Charters and statements
The school charter
All schools must have a charter, which is reviewed annually.
The charter contains:
- mission statement
- values statement
- vision statement
- strategic section (strategic plan)
- annually updated section (annual plan).
The reviewed charter, with its annually updated section, needs to be provided to the Ministry of Education each year.
Note: The long-term section of your 2011 charter must include your board’s aims, objectives, directions and priorities in relation to National Standards. The annually updated section must include all of these plus targets. Visit this link to find out more detail about this change. Go to Guidance for boards: implementation of National Standards planning and reporting
The mission statement
The mission statement is a brief, focused statement that defines the school's core values and purpose.
A good mission statement is:
- brief
- clearly worded
- free of educational jargon
- easily understood
- meaningful to the staff, students, board, and community.
It should:
- capture the core values and aspirations of the staff, students, board (including the principal), and community
- represent the cultural context of the school – for example, be available in the languages other than English that are spoken in the community
- give a sense of importance to the work of the school by linking it to ideals and important values
- be well known by the staff, students, board, and community.
Examples of mission statements
Passionately preparing people for life
To provide our community with high-quality education within a stimulating and progressive environment
To be a secure, inclusive, respectful, happy, and challenging place, focused on growth and learning for all
Reflection
- What should our mission statement look like in action?
- How is the mission statement reflected in the day-to-day working of our school? Can we give examples of the mission statement 'at work' in our school?
- In what ways is the mission statement referred to in key messages from the school or on important occasions?
- What is the role of the principal in supporting the implementation of the mission statement?
Action
- Ask staff and students if they know what their mission statement is about.
- Check whether your school's mission statement is referred to explicitly in key messages from the school and on important occasions – for example, as a header in the school newsletter.
- Display the mission statement in a public part of the school so that staff, students, and visitors can see it.
The values statement
The values statement clearly states the values and beliefs that inform the mission statement.
It is a reflection of the values of the stakeholders who comprise the school's community (including students, parents/caregivers, staff, and the board).
The values statement could come out of asking the question: "What do we believe is fundamentally important for our children?"
A good values statement:
- is derived from consultation with the school's community
- reflects the identified values from consultation
- is able to be implemented and modelled in the daily life of the school.
Examples of values statements
Tolerance, honesty, respect and caring are promoted.
Learning is fun.
Smithtown School and community believe in these core values and seek to have them taught and modelled in the daily life of the school:
- empathy, care, and respect for others, communities, and the environment
- appreciation and valuing of other cultures
- courtesy
- honesty
- confidence and willingness to take appropriate risks
- responsibility
- desire to learn
- perseverance
- valuing and fostering of each other's differences and passions.
Reflection
- How does our values statement reflect the community?
- Were the stakeholders (the school's community) consulted?
- What evidence is there of meaningful consultation?
- Can we identify examples of the values statement being implemented and modelled in the daily life of our school?
Action/task
- Discuss with the school community how the values can be made explicit and modelled in the operation of the school.
- Discuss what they mean to different groups within the community.
The vision statement
A vision statement briefly describes the desired future for the school.
It is a statement about change and the future.
Examples of vision statements
Continual improvement to provide quality learning to meet the unique needs of each child
To develop our unique qualities to become the intermediate school of choice for our community
Some vision statements are longer and map out several dimensions for the future. For example:
To become a school that strives:
- to pursue excellence in all fields of learning
- to be a place of innovation and creativity with a real sense of fun
- for respect and to reinforce ethnic and cultural identity and diversity
- to grow as a learning organisation that provides and fosters high-quality professional services and opportunities for children, staff, and the community.
Attributes of a good statement
A good vision statement:
- reflects high ideals that people can aspire and commit to
- is seen as achievable (with effort) and implies action
- motivates, by enabling the staff and board to see how their work relates to ideals, values, and the school's future direction
- is a result of a visioning process that involves the staff – they will be the ones who work towards achieving this desired future
- is widely known and understood by the students, staff, board, and community.
Reflection
- In what ways does our vision statement capture and align with the aspirations, hopes, and values of our community, board, and staff?
- How do we know?
- In what ways is our vision statement meaningful? For example, if it talks about 'innovation', what does this mean to stakeholders?
Action/task
- Ask your staff to explain the school's vision statement to you.
- Have a discussion about how the school is progressing the vision towards reality/ implementation.
