The School Corridor Tatler

The STAR interview technique is used by interview panels nowadays to assess the candidate's competency for the job advertised.In the previous post  here  , I discussed the concept of competency and underscored the fact that schools need highly competent senior management team members. It is for this reason that many SGBs have shifted to the competency-based tests to help them find the most suitable person for a senior post. Dilemma: What if the Interviewee outsmarts the Interview panel? That article generated a healthy response amongst my Facebook friends, particularly those who are teachers or heads of schools.The key thread of the comments was that interviewees may be so well rehearsed that a false picture may be painted. The interview panel would then be faced with a dilemma: how much of the interview responses would be factual? What if the interviewee outsmarts the panel? Would those who have rehearsed well not have an advantage over those candidates who are too ...

School calendars have to accommodate multiple stakeholders It is time to design the school calendar 2015 and I can almost hear the sighs of the Heads and their teams.Schools have a tough time when they have to plan their school calendar suite. Our provincial school calendar is already available and soon, district officials will despatch their individual calendars to schools.   There is far too much information to be placed on one calendar. Like businesses, schools have multiple secondary calendars as well as their master calendar. There is light at the end of the tunnel: Google's online calendar! Google calendar is the next best thing to school holidays.   How to set up your Google calendar - the short version Google calendar is a free web-based application. You only need a gmail account and access to the internet. Create a gmail account for your school if you do not have one. Next, create a google calendar.   There are many good blogs and Youtube resources on how to cr...

Participants at the SGB workshop: Jean Human, Mr Schippers, Margaret Smart and Janie Ross at tea break   Today's SGB session started of with a lovely comraderie spirit. It often takes only a few hours of learning together in a healthy, collaborative space. You break down barriers very quickly. Human beings are wired to be communal and if the situation removes all threats, you will find spontaneous community building. Ivan Carr summarized the key responsibilities of the SGB: policy design, financial management, administration and school development. The energy peaked during this session. The volley of questions and contributions from the participants were weighty, but based on their real experiences as school governors. The participants were reminded of their roles of managing the governance which includes the development of the school. Then the focus shifted to Discipline and the School's Code of conduct for learners. One could see the interest of the governors. Here they were...