Saint Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic School, Erdington Road, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 0RN : a report about my visit to the above school

Abstract

During the period Monday 3rd November 1997 to Friday 14th November 1997, I was attached to Saint Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic School in Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands, to observe and reflect upon administration practice in schools. Mr. Joseph Muscat, who is the lecturer responsible for this unforgettable experience, gave me a list that served me as a guide so that I knew what to look for during my stay. The list was: 1. Organisation and management: a. Objective setting b. Planning c. Decision making d. Distribution of responsibility and authority e. Evaluation

2. Aspects of the School’s work a. The Curriculum b. Pastoral provisions c. School climate and discipline d. Extracurricular activities e. Careers and guidance f. Assessment and record keeping

3. Teachers’ roles: a. The work of the class/subject teacher b. The work of the form teacher (pastoral) c. Relationships with: the administration, colleagues, parents d. Opportunities for development (professional)

My research was carried out according to an interview schedule which Mr. Mike Swan, who is the Staff Development Manager and in charge of teacher appraisal, prepared for me. A copy of this interview schedule is attached and from it one can see that I really had the opportunity of obtaining very useful and first hand information from all the Senior Management Team of the whole school. Besides, I visited various classrooms, computer laboratories, workshops, gym and special classes for special students. These included students with difficulties such as: asthma, hearing problems, eczema and speech difficulties. The school provided me with ample literature about all aspects of school life and undoubtedly the diploma course in education (administration and management) helped me a lot in my research.