents information events are relevant

and meet the needs of the school and the parents.

We Will:

•A variety of platforms are in place for

• further develop our approach to informing parents of school programmes. (E2.1)

communication with parents.

**Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), Partners for Learning (PFL), Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC), Student Led Conferences (SLC)

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Area of Focus: Engagement

We

Value active engagement of students in a co-curricular program

Commit to We

● offering an age-appropriate, co-curricular programme

We Will: • enhance opportunities for all students to participate in co-curricular programmes. (E3.1) • create a culture in which all teachers sponsor engagements outside the regular curriculum. (E3.2)

SECTION FIVE

We

Our Success Indicators: • The range of opportunities and the

widespread participation in the co-curricular programme has increased.

• Our calendar of events and assembly

programmes includes opportunities for sharing and celebrating.

• All teachers are engaged in sponsoring

activities outside the regular curriculum.

Area of Focus: Engagement

E3

Area of Focus: Organizational Development

Area of Focus:

Organizational Development 19

SECTION SIX

SECTION SIX

OD1

Value sustainable financial planning and management

Commit to We

Our Success Indicators:

● optimizing funding to support the school's mission, vision and values

•Total costing exercise is embedded.

• Annual budget ask is prepared and approved by the Board of Education in a timely manner.

We Will:

• Financial allocation processes and procedures are fit for purpose, clear and transparent.

• effectively utilize financial resources to align with the KAUST financial guidelines. (OD1.1)

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Area of Focus: Organizational Development

We

We

SECTION SIX

Value effective school governance

Commit to We

● clarity and transparency of our governance

We Will: • develop, review and communicate policies and associated guidelines. (OD 2.1)

Our Success Indicators:

• Up to date policies and associated

guidelines are published and implemented.

• Policies and associated guidelines are fit

for purpose and further the school's mission and meet the needs of stakeholders.

• A policy database is accessible and

searchable.

• Regular Board of Education update

reports are provided to staff from the Director.

Area of Focus: Organizational Development

OD2

We

Value effective organisational structures Our Success Indicators:

Commit to We

• Regular reviews of organizational structures to ensure role clarity and effectiveness.

● clarity of roles and responsibilities

We Will:

• Regular review of the

organizational chart.

• ensure organisational structures are clear and logical by providing clarity around staff roles and responsibilities.

(OD3.1)

• Staff are provided with job descriptions

and well described ways of work.

• ensure systems and processes support a responsive, integrated, and sustainable service-oriented model. (OD3.2)

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Area of Focus: Organizational Development

SECTION SIX

OD3

SECTION SIX

OD4

We

Value our people

Commit to We

● recruiting and retaining the right people

• recruit and retain high quality teachers and professional staff. (OD4.1) •

build leadership capacity and opportunities. (OD4.2)

Our Success Indicators: • Increase the proportion of Tier 2 and

Tier 3 teachers.

• Turnover rates are lower than

international averages.

• Leadership capacity is developed and opportunities are accessible throughout the organisation.

Area of Focus: Organizational Development

We Will:

We

Value quality physical spaces Our Success Indicators:

Commit to We

• Completion of school infrastructure and

● spaces and environments that are conducive to learning

building works program that is conducive to learning.

• Reduction in health and safety issues.

We Will: • create and develop modern, high standard and safe learning environments that enhance teaching and learning and child well-being. (OD5.1)

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Organizational Development

SECTION SIX

OD5