A WHOLE SCHOOL

Whole-school improvement processes

A whole school approach aims to raise quality and standards across
the entire school. For this approach to be effective, schools need to
APPROACH
identify and address the needs of the school community and engage in
continuous, cyclical processes for improvement. Schools that actively
to Tackling
use school planning and school (self-)evaluation will be in a stronger
position to eradicate early school leaving. Early School Leaving
External monitoring and assessment mechanisms
Based on quantitative and qualitative measures that reflect the diversity
of activities for which schools are responsible, and the different starting
point/contexts in which schools operate (e.g. trying to measure the
school’s ‘added value’), quality assurance mechanisms can play an
advisory and supportive role to schools in implementing their early
school leaving strategies. Qualitative indicators, in particular, can help
schools reflect on measures that are in place or that can be developed
to address early school leaving. Quality assurance mechanisms seem
to be most effective when both their ‘summative’ function (related to
accountability, control and compliance check) and their ‘formative’ Policies to reduce early school leaving should be embedded in an
function (related to improvement and development) are complementary overall inclusive learner-centred vision of education, in which high
and mutually reinforcing. quality education is accessible to all.
Networking between schools
Cooperation and networking between schools of different types and In such a vision, schools have a crucial role to play to ensure that all
levels which are located in the same catchment area can facilitate learners reach their full potential for growth irrespective of individual
exchange of practices, and help make the crucial transitions from early and family-related factors, socio-economic status and life experiences.
childhood education and care to primary schools, and from primary
to secondary education easier for learners and their families. Local Schools should be safe, welcoming and caring learning environments,
authorities may have a key role to play in promoting this cooperation. striving for learners’ engagement, in which children and young people
can grow and develop as individuals and members of the community,
Source: Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Education & Training feel respected and valued and recognised in their specific talents and
2020 / Schools policy, 2015 needs.
4 1
 School Governance
Competent and effective school leadership and governance are
necessary to promote a positive and collaborative culture and ethos,
which involves all school actors and to establish strong bonds with the
community around the school. The following aspects are essential.
Because of the multi-faceted nature of the issue, schools cannot
address early school leaving and educational disadvantage alone. Greater flexibility/autonomy to schools
Different stakeholders and services, inside and outside the school, The complexity of early school leaving requires more flexible and
need to collaborate and integrate efforts. The school is the logical innovative approaches. More flexibility should be granted to schools
site to initiate community collaboration. This calls for a whole-school with regards to school governance arrangements, teaching practices
approach. and curriculum implementation (with enhanced scope for experimental
approaches to school drop-out) for example. Enhanced school
Developing a whole school approach to reducing early school leaving autonomy, coupled with strong accountability enables schools to
means that the objective of eliminating drop-out and encouraging school identify the most appropriate solutions to complex situations and to
success for all should be promoted consistently and systematically best provide for the specific needs of the school community.
across all those dimensions of school life which may have an impact Selection, support and training for school heads
on educational achievement. School heads have a crucial role to play to develop and implement
‘whole school approaches’, in particular by adopting a more distributed
In a whole school approach, all members of the school community leadership style and by creating space and time for cooperation. They
(school leaders, middle management, teaching and non-teaching staff, need leaders with a clear vision, sense of organisation, capacity to take
learners, parents and families) feel responsible and play an active role on new responsibilities, share authority and power, involve and promote
in tackling educational disadvantage and preventing drop-out. dialogue between all school actors and with other stakeholders around
a set of shared goals and responsibilities.
A whole school approach also implies a cross-sectoral approach and
stronger cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders (social services, Distributed leadership
youth services, outreach care workers, psychologists, nurses, speech Implementing a distributed leadership model in school with an objective
and language therapists, guidance specialists, local authorities, NGOs, that is focused on improved learning requires developing a reflective
business, unions, volunteers, etc.) and the community at large, to practice and sharing tasks and responsibilities across the entire school
deal with issues, which schools do not (and cannot) have the relevant community. School heads should be in a position to encourage teachers
expertise for. to take on leading roles in a particular area of expertise, assume
responsibility and take initiatives as individuals or groups; they should
The concept of a whole school approach allows for the entire system promote teamwork, multi-disciplinarity and professional collaboration
of actors and their inter-relationships in and around schools to be among teaching and non-teaching staff, other stakeholders,
considered, acknowledging that each stakeholder has a part to play professionals and services. Adopting a distributed leadership model
in supporting the learners’ educational journey and nurturing their also requires enhancing learners’ and families’ participation in school
learning experience. life and in formal and informal decision-making processes.

2 3