Unlike anywhere else we know of, the Welsh government has recognised the amount of change involved in implementing Successful Futures and has developed an all-Wales model of schools as learning organisations. ‘Schools in Wales as Learning Organisations’ sets out a framework with seven dimensions:
- developing and sharing a vision centred on the learning of all students
- creating and supporting continuous learning opportunities for all staff
- promoting team learning and collaboration among all staff
- establishing a culture of inquiry, innovation and exploration
- embedding systems for collecting and exchanging knowledge and learning
- learning with and from the external environment and larger learning system
- modelling and growing learning leadership
A recent paper by ESTYN??? noted that currant weaknesses in schools included ;
- the development of a shared vision centred on learning for all
- establishing a culture of inquiry, innovation and exploration
The establishment of an enquiry culture lies at the heart of building powerful learners (BLP) across the school.
As Welsh schools take on becoming learning organisations they will begin to understand a school as a learning system and look closely at how the seven dimensions interact and affect each other. Like learning powered learners, schools will become conscious of their own learning behaviours and understand the inter-relationships across the whole organisation as opposed to simple cause and effect chains. This accurate and continual self-reflection will give schools a real picture of themselves whose role, and indeed purpose, is to develop both staff and students as powerful learners.
Brian…2 official documents needed here
Schools in Wales as learning Organisations AND an Estyn doc that I don’t know the name of yet