Schools as Organisations Argumentative

What are the main types of schools and what are their characteristics? All schools can be grouped into 1 of 2 types. They are either Local Authority (LA) Schools or Independent Schools. LA Schools are maintained by the government, they have to follow the guidelines of the LA and they do not organise their own admissions. Parents do not have to pay for their child to attend a LA school. What sorts of schools are LA schools?

* Nursery School – These are not linked to a school and children will attend from roughly 3-5 years * Nursery Unit – These are attached to a
school and again children usually attend from around 3 to 5 years. * Primary School – These are sometimes called Infant and Junior Schools. Children start school once they are 4 fulltime and begin in the EYFS. They then make the transition to KS1 and stay there until they are around 7 and then they move into KS2 where they stay until they move to secondary education at aged 11. * Secondary Schools – These are sometimes called First or Middle schools in other parts of the country. Children start in KS3 at age 11 and then move onto KS4 when they are 14 to study for their GCSE’s. * Academies – These are sometimes called Beacon Schools. Academies are schools that have received an outstanding OFSTED report. * Specialist Schools – These are schools that specialise in a particular subject such as Arts, Sports or Sciences. * SEN Schools – These are schools that only accept children onto their roll that have SEN. There are currently only primary and secondary SEN schools, there are no nurseries.

What are the main types of schools and what are their characteristics? (continued)

What sorts of schools are Independent Schools?
Independent schools are not governed by the LA but they still have to follow some of their rules. Most Independent Schools are private which means that parents will pay fees to the school in order for their child to be able to attend. Independent schools arrange their own admissions. Religious Schools are independent too as they are usually only open to people who follow the particular faith of the school. Independent schools range from EYFS all the way through to KS4.

What are school governors and what do they do?

School governors are members of their school’s governing body. Individual governors have no power or right to act on behalf of the governing body except where the whole governing body has delegated a specific task to that individual. School governors are chosen from different parts of the community and can be parents and staff or from the LA, the community and other groups. This helps ensure the governing body has a range of views. The governing body has a range of duties and powers and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school. Its responsibilities include but are not limited to: * setting targets for pupil achievement

* managing the school’s finances
* making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based
* appointing staff
* Reviewing staff performance and pay.

There are 4 types of governor at Frosterley School;
* Parent governor
* Staff governor
* Community governor
* Authority governor
These have all been elected by staff, parents and the local community.

What is a Senior Management Team and what do they do?

A school senior management team (SMT) usually consists of at least the Head teacher and Deputy Head teacher but in bigger schools there may be more members. Heads of department, SENCo, School Business Manager and Year Group Leaders are all common additions to the SMT. The SMT is in charge of the day to day running of the school and making sure that everything runs smoothly. They analyse pupils progress, conduct staff appraisals, organise training and in the first instance deal with any complaints.

What is a SENCO and what do they do?

A SENCO or special educational needs officer is usually the first port of call for anyone who has concerns about a child’s progress, ability to learn or physical capabilities. The SENCO should have responsibility for:

* Ensuring liaison with parents and other professionals in respect of children with special educational needs; * Advising and supporting other practitioners in the setting; * Ensuring that appropriate Individual Education Plans are in place; * Ensuring that relevant background
information about individual children with special educational needs is collected, recorded and updated. * Ensuring a smooth transition into the next stage of education for your child.

What are the roles of Teachers and Support Staff?

Teachers are not only in schools to teach children, they also support them in their development and report on any concerns they may have and they review their abilities and set targets for them. Support Staff in schools come in a variety of roles;

* Teaching Assistant
* SEN Teaching Assistant
* Admin Staff
* Kitchen Staff
* Lunchtime Supervisors
Support Staff are there to support both children, teaching staff and also parents. They can help to lighten the load and do some of the jobs that Teaching Staff may not have time to do. They also have more time to build relationships with children.

What are the aims and values of the school and how are they upheld?

What are aims and values?
The definition of an aim is;
A purpose or intention, or a desired outcome.
The definition of a value is;
The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance or preciousness of something. What are >>>>>> School’s aims and values? The school’s main ethos is “Learning and Caring Together”. The school is a very close knit community school and they work very hard to try and build good relationships with the children and their parents. The school’s main aim is to ensure that children come to school, feel happy and secure and are enjoying learning. The school value equal opportunities and lots of work is done throughout the curriculum to ensure that children understand this. The school is very environmentally friendly and they strive to do everything possible to ensure that they are making the most of all resources. This comes in the form of recycling, water saving and energy efficiency. How does the school uphold its aims and values?

On every letter sent out, the “Learning and Caring Together” message is printed, which reinforces the message to parents. The school have a prospectus which is given to every parent upon enrolment in the school, and upon request if necessary. The aims and values are also displayed on the school website. Children are made aware of what is expected of them throughout their whole school career in a variety of ways. They have whole school assemblies, not everyday, but at least 3 times a week, where they talk about caring for one another, respecting people and loving life. There are constant reminders about recycling, saving electricity and water all over the school in the way of posters, stickers and gentle reminders from staff. The children enjoy being “power rangers”, the school council go around the school checking that no unused lights have been left on, computers are switched off and everything possible is being recycled. If they find something that has been left and shouldn’t be they will leave a “busted” badge on the teacher’s desk to remind them. It is a fun way of making them more energy aware.

