AS PARTNERS IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION AND OPEN TO AS PARTNERS IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION AND OPEN TO
GOD’S PRESENCE, WE PURSUE FULLNESS OF LIFE FOR ALLGOD’S PRESENCE, WE PURSUE FULLNESS OF LIFE FOR ALL
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2020-2024STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2020-2024
PARTNERING: PARTNERING:
A STEP FURTHERA STEP FURTHER
In educating a balance must be maintained,
your steps must be well balanced,
one step on the cornice of safety but the other into the zone of risk.
And when the risk becomes safe, the next step must venture
into another area of risk.
Education cannot be confined to the safety zone.
No. This would mean preventing personalities from developing.
Yet, it is not possible to educate solely in the risk zone either,
this is too dangerous.
It is a balance of steps, remember it well.
I also want to encourage you, educators, to seek
new, unconventional forms of education,
so as to comply with the needs of places, times and people.
Always
go a step furthergo a step further
and never be satisfied with conventional things.
Seek new forms in accordance with the places, times and people.
I encourage you to do this.
– Pope Francis, 2013
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge and thank:
• Dr Patricia Hindmarsh for her work in leading and managing
the process of consultaon, planning and discernment.
• Mrs Eileen Rice, Sr Helen Nolan rsm, Fr Ma Thomas and
Mr Peter Morgan for their contribuon as members of the
Working Party.
Message from the Bishop
In my student days, we had a
philosophy teacher who used to
quote Lan proverbs. One of his
favourite sayings was “Parvus
error in principio magnus est in
ne”. This might be translated
as “A small error in the
beginning becomes a large error
in the end”. We might think of
someone shoong an arrow at
a target. As they take aim, they
need to point the arrow in exactly the right direcon if
they are going to hit the mark. If they point the arrow just
one cenmetre o line, the arrow could be a long way o
target when it lands. We can apply this to many areas of
life. If we are aiming to achieve some goal, it is important
to line up the target carefully to start with. Otherwise we
might miss the target altogether.
In formulang strategic direcons for Catholic educaon
in our diocese, we are seeking to express our goals as
clearly as possible and point our services in the right
direcon to achieve those goals.
The central aim is summed up in the statement of our
diocesan educaon vision: “As partners in Catholic
educaon and open to God’s presence, we pursue
fullness of life for all”. This echoes the words of Jesus,
“I have come that they may have life and have it to the
full.” (John 10:10) The strategies include enhancing
the partnerships between students, teachers, parents,
priests and parishioners in our local faith communies;
arming eecve methods of teaching and learning
and also promong fresh methods that respond to new
needs and opportunies; and encouraging everyone
involved with our schools to be connual learners.
I thank all those who have contributed to the consultaons
about this document. May this text provide a reference
point for each of our schools as they formulate their own
detailed goals and strategies for the years ahead. May
these Strategic Direcons help us all stay on target in our
eorts to share Christ’s fullness of life with everyone in our
community.
Paul Bird CSsR
Bishop of Ballarat
Message from the Director
Many voices have been heard
in the consultaon meengs
leading up to the development
of these Strategic Direcons,
Partnering: A Step Forward.
We are grateful to those who
provided feedback, which
included both armaon and
advice. The Planning Group
has listened carefully to all
those who contributed. The
ve key Strategic Priories have resulted from processes
of both speaking out and aenve listening. This focus
will form the basis of our systemic strategic direcon
over the next four years.
It is a tribute to all responsible for Catholic schooling
that so many posive and encouraging words have
been spoken. Alongside this, the construcve, well-
considered advice that has been received is an indicaon
of a healthy commitment to the future of our Catholic
schools, which are recognised as more signicant
now than ever in this changing, contemporary world.
Parcipants in the process, including parents, sta and
pastors, have expressed great faith and hope in Catholic
educaon across the Diocese.
Tom Sexton
Chief Execuve Ocer
Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Educaon Limited
FOREWORD
3
Our Vision
As partners in Catholic education and open to
God’s presence, we pursue fullness of life for all.
NORTHERN ZONE
CENTRAL ZONE
SOUTHERN ZONE
Edenhope
Coleraine
Hamilton
Penshurst
Mortlake
Terang
Camperdown
Koroit
Port
Fairy
Portland
Dennington
Warrnambool
Colac
Coragulac
Casterton
Maryborough
Daylesford
Ballan
Gordon
Springbank
Clarke’s Hill
Creswick
Dunnstown
Ballarat
Mildura
Merbein
Red Cliffs
Robinvale
Swan Hill
Sea Lake
Warracknabeal
Charlton
Donald
Murtoa
Horsham
Ararat
Stawell
Nhill
St Arnaud
Hopetoun
The Diocese of Ballarat has 64 diverse primary and
secondary schools in total, providing disncve Catholic
educaon in rural and regional sengs from the Murray
to the Sea.
