Po Kok Primary School

Po Kok Primary School School Development Plan 2011/12-2013/14

Po Kok Primary School 1. School Vision & Mission The vision of the School is as follows:- to adopt the motto of the Buddha s spirit of benevolence and fraternity and to nurture pupils good characters; to provide a caring, supportive and stimulating environment which nurtures an all round education and development of our pupils; to develop the full potential of our pupils that will enable them to become confident and independent in all aspects of school life; to prepare our pupils for their responsibilities as good citizens and develop their awareness of their role in the community. The mission of the School is as follows:- to allow pupils to have a better understanding of Buddhism through Buddhist studies and related extra-curricular activities, which help pupils further explore the Buddha s spirit of benevolence and fraternity, and facilitate their mental and intellectual developments; to help pupils acquire the ability of self discipline and enhance their sense of belonging to the School; to encourage pupils to take part in more extra-curricular activities and create a language rich environment so that they can enhance their proficiency in Chinese and English and develop their multiple intelligence; to keep close touch with parents through activities organized by the Parent Teacher Association and constant contact between teachers and parents, thus facilitating the School s development and enhancing learning efficacy; to help pupils acquire knowledge of information technology and develop the ability to apply information technology so that they are able to meet the needs of society in the twenty-first century. 2. School Goals Uphold moral and spiritual values based on Buddhism principles, help pupils further explore the Buddha s spirit of benevolence and fraternity ; Provide a holistic education that nurtures the whole person and helps pupils acquire the ability of self discipline and enhance their sense of belonging to the School; 1

Promote multiple- intelligence development to allow pupils to develop their own individual talents and a bilingual program that emphasizes both English and Chinese languages and cultures and leads to fluency in these two languages; Nurture in each student an open outlook in life, respect for cultural diversity and the beliefs and values of all people, and a sense of commitment and social responsibility; Helps pupils to become flexible thinkers who are able to question existing thinking, adapt and creatively meet the demands of the future; Integrate liberal arts, science and technology to allow pupils to adjust well in a competitive global society. 3. School Motto Benevolence and Fraternity 4. Core Values of Education Po Kok Primary School is committed to the achievement of academic excellence. It is characterized and enriched by its diverse, multicultural environment of NCS pupils. The core value of Po Kok Primary School is to inspire pupils to a lifelong love of learning. The school promotes a holistic development based on Buddhism principles and sound moral values. It encourages creativity, which will maximize pupils potential and promote the growth of the whole person. The school prepares its pupils to be ethical, compassionate, responsible citizens, contributing to local and global communities, respectful of others views, beliefs and cultures, and to make a difference in the world. 2

Effectiveness of the previous School Development Plan Holistic Review Major Concerns Extent of Targets Achieved Follow-up action Remarks Fully Achieved: Incorporated as routine work: School has developed school based curricula such Better learning and teaching scheme as Chinese and Liberal Studies etc. The curricula School based curricula suit the needs of Non Chinese pupils and enhance their learning abilities. Our Liberal Studies has Continue to be major concerns in the closely followed the education trend to provide a next SDP: strong linkage with secondary school s liberal Supporting teachers professional studies. After three years of hard work, we development believed that our school based curricula are well Strengthen teachers teaching skills in a developed. structural manner: Major Concern 1: Partly Achieved: a. Emphasis on teachers questioning Teachers can follow the better learning and techniques, provided chances for pupils to teaching scheme while teaching. Teachers agreed explore questions in depth during classes. Strengthen teachers that the scheme is effective and can enhance their b. Strengthen the use of cooperative teaching strategies to teaching capacities. Pupils can also grasp the learning strategies, let pupils interact and enhance pupils learning objectives of the lessons clearly. However, there function to enhance learning. abilities is still room for improvement in using cooperative Main subject teachers should arrange learning strategies and questioning techniques. According to the stakeholders survey and ESR report, school should develop pupils generic skills activities for student to develop their study skills and set goals for each level. and self study skills in a more structural manner so Set up Homework Reward System to as to enhance pupils learning capacities. School should strengthen the function of the teachers development team and provide support for encourage pupils to complete their homework seriously, hence, enhance their self confidence. teachers, for example training and workshops, so as to reach consensus among school major concerns. 3

