Effective Planning for the Preliminary/Preparatory Visit

The success of the Preliminary/Preparatory Visit requires careful prior organization.

1. Well in advance of the Visit, the school will receive a request to submit a Prior Information and Reflection Form to CIS and NEASC/CAISA and directly to the Visitors themselves. It is important the Visitors receive this well in advance of the visit so that they can effectively prepare for meetings.
2. The Visitors will contact the Head of School well beforehand to agree on a schedule for the Visit, which normally requires at least three full working days on site, and a whole day workshop for those members of the school community who will lead the self-study process.
3. When creating the schedule for the Visit the school should carefully follow the guidelines sent by the Visitor(s). These guidelines indicate which sections of the report each Visitor will be responsible for – important information when creating the schedule – and the various types of meetings and the equipment that will be necessary for the visit.

The Prior Information and Reflection Form
 

This form provides important information about the school and its development needs, and helps the Visitors more effectively focus the visit.

The form has four components:

Component One: Background information about the School.

Component Two: Reflective Statements from the Head, the Governing Body and the Faculty about the strengths, improvements made and development needs of the school

Component Three: A list of documentation the school is asked to provide prior to the visit

Component Four: Succinct reflective statements indicating the extent to which the school believes it is currently aligned with each standard.

E.g. STANDARD A1
The school shall be guided by clear and broadly accepted Guiding Statements of vision, mission, and educational objectives (or the equivalent using the school’s chosen nomenclature and format) for students.

School response:
The school currently has a statement of mission and objectives, last revised in 2009 by faculty, students, parents, and the governing body, which are somewhat known and have varying degrees of acceptance amongst the school community. This is due to the large number of new students joining the school this academic year that are unfamiliar with our type of school. The school currently has no vision statement but plans to create one during the school’s upcoming strategic planning exercise.

The school may wish to start addressing development areas which are highlighted in the Prior Information and Reflection Form even before the Preliminary/ Preparatory Visit. 

The Schedule for the Visit

Specific details are provided in the Guidelines sent by the Visitors. As a general guide the following meetings/events take place:
 

1. A Tour of the School Facilities: preferably with the Head of School at the beginning of the visit.
2. Orientation to the School’s Mission and Values for the Visitors.

This one-hour meeting, organized and presented by the school’s leadership team, is held at the beginning of day one of the Preliminary Visit. Its purpose is for the school to help the Visitors further their understanding of:

• the school’s guiding statements and the values that underpin them
• the ways in which the guiding statements impact student learning and well being
• the extent to which the guiding statements are embedded in the school’s programs, services and operations

The meeting also affords the school an opportunity to demonstrate the level of knowledge and acceptance of its guiding statements and its ability to critically analyze its effectiveness in putting the guiding statements into action. The school may choose to do this by means of:

• a pre- prepared presentation. This should not be a promotional type presentation but a reflective piece which highlights effective as well as less effective practices
• school community member testimonies
• portfolio presentations
• a combination of any of the above

The school may wish to refer to the concept chart (page 6) for further ideas on areas to include. After the initial school input the visitors will seek additional information using follow up questions.

3. Separate meetings are held with:

• How the Governing Body supports the school’s Guiding Statements.
• How the Governing Body’s actions and decisions impact the learning environment.
• The Governing Body’s recent achievements.
• Challenges facing the Governing Body.
• How this Body’s governance role is relates to the Leadership/Management role of the Head of School and his/her senior colleagues (i.e. the Administration).
• The Governing Body’s plans for future school development

►  the Self-Study Steering Committee Chair and members (if already appointed)
►  the entire teaching staff
►  the support staff or their representatives
►  parent representatives
►  student representatives
►  each member of the Senior Administration Team
► “Specialists” who could give the Visitors a particular insight into the various areas of the school which will be treated under Sections A to G of the accreditation protocol.

The meeting with the teaching staff, at which the most detailed explanation of the accreditation process will be given, is best scheduled during or at the end of the first day of the Visit.
 