The Diocese is divided into the Northern, Southern and
Central zones and has over 18,000 students enrolled
in 52 Primary Schools (F-6), one Foundaon to Year 8
School and 11 Secondary Schools (7-12).
OUR DIOCESAN EDUCATION COMMUNITY
4 Partnering: A Step Further – Strategic Directions 2020-2024
The Diocese of Ballarat, stretching from the Murray
to the Sea, covers a vast area and includes diverse
communies. We rightly celebrate Catholic educaon
with its system of sixty-four ourishing Catholic schools
scaered across the Diocese. Equally, we ask how we can
consolidate and creavely partner together to connue
improving the quality of our schools.
During 2019, opportunies for consultaon were oered
to express future hopes and aspiraons for Catholic
educaon. Meengs were held in several centres,
including:
• Ararat
• Hamilton
• Horsham
• Warrnambool
• Colac
• Halls Gap
• Swan Hill
• Mildura
• Ballarat
Those present expressed that in small, remote and
regional schools, signs of hope remained for families in
mes of drought and social challenge, and that larger,
increasingly mul-cultural schools and colleges are
oering quality educaon for a changing world in cies
and regional towns.
Parishes and schools are working in partnership. Families
are condent to entrust their children to our schools,
which they see as compassionate, caring communies
oering excellent learning opportunies. There was an
expressed appreciaon of Catholic faith and life, and
the Gospel spirit that characterises our schools, which
one parent described as, ‘The jewel in the crown’ of the
Diocese. There is joy in the openness and welcoming
nature of Catholic schools to all who present for
enrolment, regardless of their background.
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS BACKGROUND
Parents, priests and sta idened the following pressing
signs of the mes which are impacng families and
schools:
• The drought, which is aecng family nances and
wellbeing
• The digital world, as both opportunity and great
challenge
• The crisis of clerical sexual abuse
• The state of our planet
• The diversity of ethnic and religious background of
students
• Economic growth and inequity
• Mental health challenges
• The ‘consumer’ society
• The unrealisc expectaons that families
somemes place on their children and on sta
People expressed condence that Catholic schools in our
diocese are facing these challenges and are providing
safe, respecul, inclusive and high quality learning
environments that young people need.
The areas idened for change and improvement
through the consultaons are reected in the ve
Priority Areas of these Strategic Direcons and the global
intents related to each of the Priories.
These Strategic Direcons, tled Partnering: A Step
Further, have drawn inspiraon from our Diocesan
Educaon Vision and Mission Statements, which require
us to act as ‘partners’ in Catholic educaon.
Over the next four years, we have a moral imperave
to raise the bar for all students and to close the gap for
lower performing groups, relave to the higher order
skills and competencies required to be successful world
cizens. It is the intenon that schools and the Catholic
Educaon Oce will use these Strategic Direcons as a
‘touchstone’ document in preparing their own goals and
strategies. Partnering: A Step Further will inform local
School Improvement Plans, Annual Acon Plans and
Posion Descripons.
Partnering: A Step Further is intended both as a means
to unify the overall direcon and ensure equity in the
allocaon of resources for Catholic schools in the Ballarat
Diocese, while respecng their autonomy to respond to
the needs of their unique context.
5
PARTNERSHIPS
Our Diocesan Educaon Vision states that, “as partners
in Catholic Educaon and open to God’s presence, we
pursue fullness of life for all”. The contemporary contexts
of which Catholic Educaton is integrally a part, present
opportunies and challenges that require new learning,
new leaderships and new ways of being with each
other. Research indicates that if educaon systems are
ourishing in these changing and complex environments,
then all within the system need to be dynamically
connected and in partnership with each other, as they
strive to bring the vision to life for all.
As partners and in partnership we have the opportunity
to create a highly eecve and ourishing system that:
• Engages deeply with its moral purpose to ensure
that all young people in our school communies
become creave, adaptable, self-movated
learners who achieve their full potenal in all
aspects of learning.
• Inspires and supports leaders connually to
develop their knowledge and capacies, and in
turn, strengthens the collecve experse of leaders
across the system in improving learning for all
young people in our school communies.
• Values sustained opportunies for professional
learning for all educators.
• Engages in collaborave evidence-informed
professional inquiry that creates new knowledge
and innovave pracces in response to local and
system contexts and needs.
• Focuses on discerned system priories and
iniaves that respond to local and system
contexts and oer authenc opportunies to
partner in achieving excellence in learning for all
young people.
Partnerships are focussed on the following:
• Mutual benet, where all are learning with and
from each other, sharing collecve experse and
evidence informed pracces through inquiry
approaches to professional learning.
