| 1 | NAME |
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The name of the partnership shall be the East Belfast Area Learning Community (EBALC). |
| 2 | AIM |
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The East Belfast Area Learning Community is established to promote a culture of collaboration across the post-primary schools in the area. This will be achieved through developing school collaboration for the educational provision for 14-19 year old students and the promotion of the professional development of staff. The partnership is committed to providing equality of opportunity for achievement and progression.
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| 3 | OBJECTIVES |
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The East Belfast Area Learning Community is committed to: • motivating young people to participate in lifelong learning;• providing opportunities for staff development; • developing a flexible, challenging, broad-based curriculum, with training provision enhanced by collaboration, which prioritises young people’s needs and aspirations; • promoting young people’s skills, ambitions and aptitudes while supporting their progression through Key Stage 4 to post 16 and beyond; • providing courses leading to outcomes that learners value and which are valued by wider society; • providing opportunities, as appropriate, for young people to be involved in the planning, reviewing and evaluation of provision; • monitoring, evaluating and reviewing provision to ensure that it promotes excellence, reaches agreed quality standards, meets the needs of young people and prepares them for life beyond school; • reviewing the efficacy and efficiency of the collaborative activity on an annual basis.
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| 4 | OPERATIONAL MATTERS |
| 4.1 | MEMBERSHIP East Belfast Area Learning Community The membership of the EBALC shall consist of the following: Ashfield Boys’ High School Ashfield Girls’ High School Bloomfield Collegiate School Campbell College Grosvenor Grammar School Lagan College Mitchell House Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock Park School & Education Resources Centre Strathearn School Tor Bank School Steering Group The membership of the Steering Group of the EBALC shall consist of the Principals of the schools. Development Groups The Steering Group can establish Development Groups consisting of staff from each of the EBALC schools. Co-option EBALC members may be co-opted with the approval of the Steering Group. A member organisation wishing to resign from the EBALC should do so in writing to the Chairperson of the Steering Group with a minimum notice period of 3 months. |
| 4.2 | CHAIRMANSHIP OF GROUPS A Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be elected by each of the Groups and should retain the roles for two academic years. |
| 4.3 | CO-ORDINATOR Any Co-ordinator or Support Officer appointed by the Steering Group will attend group meetings as Secretary, as required. The Co-ordinator and Chairperson will ensure that meetings are convened as agreed and that agendas are issued in advance of meetings and minutes maintained. |
| 5 | CONDUCT OF MEETINGS |
| 5.1 | The agenda for each Group shall be set and distributed by the Chairperson in partnership with the Co-ordinator. (Preferably with a week’s notice.) |
| 5.2 | Any member of the EBALC Groups can request an item to be included on the agenda, giving appropriate notice to the Chairperson. On each occasion the agenda will allow for any other notified business. |
| 5.3 | LOCATION Meetings will be held in EBALC schools. The venue will be determined at the previous meeting. Members will be notified of the venue along with the agenda. |
| 5.4 | QUORUM OF THE STEERING GROUP A quorum shall consist of four of the member schools as identified at 4.1. Decisions will be in agreement of those present. In the event of consensus not being reached a second meeting will be convened in an attempt to reach agreement. In the event that an agreement cannot be reached each member organisation shall have one vote. Decisions will be agreed by simple majority of member schools in attendance. The use of email collaborative discussion should assist to overcome meetings where quorate activity proves difficult. |
| 6 | ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PUBLIC FUNDS |
| 6.1 | Members of the EBALC have a duty to ensure that public funds are properly safeguarded and that, at all times, the EBALC conducts its operations transparently, economically, efficiently and as effectively as possible. |
| 6.2 | As part of its responsibilities for the stewardship of public funds, the EBALC will ensure that they include a full statement of the use of resources in any annual reports. |
| 6.3 | Members should ensure that they can demonstrate that they are using resources to good effect, with probity, and without grounds for criticism that public funds are being used for private, partisan or third party political purposes. |