What is the School Excellence Framework?

The School Excellence Framework (PDF 753KB) supports all NSW public schools in their pursuit of equity and excellence by clearly outlining what is valued as excellence in schools, both now and into the future. All schools have areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. The Framework identifies quality practice across the three key domains of education – learning, teaching and leading – to help schools plan and monitor strategies for ongoing improvement. The School Excellence Framework focuses on those school practices that evidence shows are most directly related to continuous, school-wide improvement and better student outcomes.

The School Excellence Framework’s clear descriptions of high-quality practice supports schools as they engage their communities in:

• developing a shared vision
• identifying key strategic directions for the planning cycle
• ongoing tracking of progress towards improvement.

How is the School Excellence Framework used in school planning and reporting processes?

The Framework underpins the Department’s approach to planning and reporting and will assist schools to:

• engage their communities in identifying strategic directions
• decide areas of improvement
• assess their progress

Schools include strategic directions and improvement measures in their School Excellence Plans that outline key focus areas of improvement for the school. Schools use this information to complete an annual reflection at the end of each year, where they evaluate the effectiveness of their initiatives in achieving their strategic directions and improved student outcomes.

In addition, schools conduct an annual self-assessment against the School Excellence Framework and report on their progress. Every four years, schools undergo external validation in which their School Excellence Framework self-assessment is validated by a panel of their peers.

This approach to planning and reporting is outlined in the School Excellence policy, which provides direction for schools to undertake school planning and reporting, self-assessment and external validation using the School Excellence Framework.

How is self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework reported to the community?

Schools conduct an annual self-assessment against the School Excellence Framework and report on their progress in their annual report. Each school’s annual report is published on the school’s website. It also includes information about the next steps the school will be undertaking in their pursuit of excellence, as informed by their annual School Excellence Framework Self-assessment.