FULL DAY ONE - Date
Time	Visitor: Mrs. X	Visitor: Mr. Y
07.45 – 09.15	School Tour with Mrs Brown (School Director) & Mr Smith (Facilities Manager)
09.15 – 10.15	Orientation Meeting for both Visitors facilitated by the school leadership team.
10.15 – 10.30	Coffee/tea/snack in Staff Room
10.30 - 11.30	Initial perusal of documentation by both Visitors
11.30 - 12.15	Mrs Dremer & Mrs Scott in Room 31 (Section B, Teaching & Learning, Maths and Sciences)	Mrs. Hill & Mr. Green in Room 21 (Section E, Access to Teaching and Learning, Special Needs support)
12.15 – 13.00	Mrs. Kline & Mrs Drew in Room 31 (Section B, Teaching and Learning, Social Sciences)	Ms. Robinson in Room 121 (Section E, Access to Teaching and Learning, Specialised Language Support)
13.00 – 13.30	Lunch with Senior Management Team in Small Dining Room
13.30 – 14.15	Mr Liner and Ms Barnes in Room 20 (Section B, Teaching & Learning, English and Mod Langs.)	Mrs. Gourmet, Mr. Spic and Mrs Span in Main Kitchen (Section G, Food and Cleaning)
14.15 – 15.30	Classroom Observations	Classroom Observations
15.30 – 16.15	Mr Jones & Mrs Foly in Room 32 (Section E, Counselling)	Mr. Garcia in Room 14 (Section G, Safety and Building Maintenance)
16.15 – 17.30	All Academic Staff in School Theatre - Overview of the Accreditation Process. (Those involved in the Workshop need not necessarily attend.)
17.30 – 19.00	Free time and/or reading of documentation and/or report drafting and/or discussion with School Director on items arising from today’s interviews
19.00 - 20.15	School Board in Meeting Room 2. Overview of Accreditation Process and Section C, Governance and Management.

1. The workshop should be attended by key people who will be in leadership positions in the school’s drive for (re)accreditation. At minimum, these should include all members of the Provisional Self-Study Steering Committee. Some selected members of the Management Team and/or Board and/or teaching body may also wish be chosen by the school to participate.
2. CIS does not require all members of staff to attend the workshop. There is no upper limit to the number of people who could attend. A school might therefore decide that a large proportion of staff should participate, but if it makes this choice it should be aware that the normal teaching timetable may need to be altered unless a weekend day is used.
3. The day and timings for the workshop should be agreed between the school and the Visitor as part of the overall Preliminary/Preparatory Visit schedule.
4. Workshop materials will be sent to the school by the CIS Visitor well in advance. These will need to be printed, copied and distributed electronically and on paper to all workshop participants in plenty of time for them to do the vital pre-reading.
5. To facilitate the workshop, the CIS Visitor will require a computer, data projector (beamer), cables and a suitable projection surface. There should be room to bring workshop participants together for the “lecture” parts of the workshop, and space for participants to work in separate groups for the interactive parts. Each working group should be provided with a computer and memory stick.

The school should organize meals/refreshments as necessary during the workshop. 

Organizational Matters

Travel arrangements

♦  Flight (or other transport):

Flights (or other transport) are booked by the Preliminary/Preparatory Visitors using the most economical means available.  Business class tickets will not be reimbursed by the school, unless the Visitor can demonstrate that this is the most economical route available.

♦  Travel Insurance:

Travel insurance is arranged for all visits.

♦  Visa/vaccinations:

The school will advise the Visitor(s) whether visas/vaccinations are necessary to enter the host school country, and what steps should be taken to obtain them. 

♦  Transport during the visit:

Transport between airport and hotel, and between hotel and school, will be arranged by the school.  The school will give the Visitor(s) information regarding the airport pick-up and contact numbers to use in case of emergency. 

Accommodation

Single room, standard accommodation, with internet access, will be booked and paid for by the school.  The school will, prior to the visit, advise the Visitor(s) of the name, location and contact details of the hotel.

Responsibility for Expenses Incurred

Costs covered by the school:

The following travel expenses will be invoiced to the school by CIS after the visit has taken place. NEASC Visitors require reimbursement on site for out of pocket expenses.

• Economy air/train travel
• Transport between home and airport/station, between airport/hotel, and between hotel/school.
• Car mileage (if used instead of plane/train) and parking at hotel
• Travel insurance
• Visa/vaccination costs
• All meals while traveling and during the visit (Note: The school should advise the Visitor(s) beforehand on the limits it wishes to impose on cost of meals, payment for alcohol, etc.)

The school is also responsible for paying the hotel bill directly for four hotel nights in a single, standard room accommodation with internet access.  An additional night may be required, should this need arise due to flight availability. 
 
Costs to be covered by the Visitor:

• Upgraded travel costs: should the Visitor choose to travel Business Class, he/she should submit proof of the cost of an economy class flight, and will be reimbursed for this amount only.
• Upgraded accommodation
• Additional nights at the hotel before or after the visit
• Any personal costs incurred at the hotel such as:  telephone calls, laundry, bar, minibar, pay-per-view television, spa treatments.
• Excess baggage charge