Introducing all-through schools in the Maltese state educational sector : management and planning issues

Abstract

The general aim of this research is to study the management and planning issues involved in introducing All-Through Schools (A-T Ss) in the Maltese state educational sector. These schools would take children throughout the compulsory school age period, from 5 to 16 years, on one uninterrupted educational journey. An A-T S would be made up of a secondary school which would be continuously networking with its partner feeder primary school/s. This is one practical way of meeting the NMC's call for 'a more integrated organisational structure' to ensure 'a sense of continuity which would enable students to realise that education is a process and not a series of disconnected episodes' (NMC, Principle 5 - 'Stable Learning Environment,' p.33). This study seeks to discover the advantages that such a school model offers to the various stakeholders, the challenges that would have to be faced and how these could be tackled. To support the theoretical aspects, this work draws on the practical considerations of four local A-T Ss, all belonging to the non-state sector, which have adopted this setup for many years. The following main findings have been identified: A-T Ss are beneficial to all the people involved in school life, primarily to the learners. The school structure makes it possible for children to go through an enjoyable educational experience without fear that, from an early stage, they may get rejected as 'failures.' Since children's move between scholastic phases is not shackled by high risk examinations, parents' minds are at rest from day one of schooling. Teachers too gain from A-T Ss since they offer more professionally enriching opportunities; moreover, teachers are not put under stress by a system which is too examination-oriented. In general such schools come to discover the profits of working in partnership. The research shows that the main problems for A-T Ss are twofold: they may fail to harmonise their different sectors and, since the transfer between scholastic stages is automatic, teachers' and students' motivation may slacken. A-T Ss have to be organised in such a way as to avoid these possible pitfalls. All good schools have the following qualities: a healthy ethos emanating from a clear and shared educational vision, a strong leadership that stimulates commitment and quality education among its staff, ample managerial and administrative autonomy from the centre that would allow the school to reach its own targets, pedagogic freedom to function within the NMC's wider framework, and optimum rapport among all the school's stakeholders. This study shows that A-T Ss have the potential and the necessary requisites to develop such features to a higher degree. The research depicts how, with some adjustments, the present state school organisation can be given an all-through structure. It also puts forward a number of recommendations regarding a successful introduction of the new schools into the state educational setup.