Communications Audit Report 2015 Summary

Communications Audit Report 2015 Summary

PROJECT OVERVIEW 10k Consulting was engaged by Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School (CHSIPS) to complete an in-depth Communications Audit. CHSIP School Principal Deborah Driver commissioned the audit process, in conjunction with the School Executive Council. The function of the Communications Audit was to ascertain what elements of the communications process were successful, which areas were in need of improvement and to determine the best practice required to ensure the school was communicating at its absolute best, whereby maximising the engagement of all stakeholders. The 10k Consulting Communications Audit commenced on 23 March 2015. The scope of the Communications Audit was as follows: Analysis of existing communications vehicles Leadership / Senior Staff interviews The co-ordination of a communications survey The development of a Communications Assessment Matrix using key performance measures The development of a needs-based Communications Plan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The communications audit process was designed to assess the current communications landscape, and determine if and where improvements could be made. Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School commissioned 10k Consulting, via tender, to undertake the audit process and produce a report with key recommendations ready for implementation. The communications audit process commenced on 23 March 2015 and culminated in a report delivered to the school by the end of May 2015. The first step in the audit process was to assess the current communications landscape. The methods by which this was conducted include: Analysis of existing communications vehicles Leadership & senior staff interviews The coordination of a communications survey The assessment of communications culminated in the development of the Communications Assessment Matrix, which highlighted the 5 main channels for communication and their current rating. In short, the results were as follows: Newsletter: Below Average Teacher Emails: Average Website: Below Average CPR Emails: Above Average Staff Notices: Above Average Quantitative and Qualitative survey results provided further insights that highlighted current communications landscapes strengths and weaknesses, blockages and untapped opportunities. Current Communications Landscape Strength: o The schools communication is exceptionally thorough Current Communications Landscape Weakness: o The volume of information produced by CHSIPS is very large o There is overlap between the information communicated by the school newsletter, CPR emails and teacher emails.

Current Communications Landscape Blockage: o The process by which communication is developed is the biggest blockage in the current communications landscape. Current Communications Landscape Untapped Opportunity: o The currently limited use of technology is a largely untapped opportunity for CHSIPS Armed with this key data, the audit has culminated in the development of five Key Recommendations for Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School. Recommendation #1: Create 5 key channels of information and reduce the volume and overlap of information Currently there is significant overlap between the various channels of communication. Meaning, some information is communicated several times via multiple channels, and other pieces are not communicated at all. This happens because of the lack of clarity around each channel. Each key area needs to maintain focus and consistency about and within their channel. There will, at times, be overlap in messages disseminated, but the communications should be from that channels perspective. Recommendation #2: Maintain a centrally managed Contact Information System to improve efficiency and accuracy of information dissemination to target groups. Results from the survey indicated that parents are unhappy with the current system for the dissemination of information. Both quantitative and qualitative feedback from the survey was clear. School based communications need to come from the school. The simplest way for this to occur is for the school administration to formalise their database via the use of a master contact list, regularly updated with an annual information overhaul. Recommendation #3: Web-based email newsletter system that enables abbreviated presentation and connection to the website It became clear throughout the audit process that the Newsletter was a component of school communications that was quite time consuming from a production perspective, as well as cumbersome and difficult to read for parents due to its size and format.

These issues could be resolved by the introduction of a web-based email system. The use of such a system will help alleviate the need for staff to spend long periods of time formatting the newsletter, as well as allowing for webbased solutions to make readership easier such as clickable links, expandable content etc... Recommendation #4: Create and implement clear operating rules around the Push and Pull communications principles. The school can maximise the opportunity around the Communications Audit process by clearly defining Push and Pull communications going forward and embarking on a re-education process with the wider school community. Push Communications are where the sender is firmly in control choosing the recipient, the timing and the amount of information given. Pull Communications are where the recipient is in control, allowing them to determine what information they need and when they need it. 98% of current school communications are Push Communication. The school can shift a portion of communications over to a pull strategy through a reeducation process. A key factor to successfully transitioning to a clear Push/Pull strategy is that pull based repositories MUST be kept up to date. Recommendation #5: P&C and school newsletters combined to reduce the amount of information being duplicated / circulated. Another means by which the school can streamline communications is by combining the P&C and school newsletters. Over 67% of respondents to the survey would like to see the school newsletter and P&C Newsletter to have similar attributes / structure. There will also need to be a repository of P&C related information on the website, so parents can pull information as required. Whether this is maintained on the school website or a separate P&C website is a decision between school and P&C, however it needs to be addressed with responsibilities (and timelines for implementation) allocated and information updated accordingly. PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTATION We advocate the following process for implementation: 1. The School Executive determine the order of priority in addressing the recommendations 2. The School Executive develop a timeline for implementation (we are happy to assist and guide the Executive in this process)

3. The School Executive meets with the respective faculties, staff and parent communities involved to discuss the report recommendations, future plans and goals and agree on a timeline for implementation 4. The process of preparation for transition commences. This process is closely managed, to ensure engagement and clarity of the mission for all members involved, as they prepare for change. 5. When poised for rollout, the process is introduced to the broader school community. 6. Change is implemented. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations detailed in this report are implemented in due course for the benefit of the Camp Hill State Infants and Primary School.