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STAR POLICYThe STAR Policy and Procedures are connected to: (National Administration Guidelines 1) "Provide appropriate career education and guidance for all students in year 7 and above, with a particular emphasis on specific career guidance for those students who have been identified by the school as being at risk of leaving school unprepared for the transition to the workplace or further education/training." Ministry of Education, The National Administration Guidelines (NAG) 1 vi (revised 2007). • The school's charter POLICY STATEMENT Our School uses the Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR) for the purpose for which it was created by the Ministry of Education. That is, in relation to senior students, 1. Facilitate transition to the workplace for students, particularly those intending to go straight into the workforce or those likely to leave school without any formal qualifications; 2. Provide or purchase tertiary-type courses which will better meet students' needs, which will motivate them to achieve, and which will facilitate their smooth transition to further education, training or employment; 3. Support students to explore career pathways and help them make informed decisions about their schooling and future work or study. (Ministry of Education, Funding Staffing and Allowances Handbook, Chapter One, Appendix Three-Objectives November 2006). Priorities Within Our School the following priorities for the grant have been decided for the life of this policy. 1. Year 11-13 students including Maori and Pasifika 2. Year 11-13 students "likely to leave school without any formal qualifications" (identified by SMT, Form Teachers, Teachers, School Counselor, Careers Advisor and to include the Year 10 group and reported to the STAR coordinator by 30th November) 3. Year 11-13 students "intending to go straight into the workforce" which influences: a. The Leadership and Management Team decision to provide relevant industry type courses within existing departments, e.g. Hospitality, Construction, Sport. b. The STAR Coordinator in purchasing off site courses such as hairdressing and First Aid for groups and individuals 4. Y11-13 students wishing to explore a career pathway ("Support students to explore career pathways and help them make informed decisions about their schooling and future work or study"). This can be in conjunction with the Gateway programme. It is the responsibility of the STAR coordinator to ensure that these priorities underpin all funding allocation decisions. Identifying Student needs There are a number of ways that the needs are identified. These are the: 1. Individual student Learning and Career Education Plans will identify at risk students. 2. Historical Leavers destination data informs the STAR advisory group as to what tertiary type STAR supported courses will be offered through the menu of subjects. 3. The STAR Coordinator has a clear process that staff can use to refer students who might benefit from a STAR funded course. 4. At the time of career interviews, future aspirations are captured and recorded into KAMAR. Referral to the STAR advisory group (Appendix 1) may occur. 5. Subject selection process may identify need and aspiration and thus contributes to the placement of tertiary type courses. Referrals often occur. PROGRAMME AND OUTCOMES School-provided courses currently on offer Tertiary-type courses in Tourism, Hospitality, Construction, Sport and Recreation as part of our menu of subjects. The place of externally provided STAR funded courses Participation in an externally provided STAR funded course is an important educational opportunity. It allows students to gain qualifications they would not normally be able to complete. As a consequence such courses rank equally in importance to other curriculum subjects, and students have a right to attend. However, at times the best interests of the student are not served through attending a work placement or a course, for it may clash with an assessment towards NCEA that cannot be rescheduled or with essential preparatory work for that assessment. Where a student is likely to lose credits through not attending class, a teacher has the right to withhold approval for their absence. Memoranda of Agreement Other than for enrolment in university papers, a memorandum of agreement will be set up for each course or placement. This will outline what is to be delivered, any unit standards or other qualifications the students are working towards, relevant health and safety arrangements, expectations around reporting absences, format and timeliness of student results, the sharing of student evaluations, course costs and situations under which costs may be refunded. Participation in work placements and courses run off-site Students attending work placements and courses off-site are still considered to be the responsibility of the school. Furthermore they are ambassadors of the school. To meet these responsibilities: • Clear expectations of behaviour and attendance must be set and agreed to in writing by those attending • Travel arrangements to and from the site must be clearly established and agreed to in writing prior to attendance Risk management Work placements and courses run off-site involve additional risks for students. Relevant health and safety issues should be investigated and addressed by the STAR coordinator at the time placements are investigated. Where relevant, specific issues should be addressed in the Memorandum of Agreement. Informed consent While work placements and STAR funded courses are important educational opportunities, and are school activities, they are considered to be extra-curricular activities. Attendance also requires an additional work commitment from the student. For this reason, informed consent needs to be sought from all parties involved. • Students and parents must give their consent to attend, and agree to all conditions made around that attendance. This includes catching up essential work missed through absence from class. • Classroom teachers must give their permission for the student to be absent from class for the duration of the course. Consent will only be withheld where attendance will jeopardise achievement, as outlined above. Attendance The memorandum of agreement will outline agreed procedures for reporting absences, both to the provider and to the school. Students need to be made aware of the attendance requirements to have their attendance bond refunded, and have a written explanation of the procedures to follow in the event of an unavoidable absence. Information about student attendance at a work placement or externally run course must be placed on the staff notice board at the start of each week, and also be given to the person entering student attendance information. Evaluations All students participating in STAR funded courses will complete an appropriate evaluation form at the end of the course. Student behaviour Students are required to adhere to Our School's Code of Behaviour and any health and safety requirements It is expected that respect be shown for the environment, other people and property. Students are informed of the procedures associated with any breach of these codes Promoting STAR to students The STAR Coordinator, SMT and Form Teachers speak to students and parents whenever the opportunity arises. The Senior Subject book contains information on both school-provided and off-site STAR courses Promoting STAR to the staff The SC speaks annually to the Senior School Teaching Staff. FINANCE The STAR is a tagged fund that has to be used for the purpose for which it is intended. To ensure this happens: • The executive officer will code the funds in a separate set of accounts and will have in place systems to ensure that the use of the funding can be identified; • The ledger matches the Ministry's incoming and outgoing categories. In the case of incoming they are STAR funding received for the current year and STAR funding rolled over from the previous year. In the case of outgoing they are: administration costs, staffing for school provided courses, staffing support, course costs, cost of materials, travel and capital equipment. • Capital expenditure is treated on an item by item basis. The item needs to be added to the school's asset register. • Financial authority for the STAR fund is delegated to the STAR coordinator, who is responsible for the allocation of the funding; • The STAR coordinator is responsible for maintaining records for accountability purposes, in particular for reporting to the Ministry of Education; • A report on the use of the funds will be presented to the BOT as part of the annual report on the use and impact of the STAR. The STAR is not an unlimited resource. It is the responsibility of the STAR coordinator to make decisions on the best use of the funding where conflicting priorities exist. Where all prioritised needs cannot be met from the STAR, this needs to be brought to the attention of the principal, so other funding options can be considered. Travel Our school funds all transport costs associated with STAR. Annual Review Each year the effectiveness of the programme offered to students will be reviewed. This will involve: • Reviewing student evaluations to examine the quality of external providers. • Reviewing the effectiveness of the programme for students: number of credits gained; certificates gained; other outcomes achieved; impact on student's motivation in regular classes. • STAR advisory group reviewing the overall programme. Considering the effectiveness of the programme and developing proposals for implementing any changes. • STAR coordinator to complete the review forms for the Ministry of Education on or before the 20th December. The results of the annual review will form part of the report to the Board of Trustees. The success of the STAR programme will be reported to parents and the community through the school newsletter. APPENDIX A STAR Advisory Group consists of the Principal, HOD Senior School, HOD Middle School, HOD Junior School and STAR coordinator. Ratified Board of Trustees Chairperson: ________________________ 30/11/10 Policy reviewed November 2010. Next review date November 2013. |