Major Concern 2: Help NCS pupils develop sense of belongingness to our school Fully Achieved: School has organised different workshops and seminars for teachers during teachers development days. All these workshops and seminars were focusing on our major concern and the needs of the school. According to the results of the teachers questionnaire, over 90% of the teachers agreed the seminars and workshops helped them to gain a better understanding towards Non Chinese Pupils, hence, enhance their confidence in teaching them. Under the monitoring and planning of the school curriculum team, school has successfully organised different activities to help pupils gain sense of belonging to school, for example, International week, School culture plan and Celebrating festivals of different countries. According to the results of the questionnaire, over 90% of the pupils liked the activities and they had developed a harmonious relationship among different races. Most of the subject panels had supported KS1 pupils and SEN pupils by organising different groups of student ambassadors to take care of them during morning reading sessions, recess, after lunch and after school homework class. According to the stakeholders survey, pupils like the school very much and they think that the teachers care about them a lot. As a result, we believed that they have sense of belonging to school. School has encouraged a lot of pupils to take part Incorporated as routine work: Continue to refine different learning activities and theme based learning, so as to strengthen pupils sense of belonging. continue to encourage pupils to participate in different competitions, performances and ECA, so as to widen their horizon. Continue to be major concerns in the next SDP: Provide supports (for example talks, seminars and learning circle) to new teachers to better their understanding towards Non Chinese Pupils. Support teachers to develop a road map for their career development. Pupils have grasped the foundations of self discipline and positive attitude, however, according to the stakeholder survey, school should reinforce pupils good manner and the skills of communication. 4

in different competitions, performances and activities. ECA Team has provided a variety of activities which suits the needs of Non Chinese Pupils. Over 90% of the pupils enjoyed the variety of ECA. In response to the ESR report, the school has arranged P1 and P2 pupils to join at least one of the uniform groups. Subject panels have designed activities to develop pupils talent. Cross curriculum activities have provided opportunities for pupils to widen their horizons. According to the stakeholder survey, the results for School has encouraged pupils to take part in ECA and School has organized Activities that broaden pupils learning experiences are positive. Partly Achieved: According to the stakeholders survey, pupils think that the school has helped them develop positive attitudes by organising talks and growth lessons. According to teachers observation, pupils participated actively during the mentioned events. However, there is still room for improvement to build up a more organised framework for good manners. Moreover, according to the stakeholders survey, parents believed that there is room for improvement in the following item: building a harmony relationship among classmates. The discipline team has launched the Po Kok Superstar and Monthly Star Program to encourage pupils to develop good attitudes. 5

Responding to ESR report, the school has set up themes to help build up pupils positive self image, the plan is now in progress. Student support team has organized Sunshine Teacher Program and Appreciation Board to build up a caring environment at school. According to the results of the questionnaire, over 90% of the pupils liked these activities and enhanced their self confidence through participating in these activities. According to the results of APASO and stakeholder survey, there is room for improvement in the areas self-discipline, communicate with others and good manners. Major Concern 3: Develop pupils reading interests and habits, create a reading environment Fully Achieved: From the results of the Library s evaluation meeting and major subject panel meeting, teachers have taught reading skills effectively and the pupils reading skills were enhanced. Pupils have developed their reading habits and they have borrowed book from the library in a routine manner. According to the stakeholder survey, parents still want the pupils to read more books apart from textbook. This may be reinforced in the next development plan. Continue to be the major concern in the next SDP: Library activities should be developed into routine work. According to the stakeholder survey, the library team should strengthen parental reading next year. 6

Evaluation of the School s Overall Performance PI Areas Major Strengths Areas for Improvement 1. School Management The school has a clear direction of development. Some of the middle managers could more fully develop their The school has a clear PIE system which involves all functions of planning and evaluation, identifying the extent teachers. of target achievement and gaps in implementing the school s The school has a clear mission to serve the Non Chinese priority tasks at committee and/or school levels. Pupils and it has developed a comprehensive curriculum to suit their needs. Mobility is high. A more comprehensive program should be developed to accommodate new teachers. 2. Professional Leadership Principal provides effective guidance to the continuous development of the school and oversees school work effectively. Panel heads and teachers have an amicable working relationship. Principal and senior teachers have sound knowledge about Non Chinese Pupils. The Teacher Professional Development Team should devise a more focused staff development plan, with a view to strengthening teacher and subject development in the light of MC. The professional development plan should be enhanced to guide strategic implementation of the relevant major concerns by stages at the classroom level. There is a need for the school to engage more professional dialogue regarding the wide ranging teaching strategies. It aims to adopt and the specific outcomes of cooperative learning. The more in-depth understanding will aid subject panels in their implementation and outcome evaluation. 7

