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Marymount Secondary School

School Development Plan

2010 – 2013

Contents Page School Vision & Mission 2 Holistic Review 3 - 5 Where are we now ? 6 - 11 Core Purpose 12 School Development Plan Major Concerns 13 – 15

Marymount Secondary School

School Vision & Mission

Our School aims to provide quality education. According to our Catholic and cultural traditions, we aim at the greater development of our students in moral, intellectual, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual aspects. Through care and concern for each individual person, we seek to educate our students so that

1. their acquisition of knowledge and skills is joined to Christian values; 2. they become reflective and will accept their strengths and weaknesses; 3. they come to a knowledge of God and put Christian values into practice; 4. they are sensitive to the needs of others, especially the poor; 5. they fulfil a role in serving others to build a just and compassionate society.

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Holistic Review

Effectiveness of the School Development Plan 2007-2010

Major Concern: To engineer a smooth and successful transition to New Senior Secondary, aiming at

catering for the diverse needs of students, stretching their potentials and inspiring them to

excel through Reflection, Creativity and Commitment. Although the New Senior Secondary (NSS) Curriculum and Academic Structure meant change, much of the essence of this reform has

actually long been embedded in our ethos and philosophy of education. To us, the revisions provided an opportunity for us to build

on our strengths and fine-tune what we already had in place.

After modifying our Block System of subject choices for Secondary 4, our curriculum allows the maximum flexibility to cater

for students’ diverse needs, interests and abilities. Over 90% of our students in S4 have been given their first choice subjects.

To further cater for the needs of students, we have arranged a Network Programme enabling seven students of S4 (2010-2011) to

take NSS Visual Arts at Queen’s College.

The timetable was redesigned, extending the 6-day cycle to a 10-day, week-based cycle to facilitate the booking of external

facilities and resources and the employment of speakers and professional services to supplement and enrich our formal

curriculum.

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Lesson time was extended to 50 minutes to make possible activity-based, student-centered interactive lessons that would allow

time for immediate teacher feedback and student reflection.

Believing that extensive reading plays an indispensable part in students’ independent learning, we incorporated a daily Reading

Time into the new timetable.

In addition to the two Life-wide Learning Days, one in September and one in March, experiential learning outside the classroom

through field trips, visits, service projects was made an integral part of student learning by building into our timetable regular

slots for Other Learning Experiences, Extra-curricular Activities and Co-curricular Activities.

Cross-curriculum enquiry-based project learning, which we see as an essential generic and study skill for the NSSC, was extended to

Secondary 3.

The Student Learning Profile was launched. It has proved to be an invaluable tool for students’ personal growth, enabling students to

acquire the attitude and skills for goal-setting and reflection which we have always believed to be essential to the development of

committed young adults.

The new Extra-curricular Activities and Achievement Report was also designed for students to keep a unique yet concise portfolio that best

represents each of them for further studies and future career.

The number of hours of Continuous Professional Development that staff have been engaged in reflected that they are committed and

well-equipped for the implementation of the NSS Curriculum.

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Teachers have designed a variety of teaching strategies and assessment tasks to cater for learner differences and to tap the multiple intelligences of students. Feedback from the EDB Stakeholders’ Survey 2009 showed that teachers had been resourceful in using teaching strategies and were able to use them effectively to cater for different learning needs.

The boundaries of our world classroom were stretched still further in order to broaden students’ horizon and provide them with a global

perspective -- Service Trips to Cambodia; an Eco Tour to New Zealand; a Visit to the Shanghai Expo, another to Sichuan; Pilgrimages to

Shanghai and Korea; Cultural Tours to Japan; English Summer Schools in England; French Summer School in Loches, south-east of Paris

were organized in the past three years.

Exchange programmes and inter-school activities were held to enable students to foster new bonds and learn from the good practices of

their peers in other schools, local and overseas.

Parents and students have been kept well-informed of the development and preparation for NSS through parents’ meetings, on-line

communication and distribution of pamphlets from EDB in the past three years..

Although much has been done, most of this meant streamlining our ongoing practices and policies which we have always believed to be

crucial to the preparation of our graduates as life-long learners. Not losing sight of our on-going aims and goals, we have continued to

stretch our students’ potentials. Our students continued to achieve good results in the public exams last year. The exam result of 2010 was

the best of the past ten years. In territory-wide competitions, our students continued to outshine their competitors in events like the Hong

Kong Schools Speech Festival, Music Festival, Dance Festival and Drama Festival; in the interschool arena, our school teams maintained

their high standards in the various sports events and the Odyssey of the Mind Competitions.

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Where are we now ?

Strengths Opportunities Threats Directions ahead

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Management & Organization The school has a clear mission and goals rooted in its history and culture as a Catholic community.

The School Sponsoring Body (SSB) is dedicated and committed to its ministry of education.

Members of the SSB are always ready to support student formation programmes.

We will continue to invite them to be guest speakers and facilitators in our programmes.

The school conducts development planning emphasising “magis” – the more, the search for excellence. The School Self Evaluation (SSE) framework is effective in supporting school improvement.