• Transparency, where all are commited to
improvement processes that are clear in purpose,
are posive in intent and support the collecve
learning of the system as a whole.
• Relaonships of trust that respect diversity of
perspecve within the context of system, zone,
network, cluster or individual school community
projects or iniaves.
It is the intent of these Strategic Direcons to oer
inspiraon “as partners in Catholic Educaon and open
to God’s presence” to “pursue fullness of life for all” more
intenonally.
6 Partnering: A Step Further – Strategic Directions 2020-2024
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
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Fostering inspiring
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As partners in
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7
The ve priories were discerned following the diocesan
consultaon processes:
• Empowering all to ourish
• Building inclusive Catholic learning communies
• Achieving best pracce
• Fostering inspiring leadership
• Enhancing family engagement, governance and
stewardship
FOR CONSIDERATION
Introduction
The following quesons are oered as a further
opportunity for school communies to engage with the
quesons that were raised in the broader educaon
community of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, as schools
discern and respond to local needs and contexts.
8 Partnering: A Step Further – Strategic Directions 2020-2024
• How might we create cultures of respect, trust and
safety where the human dignity of each person is
embraced and celebrated?
• How might we create and nurture communies of
inclusivity and belonging where all are known and
understood, in parcular the most vulnerable in
our communies?
• How might we foster authenc partnerships that
foster relaonships of mutual benet, equity and
transparency that are anchored in the wellbeing of
all?
• How might we create cultures of learning where
all are invited to have an authenc voice and to be
agents of their learning?
• How do we bring aenon to ways of being and
parcipang in online spaces that are safe and
respecul?
How might we partner as a Diocesan Education Community
to create safe and respectful communities
of hope where all can flourish?
Building inclusive Catholic learning communities
• How might we design and oer opportunies for
deeply understanding the Catholic Tradion and
create the condions for developing condence in
our emerging Catholic Identy?
• How might we come to understand deeply and
enact the ndings of the Enhancing Catholic School
Identy (ECSI) data, in partnership and in dialogue,
with our faith communies?
• How might we priorise and oer opportunies for
personal and professional dialogue that invites a
deep engagement with the Mission for all?
• How might we design and oer professional
learning opportunies that empower and skill
all within our system to enact the Awakenings
curriculum in ways that are meaningful to all
learners and enable them to achieve fullness of
life?
How might we partner to create Christ-centered
learning-focussed communities, responsive
to the needs of our time and contexts?
Empowering all to flourish
9
Achieving best practice
• How do we enact pedagogical approaches that
ensure each young person achieves their opmal
growth and development, across all dimensions of
learning?
• How can we create the condions where young
people are posioned as acve agents in their own
learning – where they are oered opmal voice,
choice and power – as partners in their learning
with peers and adults?
• How might we create a culture of innovaon and
creavity that is responsive to the complexity and
diversity of the learning needs of young people?
• How do we create authenc partnerships
of learning across our system that provide
opportunies for collaboraon, inquiry and
innovaon?
• How can we ensure that our pracce is evidence
based and data informed?
How might we partner as a Diocesan Education Community
to ensure quality learning and teaching that promotes
excellence and fosters authentic human development?
FOR CONSIDERATION
10 Partnering: A Step Further – Strategic Directions 2020-2024
Enhancing family engagement, governance
and stewardship
• How might we develop authenc partnerships
based on mutual trust and respect that connect
families, schools and parishes?
• How can we acvely engage, challenge and support
families in the learning process?
• How do we support families in the transion points
of schooling i.e. Kindergarten to School, Primary to
Secondary, Secondary to Terary?
• How do we ensure that partnerships and
communicaon exist between the various
governing authories?
• How do we ensure eecve governance policies,
procedures and relaonships?
• How might we ensure that eecve delegaons
and accountability policies and processes are in
place to ensure the safety of all?
• How do we ensure pracces of eecve
nancial management, capital development and
stewardship of all resources?
How might we partner as a Diocesan Education Community
to ensure cooperation and collaboration underpin
effective family engagement, governance and stewardship?
Fostering inspiring leadership
• How might we create a system wide culture of
leading that fosters connected and sustainable
leadership growth and development, now and into
the future?
• How might we provide diverse and ongoing
opportunies for learning and development, where
leaders are empowered to lead their own learning,
in the context of their faith communies?
• How might we acvely seek dynamic and emergent
ways of partnering with a focus on creang new
knowledge and enacng new paerns of working,
learning and leading across the system?
• How might we enact innovave and creave
organisaonal structures (connecons and
relaonships) that provide the space necessary
for adapve responses to enacng our Diocesan
Educaon Mission?
• How do we meet the diverse leadership needs and
ensure the sustainable use of resources across the
Diocese?
How might we partner as a
Diocesan Education Community to foster leaders
who serve our Catholic Education communities?
11