PI Areas Major Strengths Areas for Improvement 3. Curriculum and Assessment Panels have developed their school based curriculum to support the learning of the pupils. School has provided ample of learning activities for pupils to widen their horizon, for example, life-wide learning activities, theme-based learning week, project learning etc. With different modes of assessment, for example quality assignments, project learning, cooperative learning strategies etc, pupils and parents can participate in the learning evaluation to foster pupils learning. With the help of Pupils Learning Profile, school can provide a comprehensive assessment for pupils and parents and to strengthen parent school relationship. Curriculum Development Team should strengthen their organising and monitoring roles by setting up different strategies to improve teachers questioning techniques and the use of cooperative learning strategies. Strengthen the roles of middle managers so that they can lead their teams and panels to achieve the goals set in major concern 1 and oversee the implementation process. Refine teachers questioning techniques in order to help pupils explore the lessons Strengthen the use of cooperative learning strategies and develop the functions of each member in groups to foster learning.(respond to ESR report). 8

PI Areas Major Strengths Areas for Improvement 4. Student Learning and Teaching Teachers can make use of Better Learning and Teaching scheme to foster teaching and learning and achieve learning objectives.(respond to ESR report) Pupils have ample opportunities to interact with each other and enhance their learning capacities. (As shown in stakeholder survey) Pupils can incorporate self study skills into routine work.(as shown in stakeholder survey) Pupils have developed good reading habits and can use reading strategies to strengthen their learning. (As shown in stakeholder survey) The Teacher Professional Development Team should monitor and oversee the implementation of the training programs and workshops of cooperative learning strategies to foster learning and teaching capacities. Develop pupils self study skills. Major subject panels should design activities to enhance pupils self study skills. (Respond to stakeholder survey and ESR report) Develop pupils learning skills to enhance pupils; learning confidence. Major subject panels should design activities to enhance pupils learning skills in a strategic manner. Help pupils to adopt a more serious manner at work. A reward scheme should be build up to encourage pupils to put more effort in their work, hence, build up their self confidence. (stakeholder survey) 9

PI Areas Major Strengths Areas for Improvement 5. Student Support School has developed our school based curriculum to support Non Chinese Pupils. School has successfully created a harmonious environment which promotes racial harmony. For Special Education Needs pupils, school has provided a comprehensive program to support their learning. For P1 pupils, school has arranged a series of activities to support them to get familiarize with the school learning environment. For new immigrants, school has provided language courses and community program to help them understand more about the community. For low income families, the school has been working with different organizations to provide them with financial and learning support to enhance their self confidence. Cross-panel collaboration could be stepped up to strengthen whole school implementation of supporting different kinds of pupils. According to ESR report, we should strengthen the functions of the remedial classes and should design graded tasks to cater for learners diversities. 6. Partnership PTA has been set up for years and the relationship between school and PTA is harmonious. School has held different variety of parents seminars and talks which are welcomed by parents School has good relationships with organisations in the neighborhood. Develop Alumni Association, invite past pupils to become our supporting network Encourage parent volunteer to strengthen the bond between parents and school. Make use of the social resources to widen pupils learning experiences. 10

PI Areas Major Strengths Areas for Improvement Discipline and Counseling Team s follow-up measures dealing with ability of making friends help pupils improve their social skills effectively. Our theme is racial harmony this year. Discipline and Counseling Team has launched a 7. Attitude and variety of activities to enhance pupils' interpersonal and Behaviour community relations. Most of the pupils can show their care for others. Teachers and pupils have a harmonious relationship. Pupils get along well with their schoolmates. There is still room of improvement in aspects of compliance and courtesy. We recommend strengthening pupils self awareness of compliance, self-discipline and courtesy so that they understand the importance of compliance with social order. We recommend nurturing pupils responsibility in order to strengthen their sense of belonging. There is a need to strategically formulate a framework of building up good manners and positive attitude. 8. Participation and Achievement Pupils participate actively in various competitions, performances and ECA. Lower primary pupils should take more active role in inter-school competitions. Pupils won a lot of prizes and have developed their talents More pupils should engage in uniform groups. through various means. 11

