Seed Educational Trust

School Leadership Programme

History of the SLP

• The SLP was launched in 2006 with a pilot involving the SMTs of 8 schools (4 primary and 4 high schools) in the East Metropole of the Western Cape.

• Since then more than 500 educators have participated in the programme from 4 districts in 3 provinces

Goals and objectives

Big Goal:

• To bring resilience and organizational health to stressed and challenged schools so that learner

performance is enhanced.

Objectives

• To develop confidence, insight and skills in leaders of schools so that they are ready and able to lead change in their schools

• To improve the ability of leaders of schools to lead cohesive and effective teams

Structure of programme

• Our Approach – Systemic- We seek to work with the different parts of the

system holistically and concurrently.

– We emphasize the personal development of the leader

– The programme includes training, coaching, team coaching, facilitation as a sustained and integrated intervention.

– Mentoring will be included in 2015 as well as training of SGBs and psycho-social support

– Partnerships – we work collaboratively with other NPOs and role players to impact the system

Partnerships • USB-ED is our academic partner

• The Old Mutual Education Flagship Programme (OMEFP) is our funder and facilitates the integrated approach with other partners

• Winning Teams and NMMU provide Maths and Science support

• The Building Resilience programme has been incorporated into the SLP

• Columba provides leadership development to learners

OUR PROCESS

Step 1 Establish Baseline

Identified school

Team Performance Assessment measuring

Morale, goals roles, processes,

relationships

Team Performance areas

3.5

3.8375

4.0285

3.8285 3.8571

4.137

3.7075

3.9428 3.9428 3.9

PersonalMotivation and

Attitude

Goals andDirection

Roles Processes Relationships

Averages of Categories (max score =5)

