Quality Development

Quality policy SILFO

The strategic vision SILFO 2022-2026 outlines the overarching mandate for the Quality Development staff service. This is formulated based on the four C’s, which shape the various services across the foundation.

The four C’s are defined using a developed set of tools that include measurable, perceptible, and demonstrable quality data. These data are collected, shared, and evaluated in a cyclical process, which includes targeted research, follow-up questions on previously obtained data, gathering feedback, conducting evaluations, engaging in dialogues, and sharing stories. This aligns with the appreciation framework of the Dutch Education Inspectorate. The quality cycle is embedded in various ways within the foundation’s work methods.

Management Reports

Since mid-2019, the foundation has been using reports on educational quality at both the foundation and location levels. These reports are discussed every four months with the education management teams, the control department, the quality department, and the Executive Board. The content focuses on measurable, perceptible, and demonstrable quality results. The measurable data in the educational quality reports come from various student tracking systems in the schools, which monitor students’ progress in knowledge and skills. At the location level, continuous learning pathways ensure that education aligns with an uninterrupted developmental process for students. Additionally, student and parent satisfaction surveys, school-level lesson quality observations, and accreditation reports from the Council of International Schools for the International School are used to measure educational quality.

Quality Compass

The developed Quality Compass, based on the Quality Cycle (which runs in parallel with the control cycle), the Quality Calendar of the annual report, the Quality Calendar of the School Plan, and the four-, eight-, and twelve-month reports, monitors the development of educational quality.

The Quality Compass developed by the foundation visualizes educational quality and is visible to the board, management teams, staff, and the Supervisory Board via a dashboard. The Quality Compass is used to maintain visibility on the quality of education within the foundation based on the established vision. It utilizes the requirements set by the inspectorate through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and indicators for perceptible and demonstrable quality, known as Critical Quality Indicators (CQIs), linked to the school plan goals. Development is evaluated quarterly on the dashboard and discussed with the education management teams. The dashboard allows for determining goal progress at three pre-set moments by selecting the status via a drop-down menu: “not started,” “not on track,” “on track,” or “completed.” The quality officers at each location update the dashboard every four months under the appropriate date, making the progress of various goals visible over time.
The goals are categorized based on inspection standards, SILFO standards, and are used in the management report to account for quality development at the goal level. Location managers provide the accompanying explanations.

Quality Improvements

Agreements for quality improvement are made and documented quarterly based on the management reports and the quality dashboard. If necessary, the education management teams conduct further analysis at the location level and/or adjust location goals, which are then included in the quality dashboard. The process and the set of quality tools are evaluated annually, fostering further quality development.

Accountability

The management reports and the quality dashboard are shared and discussed quarterly with the Supervisory Board. Additionally, the location portfolios are presented and discussed annually in a meeting with the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board, and the Joint Participation Council. Quality data are published in the Annual Report and on the Schools on the Map website.