SWOT Analysis Our Strengths We have developed our own school based curriculum to suit the needs of the Non Chinese Pupils Extra Native English Teachers to help build up an authentic environment Generous support from the sponsoring body to help pupils enhancing their learning abilities Our Weaknesses Relatively green middle management who lack of experience in managing monitoring roles Non Chinese Pupils lack learning skills to enhance their learning capacities Non Chinese Pupils are more vivacious and self discipline need to be strengthened Our Opportunities More Non Chinese Pupils migrating to Hong Kong Strong connections with ethnic minorities communities More attention and resources support from Education Department Our Threats Keen competition in our district with more schools willing to take in Non Chinese Pupils Non Chinese Pupils and Special Education Needs Pupils have different learners diversities Non Chinese Pupils have different cultures which lead to high absence and personal leave rates Major Concerns for 2011/12-2013/14 (in order of priority) 1. Promote and develop pupils learning habits and strategies 2. Cultivate pupils good moral values 3. Support teachers professional development 12

School Development Plan (2011/12-2013/14) Major Concerns Targets Time Scale 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 A General Outline of Strategies 1. Promote and develop pupils learning habits and strategies Pupils can demonstrate the following qualities during lesson time: 1. Participate actively and confidently. 2. Try to answer different levels of questions. Pupils can develop good learning habits and use appropriate learning skills: 1. Complete their preparation study at home. 2. KS 2 pupils can jot notes for self study. 3. Bonus Mark Dictation 1. The implementation of the training programs and workshops of questioning techniques, cooperative learning strategies to foster learning and teaching capacities will be monitored and overseen by the teachers development team. 2. Monitoring System: strengthen the organizing and monitoring role of the curriculum team; strategically implement different teaching strategies in a yearly manner. 3. Monitoring System: Questionnaires and meetings will be adopted as the monitoring and assessing measures. 4. The functions and roles of the middle managers will be fully developed so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the strategies through monitoring the co-planning, co-teaching process. 5. Co-planning lessons will be implemented in Maths & GS lessons. Different level of questions will be designed to use in class. 6. Self learning activities will be developed (start from senior levels). 13

2. Cultivate pupils good moral values Pupils can follow school rules and achieve self-discipline. Pupils can respect and get along well with each other. (P1-P3) (P1-P4) (P1-P5) 1. Pupils understand and obey the classroom rules. 2. An integrated rewarding scheme Po Kok Super Star concerning different behavioural problems will be carried out throughout the whole year. 3. Different training programmes will be provided for pupils. 4. P1 and P2 pupils will be recruited as uniform groups members in order to provide more opportunities for them to serve the community. 5. Class based management will be practised to enhance ties among pupils. 6. A house program will be launched to strengthen the relationship among pupils. 7. Inter-class discipline competition and house competition will be held to strengthen relationship among pupils in different levels. 8. Everyone has a duty scheme will be carried out in P5-P6. 9. Monitoring system: Questionnaires and meetings will be adopted as the monitoring and assessing measures. 14

3. Support teachers professional development Teachers are clear about their needs of professional growth. Teachers can plan their professional development path to suit their own goals and to ensure those goals match with the school needs. Middle managements are clear about their organizing and monitoring roles and responsibilities. New teachers are clear about the school visions and missions, adapt to the school culture and can learn, teach and lead pupils to learn by following the pedagogies suggested by school. 1. A comprehensive GEESE Program will be developed. The current policy will be reviewed and a road map for teachers will be developed. The program includes : - a middle management training program which provides school based and team based leadership training on desirable qualities. (People who share a common goal and destination can work together to make that journey easier. Working as a team is also less stressful than trying to do all the work alone.) - a comprehensive mentoring program which helps new teacher adapt to the environment.( We need to stand by one another through difficult times as well as when we are strong.) - a support program which help teachers by organizing professional development activities to gain thorough understanding of the knowledge, pedagogies and assessment methods that relate to our school s major concern. 2. School based performance indicators and evaluation criteria will be drawn up to help middle management monitor the performances of functional groups/subject departments. 3. Monitoring system: Questionnaires and meetings will be adopted as the monitoring and assessing measures. 15