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National Centre for Guidance in Education 2004

Planning the School Guidance

Programme

Published by the National Centre for Guidance in Education in association with the Department of Education and Science.

1st Floor, 42/43 Prussia Street, Dublin 7.w w w. n c g e . i e

National Centre for Guidance in EducationJanuary 2004

Planning theSchool Guidance

Programme

I am very pleased to present thispublication Planning the School GuidanceProgramme which has been prepared inthe light of the requirements of sections 9(c) and 21 of the Education Act 1998. Thepublication will assist schools greatly indeveloping their guidance plan as part ofthe overall School Plan.

The writing of Planning the SchoolGuidance Programme was co-ordinatedby the National Centre for Guidance inEducation, with inputs from the relevantstakeholders. I am most grateful to allwho contributed to this work for theireffort and commitment to the task.

Guidance planning is a whole-schoolactivity and is an integral part of theSchool Development Plan. The guidanceplan offers both a challenge and anopportunity for schools to developprogrammes that ensure all studentshave access to appropriate guidance.

As these programmes require regularreview and updating to ensure continuedrelevance to the ever-changing needs ofthe students in the school, the guidanceplan is always a work in progress.

As this document demonstrates, guidanceplanning draws not only on the expertiseof the guidance counsellor but it alsoinvolves school management, staff,parents and students. I am certain thatthis document will be a valuable resourcefor all involved in guidance planning inschools. It will also assist in theimplementation of improved guidanceprogrammes to assist all students in theirtransitions as they progress from primaryto second level and on to further studyand employment.

I would like to congratulate the NationalCentre for Guidance in Education on thepublication of Planning the School Guidance Programme.

Foreword

Noel Dempsey, T.D.Minister for Education andScience

Introduction 5

Glossary 6

Chapter 1Rationale and Context 7

1.1 Overview1.2 Policy Developments and

Recent Initiatives / Studies

Chapter 2Guidance in Schools 11

2.1 What is Guidance in Schools?

Chapter 3The School Guidance Plan 15

3.1 The School Guidance Programme

3.2 What is the School Guidance Plan?

3.3 Key Elements of the School Guidance Plan

Chapter 4Defining Roles in the School Guidance Programme 19

4.1 Role of School Management, Staffand the Education Partners

4.2 The Role of the Guidance Counsellor

Chapter 5The Planning Process 23

5.1 Timeframe and Key Stages5.2 Starting the Process: Roles5.3 Consultative Mechanisms: Staff5.4 Guidance Needs Analysis5.5 Adoption of the Plan5.6 Follow up Actions and Review

Bibliography 27

APPENDICESAppendix I 29

• Support Initiatives and Studies

Appendix II 31• School Guidance Review (SGR)

Sample Instruments:Form A (Students Guidance Needs:Existing Resources)Form B (Guidance Resources Inventory)Form C (Students Guidance Needs:Resources Required)Form D1 (Summary Results from Review – FORM A)Form D2 (Summary Results from Review – FORM B)Form E (Development Plan for Improving the School Guidance Programme)

Appendix III 43• Action Plan

Appendix IV 44• Allocation from the Department

of Education and Science to Second Level Schools for Guidance

Contents

It is now widely recognised that guidanceis an essential part of the learningprocess. The guidance service in Irishsecond level schools is well establishedand offers significant support to studentsas they make important choices whichwill have lifelong implications for them.

The purpose of this publication is to helpschools plan their guidance programmesin a productive manner. Guidanceplanning should draw on contributionsfrom school management, guidancecounsellors, all school staff, parents andthe students themselves. The outcomeshould be a well-structured guidanceplan which organises the resources of theschool to the best effect in meetingstudents’ needs.

No two schools are identical, and there is no such thing as an off-the-shelfguidance plan. This publication shouldhelp each school to analyse its particularcontext and circumstances, and to arriveat its own unique plan. The effort

involved will be repaid handsomely in thequality of the guidance programmewhich results.

The process of devising this publicationwas a careful one, and involvedwidespread consultation. The experiencegained through a pilot project on SchoolGuidance Review conducted by theNational Centre for Guidance inEducation was of great benefit and fedinto the development of this publication.The staff and Management Committee ofthe NCGE and the Inspectors of Guidancefrom the Department of Education andScience have steered the document to itsfinal form with great diligence.

The Education Act 1998 requires thatstudents have access to appropriate guidance. A school which plans itsprogramme in accordance with theadvice in this document will be givingitself the best foundation for deliveringthat entitlement to its students.

Introduction

Ed RiordanChairperson NCGE

5

6

DES Department of Education and Science

FÁS Training and Employment Authority

HSCL Home School Community Liaison

GEI Guidance Enhancement Initiative

ICT Information and Communication Technologies

IGC Institute of Guidance Counsellors

JCSP Junior Certificate School Programme

LCA Leaving Certificate Applied

LCVP Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme

LES Local Employment Service

NCGE National Centre for Guidance in Education

NCTE National Centre for Technology in Education

NDP National Development Plan

NEPS National Educational Psychological Service

PLC Post-Leaving Certificate

SDPI School Development Planning Initiative

SGR School Guidance Review

SPHE Social, Personal and Health Education

TYP Transition Year Programme

Glossary

CHAPTER 1

Rationale and Context

7

8

OVERVIEW

The purpose of this document is to provideschools and all interested parties with acomprehensive aid to understanding,developing and implementing a school’sguidance plan.This publication supersedes the1996 Guidelines for the Practice of Guidanceand Counselling in Schools.

Schools are required in accordance with theEducation Act (1998) to ‘ensure that studentshave access to appropriate guidance’ (Section9c)1, with the consequence that guidance is anintegral part of a school’s curricular activities.The Act also requires schools to develop aschool plan based on the needs of the school2.The overall school plan should make specificreference to guidance and should incorporatea school guidance plan. The guidance planningprocess which is the subject of this publicationwill enable a school to define its priorities andto best deploy the resources available to it.

Throughout this publication the followingterminology will be used. These terms will beexplained in more detail in later Chapters.

GUIDANCE IN SCHOOLSRefers to a range of learning experiencesprovided in a developmental sequence thatassist students to make choices (personaland social, educational and career) abouttheir lives and to make transitionsconsequent on these choices.

THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PROGRAMMEGuidance is provided through the schoolguidance programme. The guidanceprogramme is the specific set of learningexperiences which a school provides inresponse to the guidance needs of itsstudents.

THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PLANThe school guidance plan is the documentin which the school, in a systematic way,defines the guidance programme it offers,and states how resources are organised todeliver the programme. It should include:

• Aims • Target groups• Objectives • Activities• Resources • Review

In short: the school guidance plan is thedocument which defines the schoolguidance programme.

