The Background
The Action Team Partnership Committee first began in St. Louis GNS in November 2013. It is an American initiative and is primarily the work of Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Centre on School, Family and Community Partnerships for John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Our school was one of three pilot schools in Ireland to test the model on behalf of the National Parents’ Council (NPC) and the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN)
What it does
The partnership is an opportunity for teachers, support staff, parents, pupils and community members to work together. The aim is to discuss the current work of the school and to find ways of supporting it. It focuses on four areas, two curricular, one behavioural and one which ensures that the school is a welcoming place. The curricular areas are drawn from the School Improvement Plan and the school’s current work on School Self-Evaluation. The planning completed by teaching staff is not changed or altered in any way but further enhanced to ensure success. The partnership operates as a Think Tank to develop an Action Plan for the year. The plan has measurable and realistic targets. There is a focus on simplicity and taking small steps to ensure success. This group of people coming together to look at the work of the school and using their outside position to come up with fresh and interesting ideas to enhance this work ensures the success of the model.