Non SMT SMT

The Team Performance tool

Personal Motivation and Attitude

Question Number

Question Non SMT Score SMT Score

1 I find my work at this school fulfilling 4,1 4,2

2 I feel motivated to excel in my work at this school 3,8 4,5

3 The working environment at this school motivates me to apply myself fully to my work in this school

3,4 4,2

4 My personal circumstances (financial, family etc.) allow me to apply myself fully to my work in this school

3,1 4,3

5 I enjoy teaching at this school so much that I don’t think that I would be more fulfilled at another school

3,4 4,5

6 I enjoy teaching at this school so much that I don’t think that I would be more fulfilled in another career

3,2 3,2

7 Average of all answers under ‘personal motivation’

category 3,5 4,1

Step 2 Systemic intervention

Identified school /

District Technical support

Provision of resources

Effective Management

Team Coaching

Facilitative leadership

Training

Individual coaching

Other initiatives run

by other organisations

COP facilitation

SLP: Facilitative Leadership themes

covered in Training and coaching

• Self in context

– Insights Personality Discovery profile

– Self differentiation

Leadership Themes

• Managing relationships

– Understanding Relationship systems

– Managing anxiety

– Dealing with complexity

• Managing change

– Intra and inter personal dynamics of change

– Managing resistance to change

– Leading change

Leadership themes

• Managing conflict

– Understanding how conflict escalates

– Methods to resolve conflict

• Leading effective teams

– Goals

– Roles

– Processes

– Relationships

• Developing a theory of change

Communities of Practice • One COP piloted in KWT in 2014

• 6 COPs to be started in 2015

• COPs are seen as a way to provide sustainability to the change

• Year 1 is a mixture of input and applying knowledge to their own situations

• Year 2, the COP is a facilitated process working with what the group brings

• Year 3, the COP is facilitated internally

Step 3 Measure impact and learn

Identified school / District

Team Performance Assessment - Post

Monthly Coaching Statements – Shifts in

awareness, belief and behaviour

4 Assignments

Study school evaluations

Matric results

Measuring improvement in Team Performance

Personal Motivation and Attitudes Comparison

Question Non SMT Score 1

Feb 2013

Non SMT Score 2

May 2014

Non SMT Variance

SMT Score 1

Feb 2013

SMT Score 2

May 2014

SMT Varianc

e

1 I find my work at this school fulfilling 4 3,8 -0,2 4,3 4,3 0

2 I feel motivated to excel in my work at this school 3,4 3,6 0,2 3,6 3,7 0,1

3 The working environment at this school motivates me to apply myself fully to my work in this school

3 3,4 0,4 3 3,3 0,3

4 My personal circumstances( financial, family etc) allow me to apply myself fully to my work in this school

3,9 3,4 -0,5 5 4,3 -0,7

5 I enjoy teaching at this school so much that I don’t think that I would be more fulfilled at another school

3 3,6 0,6 3,6 4,3 0,7

6 I enjoy teaching at this school so much that I don’t think that I would be more fulfilled in another career

2,9 3,3 0,4 2,6 4,3 1,7

7 Average of all answers under ‘personal motivation’ category 3,3 3,5 0,2 3,6 4,0 0,4

Programmes run • 10 intakes in East Metropole Western Cape

between 2006 and 2011 focused on District office and 41 schools

• 6 intakes in King Williamstown District focused on the District office and 25 schools

• 4 intakes in Jane Furse District in Limpopo focused on District office and 26 schools

• 2 intakes in East London District focused on District office and 11 schools in Duncan Village

Impact in Western Cape • In 2010, Manzomthombo Secondary School (2009 intake) was placed

4th in the province for excellence in academic achievement. It also received awards for most improvement in Physical Sciences and life sciences.

• In 2011, 7 out of 20 participating high schools received awards from the WCED for significant improvement (more than 10%) in Mathematics and Bachelors passes

• COSAT was placed 9th in the province for matric results in 2011. The highest position ever by a township school

• Matthew Goniwe High School received an award for significant improvement in matric results in 2011 (more than 50% improvement over the past 2 years)

• Malibu and Simanyene High Schools received awards for being placed in the top 10 most improved high schools in the province in 2012

Impact in Western Cape

• 9 out of 21 participating primary schools received WCED awards for significant improvement (more than 10%) in Gd 3 litnum results in 2011

• 15 of the 21 participating primary schools showed an improvement in Grade 3 literacy scores in 2012. Three of them had improvements of more than 40%

• Solomon Quatyana and Umthawelanga Primary Schools (2010 intake) received awards from the WCED for significant improvement in Grade 3 numeracy and literacy in 2012

• Umthawelanga Primary school showed a 31% increase in Gd 3 literacy and a 64% increase in Grade 3 numeracy in 2012

Matric results in KWT

• In 2013, 20 out of the 25 SLP schools showed an increase in the percentage pass rate. The average increase of these schools was 15,6%

• In 2013, 19 of the 25 SLP schools showed an increase in the number of matric passes. The average number of increased passes in these 19 schools was 16

• Mpumelelo High School increased its pass rate from 45% to 100% and its number of passes from 5 to 26

Matric results in KWT

• Enoch Sontonga increased its pass rate from 55% to 88% and its number of passes from 39 to 61

• Of the schools that showed a decline only 2 of them declined in both percentage pass rate and number of passes and in one case this was only a decline of one less learner passing

Team Performance shifts

7 schools in our 10th intake in the Western Cape in 2012

Improvement in areas of team performance

Number of schools

Achievements in 2012

5 areas 1 Top performing township school in matric exams in Western Cape

4 areas 3 2 of the schools received awards for significant academic improvement

3 areas 2

2 areas

1 area 1 Received an award for significant academic improvement

Team Performance shifts Mid term review of 10 schools in KWT

Improvement in areas of team performance

Number of schools Matric results in 2013

5 areas 3 • 13.1% improvement • 16,7% improvement • -23,4% decline

4 areas 3 • 2,3% improvement • 1,6% improvement • 2,7% improvement

3 areas

2 areas

1 area 3 • 6,4% improvement • 32,1% improvement • 10,8% improvement

0 areas 1 • -8,6% decline

In conclusion

• Improving education in South Africa is not a sprint neither is it a marathon. It is more of a dance where we may be required to take steps backwards or just must mark time before moving forward. Whilst we must never forget the systemic nature of the challenge, the reality is that individuals change schools and this is where our focus should be