BENEFITS OF THE SCHOOL GUIDANCEPLANA school guidance plan:

provides direction - states the objectives andpriorities of the provision of guidance in aschool enhances the provision of guidance bytargeting the needs of studentsfocuses the school’s resources to where theyare needed mostallows staff to contribute to developments andchanges in a positive and collaborative way

THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PLAN IS AN INTEGRALPART OF THE SCHOOL PLAN.

1.1

Rationale andRationale and contextRationale and

1 Education Act, 1988. Section 9c

2 Ibid. Section 21.

POLICY DEVELOPMENTS AND RECENTINITIATIVES / STUDIES

This section gives a brief overview of relevantpolicy developments, studies and initiativesthat form the background and context forPlanning the School Guidance Programme.

POLICY

EDUCATION ACT, 1998The Education Act requires the Board ofManagement of a school to develop a schoolplan based on the needs of the school. Theschool guidance plan forms part of the schoolplan. Schools are required by the Act to"ensure that students have access toappropriate guidance" (Section 9c). The Actoutlines the responsibilities and functions ofthe Minister of Education and Science and ofSchools in respect of guidance.

The Department of Education and Science’sGuidelines for Second Level Schools on theimplications of Section 9 (c) of the EducationAct (1998), relating to students’ access toappropriate guidance should be consulted inthis regard.

RECENT INITIATIVES AND STUDIES

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING INITIATIVE(SDPI), 1999In May 1999 the Department of Education andScience announced a package to promoteSchool Development Planning in first andsecond level schools.

SCHOOL GUIDANCE REVIEW PILOT PROJECT(SGR), 1999-2000The aim of the project co-ordinated by theNCGE was to assist schools to identify andplan a response to the changing guidanceneeds and competencies of students throughthe school’s guidance programme.

PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE GUIDANCESERVICE IN POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 1998This study highlighted the fact that mostguidance planning in schools was informal.

AUDIT OF GUIDANCE IN POST-PRIMARYSCHOOLS, 2000An Audit of guidance provision in post-primary schools was conducted at request ofthe Department of Education and Science(DES) by the NCGE in 1999-2000.

GUIDANCE ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE (GEI),2001103 second level schools benefited from theGEI which commenced in August 2001. Theseschools were granted additional guidanceresources from the DES based on thesubmission of a detailed proposal.

MAKING A EUROPEAN AREA OF LIFELONGLEARNING A REALITY, 2001This policy document by the EuropeanCommission recognises the importance ofguidance as a key element of lifelonglearning.

(please consult Appendix I)

1.2

1.2.1

1.2.2

d contextd contextRationale and contextRationale and context

9

CHAPTER 2

Guidance inSchools

11

WHAT IS GUIDANCE IN SCHOOLS?Guidance refers to a range of learningexperiences provided in a developmentalsequence, designed to assist students to makechoices about their lives and to maketransitions consequent on these choices.These choices may be categorised into threeseparate but interlinked areas:

• personal and social• educational• career.

Guidance provision in schools involves a rangeof guidance and counselling activities andservices [see the Department of Education andScience’s Guidelines for Second Level Schools onthe implications of Section 9 (c) of the EducationAct (1998), relating to students’ access toappropriate guidance (Section 1) for anoverview on the importance of guidance]. Theterms ‘guidance counselling’ and ‘guidanceand counselling’ are covered by this definitionand are synonymous with the range ofactivities set out below. In this publication, theterm ‘guidance’ is used for simplicity andencompasses that broad range of activities.

GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES THAT ASSISTSTUDENTS TO MAKE CHOICES INCLUDE:

• Counselling - helping students to exploretheir thoughts and feelings, and the choicesopen to them; giving care and support tostudents learning to cope with the manyaspects of growing up.

• Assessment - helping students to obtain abetter self-understanding through the useof psychometric tests and other inventories.

• Information - providing students withobjective and factual data on education andtraining opportunities, occupations, labourmarket information, entitlements etc.

• Advice - making suggestions based on theadvisor’s own knowledge and experience.

• Educational Development Programmes -facilitating the transfer of knowledge andskills relating to studying, examinationperformance, choices of subjects and levels.

• Personal and Social DevelopmentProgrammes - facilitating the transfer ofknowledge and skills relating to a student’spersonal and social development, self-awareness, decision-making and planning.

• Referral - this includes two types of activity:i) referral of an individual student by the

guidance counsellor to other Professionals outside of the school, e.g. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS);

ii) referral of an individual student to the guidance counsellor by teachers, Board of Management, school management, and parents. The voluntary participation in counselling of the referred student mustbe respected by all concerned.

2.1

2.1.1

Guidance in schoolsGuidance in sGuidance in s

12

GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES THAT ASSISTSTUDENTS TO MAKE TRANSITIONSINCLUDE:

• Careers education/career transitionprogrammes - enabling students to maketransitions to further and higher education,training and employment.

• Placement - work experience, workshadowing, and preparing students foremployment.

• Follow-up - following up former studentsregarding progression routes anddestinations.

OTHER GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES THATSUPPORT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THEAIMS OF THE SCHOOL GUIDANCEPROGRAMME INCLUDE:

• Consultation with parents, school staff andstudents.

• Feedback - giving feedback to the Board ofManagement, school management andstaff on the needs of individual students,groups and the school as an organisation,and how the school guidance programmehas supported students’ choices andtransitions.

• Networking - establishing links withemployers, relevant agencies andinstitutions to enhance guidance work withstudents.

• Promoting change - assisting curriculumdevelopment in the school.

• Managing, organising and co-ordinatingguidance activities into a coherentprogramme.

The nature and range of guidance activitiesoutlined in 2.1.1 to 2.1.3 above are based on thepremise that guidance is both a whole schoolconcern and a specialist area within education.

2.1.3

2.1.4

Guidance in schoolsschoolsschoolsGuidance in schools

13

2.1.2

CHAPTER 3

The SchoolGuidance PlanThis chapter explains the components of and the planning of aschool guidance programme.

15

THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PROGRAMME is thespecific set of learning experiences which aschool provides in response to the guidanceneeds of its students. There are a number ofprinciples that underpin the school guidanceprogramme.

