“I think your energy and level of engagement with the staff has been a real winner for them.”
Principal, private school in Melbourne.

As Head of School, accountable to the Board, I found that I needed to maximize the benefit of the budgeted allocation for staff and teacher professional development (PD).

To achieve the maximum value with the funds available, I would fly in expertise to facilitate school based PD. We benefited from the professional development; as a school, sub-schools, subject areas and individually. Each year we were able to support the attainment of our school goals, through targeted and bespoke professional development. The quality of our teaching improved, and subsequently positively impacted the student learning experiences.

I can help YOUR SCHOOL/ORGANISATION by developing a proposal that will be specific for your school, aligned with your Guiding Statements, School Improvement Plan and annual school goals.

The following list is an example of some of the school based professional development I have provided:

  • Facilitating the vertical articulation of the curriculum
  • Leadership training for middle management (teaching and non-teaching staff)
  • Aligning operations/practices with the school’s Guiding Statements – how can you be mission driven and vision led?
  • Conduct internal audits/reviews against agreed benchmarks
  • Governance training for Boards
  • Curriculum and Assessment development

Vertical Curriculum Alignment

As an experienced Council of International Schools (CIS) Accreditation Team Chair, I have found that the majority of schools need help with the vertical alignment of their curriculum, from Pre-School to Grade 12.

My work with a number of schools has involved facilitating whole school conversations in subject areas that enable them to document their curriculum so that it flows from Pre-School to Grade 12. This process often fosters further curriculum, as well as teaching practice, conversations. These conversations support student learning by nurturing a focus on what teachers are doing in and out of the classroom.

Governance Training

“The last workshop was a two-day Board training workshop.  Deidre immediately switched gears and led our Board to a deeper understanding of its function.   She engaged both new and returning Board members and ensured that all members felt encouraged to participate.  Her work with the Board helped set us up for our successful CIS/WASC visit that just occurred last month.”

Denise Walsh, Bali Island School (August 2015)

Experience as a CEO, as well as Board member experience, together with formal AICD qualifications has provided me with a range of governance experiences that support my work as a facilitator for Board training, for schools as well as other non-profit organisations.