Current opportunities - courses

Developing a “sustainable school”

A course for those taking a lead role in Primary Schools, responding to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) sustainable schools framework

Applications are welcomed for this course in the 2008-9 school year.

The course is designed to support those taking a lead role in primary schools, to develop strategy and implement plans in response to the DCSF sustainable schools framework.

As well as this framework, the course will respond to recent educational initiatives including:

The S3 self-evaluation tool;
Every Child Matters;
the DCSF Sustainable Schools website.

The course is for environmental education or eco-schools co-ordinators, headteachers, senior managers, professional development co-ordinators and teaching staff. It will also be valuable to LA advisors, bursars and staff from NGOs and environmental education centres relating to such work.

A key focus for the course will be work as part of a group, to develop plans and evaluation strategies for in-school CPD.

Report on the West Midlands launch of the Sustainable Schools Framework

The course

This course is for those who are taking a lead role in work responding to the sustainable schools framework.

It offers time and space for collaborative thinking with other professionals:

to explore challenging ideas together;
to look critically at the educational implications involved;
to consider key questions about policy and leadership;
to develop, and reflect on, in-school CPD approaches;
to support strategic planning at a whole school level for taking this work forward … and for evaluating its success.

Course aims
• to build school capacity for creative work responding to sustainable development;
• to support the professional development of staff with a lead role in such work;
• to support these key people in offering in-school CPD opportunities;
• to demonstrate the value of creative work on sustainable development themes as part of the school’s core agenda.

Learning to live sustainably, so we can improve the quality of life without jeopardising the future or other parts of the world, is a challenge that faces us all.

Schools are uniquely placed to help children and young people meet this challenge. Many schools are already some way down this path. I want to encourage every school, through its leadership and its teaching, to make sustainability an integral part of the way they work.

That will help improve the quality of life for all of us and support schools’ efforts in engaging children in learning and in driving up standards.

Alan Johnson, former Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The framework for sustainable schools

The sustainable schools framework

The course has been planned against the background of this framework, which considers the implications of sustainable development for three interlinked dimensions of the school’s life: curriculum, campus [site, grounds and ethos] and community [near and far].

The framework proposes eight ‘doorways’ to sustainable development, and is supported by a self-evaluation tool linked to Ofsted’s SEF criteria.

For information about the framework:
www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools/

Course programme

The course involves three day sessions at the Tide~ Centre, Birmingham.
Between sessions, participants will be expected to explore ideas from the course as part of their own professional practice. The course enables the implementation of strategic plans, including CPD sessions, within participants’ schools.

Work in school

Day 1. Exploring core issues and ideas

At this session, participants will begin to work as a group and consider some core issues. This session includes:

• exploring key ideas and perspectives on sustainable development;

• looking in-depth at policy [in particular, the DCSF Framework, and links to Every Child Matters];

• visualising the potential of participants’ schools as “sustainable schools”;

• mapping the schools’ core priorities and needs against this potential.

Day 2. Initiating strategic plans

The second session will look further at what a whole school strategy might entail, and will begin to plan a CPD session in that context. This session includes:

• thinking about CPD models and approaches;

• considering key challenges in enabling the work within the school;

• investigating resource materials and support;

• working with others to begin drafting plans for CPD sessions.

Day 3. Evaluating strategy and planning CPD

The final session will involve participants working together to develop and refine CPD plans and whole school strategies.

As part of this, the session will explore questions about evaluating this work, and will analyse the potential of the SEF3 self-evaluation tool for supporting this.

Follow up in school

Course facilitation

The course is run by Tide~ global learning, a network of teachers with a particular commitment to work on global learning. Tide~ global learning has considerable experience in professional development, including supporting creative work at curriculum, professional development, and whole-school levels.

It will be facilitated by Ben Ballin, Tide~ Centre

Please email for an application form [available from September]

This course is for those taking a lead role in Primary Schools, responding to the DCSF sustainable schools framework.

It has been designed for environmental education or eco-schools co-ordinators, headteachers, senior managers, professional development co-ordinators and teaching staff. It will also be valuable to LA advisors, bursars and staff from NGOs and environmental education centres relating to such work.

Course fee - £475

Participating schools will receive:
support for the planning, facilitation and evaluation of in-school CPD;
support for the development of a whole school response to the challenge of developing a ‘sustainable school’;
opportunities to look in-depth at ideas and practice, and to share experiences, with colleagues from other schools;
course materials, including complimentary copies of Tide~’s Local and global sustainable development resource series;
information on other relevant support, including CPD opportunities and resources.

Refreshments and lunch will be provided at all sessions.

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