More specific success criteria and a sharper focus on outcomes at department levels are called for to ensure effective planning and implementation.

Our staff is knowledgeable, experienced, professional and competent. Capacity building through staff continuous professional development is stressed.

A number of experienced members of staff will retire within the next few years.

Between now and the double cohort years, teachers will experience great pressure having to handle both the new and old curricula.

Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development is no longer supported by a

More time created for teaching will help reduce teachers’ anxiety in handling New Senior Secondary Curriculum (NSSC).

Maintaining a balanced and fair distribution of workload will improve staff morale.

Attention will be directed to succession planning and leadership distribution.

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Strengths Opportunities Threats Directions ahead grant that allows the school to hire supply teachers.

Capacity building of middle managers will continue.

The school will further tap resources to support teachers’ professional development and maintain a stable staff establishment to support a broad and balanced curriculum.

The additional facilities of the School Improvement Project (SIP) completed in 2006 support teaching and learning and student development.

With Marymount Primary School (MPS) having moved into the new premises in 2006, closer co-ordination can be developed in curriculum and pastoral care planning.

Communication and collaboration of the two schools will continue when opportunity arises.

Learning & Teaching We provide a broad and balanced curriculum

The restructuring of the school organization and staff establishment under NSS will affect staff morale and teacher deployment and at the same time create constraints on the number of subject choices for students.

The school will further tap resources and opportunities to broaden the curriculum.

An effective streaming system and block system are well established to cater for learner difference.

Students under NSS will all enjoy six years of schooling but resources are not adequate to cater for student

The effectiveness of split class, small class and enhancement programme will be further improved

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Strengths Opportunities eats Thr Directions ahead diversity. through more strategic

planning.

We provide an environment conducive to enhancing students’ language competence, particularly English.

The Fine-tuning of the Medium of Instruction(MOI) policy reaffirms our teachers’ capability, students’ ability and the school’s rich English environment for using English as the MOI.

The school will explore and make effective use of the Refined English Enhancement Scheme.

Teachers and students are able to enjoy a wide range of IT facilities in learning and teaching. An electronic learning platform is fully utilized for sharing of knowledge, self-directed learning and better communication between different stakeholders.

Additional grant for e-learning would help upgrade the present IT facilities.

There are many more new emerging media for teaching and learning and communication.

Through the use of e-learning platform, students self-learning skills will be further enhanced.

Teachers adopt a great variety of teaching strategies to maximize learning.

To cope with the challenges or requirements of NSSC and the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Exam, a culture congenial to learning and teaching has to be fostered.

Revision to existing policies on extra lessons will enhance students’ self-management and study skills.

NSSC demands even more of the training of the nine generic skills. More attention has to be directed to the training of thinking skills as the performance of our students reflects weakness in critical thinking.

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Strengths Opportunities Threats Directions ahead Support for Students

Other Learning Experiences (OLE) and Co-curricular Activities (CCA) are well planned and co-ordinated to promote whole person development and lifelong learning.

We offer well-established leadership training and a rich variety of ECA that cater for students’ individual needs.

Under NSS, the time-frame, structure and strategies for grooming of student leaders, unleashing students’ potential, and creating role models for students require modification.

The promotion of values education is a significant feature of school life.

The wave of individualism, impact of popular culture and the negative effect of the mass media threaten the fostering of Christian values.

In order to lead a fulfilling life in today’s fast changing world, young people need to develop positive values.

We value the development of self discipline among students rather than adopting isolated practices to deal with discipline problems.

There is a need to reinforce self-discipline because it is the basis of self-management and self-respect.

Overseas excursions and service trips are organized to meet different learning objectives and to widen students’ horizon.

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Strengths Opportunities Threats Directions ahead Through the implementation of Goal-setting in the Student Learning Profile (SLP), students are given individual care, guidance and support in character formation and achieving their aspirations.

The HKDSE Exam is challenging since it is new and it is a curriculum of three years. Students’ commitment to their studies and their ability to persevere are essential in the search for excellence in the new system.

High aspirations will be promoted and more attention will be given to the development of commitment and perseverance. Students should be inspired to dream, to make a difference and be women for others.

School Ethos Over 65% of our students come from MPS where they have already developed a strong sense of identity.

The present student allocation system and the reduction in the student population within the coming six years will lead to even greater student diversity which poses difficulties in teaching and learning.

The majority of our students come from a good socio-economic background, have strong family support and high self-esteem.

Parents strongly support life- wide learning and students’ participation in service which are essential elements in NSSC.

Parents have more choices of schools such as Direct Subsidy Schools or international schools which may enjoy more resources.

The NSSC in its first few years of implementation causes anxiety among parents and students, resulting in more students leaving for overseas studies.

Students are in general well-provided for and some over protected, hence some lack aspirations, a sense of direction and motivation to work hard. Respect for self and others, Perseverance and Commitment should be instilled in students to prepare them for life.

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Strengths Threats Directions ahead Opportunities We have strong support from our alumnae and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

Participation of parents and alumnae drives school improvement.