PRINCIPLES The school guidance programme should:• Be accessible • Recognise that guidance is a specialist

area within education• Recognise that guidance is a whole

school concern• Be impartial• Be student centred• Be transparent• Be balanced• Be inclusive• Be responsive• Respect confidentiality in counselling

and assessment activities• Empower participants to take

responsibility for their own development

• Promote equal opportunities• Deploy and make full use of available

resources• Be reviewed on an ongoing basis

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PLAN?The school guidance plan is a structureddocument that describes the school guidanceprogramme and specifies how the guidanceneeds of students are to be addressed. Theschool guidance plan is drawn up inconsultation with all school partners in order toensure that it reflects the identified needs ofstudents. The school guidance plan is anintegral part of the school’s overall plan. It isdevelopmental by design and includessequential activities organised and

implemented as a collaborative effort byguidance counsellors, teachers, schoolmanagement and the Board of Management,programme teams, students and parents. Thevarious roles are defined in more detail insection 4.

The school guidance plan outlines anddescribes the guidance programme, that is, thefull range of activities through which the schooladdresses the needs of the students by helpingthem in their personal and social, educationaland career development.

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE SCHOOL GUIDANCEPLANThe school guidance plan should address thefollowing questions:(i) What does the school aim to provide

through its guidance programme? (AIMS)(ii) Who/which persons are the priorities for

benefiting from the provision? (TARGET GROUPS)

(iii) Which guidance outcomes are intendedfor the target groups? (OBJECTIVES)

(iv) How are these guidance outcomes to beachieved? (ACTIVITIES)

(v) What resources are available to supportthese outcomes? (RESOURCES)

(vi) How does a school find out if theobjectives have been achieved? (MONITORING AND REVIEW)

AIMSThe aims can be derived from a variety ofsources, contexts and players for example:(i) The definition of guidance as per 2.1

above.(ii) The Education Act (1998) as per 1.2.1 above.(iii) The Department of Education and

Science’s Guidelines for Second LevelSchools on the implications of Section 9 (c)

School guidance planSchool guidanSchool guidan

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.3.1

16

of the Education Act (1998), relating tostudents’ access to appropriate guidance.

(iv) The school’s mission statement, visionand fundamental aims as per the schoolplan.

(v) The specific social and economicenvironment in which the schooloperates.

(vi) The views of school partners (students,parents, staff, management, localcommunity) on how existing resourceprovision can best be utilised.

(vii) The identified needs of target groups.(viii) The demands of the local/regional,

national, social and economicenvironments.

(ix) The school’s current guidanceprogramme.

TARGET GROUPSOne of the principal benefits of the schoolguidance plan is that available resources areutilised to meet identified needs andpriorities. The school guidance programmeshould take into account the needs of allstudents at all levels within the school. Theprogramme should provide a balance in thepersonal and social, educational and careerguidance offered.

Within the resources available for guidance,schools may need to prioritise certain groupsof students during the school year. Prioritisingis a value judgement made by the school interms of its overall mission, the needsidentified, the resources available, and thelocal, national, social and economicenvironment in which the school operates.These decisions should be based in particularon the aims of the school guidance plan. Insetting priorities schools should carefully

consider the needs of the community in whichthe school is based and also national priorities.For example, both the National DevelopmentPlan (NDP) and the New Deal on EducationalDisadvantage have identified assisting youngpeople at risk as a priority for school guidanceservices.

OBJECTIVES (GUIDANCE OUTCOMES)Once the aims and target groups are clear, thenext issue is to decide on specific guidanceoutcomes for particular target groups.Objectives (guidance outcomes) should be setcorresponding to each aim and should takeinto account available resources. Objectivesshould be clear, realistic, specific andmeasurable and have a timeframe. In general,objectives should be framed in active languageand should list competencies such as toidentify, acquire, demonstrate, know, develop,compare and contrast, etc. The Department ofEducation and Science’s Guidelines for SecondLevel Schools on the implications of Section 9 (c)of the Education Act (1998), relating to students’access to appropriate guidance containsvaluable information on knowledge, skills andcompetencies for the various stages of secondlevel education.

GUIDANCE ACTIVITIESA very broad range of guidance activities canbe called into play as the means by which theobjectives are to be realised. Please refer to:

2.1.1: Guidance activities that assist students to make choices

2.1.2: Guidance activities that assist students to make transitions

2.1.3: Other guidance activities that supportthe achievement of the aims of the school guidance programme.

School guidance plannce plannce planSchool guidance plan

3.3.2

3.3.3

3.3.4

17

RESOURCESResources describe the personnel, timeallocation, equipment, materials, physicallocations and finance required for theperformance of the guidance activities and themanagement of the school guidanceprogramme.

School and Community Resources

• Board of Management and Principal.• Guidance counsellor(s).• Subject teachers and the learning support

teacher(s).• Staff with formal roles (year head, class

tutor, etc).• In-school programme support teams.• Parents.• Students.• School budget – part of the school budget

should be dedicated for the purchase ofmaterials for guidance e.g. psychometrictests, career materials.

• The guidance suite (office, careers library etc).• Classrooms.• Computer facilities - access by students for

guidance purposes should be standard inboth the school guidance plan and in theschool’s ICT plan.

• Community (workplace, referral, etc).

National Resources

• The Department of Education and Science,agencies such as the National Centre forGuidance in Education (NCGE), the NationalEducational Psychological Service (NEPS), theNational Centre for Technology in Education(NCTE).

• Professional bodies and associations such asthe Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC),teacher unions and management bodies.

• The School Development Planning Initiativeand other national initiatives’ support teams.

• ICT, video and printed national resources.• Test materials.

Included in the appendices of this publication isa questionnaire to examine the resourcesavailable for the provision of guidance in theschool (Appendix II, Form B). This questionnairecan be adapted to suit the needs of the school.

MONITORING AND REVIEWThe school guidance plan must make provisionfor ongoing monitoring (on an annual basis)and review (a major re-design on a longertimescale, perhaps every three years). A schoolneeds to identify (i) the extent to whichguidance objectives are being achieved, (ii) thefactors that facilitate or hinder thatachievement, and (iii) unplanned outcomes,unmet needs, and possibly new/emergingtarget groups. This process assists the school inforward planning so that the school guidanceprogramme remains relevant to the needs ofthe students.

There are different ways in which monitoringand review may be supported, for example:

• Soliciting the views of school partners.• Development of a summary report of activity

with a critical analysis by the guidancecounsellor.

• Follow up studies of the target groups.

Monitoring should be an on-going activity. Awritten report for the Board of Management ofthe school should be prepared on a regularbasis e.g. annually.

3.3.5

School guidance planSchool guidanSchool guidan

3.3.6

18

CHAPTER 4

Defining Roles in the School GuidanceProgramme

19

ROLE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT, STAFFAND THE EDUCATION PARTNERS

The Board of Management and schoolmanagement team have a responsibility toensure that the provision and practice ofguidance in the school is of the highestpossible standard. This includes managingthe process of guidance planning in co-operation with the guidance counsellor,school staff1 and other school partners suchas parents. Each school is required to complywith the Education Act (1998) and providestudents with "access to appropriateguidance".

Guidance counsellors because of theirspecialist training have a professional role ineach of the main areas of guidance: personaland social, educational, and career. Inaddition the guidance counsellor has a keyrole in collaborating with school managementin the development and review of the schoolguidance plan and the integration ofguidance into the curriculum. This role of theguidance counsellor is explored in more detailin section 4.2 below.

Subject teachers may have a key role inproviding support to students andinformation and advice relating to theirsubject disciplines and related careers. Someteachers have additional formalresponsibilities through management,pastoral care roles, co-ordination roles andthrough participation in programmes such asSPHE. Individual teachers may be sought outby students on an informal basis for adviceand information. All teachers may consult

with the guidance counsellor on the needs ofan individual student and/or refer the studentto the guidance counsellor when specialistcompetence is required with due regard toconfidentiality.

Parents have by far the most influence,directly or indirectly, on the choices made byyoung people. Parents have a major influenceon the environment in which the youngperson lives including values, attitudes andlifestyle. Parents have an important part toplay in helping to establish the needs andpriorities of the school guidance programmeand in supporting the programme. Parentscan also participate in the guidance processthrough (i) Consultation with the guidance

counsellor and other school staff.(ii) Attendance at relevant information and

other meetings at school.(iii) Contributing to the development and

review of the school guidance plan.and when possible(iv) Providing personal assistance to the

school guidance programme.

Students are the focus of the school guidanceprogramme and are entitled to have an inputinto the development of the school guidanceplan. In particular, students (through theStudent Council) can help to identify andestablish the needs and priorities of theguidance programme. Their feedback in thereview process is also highly important.

The local community through its agencies,organisations and institutions providesyoung people with resources for career

Defining rolesDefining rolDefining

4.1

4.1.1

4.1.2

4.1.3

4.1.4

4.1.5

4.1.6

1 (particularly Home-School-Community Liaison - HSCL, Pastoral Care, Learning Support Teacher, and Programme Co-ordinators for Transition Year Programme - TYP, Leaving Certificate Applied - LCA, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme - LCVP, Social, Personal and Health Education - SPHE).

20

exploration, information and other forms ofassistance and support. Such agencies,organisations and institutions includeproviders of training, further and highereducation, employment and youth services.

In some instances, the guidance needs ofyoung people may require referral toprofessionals outside the school.

THE ROLE OF THE GUIDANCECOUNSELLOR

Guidance counsellors are professionallytrained to undertake the following taskswithin the school guidance programme:

Counselling: empowering students to makedecisions, solve problems, change behavioursand resolve issues in their lives. Such activitymay be personal counselling, educationalcounselling, career counselling, or it mayinvolve combinations of each. Counselling is akey part of the school guidance programme,offered on an individual or group basis as partof a developmental learning process and atmoments of personal crisis.

Counselling on an individual basis should bepart of the support structure that a schoolprovides to students. Within the overall timeallocated for guidance, adequate time shouldbe given for the counselling function in theguidance programme. The rationale for thetime allocated and its usage should beevident in the school guidance plan. See theDepartment of Education and Science’sGuidelines for Second Level Schools on the

implications of Section 9 (c) of the EducationAct (1998), relating to students’ access toappropriate guidance.

Support: The guidance counsellor providessupport to parents, teachers, the schoolprincipal, Board of Management and referralagencies in assisting the personal and social,career and educational development ofstudents. Such support may include advocacyon behalf of a student. Support also refers toassistance in the planning and developmentof SPHE, JCSP1, TYP, LCA, LCVP, PLC2 guidancerelated activities.

Assessment: The guidance counsellor istrained to use a range of psychometric testsand other evaluative instruments to supportrelevant objectives of the school guidanceprogramme. Such objectives may be related tocareer and educational planning, personaldecision making and development of self-awareness.

Information: Assisting students to acquire,interpret and use information relevant totheir personal and social, educational andcareer development.

Classroom Guidance Activities: Providingclassroom based learning experiences thatare relevant to the objectives of the schoolguidance programme. Such experiences mayinclude information giving, information andcommunication technologies (ICT), skillsdevelopment (e.g. planning, decision-making,study skills, communication, valuesclarification), and vocational preparation.

lesg rolesDefining rolesDefining roles

4.1.7

4.2

4.2.1

4.2.2

4.2.3

4.2.4

4.2.5

1 JCSP - Junior Certificate School Programme2 PLC - Post - Leaving Certificate

21

Planning and Organising WorkplaceLearning: Schools need to make provision forwork based or work simulation learningexperiences relevant to the personal andsocial, educational and career learningobjectives of the school guidance programme.Such experiences include work experience,work shadowing, visits to workplaces, trainingcentres and higher education institutes etc.The guidance counsellor should be involvedand consulted in this field.

Referrals: Seeking for students the assistanceof non-school based professionals e.g. NEPS,following standard procedures. The guidancecounsellor also provides support for studentsreferred to him/her by teachers, parents, andschool management. The voluntaryparticipation by the individual concernedshould be respected.

Professional Development: The guidancecounsellor should keep abreast of on-goingchanges in the fields of training, education,work and child welfare. The Board ofManagement and school managementshould facilitate the attendance of theguidance counsellor at relevant events and atin-career professional training during theschool year. Participation in these eventsshould be related to the objectives of theschool guidance programme. Attendance atnon-school based events should benegotiated/agreed in advance between theBoard of Management, school managementand the guidance counsellor.

4.2.6

4.2.7

4.2.8

22

CHAPTER 5

The PlanningProcessThis section examines the considerations that need to be taken into

account in starting the guidance planning process

23

TIMEFRAMES AND KEY STAGESSchools should establish a timeframe for thedevelopment of the guidance plan and for itsmonitoring and review. This requires asignificant time input by school staff. Theamount of time will vary from school to school.

Some schools may already have a SchoolDevelopment Plan and/or a guidanceprogramme in place that meets or partiallyaddresses the model presented in thispublication. For such schools an acceleratedtime frame may apply.

Table 1 represents an indicative timeframe forthe different stages involved when developinga plan for the first time.

STARTING THE PLANNING PROCESS: ROLES• The Board of Management through the

Principal has a responsibility to initiateguidance planning, and to motivate staff toparticipate in the process.

• The guidance counsellor has a lead role toplay in the process of guidance planningbecause of his/her specialist training andresponsibilities.

• All staff in the school have a part to play inthe guidance programme and should beencouraged to take an active part in theprocess.

CONSULTATIVE MECHANISMS - STAFFIt is vital to include staff from the earlieststages of the planning process, and to engagetheir participation. School staff will need to be:• Briefed on provisions of the Education Act

regarding guidance.• Briefed on the current guidance service

offered in the school.• Briefed on what guidance planning is

about.• Invited to make their input into the

guidance plan.

The planningThe planning processThe planningT

5.1

5.2

5.3

TABLE ONE:INDICATIVE TIMEFRAME FOR STAGES OF THE FIRST TIME DEVELOPMENT OF THESCHOOL GUIDANCE PLAN

STAGES OF THE GUIDANCE PLAN YEAR 1 YEAR 2TERM 1 TERM 2 TERM 3 TERM 1 TERM 2 TERM 3

1. Developing Rationale / Aims ✓

2. Target Groups ✓ ✓

3. Developing Objectives for the Guidance Plan ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

4. Developing Guidance Activities ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

5. Identification of Resources ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

6. Monitoring and Review ✓ ✓ ✓

Some of the activities overlap in the timeframe and some are continuous during the timeframe. Thepace at which the school plan develops depends on the management and staff time available,whether the school has an existing school guidance plan, the stage the school is at in thedevelopment of the school plan etc. Some schools may therefore be in a position to expedite theprocess indicated in the table above.

24

The planning process process processThe planning process

Drawing on the experience of the SchoolGuidance Review (SGR) the engagement andparticipation of all staff could be achieved byone of the following approaches.

(i) The school principal and guidancecounsellor meet in advance to plan thestaff consultation exercise. A staff meetingis then held where staff divide intoworking groups. Each working group couldfocus on the guidance needs of a specificyear group.

or(ii) A core staff group - e.g. guidance

counsellor, year heads / pastoral care teammeet in advance to draft a short documentgiving an overview of the current guidanceprovision and the guidance planningprocess. The document is then presentedto staff meeting(s), school management,and the education partners for additionalcomments.

Schools will naturally devise their ownvariations on the above approaches. Theimportant issue is to ensure broadconsultation and the encouragement of asense of school-wide ownership of guidanceplanning.

As the guidance planning process develops,each of the elements of the guidance plan willneed to be addressed. These were set out insection 3.3 as follows:

• AIMS• TARGET GROUPS• OBJECTIVES• ACTIVITIES• RESOURCES• MONITORING AND REVIEW

Each of these elements should be derivedfrom the widest possible staff participation.This will reduce the possibilities of theguidance plan being marginalised. Such staff-wide participation should flow naturally fromthe initial approach outlined above.

GUIDANCE NEEDS ANALYSISThere are many methods for establishingstudents’ guidance needs:• Consulting the Students’ Council /

surveying the students themselves.• Consulting parents.• Eliciting the needs of students through

‘brainstorming’ by staff.• Consulting local employers.• Consulting past students of the school.• Consulting relevant advisory publications.

The ideal approach is to have a combinationof these activities and methods.

The needs assessment can be conducted byinterviews (this is time consuming but allowsfor in-depth information to be gathered),focus groups, or through the use ofquestionnaires. The participation of studentsin the process is strongly recommended.Two of the schools in the SGR pilot projectelicited the views of students in relation totheir guidance needs. They found this to be avery useful exercise and discovered a numberof student needs of which staff were notaware. Another school asked the ParentsCouncil for their views and again found this tobe very useful. In the pilot a number ofinstruments were created for the purposes ofeliciting the needs of students through staffdiscussions. These can be found in Appendix II(Activities 2 & 4).

5.4

25

ADOPTION OF THE PLANFollowing a sufficient level of consultation,needs analysis and discussion, a draft schoolguidance plan should be prepared by a smallsteering group, ensuring that the elements in3.3 are covered.

When the school guidance plan is drafted it issuggested that it be circulated to staff and theeducation partners for comment. The schoolguidance plan can then be refined andpresented to the Board of Management. TheBoard of Management should formally adoptthe school guidance plan.

The school guidance plan is an integral part ofthe School Development Plan and should beincluded in it appropriately (e.g. referenced inmain text and detail given in the appendix)and should be made available to parents,students and local education partners.

FOLLOW UP ACTIONS AND REVIEW

Action PlanningOnce adopted by the Board of Management,the guidance plan is a formal schooldocument. A series of Actions, focusing oneach aspect of the school guidance plan,should now be developed so that eachidentified need can be progressed toimplementation. The benefits of this approachinclude:• Each Action would deal with a specific

need, and as such would assist the Plan’simplementation on a phased basis.

• Each Action would operate within anagreed time frame.

• Each Action should be open to monitoringand review.

A template for typical Actions is provided inAppendix III.

Review/RedesignThe school guidance plan needs to bemonitored on an ongoing basis as describedin section 3.3.6. The need to comprehensivelyredesign a school guidance programme maybecome evident from the results of reviewsand from changing social and economicconditions. Thus the school guidance planmay need to be rewritten to take account ofnew target groups of students, additionalneeds of students, and new priorities. It maybecome evident that certain guidanceactivities are more effective than others orthat some objectives have become redundantthrough the passage of time. The guidancecounsellor can also build up a picture ofhis/her guidance activities and assess if thereis a need to refocus these in the context of theprogramme.

A major rewriting of the school guidance planrequires the same thorough approach as wasused in creating the original school guidanceplan. It is suggested therefore that this beundertaken as a consultative processinvolving all school partners. This may formpart of the review cycle for the overall schoolplan.

The planningThe planning processThe planningT

5.6

5.6.1

5.6.2

5.5

26

Bloom, BS. (Ed.) Taxonomy of EducationalObjectives: The classification of educationalgoals: Handbook I, cognitive domain.Longmans, New York, 1956.

Department of Education and Science.Guidelines for Second Level Schools on theimplications of Section 9 (c) of the EducationAct (1998), relating to students’ access toappropriate guidance.Draft for Consultation. September 2003.

Department of Education and Science.Learning for Life: White Paper on AdultEducation.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 2000.

Department of Education and Science. SchoolDevelopment Planning: An Introduction forSecond Level Schools.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 1999.

Department of Education and Science andthe NCGE. Proceedings from Staying Power. AColloquium on Increasing Retention Rates inHigher Education.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 1999.

Department of Education and Science andthe NCGE. Guidelines for the Practice ofGuidance and Counselling in Schools. AReport for the Minister of Education.Avoca House, Dublin, 1996.

European Commission. Making A EuropeanArea of Lifelong Learning A Reality.DGEAC/DGESA, Brussels, 2001.

Government of Ireland. Education Act.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 1998.

Government of Ireland. Education Welfare Act.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 2000.

Government of Ireland. NationalDevelopment Plan 2000-2006.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 1999.

Government of Ireland. The New Deal.The Stationery Office, Dublin, 1999.

Gysbers, Norman, and Patricia Henderson.Developing and Managing Your SchoolGuidance Programme, 3rd Ed.ACA, US, 2000.

Herr, Edwin L and Stanley H. Cramer. CareerGuidance and Counselling Through theLifespan: Systematic Approaches. 4th ed.Harper Collins Publishers, US, 1992.

McKenna, Peter, McNamara, Gerry and TerryBarrett. Principals’ Perceptions of theGuidance Service in Post Primary Schools.NCGE, Dublin, November 1997.

NCGE. Briefing Document. School GuidanceReview and Development Planning. Report onPilot Project.NCGE, 2000.

NCGE. Guidance and Counselling in Post-Primary Schools: In-School Activities for SchoolManagement, Guidance Counsellor, SubjectTeachers.NCGE, 2000.

NCGE. Audit of Guidance and Counselling inPost-Primary Schools.NCGE, 2001.

Bibliography

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Appendices

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Appendix ISupport Initiatives and studiesSCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING INITIATIVE (SDPI), 1999The School Development Planning Initiative was established in1999. Its purpose is to promote school improvement andeffectiveness through collaborative development planning. Thesupports that it provides for schools include in-serviceprogrammes, advisory and facilitation services, and resourcematerials, both in print and on the web. By the end of 2002, allpost-primary schools had received the start-up grand-aidallocated to them through the Initiative to advance the processof planning. Arrangements for the next phase of the Initiativeare being finalised. More information concerning the SDPI isavailable from http://www.sdpi.ie

SCHOOL GUIDANCE REVIEW PILOT PROJECT (SGR), 1999-2000The aim of the project was to assist schools to identify and plana response to the changing guidance needs and competencies ofstudents through the school’s guidance programme. The projecttested a review methodology and materials (see Appendix II)developed by an Advisory Committee of representatives ofmanagement and trade union bodies, the Institute of GuidanceCounsellors and the Department of Education and Science. TheSchool Guidance Review project was piloted in nine schools. Thereported outcomes of the pilot included:

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• A greater understanding of the whole schoolnature of guidance and the differential rolestherein.

• Identification of deficiencies in currentguidance provision in the pilot schools.

• A greater awareness by school managementof the actual guidance needs of students.

• A greater appreciation and understandingof the work of the guidance counsellor.

A briefing document on the pilot project wascirculated to all schools in May 2000. Theexperience of schools involved in the projectand the usefulness of its methodology andmaterials have fed into the development of thispublication.

More information concerning the SGR isavailable from http://www.ncge.ie

PRINCIPALS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE GUIDANCESERVICE IN POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 1998This study highlighted the fact that mostguidance programme planning in schools wasinformal and that such planning was notunderpinned in any structured way byconsultation. Recommendations arising from the study included that the process and contentof a school guidance plan be defined inguidelines for schools. More information and acopy of the Report are available from NCGE.

THE AUDIT ON GUIDANCE IN POST-PRIMARYSCHOOLS, 2000An Audit of guidance provision in post-primaryschools was conducted by NCGE at the requestof the Department of Education and Science in1999-2000. The following findings are relevantto this document:

• Only 14% of schools had a Whole SchoolDevelopment Plan in 1999-2000, of these75% made reference to guidance.

• Of the 86% of schools that did not have aWhole School Development Plan, only 24%had a written school guidance programme.

• Schools not in the free education systemwere more likely to have either a WholeSchool Development Plan with reference toguidance or a written school guidanceprogramme.

More information concerning the Audit onGuidance in Post-Primary schools is available from NCGE.

GUIDANCE ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE (GEI),2001-2004In Spring 2001 the Minister for Education andScience announced 50 whole time equivalentposts for guidance under the GuidanceEnhancement Initiative.The posts were allocatedto schools that submitted innovative proposalsconcerning the enhancement of guidance forstudents in disadvantaged areas, promoting theuptake of science and developing links with localbusiness and the community.

More information concerning the GEI is availablefrom the DES website http://www.education.ie

MAKING A EUROPEAN AREA OF LIFELONGLEARNING A REALITY, 2001The European Commission adopted theCommunication on Making A European Area ofLifelong Learning A Reality in November 2001.The Communication outlines proposals for therealisation of Lifelong Learning throughout theEU. Information, guidance and counselling havea role in facilitating access to lifelong learningthrough the provision of guidance services.

More information on the Communication isavailable from http://www.europa.eu.int/ comm/education/lll_en.html

Appendix II School Guidance ReviewSAMPLE INSTRUMENTSAll of the sample instruments below areavailable from the NCGE websitehttp://www.ncge.ie

HOW TO USE THE MATERIALS

The materials:

• Provide practical activities for use duringmanagement team/staff meetings or in-service sessions; and

• Can be used as they stand or edited andadapted to suit the needs of your ownschool, the way your management team isorganised, or the way you prefer to work.

They follow the structure:

• Identification of guidance needs currentlybeing met and the resources used to meetthese needs;

• Identification of guidance needs that arenot being met and the resources requiredto meet them;

• Develop a school guidance plan in responseto identified needs and resources.

These activities can be undertaken for thewhole school (all year groups), particular yeargroups, or particular classes within a yeargroup.

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Purpose: To engage the interest and support of school staff for reviewing how students’ needsare being met by the school’s guidance programme and for developing a plan toaddress unmet guidance needs.

Time: Class period.

Task: This activity consists of:

• Briefing school staff on:(i) The Education Act (1998)(ii) The Department of Education and Science’s Guidelines for Second Level

Schools on the implications of Section 9 (c) of the Education Act (1998), relating to students’ access to appropriate guidance;

(iii) What guidance means in a school context;(iv) The rationale for reviewing the schools’ guidance programme;(v) The anticipated outcomes of the review;(vi) The benefits of the review for students, staff and school management.

• Allowing opportunity for questions, comments and observations on the rationale,outcomes and benefits;

• Suggesting scenarios of how the process of reviewing and developing a plan mighttake place;

• Achieving a consensus on whom the target group should be (class, year);• Achieving consensus on how to proceed: who from the staff should be involved and

how, the nature of the consultative process, the time-scale.

Planning the School Guidance Programme publication and the Department ofEducation and Science’s Guidelines for Second Level Schools on the implications ofSection 9 (c) of the Education Act (1998), relating to students’ access to appropriateguidance should be consulted to help prepare this meeting. It may be helpful to havecopies of these publications at the meeting for staff members who wish to consult itfurther.

Activity 1

BRIEFING SCHOOL STAFF ON THE REVIEW OF THE SCHOOL’S GUIDANCEPROGRAMME AND THE ELABORATION OF A PLAN FOR GUIDANCE.

Purpose: To gain a quick impression of what are the guidance needs of students (school, year group,class) and how these are being addressed.

Time: Class period.


• Selecting a year group or group of students as a target for review;• Recording the deliberations on the form provided on the next page;• Discussion/reflection on this theme involving school management, the guidance

counsellor and relevant staff.

You may need to refer to the Department of Education and Science’s Guidelines for SecondLevel Schools on the implications of Section 9 (c) of the Education Act (1998), relating tostudents’ access to appropriate guidance for an examination of guidance activities.

You may also wish to consider in this discussion relevant documentation from the school’scurricular and other policies and Department of Education and Science publications.

From this activity, you may become aware of aspects of guidance which may be possibleareas for development.

On the next page you will find a School Guidance Review: Form A, to guide the discussionand collate the information. This form may be photocopied or downloaded from the NCGEwebsite (www.ncge.ie).

Activity 2IDENTIFYING GUIDANCE NEEDS THAT ARE BEING MET

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FORM ASTUDENTS GUIDANCE NEEDS: EXISTING RESOURCES

YEAR / CLASS GROUP: _____

STUDENT GUIDANCE NEEDS

WHAT ARE THE GUIDANCE NEEDS WHAT ARE THE EXISTING RESOURCES* OF THIS PARTICULAR GROUP? TO MEET THESE NEEDS?

1. PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

2. EDUCATIONAL

3. CAREER

* STAFF, CURRICULAR PROGRAMMES, SUBJECTS, SCHOOL PROCEDURES, PARENT CONTACT,MATERIALS EQUIPMENT, HOURS/CLASS PERIODS PER WEEK, OTHER - please specify.

FORM BGUIDANCE RESOURCES INVENTORY

CHECKLIST OF EXISTING RESOURCES FOR YOUR SCHOOL’S GUIDANCE TEAM AND GUIDANCE RELATED ACTIVITIES

1. Does the school have a guidancecounsellor/s? Yes ❑ No ❑ Number: _____ Is the post(s) ex-quota ❑ or in-quota ❑ ?

2. What is the current Department ofEducation and Science weekly allocation ofex-quota guidance counsellor’s hours to the school:Hours: 8 ❑ 8.8 ❑ 11 ❑ 22 ❑ 33 ❑ 44 ❑

3. How many hours per week of subjectteaching does the school allocate to theguidance counsellor?Hours: 0 ❑ 1-2 ❑ 3-4 ❑Other (please specify): _________________

4. Does the school have any of the followingposts? If ex-quota, please specify theDepartment allocation and the number ofhours subject teaching, the individual(s)teach(es)?

Guidance Enhancement Initiative Post ❑

No. of ex-quota hours _______No. of hours subject teaching _______

Learning Support Teacher ❑

No. of ex-quota hours: _______No. of hours subject teaching: ______

Home-School-Community Liaison Co-ordinator ❑


Special Education/Resource Teacher ❑


Other personnel (please specify):____________________________________No. of ex-quota hours: _______No. of hours subject teaching: _____

Purpose: To identify and summarise the resources that the school uses for the school’s guidanceprogramme.

Time: Class period.


This activity is aimed at making an inventory of all of the existing resources that a schooluses for the school’s guidance programme.

The process of undertaking this inventory involves a group discussion of the principal,guidance counsellor, and members of the school management team. The check-listprovided on the next page, Form B, can be photocopied or downloaded from the NCGEwebsite and circulated to members of the staff.

You may wish to refer to the publications referred to in Activity 2 for definitions ofguidance.

Activity 3

WHAT RESOURCES DO WE HAVE FOR GUIDANCE.

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5. Does the school provide time-tabled:Guidance Classes ❑ Pastoral Care Classes❑ Access by the guidance counsellor toother classes by negotiation andagreement ❑ Meetings of staff, theguidance counsellor and the schoolmanagement team ❑ Meetings of thePastoral Care team ❑Other (please specify):_____________________________________

6. How many hours per week does the schoolallocate for:(a) individual counselling with students

by the guidance counsellor ❑No. of hours: ________

(b) guidance classes by the guidance counsellor ❑No. of hours: ________

(c) Pastoral Care individual consultation with students ❑No. of hours: ________

(d) consultation with parents ❑No. of hours: ________

Overall no. of hours: ________

7. What pastoral care personnel, if any, doesthe school have? (Please tick as many asappropriate):Form Teacher ❑ Year Head ❑ Pastoral CareCo-ordinator ❑ Chaplain ❑ Home-School-Community Liaison ❑ Others(please specify):_____________________________________

8. Which of the following Department ofEducation and Science programmes doesthe school provide?Transition Year ❑ LCA ❑ LCVP ❑ JCSP ❑SPHE ❑ PLC ❑ VTOS ❑Others (please specify):_____________________________________

9. For which of the following Department ofEducation and Science programmes havestaff members received training?Transition Year ❑ LCA ❑ LCVP ❑ JCSP ❑SPHE ❑ PLC ❑ VTOS ❑Others (please specify):_____________________________________

10. Which of the following referral andcommunity support services are availableto the school?Child Guidance Clinic ❑NEPS Psychologist ❑ Medical Personnel ❑Health Board Psychologist ❑

Social Worker ❑Juvenile Liaison Officer ❑Youth Worker ❑Educational Welfare Officers ❑Other (please specify):_____________________________________

11. Does the school have designated andsuitably equipped rooms for guidance?(give details):Office ❑ Group work classroom ❑Computer room ❑ Library ❑Other (please specify):______________________

12. What equipment does the school have forguidance?Telephone ❑ Computer ❑ Modem andInternet access ❑ Shelving ❑ FilingCabinet ❑ Photocopier ❑Other (please specify):_____________________________________

13. Do the guidance counsellor and othersupport staff have access to:Secretarialsupport ❑ Photocopier ❑ Fax ❑Scanner ❑ Printer ❑Other (please specify):_____________________________________

14. What guidance materials are available inthe school? Reference library of materials ❑Software ❑ Relevant classroom textsowned by school ❑ NCGE materials ❑Audio and visual ❑Psychometric tests ❑Borrowing facility for materials ❑Student owned text books ❑Other (please specify):_____________________________________

15. What financial provision does the schoolmake annually for the school’s guidanceprogramme?<100 ❑ 100-250 ❑ 250+ ❑ 500+ ❑1,000+ ❑Other (please specify):

_____________________________________________

Purpose: To summarise the guidance needs of students that are not currently being met by theschool’s guidance programme.

Time: Class period.


• Selecting a year group or group of students as a target for review;• Group discussion/reflection on this theme involving school management, the guidance

counsellor and relevant staff;• Recording the deliberations on the form provided on the next page.

You may also wish to consider in this discussion relevant documentation from the school’scurricular and other policies, and Department of Education and Science publications.

From this activity, you may become aware of aspects of guidance which may becomepossible areas for development and the resources required to meet these unmet needs.

On the next page you will find the Guidance Review Form C to guide discussion and collateinformation. The form can be photocopied or downloaded from the NCGE website andcirculated to the staff.

Activity 4

IDENTIFYING GUIDANCE NEEDS THAT ARE NOT BEING MET

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FORM C

STUDENTS GUIDANCE NEEDS: RESOURCES REQUIRED


STUDENT GUIDANCE NEEDS

WHICH GUIDANCE NEEDS OF THIS WHAT RESOURCES AND/OR PROCEDURES* PARTICULAR GROUP ARE NOT BEING MET? ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THOSE NEEDS?

1. PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

2. EDUCATIONAL

3. CAREER

* STAFF, CURRICULAR PROGRAMMES, SCHOOL PROCEDURES, PARENT CONTACT, MATERIALSEQUIPMENT, HOURS/CLASS PERIODS PER WEEK, OTHER - please specify.

Purpose: To sum up the evidence you have found through activities 2, 3 and 4 so that you can planhow to address the unmet guidance needs.

Time: Class period.


• Selecting a year or class group for whom discussions have already taken place using Activities 2, 3 & 4 and the deliberations recorded;

• Collating the information obtained through group discussion / reflection on these deliberations, integrating the various activity results. This should be undertaken by school management, the guidance counsellor and relevant staff.

• Recording the outcomes of the discussion on the Guidance Review Form D1 and Form D2on the next two pages. Form D1 is helpful for summarising which guidance needs ofstudents are being met and the resources used to meet these needs. Form D2 is intended for summarising the guidance needs of students that are not being met and the resources needed to address these needs.

This activity will enable you to have an overview of how student guidance needs are beingmet, the school’s existing resources for the school guidance programme, the studentguidance needs to be addressed and resources required to meet them. Forms D1 and D2should be photocopied or downloaded from the NCGE website and circulated to membersof the staff.

Activity 5

SUMMARY OF THE SCHOOL’S RESOURCES AND/OR PROCEDURES TOADDRESS THE GUIDANCE NEEDS OF STUDENTS

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FORM D1

SUMMARY RESULTS FROM REVIEW (FORM A)


SUMMARISING THE RESULTS OF THE GUIDANCE REVIEW

WHAT ARE THE EXISTING RESOURCES FOR THE SCHOOL’S GUIDANCE PROGRAMME?Guidance Area Personnel Training Curriculum Facilities Materials Other

(please specify)PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

EDUCATIONAL

CAREER


WHAT RESOURCE / PROCEDURES ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL’S Guidance Area Personnel Training Curriculum Facilities Materials Other

(please specify)PERSONAL AND SOCIAL

EDUCATIONAL

CAREER

FORM D2

SUMMARY RESULTS FROM REVIEW (FORM B)


Purpose: To obtain views of other staff and other interested parties e.g. school Board ofManagement or other appropriate body, on the summary developed in Activity 5.

Time: Class period.

Task: This task involves:

• Presentation of the summary developed in Activity 5 and the process by which it was achieved to other school staff and other interested parties in the school through the appropriate consultative process:

• Seeking the comments of these parties on the summary through discussions and/or in writing as appropriate;

• Incorporating these comments into the summary where relevant / appropriate.

The undertaking of this task should be delegated to a member of the review group,preferably the school principal or guidance counsellor.

The outcomes of this task include the refinement of the summary developed in Activity 5and the gaining of wider school support for the School Development Plan.

Activity 6CHECKING IT OUT

Purpose: To use the results of the previous exercises to develop a plan for improving guidanceprovision.

Time: Class period.

Task: This activity is based on the summary developed through Activities 5 & 6:

• The prioritising of the needs of the school’s guidance programme into immediate, short-term and long term objectives;

• Setting dates for the achievement of these objectives;• Identifying and describing the financial costs of achieving each objective;• Identifying the method (internal/external support) required to achieve the objectives.

The activity is best undertaken by the principal, guidance counsellor and schoolmanagement team. Form E on the next page should be photocopied or downloaded fromthe NCGE website and circulated to staff members to guide the discussion.

The outcomes of this exercise may include making better use of existing resources in theschool.

The school guidance plan then becomes part of the School Development Plan.

Activity 7DEVELOPING A PLAN TO IMPROVE GUIDANCE PROVISION

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FORM EDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR IMPROVING THE SCHOOL’S GUIDANCE PROGRAMME



WHAT ARE THE EXISTING RESOURCES FOR THE SCHOOL’S GUIDANCE PROGRAMME?Immediate Objectives Short Term Objectives Long Term Objectives

(Specify date) (Specify date) (Specify date)PERSONAL

costingMethods of AchievementTRAINING

costingMethods of AchievementCURRICULUMPROVISIONS

costingMethods of AchievementFACILITIES

costingMethods of AchievementMATERIALS

costingMethods of AchievementOTHER (PLEASE SPECIFY)

costingMethods of Achievement

Appendix IIIAction Plan - Guidance Programme

Priority:

Target:

Tasks Who How When Resources Success Criteria Implementation

Success Criteria – Outcomes: Impact on Learning and Teaching:

Monitoring Procedures:

Evaluation Procedures:

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SCHEDULE A: SCHOOLS IN THE FREE EDUCATION SCHEME

Enrolment Allocation

1000 or more 44 hours/week

800-999 33 hours/week



200-249 8.8 hours/week

<200 8 hours/week

SCHEDULE B: SCHOOLS NOT IN THE FREE EDUCATION SCHEME

Enrolment Allocation

500 students or more 22 hours/week


Appendix IVAllocation from the Department of Education and Science to second level schools for guidanceALLOCATION OF HOURS FOR THE PROVISION OF GUIDANCE IN SCHOOLS

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