What are the laws and codes of practice affecting work in schools?

The UN Convention on the rights of the child 1989
This treaty sets out the rights and freedoms of all children in a set of 54 articles. Included in those rights are those which ensure that children are safe and looked after. Article 19 states children’s rights to be ‘protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse’ by those looking after them. Those countries which signed up to the treaty, including the UK in 1991, are legally bound to implement legislation which supports each of the articles. The education Act 2002

This sets out the responsibilities of the local education authority (LEAs) governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm. Children Act 2004 and 2006

This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirement for: Services to work more closely, forming an integrated service. A ‘common’ assessment framework to help the early identification of need. A shared database of information which is relevant to the safety and welfare of children. Earlier support for parents who are experiencing problems. The Human Rights Act 1998

The Act introduces a range of political and civil rights. Under the Act, only a person considered a victim, who is directly affected can bring proceedings against a public authority. There are sixteen basic rights in the Act – some are absolute and some are qualified. In certain circumstances a restriction of a right can be legitimate if it is necessary to achieve the following objectives: The restriction is –

* In the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country
* Necessary for the prevention of crime or disorder
* Necessary for the protection of health and morals
* Necessary for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others
* Is applied in a non-discriminatory manner.

Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2001
This Act is designed to run alongside the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which legislated to prevent the unfair treatment of individuals, in the provision of goods and services, unless justification could be proved. This new legislation was deemed necessary as the previous Act did not mention educational organisations. This was further replaced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. The act required schools, colleges, universities, adult education providers, statutory Youth service and local education authorities to make ‘reasonable provisions’ to ensure people with disabilities or special needs were provided with the same opportunities as those who were not disabled. Disability Discrimination Act 1995

This is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which has now been replaced by the Equality Act 2010, except in Northern Ireland where the Act still applies. This act makes it unlawful to discriminate against people in respect of their disabilities in relation to employment, the provision of goods and services, education and transport. Data Protection Act 2000

This act means all pupils’ information needs to be kept safe and secure within the school. Information should only be used for the purpose intended and pupil’s information should not be taken away from site. Pupil information should only be shared on a need to know basis. Freedom of Information Act 2000

This Act means that information must be shared when needed and schools have a responsibility to offer advice and assistance to anyone who requests information in writing. There are some cases where information will need to be protected if confidential.

Why do schools have policies and procedures?

Policies help define rules, regulations, procedures and protocols for schools. All of these are necessary to help a school run smoothly and safely and ensure that students receive a quality education. Schools have policies for several reasons. Policies establish rules and regulations to guide acceptable behaviour and ensure that the school environment is safe for children, teachers and support staff. School policies also help create a productive learning environment. In order for rules and regulations to be in place and enforced, policies are created, often by the local authority. Having these policies in place means there are structured procedures for how school operations are handled, so that parents, staff and students know what is expected and can act accordingly. This saves time and prevents confusion. Children, Teachers and Support Staff deserve to secure in their environment. In order to create this environment, policies are created that establish safety standards for children and staff. This is done by creating policies such as fire drills, anti-bullying policies and health and safety policies

What policies does School use?

At School there are a number of policies and procedures implemented to ensure that the school runs smoothly. The cover everything from Fire Safety to the use of I.T in schools. There are policies that are designed to protect different people and regulate different things. Which policies relate to staff?

There are;
* Human resource policies
* Marking Policies
* Staff Absence policies
* Data Protection Policies
* Health and safety policies
* Grievance and complaint procedures
* Disciplinary policies

This is not a comprehensive list and there will of course be others. Which policies relate to pupil welfare?
There are;
* Child Protection policies
* Anti-Bullying Policies
* Behaviour Policies
* Health and Safety Policies
* Fire Safety Policies
* Healthy Eating Policies
* I.T in schools policies
* Equal opportunity policies
This is again not a comprehensive list and there are others.

Which polices relate to teaching and learning?
There are:
* Marking policies
* Behaviour Policies
* Homework policies
* Sex education policies
* Religious Education policies
* Educational visits policies
Every single one of these policies is important as they ensure that everyone from teaching staff right through to the parents know what to expect.

Identify the roles and responsibilities of national and local government for education policy and practice

The National Government or the Department for Education (DfE) as it is more commonly know is responsible for: * Drawing up educational polices such as the national curriculum and the early years foundation stage which most schools operate from. * Looking into new ways to develop the services available to children. * Organises the school league tables

* Funds research into educational projects
* Develops a workforce forum
* Promotes integrated learning for those who work with children The Local Government provides support advice and support to schools and educational settings within its own area. They do this through; * Staff training and development

* Identifying special educational needs
* Promoting community work and building community links
* Developing school policies
* Supporting children and their families who may have behavioural problems.

What is the role of schools in national policies relating to children, young people and their families?

Schools are expected to show that they are aware of National policies and that they are working from them. An example of this would be the Every child matters policy. This has had a huge impact of the services available to families and the wider community. This has been implemented in Frosterley School by them operating breakfast clubs, after school clubs and wrap around care. There is no longer any other childcare available in the village of Frosterley after the local nursery closed down last summer. This had a big impact on the working parents who relied on its services for the care of their children before and after work. Ofsted look for things like this in their inspections and will report on it. Schools have a responsibility to develop national policies to fit in with their school, obviously under guidance from the local authority.