Our links with the district community, external organization and tertiary institutions are well-developed.

External professional support and funding are available to help school development.

Student Performance Students’ academic and non-academic performance is gratifying.

Students’ potential for even greater achievement can be further developed.

Core Purpose

Magis Sustainability Symphony Magis To achieve the “magis”: the more universal good, the more urgent need, the more lasting value; St. Ignatius’ constant concern

was for the greater service of God : The criterion of excellence is applied to all areas of school life: the aim is the fullest possible development of every dimension

of the person, linked to the development of values and a commitment to the service of others. The school or members of the community are required to reflect on policies, structures, methods, to find those means that will

best accomplish the purposes of the school; they are also encouraged to reflect and evaluate, allow for change when change is necessary

Sustainability To deliver education for sustainable development : It should be more than environmental education, human rights, good governance etc. It is the sustainable development of students’ interest in learning which is essential in this changing world It is the sustainable development of students’ character, equipping them with values necessary to create a sustainable future;

preparation for life commitment, forming women for others. Symphony To emphasize the importance of seeing the big picture, seeing relationships among the various facets of student formation

and development : It is understanding the connections between diverse and seemingly diverse disciplines; detecting broad patterns rather than

delivering specific answers, and developing the power of symphony among staff and students.

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School Development Plan 2010-2013 Major Concern I Promoting high aspirations within a culture congenial to learning and teaching, motivating and supporting students to excel.

Intended Outcomes/ Targets Strategies/Tasks Time Scale

10-11 11-12 12-13 Students are encouraged to develop high aspirations, to dream their dreams and to aim at excellence in all areas

1. Emphasis will be put on promoting high aspirations in the goal setting workshops for S3 and throughout the process of developing S3-S5 Students’ Learning Profile.

2. In the Big Sisters Scheme, S1 students will be guided by the Big Sisters to set goals.

3. Appropriate time during OLE sessions will be devoted to promoting high aspirations.

4. Recognition will be given to outstanding students, presenting them as role models for other students.

5. Students will be helped to identify their own uniqueness through Multiple Intelligences Assessment at S1 so that parents and teachers can help unleash their potential and help them to set appropriate goals.

6. Subject panels will integrate the promotion of high aspirations into the curriculum.

7. High aspirations will be promoted through reading activities e.g. display of books on great men and women.

8. Display of achievements of outstanding students / peoples in Hong Kong / China / the World.

9. Grooming gifted students and nominating students for various outstanding students’ programmes and awards selection.

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Intended Outcomes/ Targets sks Time Scale Strategies/Ta

10-11 11-12 12-13 Building a culture congenial to learning and teaching that would motivate and support students to excel

1. Create more time for teaching and learning. 2. Develop a policy on tests and extra lessons so that students will not be overloaded

and will be able to develop self-management and study skills for effective learning.

3. Review the policy on assessment, emphaisizng assessment for learning and further develop assessment methods to challenge students’ critical thinking.

4. Co-ordinate School-based Assessment (SBA) arrangements in S5 and S6 to avoid overloading students and allow teachers to monitor students’ progress effectively.

5. Organize staff development programme on building a culture congenial to learning and teaching; revisit training programmes on thinking skills.

6. Organize thinking skills and study skills workshops for students. 7. Review S3 curriculum to see if the modular approach can be adopted and to

explore the feasibility of re-designing the Personal Social and Humanities Education Key Learning Areas (PSHE KLA).

8. Subject panels further refine teaching strategies to promote Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS); to support and encourage students’ self-directed learning; to cater for individual differences; to tap external resources and opportunities to enrich students’ learning experiences.

9. Step up enhancement of teachers’ capacity for Integrated Education. 10. Raise the quality of teaching through lesson observation and promote sharing of

good practices across subject panels by group observation and follow up discussion.

11. Review and fine-tune Physical Education and the provision of Aesthetic Education.

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Major Concern II Instilling in students three key values as preparation for life in a fast changing society - Respect for self and others Perseverance Commitment

Intended Outcomes/ Targets Strategies/Tasks Time Scale

10-11 11-12 12-13 Students will behave with respect for self and others, be willing to persevere under hardship and act responsibly, ready to commit themselves to their choice of studies or activities.

1. All teachers will highlight the three values at appropriate time during lessons. 2. On different occasions the three values will be the theme of communication e.g.

whole school OLE sessions, Homeroom (HR) sessions, Level-based programmes.3. Subject panels will use the three values as themes or subject matter for students’

daily work, competitions or school-based activities e.g. compositions, debates, drama, poster design, video production etc.

4. Integrate the values in the curriculum, enabling students to learn through experience, reflection and action. The subject panels will select specific units in the curriculum that can be used to reinforce the values.

5. Pastoral Care Committees and Teams would organize and arrange programmes that would reinforce the three values e.g. more rigorous adventure-based training like adventure ship or outward bound.

6. HR teachers will develop a code of behaviour or a code of respect that students agree to adhere to.

7. Awards / recognitions will be given to students that put the values into practice / exemplify the three key values.

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