Following the completion of the Students with Disability Review in December 2020, the Commission recommended the Education Standing Committee be renamed the Learning Wellbeing and Inclusion Standing Committee, in readiness for the 2021 school year.
Chaired by Georgia Dennis and comprising professional members representing the two respective Principal Associations, community and/or parents and a representative from the Diocese of Port Pirie, the Learning Wellbeing and Inclusion Standing Committee (LWI) met on seven occasions during 2021.
During 2021, the committee received reports and recommendations in relation to the Students with Disability Review and considered various matters of significance to CESA. Part of this comprehensive review involved the examination and assessment of the various Advisory Committees, which historically reported to the Education Standing Committee. A significant component of the Students with Disability Review was the development of an Implementation Plan for the Review’s recommendations and the drafting of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, which will ensure a Strategy Portfolio will be built to align with the new document. It is anticipated that this Policy and accompanying Strategy Portfolio will be completed in 2022.
The School Quality and Performance (SQP) Section commenced 2021 with a significant change in personnel from the previous year, welcoming 19 new staff and eight ongoing staff into new or modified roles.
The new SQP section’s focus was to:
The SQP section commenced the year with a clear mandate to implement the CESA Blueprint for Step Change. The Blueprint outlines a range of initiatives including the Leader of Learning grants to all schools, the re-structure of the SQP team, the appointment of System Coaches and the changing focus of Schools Performance Leaders (SPLs), Education Advisors and Advisors.
In 2021, 40 primary and secondary schools (Cohorts 1 and 2) commenced their journey with the Clarity Learning Suite (CLS) supported by their School Performance Leader and their System Coach support. These schools are due to complete the CLS program by mid-2022. In 2022, 48 schools are committed to starting their CLS engagement.
Throughout 2021 work continued on embedding CESA’s Key Capability Continua and quality improvement cycle linked to system targets and founded on the cycle developed for the Living Learning Leading Standard.
The disruptions to the Learning and Wellbeing 2020 workplan were considerable due to the impact of COVID-19, causing a system-wide lockdown in Term 1 and a regional lockdown in Term 4. Many system-wide projects were put on hold and others abandoned so resources could be deployed to schools. Highlights of the 2020 deliverables include:
Introduced in 2020, the School Quality and Performance Consultant team (SQPC), through the Deputy Director, was responsible for driving a significant improvement agenda across the system of Catholic schools within the context of the Strategy.
SQPCs worked collaboratively with the principal in diocesan accountable schools to ensure strong leadership at each school, focusing on improving learning outcomes for students and actively promoting Catholic identity.
Despite the interruptions and upheaval caused by the global pandemic, the SQPCs demonstrated the agility, flexibility and responsiveness that was required in this uncertain and dynamic context.
The pandemic necessitated a clear focus on the professional supervision and pastoral support for principals in a time of challenge and uncertainty. Working alongside and through principals the SQPC team maintained a student-centred focus that prioritized: relationships, identity, learning and belonging.
The SQPC team, supported by the Curriculum Learning & Wellbeing team, People Leadership & Culture team, the Information & Communication Technology team and CESA Finance, engaged throughout 2020 with school leadership teams in the delivery of key system initiatives as follows:
