Olabide Ikastola - Euskalit

EFQM EXCELLENCE AWARD 2010
January 2010
leadership strategy people partnership & resources processes, products & services
customer results people results society results key results

Index
Overview 1
1. Leadership 3
2. Strategy 12
3. People 22
4. Partnerships & Resources 31
5. Processes, Products & Services 42
6. Customer Results 52
7. People Results 59
8. Society Results 64
9. Key Results 68
Glossary 76

overview
overview
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 1
Olabide Ikastola Sociedad Cooperativa, hereinafter
referred to in this document as olabide, is a Basque
school run as a family cooperative. The school, founded
in 1963 to educate in and disseminate knowledge of the
Basque language and culture, is maintained by a collective
of parents who, as members of the cooperative,
are both customers and owners of the school whilst they
continue to enrol their children in Olabide. The school
offers Infant Education (IE, 2-year-olds) through to
Upper Secondary Education (USE, 16 to 18-year-olds).
Olabide is located in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital
of the province of Álava and the administrative capital
of the Basque Country (or Euskadi as it is called in
the Basque language), an autonomous region of Spain.
The city has a population of around 220,000.
Geopolitically, Spain is made up of 17 autonomous regions,
each one operating with its own parliament and
government and empowered to establish and manage its
own policies and budgets in areas such as health and education, amongst many others. The Basque Country, with a population
of around 2,100,000 and located in the north of Spain, is one of these autonomous regions.
The above-mentioned basic information is taken from the Qualification File submitted by Olabide to the EFQM in Brussels on 27
November, 2009. This document also outlines the main characteristics and trademark features of the school normally included in
an Overview of this type, and it is for this reason that, after consultation with EFQM authorities, we have decided not to repeat
the information here but to refer the assessor team members to the Qualification File itself for further reference.
Additionally, and also for practical reasons of space limitations in this document, the content of the current Olabide Mission,
Vision, Values and Strategy Plan 2009-12 (with corresponding Strategic Objectives), updated and approved in the Extraordinary
Assembly of Cooperative Members in June 2009 and also included in the Qualification File, are not presented in this submission
document. Instead, and on the grounds that the results presented in criteria 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this document are related to
the delivery of Olabide MVV pre-2009 and the Strategy Plan 2004-09, criterion part 2c of this submission document reflects the
content of the Strategy Plan 2004-09 (with corresponding Strategic Priorities), the pre-2009 Values are presented in criterion
part 1a and the pre-2009 Mission and Vision statement is shown below.
Mission - vision
The mission of Olabide Ikastola is to collaborate in the
all-round education of our pupils, using our immediate
environment –knowledge of the Basque language and
culture– as a starting point, and with an open-minded approach
to the world, with a view to guiding and preparing
our pupils for the challenges that face them both now and
in the future.
To this end, the school will develop the following strategies:
1. Personalised and qualified teaching for all, rooted in
attitudes based on respect, tolerance, solidarity, coeducation,
cooperation, responsibility, commitment
and austerity, working in line with and developing
Christian values.
2. The involvement of, and effective communication
with, all the school community, based on collaboration,
delegation and empowerment, commitment to
the objectives of the school, the ability to listen and
accept criticism, mutual trust and a positive attitude,
thus developing the philosophy of cooperativism.
3. A culture of calmness, recognition, mutual trust, optimism
and enthusiasm, prioritising and clarifying
objectives to best focus our efforts.
4. Teamwork among all members of the education community,
fostering and transmitting a culture of continuous
improvement and innovation.
5. The support and deployment of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT), and the existence
of suitable facilities, equipment and services,
both in the academic and non-academic field, living
out the principles expressed herein at all times.
As an end objective, Olabide aspires to continuous improvement
with respect to how the school is run, the
teaching-learning processes, multilingual education, the
provision of cultural and sports activities, environmental
conservation, corporate social responsibility and the cooperative
spirit, all of which is geared towards contributing
to the social development of the Basque Country and
in the hope that the different generations of pupils who
have studied in Olabide Ikastola will have fond memories
of their schooldays.
approved (as a modification) in the general assembly of cooperative Members, 16-12-2006

overview
overview
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 2
For the assessors’ convenience, we include here a brief explanation of the Basque education system. The academic year runs
from September to June. The system consists of four stages: pre-school, or Infant Education (IE, 2 to 5 years of age), which
is non-compulsory, Primary Education (PE, 6 to 12-year-olds, compulsory), Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE, 12 to
16-year-olds) and Upper Secondary Education (USE, 16 to 18-year-olds, non compulsory). Vocational Training courses are
also available after CSE or USE studies. Two different types of programmes are offered: Middle-level Training Cycles, which
have the CSE diploma as a requirement, and Higher-level Training Cycles, which have the Spanish Baccalaureate (USE) as the
principal requirement. Olabide offers Infant Education (IE, 2-year-olds) through to Upper Secondary Education (USE, 16 to
18-year-olds), and does not provide Vocational Training.
Throughout this submission document, the reference period is stated as the academic year, not the calendar year (unless expressly
stated). Additionally, at the beginning of each criterion, commonly mentioned aspects of Olabide management are written in
full, followed by the acronym to be used to refer to this concept for the rest of the criterion. All words which are not English (for
example, names of companies, projects, etc.) are written in italic form. An explanation and/or translation of the names of many
of the organisations mentioned is provided in the glossary at the back of the document. All cross-references throughout the
document are written in a dark blue colour, and Process Systems (PS), Process Families (PF) and processes themselves appear
as seen here to make it easier for the assessors to distinguish them from the rest of the text.
A series of key milestones on the Olabide path to Excellence are shown below:
Key Milestones
1963 Founding of the school, the first ikastola in Alava, with
14 pupils.
1968 Legalised under the name Colegio Padre Raimundo
Olabide.
1973 Land purchased and new facilities built in the town of
Lasarte. Creation of a parents’ cooperative; 360 families,
496 pupils and 15 teachers.
1986 Signing of the first agreement as a consequence of the
LODE (Spanish Right to Education Act).
1993 Decision to continue with the same policy, remaining
an ikastola and not becoming part of the state school
network.
2000 School declared of public interest by the Basque Government
on account of our contribution to the general
interests of the Basque Country.
2003 40th anniversary. 1,041 families, 1,553 pupils and 133
employees.
2006 Authorisation and funding of five 2-year-old classes
per year.
Milestones in Quality Management
1994 Various members of the Management Team (MT), together
with 24 members of MTs from other schools, take
part in the first training sessions given by Euskalit (Basque
Foundation for Excellence) on the EFQM model.
1995 1st self-assessment.
2001 Further training for the MT in courses on the EFQM
model organised by Euskalit.
2002 One MT member trained by Euskalit as an assessor
against the EFQM model.
2003 2nd self-assessment.
2004 Deployment of the process system throughout the
school.
2004 3rd self-assessment.
2005 4th self-assessment. Olabide awarded the Basque Government
Silver ‘Q-for-Quality’ (400-499 points after external
assessment against the EFQM Excellence model
conducted by Euskalit).
2005 One Olabide person takes part as an assessor in an
Euskalit-organised external assessment process.
2006 Six more MT members trained by Euskalit as assessors
against the EFQM model.
2006 Four Olabide people take part as assessors in Euskalitorganised
external assessment processes.
2007 Another MT member trained by Euskalit as an assessor
against the EFQM model. 5 th self-assessment.
2008 6th self-assessment. Olabide awarded the Basque Government
Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’ (500+ points after external
assessment against the EFQM Excellence model
conducted by Euskalit). One Olabide person takes part
as an assessor in an Euskalit-organised external assessment
process.
2009 One Olabide person takes part as an assessor in an
Euskalit-organised external assessment process.
2006-09 One MT member lecturing in Mondragón Unibertsitatea
on Organisation in Schools, using the EFQM
model.

Leadership

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 3
1. LEADERSHIP
1a. Leaders develop the Mission, Vision, Values and ethics
and act as role models.
Approach and deployment
Olabide Ikastola, hereinafter referred to in this submission document
as Olabide, is a parent cooperative, so decisions are taken by
the Steering Committee (SC) in line with directives established by
the Governance Board (GB). In turn, these decisions are implemented
by the Management Team (MT), the members of which
are the main leaders of the school. The GB is the highest level of
governance of the school and represents and defends the interests
of the General Assembly of Cooperative Members, who by definition
are both owners and, as parents of the pupils, customers of
Olabide. Parents therefore take active part in the decision-making
process, so the Olabide organisational structure is designed to be
both functional and to maximise across-the-board participation.
To do so, a management by processes model has been deployed
with a view to maximising shared responsibility among all our
people, and for all Olabide people to put forward improvement
suggestions. This proactive approach is designed to ensure that
all our people feel part of and identify with what Olabide stands
for, and therefore with the Mission, Vision, Values (MVV) and
ethics of the school.
In Olabide, leadership is defined as follows:
• We understand leadership as the collective set of attitudes
and behaviour of our leaders which enables the delivery of
our Mission and Vision.
• We consider leaders to be all those Olabide people who,
relative to their responsibility level, stimulate and inspire
other members of the organisation to perform to the best of
their abilities, focusing them on the delivery of the Olabide
Mission and Vision and acting as role models of the Values
of the school.
• Leadership is therefore practised at different levels, i.e. Management
Team (MT), Quality Coordination Team (QCT,
composed of the owners of Process Systems [PS, 5a]), Department
Heads, process owners, project leaders and Compulsory
Secondary Education (CSE) and Upper Secondary
Education (USE) tutors.
Fig. 1a.1: Olabide definition of leadership
As a result of MT reflection in 2006-07, the decision was taken to
include CSE and USE tutors as leaders, as they are responsible
for leading and driving the activities of the teachers within their
group and coordinating effective teamwork. This improvement
action has led to greater all-round recognition and effectiveness
of their work.
Successive assessment and review activities regarding who should
be leaders in Olabide have led to the deployment over time of
a greater number of leaders in the school, which has now levelled
off and stabilised. Satisfaction levels with leadership have
increased as a result, as shown below.
Indicator 00-01 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
Satisfaction
with leaders
5.15 5.28 5.75 6.86 6.2 6.7 7.01
No. of
leaders
5 9 31 47 46 73 65 59
Fig. 1a.2: Indicators on leadership in Olabide
The changes which have taken place in Olabide would not have
been possible without leadership aligned to the MVV of the
school, a leadership geared towards securing the support and
joint efforts of all Olabide people working towards a common
goal. In 2006-07, as a result of assessment and review, the list of
general leadership attitudes and behaviour was refined and improved
for greater coherence with the Olabide MVV. This list is
shown below:
• Lead by example. It is easier to get others involved if leaders
are the first to practise what they preach, e.g. giving classes,
curricular programming, managing processes, etc.
• Empathy. Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
Observe, understand and anticipate the emotions of others,
taking into account each person’s individuality, e.g. when communicating
decisions, assigning responsibilities, in day-to-day
contact, when monitoring his/her performance, when giving
recognition, etc.
• Mutual trust. Leaders belief in themselves, their trust in the
people of the organisation and the people’s trust in them. For
this to be so, leaders must be seen as colleagues, be close to
their people and be seen to be sincere in their emotions, beliefs
and actions. This trust is born out by giving empowerment to
teachers, tutors, process owners, etc.
• Be proactive. Establish new challenges, continuously improve
existing procedures and avoid dull routine by proposing new
ones. Accept risk and uncertainty. Convert threats into opportunities.
• Share knowledge. Teach others to do new things. Be close and
easily accessible for them, showing them what you know and
taking active part in work teams. Transmit security, reassuring
those with doubts and showing confidence in decision-making.
As an improvement action in relation to this last Olabide Value,
in 2007-08 knowledge management was fully systemised as a
process, 3d. This collective set of attitudes and behaviour enables
leaders to collaborate in the development of Olabide Values.
Since 2005-06, the effectiveness of personal leadership has been
reviewed and improved by using 360º appraisal of leadership in
relation to Olabide Values.
The Olabide MVV were initially defined in 1994 and later refined
in 1997. However, with the appointment of a new School Director
in 2001-02, deployment of the EFQM Excellence model in
the school was boosted, leading to a review and update of the
Olabide MVV and their ratification in the 2004 General Assembly.
In 2006, on the initiative of the GB, the need was identified to
introduce the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
and environmental preservation into the MVV. In 2008-09, a review
and update of the fundamental documents of the school
was undertaken, and a series of work teams were created to this
effect. In June 2009, the new Olabide Mission, Vision, Strategy
Plan (SP), Statutes and System of Internal Rules and Regulations
(IRR) were approved in an extraordinary General Assembly.
With a view to developing a culture of business Excellence in
Olabide, MT members began to receive relevant training in 1994.
The Olabide Mission, Vision and key Values were drawn up and
agreed to on a consensus basis by members of the MT, the GB
and a group of teachers, and approved by the General Assembly
that same year. Again in 1994, various members of the MT, together
with 24 members of MTs from other schools, took part in
the first training sessions given by Euskalit (Basque Foundation
for Excellence) on the EFQM model. In 2002, the appointment of
a new School Director triggered greater deployment of the Excellence
model in the school, with more people receiving training in
Total Quality and more training hours invested in the subject.
Thus, Olabide leaders have taken part in many Excellence and
management-related courses, some of which are highlighted below
(a full list is available in Olabide Training Plan files).
• Total Quality in the education sector (all new MT members
attend courses on business Excellence);
• Training as Excellence assessors, 6 people in 2006 and 1 in
2007;
• Active participation in external assessment, 5 in 2006-07 and
1 in 2009;
• Management in schools; Univ. of Deusto, 2006-07;
• Knowledge Management, given by ERKIDE (Federation of
Teaching Cooperatives), 2007-08;
• Annual attendance at the best practice exchange forum of the
Euskalit 400 Club;

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 4
• Time Management, 2007-08;
• Internal Communication in an organisation; 3 people, 2007-
08;
• Emotional Intelligence, 2 people, 2007-08;
• Leadership, given by Euskalit; 2 people, 2007-08; and
• Communicative tools to live in harmony; 2 people, 2008-09.
People satisfaction surveys have been used since 2001 to review
and improve the effectiveness of Olabide leaders. In addition to
the overall degree of satisfaction with leaders, the survey also includes
an item to express satisfaction with each individual leader,
thus enabling us to identify particular attitudes and behaviour
which need to be improved, Fig. 1a.2.
Pre-2009 Olabide Ethical Principles and Values are shown below
in Fig. 1a.3.
Ethical
Principles
1. Prudence
2. Justice
3. Strength
4. Temperance
Values
Respect as a standard behavioural norm of all
members of the education community.
Participation, in coherence with our cooperative
spirit.
Cooperation through teamwork.
Responsibility, understood as a job well done
through personal effort.
Concept of people as the most valued potential
of the school, whose collective involvement
and commitment generate initiatives, creativity,
improvement and innovation.
Commitment to the Olabide Basque identity,
through the mainstreaming of the Basque
language and the promotion of our culture and
traditions.
Fig. 1a.3: Olabide Ethical Principles and Values
These ethical principles and Values, together with the Olabide
Mission, Vision and SP, were reviewed and updated in 2009. The
pre-2009 versions are included here for reference purposes for the
assessor team; the new, updated versions are those included in the
Qualification File (Dec. 2009).
The Olabide Values and Ethical Principles run through all the
processes of our Excellence Management System (EMS), and
are also manifest in the matrix of people competencies/ capacities
used in the Performance Appraisal Process. Likewise, they are
also used as an element of 360º leadership appraisal for the MT
members; in this way, each MT member can draw up his/her own
improvement plan.
Since 2003-04, a leadership plan is drawn up every year for all
Olabide leaders, detailing the activities to be carried out and
enabling them to systematically develop their leadership and become
involved in improvement activities, in line with their work
plan. The processes involved in leadership management are the
Strategic Reflection Process, the Process for the Drawing Up and
Monitoring of Leadership, the Process for the Management of
Continuous Improvement, the Process for Measuring People Satisfaction,
the Process for Systemising, Managing and Improving
Processes and the PF for General and Teaching Coordination.
The Olabide leadership plan is designed to meet the demands
of the 5 criterion parts of Criterion 1 of the EFQM Excellence
model. In this respect, some of the activities of the Leadership Plan
related to 1a are shown below.
• Review and update the statements expressing the Olabide
MVV and ethical principles. This review cycle is conducted
every 5 years, or sooner if considered necessary, as has been
explained above. The ethical principles were defined in 2004-
05 and aligned to the Values and the processes of the EMS.
The Mission statement was reviewed in 2006-07 to include the
concepts of CSR and environmental preservation. In 2008-
09, the Olabide Mission, Vision, SP, Statutes and IRR were
updated, as mentioned above, and in the first term of 2009-10
the School Education Plan (SEP) was updated and approved
in the General Assembly of December, 2009.
• Act as role models of Olabide Values. All Olabide leaders are
bound to act as role models of the school’s values. As previously
explained, a collective set of leadership attitudes and
behaviour has been defined and is subject to annual review and
improvement. In satisfaction surveys, each leader is individually
assessed against these values and attitudes, providing us
with segmented data on the performance of all our leaders.
Each leader then has access to the survey results to identify
personal areas for improvement, and year-on-year results for
individual leaders have been seen to improve using this approach.
Additionally, MT members are subject to 360º appraisal
to gauge the extent to which they are actually living out
the Olabide Values.
• Drive and prioritise self-assessment and continuous improvement
activities. The members of the QCT are periodically subject
to the 12 Challenges leadership appraisal tool, enabling them
to identify and prioritise activities of continuous improvement.
Other tools used by our leaders to identify areas for
improvement are self-assessment against the EFQM model
and 360º appraisal, which was first used in Olabide in 2005-06
and later in 2007-08. 360º leadership appraisal has enabled us
to systemise leadership assessment by the leaders themselves,
providing us with an objective perspective of how we are perceived
as leaders by our colleagues and thus helping us improve.
Additionally, this appraisal methodology is seen by all
other Olabide people as setting an example, helping them to
understand their own performance appraisal as an instrument
for improvement.
In addition to systematically using appraisal mechanisms, MT
members make every effort to ensure Olabide people act with
integrity and adopt standards of behaviour which ensure the
future of the school. This is done by monitoring the results of
parent and pupil satisfaction surveys and through feedback
they receive from other leaders on the performance of Olabide
people. With respect to ethical behaviour, the MT ensures that
all information on the school used for dissemination purposes
complies with established guidelines. Additionally, CSE and
USE pupils began to be surveyed in 2006-07 on the performance
of their teachers. Initially, these surveys were not carried
out on a mandatory basis, and if they were conducted, the
teachers affected were not obliged to submit survey findings to
the MT. However, since 2009-10, these surveys are conducted
on a systematic basis and their results submitted to the MT
for analysis, thus enabling potential areas for improvement to
be identified and providing feedback to leaders on the professionalism
of team members, 3b.
• Objectives are set with corresponding time frames, and leaders
hold one-to-one discussions to help those people having difficulties
in delivering their objectives, 1d. A recent example of
the success of this approach has been that 98.1% of Olabide
teaching staff have achieved the objective of obtaining official
accreditation on knowledge of ICTs.
• Encourage and inspire process owners. QCT members constantly
monitor their PS, giving encouragement and recognition to
the respective process owners, 1d.
• Approve improvement cycles proposed by process owners.
Changes proposed by process owners must be authorised by
QCT members (the owners of Olabide PS’s) to ensure overall
coherence with the Olabide philosophy and the resources at
our disposal.
• Communicate the Olabide MVV and Strategy directly to
Olabide people and newly incorporated staff. At the beginning
of the academic year, and once the BP has been definitively
drawn up, a meeting is held in which the MT personally communicate
to all Olabide people the agreed objectives, targets,
Values, plans, strategy and related policies of the school. The
content of the annual BP is communicated and explained to all
our people, especially to each of the process owners involved
in the actions planned for that year. Any improvement actions
planned for the process are also communicated and recorded
in process documentation, along with the target set for that
year.

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 5
• Explain the end purpose of all projects undertaken. The BP
and all projects to be developed each academic year are presented
and their purpose clearly explained in the general staff
meeting at the start of the academic year. A folder is given to
all Olabide people containing all relevant documents for the
academic year in question, i.e. the BP, details of each project,
refinements to the process organisation chart, the Training
Plan, etc.
• Analyse the process organisation chart to improve delegation and
how work is shared out. With a view to developing a culture of
shared leadership in Olabide and improving its effectiveness,
the horizontal structure of the school, or process organisation
chart, is reviewed at least once a year, taking into account process
ownership, Management and Improvement Teams (MIT)
and project leaders. Prior to the start of the 3 rd term, the MT
reviews the existing Management structure and anticipates
needs and possible changes for the forthcoming academic
year. Barring exceptions, the Heads of the different Education
Stages, having reached the end of their 4-year tenure in
the MT, leave their posts, and Olabide teaching staff propose
a short list of 3 people to take their place. The involvement
of teaching staff in the selection of the Heads of the different
Education Stages contributes to fostering good relations between
our people and the MT. The School Director will then
select from the shortlist the candidate he considers to be the
most suitable. Since this system began in 2001, the candidate
chosen by the Director has always coincided with the person
most voted for by the teachers at each particular education
stage, thus suggesting that Management is in tune with staff.
In 2004-05, with a view to optimising the successful deployment
of the recently implemented system of management by processes,
the MT delegated functions of Quality coordination to another
Olabide leader with more time to help and advise process owners
on how best to achieve their objectives and realise their full potential.
In 2006, PS owners were appointed with the same objective
in mind, i.e. shared leadership and greater participation. This approach
has also been used with a view to leaders contributing to
their own success and fulfilling their potential, 1d.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Since 2001-02, people satisfaction with the Olabide MVV is
surveyed annually through the Process for the Measurement of
People Satisfaction. Survey items not only measure satisfaction
with the MVV but also the degree to which our people are aware
of and know these statements. Additionally, other measurements
include the performance indicators related to the delivery of actions
included in the leadership plan itself. Improvement actions
are taken in line with the system of improvement cycles described
in 5a, and also as a result of specific learning activities focused
on this aspect of Olabide management. Examples of these are
shown below.
YEAR
2004
-05
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Benchmarking
of Begoñazpi,
Lauaxeta and
Jakintza Ikastolas.
Reflection by MT
Benchmarking
of Lauaxeta and
Jakintza Ikastolas.
Reflection by MT
Conversations
with leaders such
as Geraldine
Keegan and Koldo
Saratxaga
IMPROVEMENT
ACTION
Deployment of leadership. Nov.
2004; creation of base process.
Development of 12 Challenges
leadership tool by MT.
Drawing up of ethical principles
linked to Olabide Values.
Differentiation of leadership at
different levels.
Review of approach to
leadership.
YEAR
2005
-06
2006
-07
2007
-08
2008
-09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Reflection by MT
Self-assessment:
need to stimulate
and maintain a
sense of belonging
to Olabide through
leadership actions.
Visit to Finland
Benchmarking of
Berakruz Ikastola
Joint reflection with
HUHEZI (Faculty
of Humanities
and Educational
Sciences;
Mondragón
Unibertsitatea).
Visit to Finland:
analysis of how
government and
local councils
monitor school
performance.
Reflection by MT
2008 selfassessment
Reflection by MT
IMPROVEMENT
ACTION
Introduction of 360º MT
leadership appraisal.
Promotion and encouragement
of empowerment, deploying
leadership to other Olabide
people, e.g. leaders of Agenda 21
Project at education stage level,
webmaster, ICT Officer, etc.
New ways to promote greater
autonomy for pupils.
Review of leadership attitudes
and behaviour
In addition to training in
Excellence, leaders receive
training required to drive
delivery of Vision-related
strategy, e.g. training in
methodology and dealing with
diversity.
Introduction of performance
appraisal (firstly of leaders, later
of all Olabide people). More
indicators to monitor Teaching-
Learning activities.
Introduction of performance
indicators in the leadership plan.
Development of leadership plan
for CSE and USE tutors.
Development of the 13
Challenges tool for PS owners.
Strengthen leadership of PS
owners by releasing them from
teaching duties
Increased involvement of all
education stages in the Steering
Committee (SC).
One-to-one interviews with
Olabide people, to improve
communication.
1b. Leaders define, monitor, review and drive the improvement of
the organization’s management system and performance.
Approach and deployment
The Olabide approach with respect to the concept of how leaders
drive the improvement of the school’s management system and
performance is the same as that described in 1a, and is governed
by and rolled out through the same Process System (PS) as that
outlined in 1a.
With a view to ensuring that all Olabide people focus their efforts
on business Excellence (a strategic objective contained in
annual BPs), the way our educational responsibilities and actions
are organised and systemised has progressively changed from a
departmental structure based around education levels to a transversal
structure of inter-relations, in which educational and organisational
tasks are common practice.
Some of the activities of the leadership plan related to 1b are
shown below.
• Facilitate and monitor the performance of Management and Improvement
Teams (MIT, 5a). Initially, in 2003, deployment of
the EMS was monitored by the MT with process owners and
with the support of an external consultant. In 2006, after being
awarded the Basque Govt. Silver ‘Q-for-Quality’, MT mem-

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 6
bers took responsibility for monitoring the deployment of the
EMS with far less consultant support, and since 2007-08, PS
owners hold regular meetings with process owners to assess
and review progress and results. In Olabide, process owners
are fully aware of their responsibility as leaders to guide and
support their process participants (5a) towards the effective
deployment of the process and delivery of process objectives,
1d.
• Drive the change from a vertical organisation managed by departments
to a transversal organisation managed by processes,
through the introduction of improvement cycles. PS owners have
played a major part in driving continuous improvement in the
school, e.g. the review of the model for Teaching Units in 2007,
driven by the processes of the corresponding Process Family
(PF), and the review and updating of the curriculum for all
Compulsory Education in 2007-08 and for USE and Infant
Education (IE) in 2008-09.
• Review of the Employees’ Handbook. In 2000, the MT commissioned
an Employees’ Handbook to be written as an element
to aid the effective governance of the school. This handbook,
containing all necessary information for people to be
adequately informed to do their job correctly, was refined in
2004 and is due to be updated again in 2009-10.
• Analysis of data for strategic reflection. The owners of key
processes are responsible for ensuring that their process management
contributes to the delivery of Olabide Strategic Priorities
(StP, 2c). To do so, key process owners work in close
coordination with PS owners. IT applications are widely used
and developed to monitor delivery of key results.
• Give support to the Innovation Project Teams, proposing training
activities and their application. As a result of a benchmarking
activity with the coach-making company Irizar (2000 EQA
Prize Winner) in 2005, the Irizar project management model
was applied to the Olabide approach to the teaching-learning
of languages. A benchmarking activity with Begoñazpi Ikastola
led to the appointment of a Comenius Project Leader, a decision
which has boosted our engagement in these EU projects.
In 2006-07, Olabide took active part in the organisation of
the international Comenius Conference, and was host to both
teachers and pupils from member countries. Our engagement
in the Comenius Science Project was boosted as a result of this.
Later, in 2008-09, Olabide was asked to coordinate another
Comenius project, ongoing until 2010, involving representatives
from Hungary, Turkey and Finland.
In 2006-07, with a view to gaining an insight into the initiatives
taken by other countries to increase pupil motivation in
studying Science-based subjects, the Head of Teaching and the
Science Project leader attended the ‘Hands On’ Congress held
in Portugal, in which they made a presentation on the Olabide
Science Project and exchanged best practice in this field with
other attendees. The involvement of our leaders in this Congress
led to further participation of the Science Department
in other such events, e.g. that same year, Olabide had a stand
at the Science Congress in Braga, Portugal, at which we made
a poster presentation of our project on the application of new
technology in laboratory practices.
Olabide leaders have also made 2 trips to Finland, a benchmark
country in terms of the findings of PISA (Programme
for International Student Assessment) studies. Aware of the
importance of promoting autonomy in our pupils, improvement
actions taken as a result include the operational redesign
of the canteen, the provision of a Common Room area to
facilitate self-management for CSE and USE pupils and the
promotion of greater pupil participation in school life, e.g.
since 2006-07, pupils take active part in the Olabide Steering
Committee. We also visited Holland in 2009 to learn from another
country with excellent PISA study results. One area of
interest on this visit was how mobility is handled in Dutch
schools, with a view to applying learning to our own Bizi Zaitez
project. As a result, in 2009-10 a new, bigger and covered
bicycle park was provided for pupils to promote the project.
• Collaborate with Euskalit through taking part in external assessment
of other organisations. Training of our leaders in Euskalit-run
courses on external assessment against the EFQM
Excellence model dates from 2002, since when the activity
and number of our leaders as external assessors has steadily
increased (4 in 2006, 1 in 2008 and 1 in 2009). This involvement
enables us to analyse the management systems of other
organisations and to identify and apply best practice.
• Report on the annual BP to stakeholders (GB, General Assembly
of Cooperative Members and workers). On the first day of
the new academic year, the MT reports on the delivery of the
previous year’s BP prior to informing all Olabide people on
the content of the proposed BP for the next academic year. In
the General Assembly held in December, the year’s financial
accounts are submitted for approval prior to presenting the
budget for the forthcoming financial year.
• Draw up the Strategy Plan to deliver the Olabide Vision. The
latest SP has been drawn up for the period 2009-12 (Qualification
File, Dec. 2009). Leaders draw up the SP in line with the
methodology described in 2c, on the basis of data gathered
and analysed as described in 2a and 2b.
• Drive improvements to the organisation’s management system.
Every year, the MT review the degree to which the SP has been
delivered prior to drawing up the BP for the following year. In
this respect, indicator results of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC)
are closely monitored by the MT.
The identification and management of risk by Olabide leaders is
described in 2c. Also, though not explicitly treated as a point
within the leadership plan itself, another leadership responsibility
is to systematically monitor and review the key results
of the school. In Olabide, our involvement in PISA tests, together
with the findings from studies published by ISEI-IVEI
(Basque Institute for Research and Assessment in Education),
have enabled us over time to systematically monitor our key
academic results. Prior to the compulsory introduction in the
Basque Country education system in 2008-09 of competence
assessment tests on pupils, we in Olabide had anticipated this
requirement and had externally assessed our pupils on their
language competence. In this respect, in 2004-05, Olabide was
chosen to take part in the first Basque Government study on
the degree to which pupils completing Secondary Education
have attained the B2 level of language competence in Basque.
Another such study was made involving all Olabide 4 th year
CSE pupils in 2005-06, and in that same year we took part in
a study on the factors which influence the use of the Basque
language beyond mere language competence. In 2006-07, we
took part in the ISEI-IVEI study to measure the language
competence of 6 th year PE pupils in the Basque language, and
in 2008-09, Olabide was once again involved in a PISA study
involving 35 of our pupils. Another study on the language
competence of 6 th year PE pupils was conducted in-house in
2007-08, and improvement plans involving teacher training
and commitments to changes in methodology were drawn up
on the basis of the findings from this study. A follow-up study
will be conducted on the same group of pupils in 2010-11.
Thus, our involvement in these studies has enabled us to plan for
future better performance with a view to providing sustainable
benefits for stakeholders. Additionally, it enables us to base improvement
plans on actual results, and not just on our potentially
subjective perception or on internal assessment.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the Olabide approach and deployment with
respect to this area of our management is measured primarily
through the results of people satisfaction surveys, which provide
segmented data on the degree of satisfaction of our people with
the leadership skills of our different leaders, 7a, and performance
indicators such as the % of Olabide people who are leaders, the
number of improvement actions identified and taken as a result
of assessment and review, the number of completed improvement
cycles, etc.

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 7
MT leadership appraisal items (360º
appraisal) related to 1b
Average
2005-06
Average
2008-09
… involve all Olabide people through 6.8 7.87
management by processes
… promote innovation 7 7.3
Additionally, lessons learnt from 360º leadership appraisal also
play a significant role in improving our leadership. 100% of
Olabide leaders are subject to this form of appraisal, and each
one is responsible for drawing up a personal improvement plan
on the basis of the findings. Improvement actions taken as a result
of measurement and learning in this area of Olabide management
include:
REVIEW AND
YEAR
LEARNING
2005-06 2005 selfassessment.
Benchmarking
of Jakintza
Ikastola
External
assessment
2006-09 Language
competence
testing
2009-10 Reflection by
MT
1c. Leaders engage with external stakeholders.
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Greater engagement of project
leaders through direct involvement
in benchmarking activities, e.g. with
Salbatore Mitxelena Ikastola (Bizi
Zaitez Project), visit to Portugal
(Science Project), with Lauaxeta
Ikastola, 2 visits to Finland, visit
to Holland (Co-existence Project),
with Ekintza Ikastola (Performance
Appraisal Project).
Measurements to assess effectiveness
of changes to organisational
structure, directly related to
the leadership plan (number of
completed improvement cycles, %
people who are leaders, etc.)
Improved training for PE teachers
(Txanela Project) and changes to
methodology in Language and
Natural Sciences teaching in CSE
(Ostadar)
Refinement of Employees’
Handbook
Deployment of Txanela project
Approach and deployment
Contact of Olabide leaders with external stakeholders to identify
and meet their needs has been a defining characteristic of the
school over time, and since the deployment of the EFQM business
Excellence model in the school, these contacts have been
managed more systematically and subject to more effective processes.
Our approach with respect to the concept of how leaders
engage with external stakeholders is the same as that described in
1a, and is governed by and rolled out through the same Process
System (PS) as that outlined in 1a.
To meet, understand and respond to the needs and expectations
of our stakeholders, the following activities are included in the
Olabide leadership plan:
• Analyse and respond to customer needs and expectations, 2a &
2b;
• Establish strategic priorities, action plans and activities in relation
to stakeholder needs, 2c;
• Analyse the needs of Society and make every effort to respond
to their demands; and
• Draw up and act on customer satisfaction surveys, 7a.
As stated above, Olabide management has always been based on
the needs of our customers. Since Olabide was founded, meetings
have been held with class representatives in which our customers,
who at the same time are also the owners of the school, voice
their concerns and expectations and put forward improvement
suggestions. The meeting agenda is agreed to on a consultative
basis with the customers beforehand, and the meeting itself, held
once per term, is also used to explain any aspects of school life
considered of relevance for our customers/ owners.
With respect to partners, Olabide is in close and constant collaboration
with EIB, one of two Associations of Ikastolas in the
Basque Country (the other is Ikastolen Elkartea, with whom we
also work) and with whom Olabide leaders worked on the need to
change the curriculum for compulsory education and the subsequent
development of the Euskal Curriculuma (Basque Curriculum),
driven by EIB as a social initiative. Our leaders also work
in close collaboration with other partners, e.g. the involvement of
Tutoring process owners in a joint project with Berritzegune (Centre
for Training and Innovation in Education), one consequence
of which has been the Prize awarded to Olabide by Emakunde
(Basque Women’s Institute) in recognition of the work done
through our Tutorial Plan in favour of co-existence.
Olabide leaders hold frequent meetings with members of Berritzegune
to develop and discuss innovation projects. With respect
to the dissemination of innovative practices, our leaders take regular
and active part in best practice forums, explaining Olabide
best practice and thus providing support for other schools and
organisations. We have also identified strategic partnerships to
improve our approach in Teaching-Learning processes, 5d. In this
respect, our collaboration with Ikastolen Elkartea has given rise
to the publication of a guidebook on the preparation of language
projects in schools. To do so, Olabide leaders participated in a pilot
group to improve the use of all languages used in Olabide, and
the guidebook was published in 2008 for use in other schools.
Another example of Olabide leaders’ engagement with an external
stakeholder is that of our partnership with HUHEZI. The
Olabide 2006-07 BP included a line of action for a more in-depth
focus on dealing with diversity. To respond to this objective, the
Guidance and Counselling Area, Olabide Management and representatives
of HUHEZI jointly planned and assessed the situation
in Olabide regarding the guidance service and how diversity
is dealt with by the school. An improvement plan was drawn up
on the basis of this study.
In terms of enhancing the reputation and image of the school,
special mention is to be made here of the contribution since 2003-
04 of Olabide leaders to the working team of the Euskaraz Bizi
(Live in Basque) Project, within the programme to mainstream
the use of the Basque language. These efforts were recognised
in 2007-08 when one of the Olabide leaders in the team was appointed
as provincial coordinator for the project in Álava, a post
which she holds to this day.
Olabide leaders’ engagement with representatives of Society, 4a,
has increased significantly since specific objectives were set to
boost our presence in the community. We offer internships and
traineeships for young teachers to gain experience in the labour
market, 8b, with positive results. In 2009-10, we are also working
in collaboration with HUHEZI to offer internships for a Masters
degree in education. Similarly, our leaders take active part in joint
projects with NGOs. In this respect, a Christmas sponsorship
campaign has been organised in collaboration with Proclade to
support education for the underprivileged, 8b,3.
Satisfaction surveys are an important source for identifying stakeholder
needs, and customer demands to organise more complementary
activities for pupils during the lunch period have been
detected through this channel. To improve the canteen service
itself, the MT hold monthly meetings with representatives of Auzolagun
to assess the quality of the service provided and to discuss
possible improvements. New lunchtime activities have been
introduced, such as the use of the media library to do homework,
cookery, sports and drama classes, handicrafts in English for PE
pupils, etc.
With respect to transparency, all actions taken in line with the
content of the BP are explained to stakeholders and the GB. Delivery
of the BP is monitored quarterly by the MT, who then
subsequently report their findings to the GB. Additionally, and
as already explained above, the MT also reports annually to the
General Assembly, the GB and Olabide teaching staff on the delivery
of the previous year’s BP.

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 8
• Handle complaints and suggestions expressed by class representatives
or through the suggestions box. A suggestion made by a
parent representative led to the provision of Advanced level
Basque classes for 1st year USE pupils in June. These classes
have been organised through the Basque Academy Hegoalde,
with whom we have collaborated since 1999-00. To improve
this service, the classes were offered throughout the academic
year on Wednesday afternoons, with a view to ensuring better
exam results, and the classes are nowadays also held on
Thursdays. The request for these classes was later extended to
provide classes to prepare for the First Certification examination
in English.
The Olabide leadership plan also provides for day-to-day activities
such as:
• Meetings with the Steering Committee and with the Governance
Board, the members of which are also Olabide customers. These
meetings are used to inform our leaders of the activity lines
to be driven forward by them, e.g. support for the Bizi Zaitez
Project by the GB, which has to date led to 28 of our pupils
using their bicycle on a regular basis to come to school.
• Recognise stakeholder loyalty and contribution to the results
of the school. Recognition is given by our leaders to pupils
finishing their studies in Olabide. Between 2001-06, this act
was held in the school as part of the ‘Olabide Day’ festivities,
but the decision was taken in 2006 to hold the ceremony
in the University auditorium to give it greater significance, to
enhance the image of the school in Society and to increase
customer satisfaction. In 2005 and 2008, Olabide pupils and
parents who had taken active part in the external assessment
processes of the school for the Silver and Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’
Awards were given public recognition for doing so.
Likewise, the MT recognises the efforts made by our partners,
e.g. recognition given to Juan Celaya, for his participation in
the 40th anniversary of Olabide; thank-you letters sent out to
the Office of the Basque Premier, to Government Ministers,
to the Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz, etc. for their contribution to
the 40th anniversary of Olabide; and an invitation to a meal,
a thank-you letter, a token gift or a mention in the minutes of
a GB meeting for those partners who have contributed to the
success of an Olabide project. In the acts organised to celebrate
achieving the Silver and Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’, our partners
were expressly mentioned and presented with a gift in recognition
of their contribution to the well-being of the school.
• Promote innovation. In 2008, Olabide became part of Innobasque
(Basque Agency for Innovation), the organisation
responsible for the promotion of innovation within EIB.
In 2009, with a view to generating further innovation in the
school, we successfully applied to SPRI (Basque Agency for
Business Promotion) for a subsidy to conduct an ‘agenda for
innovation’ study in 2010 for the proactive identification of
projects to be conducted in forthcoming years.
• Support and participate in activities aimed at improving the environment.
The MT are engaged with partners and representatives
of Society in the deployment in the school of an automated
energy-saving heating system, a solar panel installation and
the widespread use of low consumption light bulbs. Olabide
leaders also actively drive activities related to waste management,
8b. Additionally, many activities have been developed
in the school at all education stage levels through the Agenda
21 Project, geared towards raising the environmental awareness
of our pupils. These activities have occasionally received
official external recognition, e.g. in 2007, as an efficient school
and best practice in the use of water, awarded by AMVISA
(Municipal Water Board).
• Provide training/ give talks for external stakeholders. Promote
and support Excellence. 1, 4, 1 and 1 Olabide leaders have taken
part as assessors in Euskalit-organised external assessment
processes in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 respectively. We have
received benchmarking visits on various occasions from various
organisations, e.g. Beracruz Ikastola, San Benito Ikastola
(for maintenance practices), etc. Promotion and support of
the EFQM model in the education sector has been boosted
by the fact that the Olabide Head of Teaching now lectures in
Mondragón Unibertsitatea on Organisation in Schools using
the EFQM model.
The indicators designed to measure the effectiveness of the Process
for Drawing Up and Monitoring Leadership are included
in the satisfaction surveys conducted regularly on our external
stakeholders, 8a. In 2009-10, as members of ERKIDE (Federation
of Teaching Cooperatives), we will take part in the process
for updating and improving the database of indicator results
managed by Euskalit.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the Olabide approach and deployment with
respect to this area of our management is measured primarily
through the results of pupil and parent satisfaction surveys, 6a,
and performance indicators such as the number of improvement
actions taken, the survey response rate, etc. The full list can be
seen in the leadership plan itself. Some of the most significant
actions taken as a result of measurement and learning in this area
of Olabide management include:
YEAR
2005
-06
2006
-07
2007
-08
REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
Euskalit
courses
Reflection by
MT
Parent
satisfaction
survey
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Pupil
satisfaction
surveys
Benchmarking
visit to
Finland
(need for
greater pupil
involvement)
Benchmarking
of Axular
School
(Euskalit
Prize for Best
Practice in
Innovation)
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Training of 6 people as external
assessors against the EFQM model
Follow-up meetings with partners held
as part of MT meetings, providing for
a closer relationship and immediate
response to day-to-day demands.
Inclusion of more people in follow-up
meetings, e.g. in meetings to monitor
the school bus service, presence in
meeting of bus drivers and monitors
alongside MT members to put forward
ideas for improving the service
Possibility for parents to send their
ideas for improvement by e-mail to all
parent representatives
Farewell ceremony for USE pupils
organised in Vitoria-Gasteiz, to give
it greater significance, to enhance the
image of the school in Society and to
increase customer satisfaction.
5 Olabide people take part as assessors
in Euskalit-organised external
assessment processes
Publication of 2 Olabide best practices
on a CD disseminated by ERKIDE.
Greater choice of electives for USE
pupils
Systemisation of meetings with CSE
and USE pupils
Opening of the ikasle gunea, a
Common Room area in Olabide
managed for and by secondary
education pupils
Development of a restricted access
extranet service
Development of a moodle
learning platform to offer pupils
complementary activities in different
subjects (2007-08, training for
teachers, and 2008-09, deployed for
pupils)

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 9
YEAR
2008
-09
2009
-10
REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
Greater pupil
involvement
at other
education
stages
Greater pupil
involvement
More
widespread
dissemination
of Olabide
best practices
Benchmarking
of Ekintza
and Axular
Greater pupil
and parent
involvement
Deployment
of leadership
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Systemisation of meetings with PE
pupils
Greater importance given to pupil
representatives, with presence in
2 annual Assemblies in which the
Business Plan is communicated and
the IRR updated.
Dissemination of Olabide practices
to other schools, at the request of
Berritzegune
Development of a module for pupil
guidance on the Moodle platform,
with a view to providing a more
personalised channel for pupils
and their parents to enquire about
guidance and related matters
Photos of pupil and parent
representatives included in yearbook
to promote their function
Olabide person identified as group
leader in competency matrix
appointed as provincial coordinator
of Euskaraz Bizi Project
The improvement actions listed above have led to improved
stakeholder satisfaction, e.g. meetings with pupils to monitor
the canteen service have led to an increase in satisfaction levels,
as shown below:
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
4.91 4.96 5.58 6.29 6.86
Pupil satisfaction with the canteen service
1d. Leaders reinforce a culture of excellence
with the organisation’s people.
Approach and deployment
The close contact of leaders with all other Olabide people is another
trademark characteristic of the school. Our approach and
activities in this area, a consequence of learning and experience
over the years, are expressed in the Olabide leadership plan as
follows.
• Stimulate and encourage delegation and empowerment. Work
teams are set up to promote shared leadership, e.g. restructuring
the school to deploy the approach to language teachinglearning,
the work team set up for the ICT Area Project and
the Committee set up for the Bizi Zaitez (Cycling) Project.
These teams enable responsibility to be devolved to lower level
leaders (process owners and project leaders, etc.). With a view
to improving the effectiveness of our leadership, the system
used for drawing up the annual BP has been improved by distributing
a draft version of the document to all our people,
explaining to them the actions planned for the year. The final
document is then drawn up after analysing the subsequent
feedback and proposals put forward by our people and the
GB. This effort to reach consensus agreement has improved
the way activities are managed from the outset.
• Participate in the deployment and communication of a business
Excellence management system based on the EFQM model. All
process participants are informed by process owners in education
stage and/or area meetings of improvements made to the
processes in which they are involved.
• Encourage people to set up innovation and improvement projects.
Assessment and review activities and improvement cycles are
opportunities for Olabide people to get involved in improvement.
The MT promotes participation in innovation projects
to encourage organisational development and devolved responsibility,
Fig. 5a.3. By way of example, every year the MT
uses a series of indicators, e.g. number of people involved,
number of process improvements, to assess and review the
optimum performance of processes related to People Management,
encouraging continuous improvement with the participation
of all Olabide people.
• Provide training in business Excellence to enable people to realise
their full potential. MT members and other leaders take active
part in and provide training, e.g. an Olabide leader and former
member of the MT dedicates part of his work time to training
our people in matters related to Excellence. Additionally, the
services of an external consultancy were contracted in 2002
to oversee and help our people with the effective deployment
of the EMS in the school, though this support was no longer
required when PS owners were seen to be capable of managing
this themselves. In 2007-08, the MT succeeded in contracting
the services of two experts in the field of knowledge management,
Julen Iturbe and David Sánchez, to support the school
in drawing up an improvement plan in this area. A group of
Olabide people were given training in this area and a new
knowledge management plan was designed with the support
of the external experts, systemising the activities which had
previously been conducted and identifying the need for other
activities to be developed to improve our performance in this
field of management, 4d.
Similarly, the MT encourages participation in Excellencerelated
training courses run by Euskalit and other such organisations.
All learning and knowledge acquired through this
training is cascaded down by PS owners to process owners.
• Provide resources for knowledge to be transmitted in such a way
as to help people achieve their plans, objectives and targets. In
addition to the courses organised in-house by Olabide, most
requests for external training beyond the parameters of the
training plan are accepted, with enrolment, transport and
other such expenses part-funded.
• Give recognition. Over time, satisfaction survey findings have
revealed the need for greater recognition for our people, which
has subsequently led to greater involvement of leaders in this
area of management and greater systemisation of the Recognition
Process through the preparation of a recognition plan
on a joint basis between Olabide leaders and the Works Committee,
3e.
• Promote and encourage equal opportunity and diversity. MT
members have drawn up a profile governing the people selection
process in compliance with practices of equal opportunity.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of our approach in this area is measured through
specific items in the people satisfaction survey on recognition, the
handling of suggestions and the way the Olabide Strategy and
MVV is communicated, amongst others, 7a. Some of the most
significant actions taken as a result of measurement and learning
in this area include:

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 10
REVIEW AND
YEAR
LEARNING
2005 Discussion
with Koldo
Saratxaga and
benchmarking of
Irizar
Reflection by
MT
2005
-06
2006
-07
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Greater
deployment of
leadership
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Promote greater delegation of
responsibility and more widespread
leadership, Fig. 1a.2
Plan benchmarking activities
to include the people directly
involved, e.g. participation of
Science Project leader and Head
of Teaching in the ‘Hands On’
Science Congress, Portugal, and
of members of Science Area in the
ECIGA Congress, Portugal
Participation of Works Committee
(with Union Representation) in
people selection process.
Drawing up of a profile to ensure
equal opportunity in people
selection process
Olabide people with leadership
responsibilities given support
to achieve their objectives, e.g.
Euskaraz Bizi (Live in Basque)
Olabide project leader given
support and encouragement to take
on role as provincial coordinator
for the project in Álava.
The improvement actions listed above have led to increases in
stakeholder satisfaction, e.g. satisfaction values with respect to
recognition are shown below.
2002-03 2003-04 0204-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
5.63 6.23 6.77 6.8 7 7.18
People satisfaction with recognition
1e. Leaders ensure that the organisation is flexible and manages
change effectively.
Approach and deployment
Innovation is a characteristic of Olabide, and is expressed as
such in our 2009-12 MVV of ‘…continuous improvement and
innovation’, ‘…innovative teaching’ and ‘change management’
(Qualification File, Dec. 2009). For this to be so, we need to be
alert to all changes in all areas affecting our activities. In general,
change provokes uncertainty in people, so we manage change in
such a way as to minimise this effect prior to implementing new,
innovative practices and ideas. With this in mind, the Olabide
leadership plan includes the following aspects related to change
management:
• Identify and select the changes required in the organisation.
• Identify and select the changes required in relation to external
players.
• Analyse innovation in matters related to our activity (new methodologies,
new technologies, etc.)
The following are examples of the 3 leadership activity areas listed
above. As a result of benchmarking visits to schools in Finland,
and in response to an identified need to promote greater autonomy
in CSE pupils, the decision was taken to switch to a dynamic
of self-service in the canteen for secondary education students.
Likewise, and with greater pupil autonomy once again as the driver
of change, the “ikasle gunea” Common Room area was set up
for secondary education pupils in 2006-07. Similarly, benchmarking
of Jakintza Ikastola led to radical internal change in terms of
how the annual BP is drawn up, involving all Olabide people in
work teams in the preparation stage for them to suggest what actions
need to be taken to roll out the strategy defined by the MT.
Innovation in terms of people performance appraisal methodology
and how best to implement it was identified through studying
a report published by a Salesianos school and a benchmarking
visit to Ekintza Ikastola. In terms of improvement to how change
is identified in Olabide, findings from self-assessment in 2005 led
to the identification and use of new channels to detect the need
for change, and for these channels to include all stakeholders, e.g.
to gather information from former Olabide pupils.
In response to the identified need to boost our pupil exchange
programme, new exchange agreements were reached with New
York (2008-09), and the existing ones with Germany and France
were strengthened. Also from self-assessment in June, 2005, a
proposal was made to visit more schools of a similar nature to
ours to benchmark their strategy for developing their language
programme. In the light of this decision, a work team was formed
with other schools to analyse how each school works in this area
and how better to immerse pupils in the Basque language.
Additionally, changes have been made to the organisation of
Meetings of Representatives, in response to a need identified by
the members (Olabide owners) themselves. Three such meetings
are now held every year to encourage the involvement and participation
of all members of the education community in this
communicative forum. A General Assembly of a more formal
nature is also held once a year.
Another radical change undertaken by Olabide was the deployment
in 2006-07 of the Pentacity model in Olabide, and its subsequent
adaptation to the particular characteristics of the school.
This need for a change in how relations between all members of
the education community are developed and managed was detected
as a consequence of analysis by the MT of people, parent
and especially pupil satisfaction survey findings. In 2007-08, the
decision was taken to focus more on this subject, and an all-round
Innovation Plan was drawn up and deployed to improve co-existence
in the school. This 3-year plan (2007-10) has received the
support of the Office for Innovation in Education of the Basque
Government.
In 2008-09, and with a view to driving change in ICT’s, the subject
of Computer Science, taught in all school years at the time,
was removed from the syllabus and replaced with a plan to promote
the use of ICT’s in various other school subjects. To do so,
2 teachers were relieved from teaching duties to provide support
for regular class teachers in the use of ICT’s in the classroom.
All Olabide teachers were given appropriate training to accommodate
this change, and a firm decision was taken to qualify all
teachers in the use of ICT’s in the classroom by obtaining official
IKTpro 1 & 2 accreditation. 98.1% of teaching staff have since
obtained this qualification.
In 2007-08, after due analysis of all Olabide IT systems and applications,
the need was identified to undertake radical change in this
area. Different possibilities were studied and a specific IT strategy
plan (PEIO) was drawn up for the development of customised IT
systems and applications in the school.
• Analyse the requirements for people to deliver the proposed
changes. Our leaders are continuously trained in the skills
required to take change projects forward and thus deliver
planned improvements. This training is provided through the
Training Plan, 3b, e.g. training provided by HUHEZI for the
MT and the Guidance and Counselling Area in dealing with
diversity, and training for all teachers in the use of ICT’s in the
classroom.
• Lead change plans and allocate the resources required. With
respect to the provision of the required resources, the Head
of the Administration Area is responsible for the funding of
change. In this respect, the Comenius Project has been 60%
subsidised by EU funds, and the Pentacity Project is subsidised
as an innovation project. With respect to the Co-existence
Project, we are currently developing an all-round plan to improve
co-existence, addressing the causes of disruption in the
classroom and academic failure. In Olabide, we believe that
by improving our approach to dealing with diversity we can

1 LEADERSHIP leadership EFQM Excellence Award 2010 11
improve co-existence at school, and different channels have
been designed to engage all members of the education community
in this project. Given the size of this project, we have
been granted a considerable Basque Government subsidy to
fund it.
• Communicate change and the reasons for it to affected stakeholders.
The minutes of GB and Steering Committee meetings
are made public for all to be aware of the decisions taken
in them. Several improvements have been made over time to
communication channels, e.g. the setting up of new channels
such as personal pigeonholes for all teachers, improvements
to the internal IT network, development of the intranet, the
inclusion of technology to facilitate the involvement of all
participants in large-scale meetings, etc. These measures have
helped to ensure that communication regarding change is both
two-directional and immediate.
The meeting held on the first day of the academic year with all
Olabide people is of great importance for communicating
change. This meeting is used to inform of planned changes,
the reasons behind them, the training required to deliver the
changes and the stages planned to implement the change.
All this information is documented in the folder given to all
Olabide people at the start of the school year.
• Plan the training required to address change. All change requires
a certain amount of training prior to its deployment.
In addition to the examples outlined above of training for the
MT and the Guidance and Counselling Area to improve how
diversity is managed in the school, the ICT Officer, the webmaster,
non-teaching staff and the Head of Teaching have all
been trained with respect to changes in the Olabide IT system
and the new system to be used. All teachers have also received
training on academic management within this new system, as
the first stage of its deployment requires changes to academic
management and the web platform.
• Measure and review the effectiveness of change. Improvements
based on strategic change are monitored quarterly on a qualitative
basis and six-monthly on a quantitative basis by the MT,
who assess and review the degree to which the BP has been
delivered. Changes related to the effectiveness of innovation
projects are subject to regular review against the end goal of
the project. By way of example, a review of the effectiveness of
the changes provoked by the Pentacity Project revealed that the
actions planned to be taken were not proving to be effective,
though the end goal of the project was still seen to be valid.
This has subsequently led to customisation of the project activities
to the particular characteristics of the school, with the
collaboration of HUHEZI in certain areas.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of change management in Olabide is measured
through annual self-assessment, the degree to which improvement
objectives of the MT have been delivered and the number
of completed improvement cycles. The QCT also measures the
effectiveness of change management by monitoring the results
values of relevant indicators, 6, 7, 8 & 9.
All innovation projects are conducted in line with a systemised
process, 5a, through which we have been able to introduce timely
improvements in all projects when necessary. Some of the most
significant actions taken as a result of measurement and learning
in this area include:
YEAR
2005
-06
2006
-07
2007
-08
2008
-09
2009
-10
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Feedback report
from external
assessment
Reflection by
MT
Euskalit course
on leadership
Web 2.0
congress
2007 selfassessment
Benchmarking
of Federation of
Ikastolas
Benchmarking
of Federation of
Ikastolas
Benchmarking
of Federation of
Ikastolas
Benchmarking
of Federation of
Ikastolas Study
of all offers on
the market
Reflection by
MT
Feedback report
from external
assessment
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Planning of benchmarking
activities and study of reports of
other organisations to detect the
need for change and learning
Improved system for change
management, ensuring the PDCA
cycle is closed by measuring the
effectiveness of the change
Improved communication
channels and new ways to ensure
communication is two-directional
Improvement to leadership plan
activities related to 1e, monitored
using performance indicators
Use of IT applications (RSS) to
monitor academic results and
compile external information to
identify the need for change
Systemisation of class
representative meetings with
Heads of Education Stages, and of
the participation of pupils in the
Steering Committee
Change to teaching methodology
piloted in IE class. All IE teachers
subsequently trained in new
methodology, due to be extended
to other classes in 2009-10.
Creation of a tool to measure the
use of Basque by IE pupils, as a
means to review and assess the new
methodology used in IE
Improvement to measurement tool
All PE teachers trained in new
methodology piloted in IE in
07-08.
New methodology piloted in 2
subjects in PE. Ongoing training
in methodology for CSE teachers
since 2006-07, enabling its
deployment in certain subjects and
year courses.
New IT system for academic
management. Change management
plan (leadership, communication,
training, etc.) drawn up prior to
change being made.
Improved communication plan to
identify the communication needs
of each process
New project (Tribucan) piloted for
its potential deployment in all 6th
year PE classes
Change to IT system piloted in
the academic area, with a view to
deploying the new system in all
other areas

Strategy

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 12
2. STRATEGY
2a. Strategy is based on understanding the needs and expectations
of both stakeholders and the external environment
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, the system for gathering information as input to the
Strategic Reflection Process is designed to ensure that the Management
Team (MT) has relevant and up-to-date information
available at the right time to help them understand and anticipate
the needs of our customers and other stakeholders, to compare
our performance with that of our competitors (benchmark data)
and to identify, understand and anticipate developments within
our external environment. To meet these demands and to satisfy
our information needs, a comprehensive system of processes has
been progressively developed and improved in the school since
2002 to reach its current state of maturity, 5a.
The process system, an integral part of the Olabide Excellence
Management System (EMS), includes several processes for gathering
information for defining our Strategy, namely the Strategic
Reflection Process, the Process for the Measurement of Customer
Satisfaction, the Process for the Measurement of People Satisfaction,
the Process for the Measurement of Impact on Society and
the Enrolment Process. The first Olabide Strategy Plan (SP) was
drawn up in 1991 on a participative and consensus basis between
the members of the MT, the Governance Board (GB) and a group
of teachers, who together agreed on and updated the Mission,
Vision and key Values (MVV) of the school. In 1997 these basic
documents were updated, and in 1998, the 2nd SP was approved
in the General Assembly of Cooperative Members, thus establishing
the priority objectives of Olabide for the following 5 years.
In 2001, with a view to adapting and refining our objectives to
the demands of the moment, an in-depth study was made of our
external and internal environment with the help of Eurogap, an
external organisation, and the Olabide basic documents were duly
updated. These documents, together with all other relevant information,
represent the basis for establishing Olabide Strategy and
the policies which support it. All objectives, plans, activities and
actions of the school are derived from and aligned to them.
The results of this study revealed that:
• the parents of pupils enrolled in Olabide are typically of a medium-to-high
education level. In 85% of cases, both parents
are in fulltime work;
• 90% of Olabide families are resident in Vitoria-Gasteiz;
• 75% of parents are exclusively Spanish-speaking, but are looking
to enrol their children in a model of education in which
Basque is taught and is, furthermore, the vehicular language;
and
• their wish is for their children to receive an all-round education
based on Christian values.
Every 2 years, the MT reviews these characteristics on the basis
of enrolment data to see if they have changed at all.
Over time, sources of relevant information have been correlated
and linked to processes systemised and designed to gather data
as input for decision-making, e.g. in 2003/04, the Process for the
Measurement of Customer Satisfaction, the Complaints and
Suggestions Process, the Enrolment Process, etc. These improvements
have contributed to the configuration of Fig. 2a.2.
All relevant information gathered from various sources is analysed
and processed as potential input for strategy formulation in
weekly MT meetings. For example, in 2002, the decision was taken
in an MT meeting to give fresh impetus to the development of the
EMS by contracting the services of a consultancy. This decision
was duly recorded in the meeting minutes, and a strategic priority
was defined to develop the EMS to such a point as to be in a position
to achieve the Basque Govt. Silver ‘Q-for-Quality’ (400-499
points scored through external assessment against the EFQM
model), or more. Similarly, in 2005-06, the Vitoria-Gasteiz City
Council requested our collaboration in the field of compliance
with EU environmental regulations. In view of the high degree
of public awareness in these matters, we decided to take part in
the Agenda 21 project and to modify our Mission and Vision
statements accordingly. This commitment to the environment was
subsequently incorporated as a Strategic Priority (StP, 2c) in the
SP 2004-08.
Our wide range of information sources has enabled us to define
the needs and expectations of each Olabide stakeholder, and
therefore to focus our Strategy on meeting them. For example,
the 2001 study on the external and internal environment of the
school revealed parent needs and expectations as:
• an all-round education for 2 to 18-year-olds based on values;
• quality education, with good academic results, 9;
• teaching in and of the Basque language;
• multilingual teaching;
• good services (transport, canteen and child-minding);
• involvement and participation in decision-making (autonomy);
• a wide range of cultural and sports activities;
• good facilities; and
• a welcoming, family and pleasant atmosphere.
Information
source
Department of
Education
Population
studies
Documents
- Legislation
- Data from Provincial
Office of Education
- Meetings with Education
Inspectorate
- City Council publications
- Eustat publications
Process
Strategic
Reflection
Strategic
Reflection
Responsibility for
compiling/ analysing
data
Head of Teaching
Customers
45%
People
30%
Society
15%
Key results
10%
Total
9 7 5 9 7.5
Head of Teaching 4 3 3 3 3.25
Fig. 2a.1:

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 13
INFORMATION SOURCES FOR DRAWING UP STRATEGY
2a: Strategy is based on understanding the needs and expectations of stakeholders and the external environment
INFORMATION SOURCE DOCUMENTS/ CONTACTS PROCESS RESPONSIBILITY
Department of Education
Legislation, data, meetings with Education Strategic Reflection School Director
Inspectorate
EIB (Association of Ikastolas), of Collective agreement, minutes of meetings Strategic Reflection School Director
which Olabide is a member. posted on website and other documents
ERKIDE (Federation of Teaching
Cooperatives)
Magazine, minutes of GB meetings,
website and Strategy Plan/Business Plan
Strategic Reflection School Director
Ikastolen Elkartea/Partaide
(Association of Ikastolas), a partner
organisation of Olabide.
Magazine, website, meetings,
collaborations, training plans, projects and
agreements
Strategic Reflection
School Director/
Head of Teaching
Parents Annual satisfaction surveys Measurement of Customer Process owner
Satisfaction
Parents Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews Individual Parent-Tutor Process owner
Interviews
Class meetings at start of academic year Parent-Tutor Class Meetings Process owner
Pupils Annual satisfaction surveys Measurement of Customer Process owner
Satisfaction
Pupils
Meetings with class representatives, 6 times
a year
Complaints and Suggestions
Process
Head of Education
Stage
Former Pupils Annual satisfaction surveys Measurement of Customer Process owner
Satisfaction
Staff Annual satisfaction surveys Measurement of People Process owner
Satisfaction
Governance Board
3-weekly meetings
General and Teaching School Director
Assemblies (1 per year) and personal
interviews
Coordination
Steering Committee
3-weekly meetings
Personal interviews
General and Teaching
Coordination
School Director
Department of Education
BOPV (Basque Country Official Gazette),
Berritzegune, Inspectorate, circulars,
meetings, etc.
Strategic Reflection
Partners
Meetings with key partners (Auzo Lagun, Partnership Selection and
bus companies, Mondragón Lingua) Appraisal
Society Annual satisfaction surveys Measurement of Impact on
Society
Department of Education
Innovation projects of Berritzegune, on
ICT’s, etc.
Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council
Population trend in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Environmental management projects
School Director/
Head of Teaching
School Director
Process owner
Project Management School Director /
Head of Teaching
Strategic Reflection Process owners
Enrolment
Agenda 21
ERKIDE Training Projects Training Plan Head of Teaching
Benchmarking Knowledge Management Plan Knowledge Management Head of Teaching
Participation in forums, seminars, Knowledge Management Plan Knowledge Management Head of Teaching
Euskalit (Basque Foundation for
Excellence) events, etc.
Specialist publications Subscriptions Strategic Reflection Process owner
Competitors File on compiled information Strategic Reflection School Director /
Head of Teaching
EIB
Monthly meetings with members to pool Partnership Selection and School Director
and contrast information
Appraisal
ERKIDE (Federation of Teaching Meetings
Partnership Selection and School Director
Cooperatives)
Appraisal
Monitoring of education, social and
work-related matters
General and specialist media, Official
Gazettes and websites
Strategic Reflection School Director
Fig. 2a.2: Information sources from different stakeholders
In Olabide, strategic decisions are taken on a proactive basis
through identifying and anticipating market opportunities. For
example, after analysing the Vocational Training (VT) market
and identifying that the courses on offer in the area are almost
exclusively taught in Spanish, and with a view to offering our
customers (pupils and their parents) and those of other schools
the possibility to study a VT course in Basque, the decision was
taken to make every effort to create and build partnerships with
VT schools to jointly set up courses to be taught in Basque. This
activity line, coherent with the approach to language learning of
the school and designed to offer linguistic continuity, was included
in the Strategy Plan. Likewise, analysis of relevant information
enabled us to identify that, unlike in the neighbouring provinces
of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, most schools in Vitoria-Gasteiz were
not offering pre-school education (for 2-year-olds). This service
was mainly being provided by the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council,
but demand was exceeding supply. Consequently, steps were taken
to start pre-school education in Olabide, and in 2001-02 the first

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 14
classes were run. By 2006-07, 5 2-year-old classes were being run,
thus boosting early learning of the Basque language and offering
parents an improved work-life balance.
In 2005-06, improvement suggestions put forward in parent, pupil
and people satisfaction surveys led to the decision to promote
greater pupil participation in the school. There are now 3 pupils
on the Steering Committee, a Common Room (ikasle gunea) was
set up for secondary education pupils in 2006-07 and a series of
other improvement actions have been taken, e.g. soundproofing
the canteen, etc.
Relevant information gathered from parents
Strategic decisions are frequently taken on the basis of information
gathered from parents. In 2002-03, satisfaction survey results
revealed the need for us to improve communication with parents,
specifically through the website. This line of action was included
in the 2003-04 Business Plan (BP) and carried out in 2004-05.
Similarly, a written request was made by parents in 2005 for the
school to offer study grants to subsidise school fees for parents
in financial need. This was discussed and approved by the GB
in April 2005 and included as a line of action in the BP 2005-06.
With respect to parent satisfaction with Olabide facilities and resources,
another request for the canteen floor to be soundproofed
was addressed in the BP 2005-06. The subsequent action taken led
to an increase in parent satisfaction with the canteen service.
Relevant information gathered from pupils
Input from pupils is a major factor for formulating strategy. For
example, through the meetings held between the MT and CSE
pupil representatives in 2002-03, the need was identified to improve
co-existence in the school. Consequently, this was included
as a strategy line in the BP 2003-04. Several other examples are
described in 2b.
Relevant information gathered from teaching and non-teaching staff
In 2002-03, identified needs and expectations of teaching and
non-teaching staff led to several lines of action being included in
the BP 2003-04, such as training on how to conduct interviews
with parents, on occupational health and risk prevention and on
psychomotricity. We also identified the need to strengthen the IT
Area of the school. Additionally, the BP 2005-06 provided for a
line of action to involve teachers in the Steering Committee to improve
cohesion and communication throughout the school. Another
source of information over the years has been the meetings
held with staff representatives, through which a series of priorities
have been identified. In 2005-06, with a view to encouraging
the involvement of teachers in organising excursions with pupils,
an agreement was reached on the corresponding expenses to be
paid. In 2005-06, the Works Committee became involved in the
staff selection process, and in 2007-08, an agreement was reached
on timetabling to offer a better service for parents and pupils in
Infant Education (IE).
Relevant information gathered from the Governance Board (GB)
In 2001-02, the GB commissioned a market study on the external
and internal environment of Olabide. In turn, the findings of this
study determined the strategic and non-strategic priorities of the
school for future years, e.g. the provision of education for 2-yearolds,
improved enrolment campaign, cost reductions, improvements
to the Gure Gauzak in-house magazine, etc. In 2006-07,
SWOT analysis was conducted to gauge the impact of a possible
restructuring of the school timetable, with a view to optimising
the school transport and canteen services. A proposal was then
drawn up and discussed in the 2007 General Assembly. The final
decision was not to change the timetable, but that such a change
would be required in the short/medium term.
Relevant information gathered from the Department of Education
The Basque Government Department of Education is a key
stakeholder for Olabide and a key source of information. For
example, learning from the seminars on ‘Best Practices in Education
for Co-existence and Peace’, organised by the Dept. of
Education, was crucial in the decision to include and develop a
strategy line on this area in the BP 2004-05. Similarly, in 2006-07,
new equipment was purchased for the IT Area with the help of
a government subsidy. A review of the School Curricular Plan
(SCP) began in 2007-08 as a result of changes to the regulatory
framework communicated to us by the Department of Education,
and in 2007-08, we successfully proposed an amendment to
the draft decree on enrolment for 2-year-olds, such that they only
need to be enrolled when they enter as 2-year-olds.
Relevant information gathered from other partners and Society
As mentioned previously, in 2001 and 2004 we commissioned Eurogap
and Append, two external organisations, to carry out market
studies on our external environment. Amongst other things,
the objective of these studies was to gauge and understand the
expectations of the local community with respect to Olabide, as
well as to measure the degree of awareness of the existence of the
school and its activities among local citizens. Results revealed that
Olabide is seen as a quality school and is among the top 5 bestknown
schools in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
In terms of identifying and anticipating developments in the external
environment of the school, we keep a close check on articles
and other information published in the general media and specialist
publications related to social, environmental, legal, political
and safety matters. Economic and demographic data are provided
to us for planning purposes by INE (National Statistics Institute)
and EUSTAT (Basque Statistics Institute), and we monitor social,
legal and political developments through the Official Gazette
of the Basque Country and newsletters sent out by the Vitoria-
Gasteiz City Council.
Additionally, every year we survey a series of public administration
bodies and sectoral organisations (Vitoria-Gasteiz City
Council, Euskalit, ERKIDE, etc.) on their degree of satisfaction
with the cultural, social and sports-related actions of Olabide.
The findings from these surveys are used as input for Strategy
formulation. Other strategic decisions and policies developed on
the basis of meetings with partners and agreements reached with
them include:
• the inclusion in the Olabide approach to language learning of
a more communicative teaching methodology, in collaboration
with Ikastolen Elkartea;
• the updating of the website with more interactive and customised
services, e.g. password access for parents, possibility to fill
in surveys on-line, student assessments (report cards) sent online,
etc; and
• in 2006-07, the project on how to deal better with diversity, in
collaboration with Mondragón Unibertsitatea (University of
Mondragón).
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the processes for gathering information for
defining strategy is measured by the corresponding process owners
through the performance indicators used in each process, 5a.
For example, in the case of the different processes for the measurement
of stakeholder (pupil, parent, people, Society, etc.) satisfaction,
the response rate to these surveys is used as an indicator
of the effectiveness of the process. Some of the most significant
actions taken as a result of measurement and learning in this area
of Olabide management include:

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 15
YEAR
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
2002-03 Euskalit training
courses
Learning with
Overcall
Learning with
Overcall
2004-05 Process
assessment and
review.
Self-assessment
2005-06 Satisfaction
surveys
External
assessment
2007-08 Benchmarking
(Salesianos
School)
2006-09 Feedback reports
from external
assessment
External learning
(benchmarking,
congresses, best
practice forums,
etc.)
Process
assessment and
review
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
More systematic approach to
information gathering through
processes.
All stakeholders subject to SWOT
analysis within the Strategic
Reflection process.
Creation of the matrix for
gathering relevant information,
listing all the information required
and progressively improved over
time.
People satisfaction survey
questionnaire improved by adding
several new items.
Setting up of suggestion boxes
Improvements to system for
gathering information from pupils,
e.g. encouraging them to make
suggestions on the basis of survey
findings, active participation of
pupils in Steering Committee, etc.
Annual surveying of former pupils
New instruction added to
Strategic Reflection process,
leading to improved assessment
of effectiveness of information
sources.
Systematic planning of
benchmarking activities with other
schools and trips to Finland.
Systematic learning from EFQM
submission documents of other
organisations, e.g. Begoñazpi
Ikastola (2003 EQA Finalist),
Euskalit (2005 EQA Prize
Winner), St. Mary’s College (EQA
Award Winner), etc.
Implementation of Science
Project.
Training in knowledge
management, and subsequent
setting up of Moodle platform
for improved interaction between
pupils and teachers.
Implementation of balanced
scorecard.
Improvements to system of
performance appraisal.
Improved information storage,
correlating info. with the processes
that generate it. Information
not correlated to any specific
process is included in the Strategic
Reflection process.
Matrix for gathering relevant
information refined to respond
better to the demands of EFQM
model criterion parts 2a & 2b.
Syndication of web networks to
facilitate information searches.
Restructuring of survey to gather
information on Society, adapting
it to the scope of organisations it
addresses and thus making it more
useful.
2b. Strategy is based on understanding internal performance
and capabilities
Approach and deployment
Relevant information in relation to understanding our internal performance
and capabilities is gathered using the same methodology
as that described in 2a, and is structured as shown in Fig. 2b.1, thus
helping us to determine the information we need and which processes
are responsible for gathering it.
Analysing operational performance trends
All Olabide academic performance data is managed with IT support,
using customised programmes and applications. However, in
view of our dependence in this area on one supplier, we have started
to use new applications designed and created by one of our partners,
Ikastolen Elkartea (Association of Ikastolas). These applications
are more versatile and better adapted to the needs of the school,
combining security, standardisation and greater efficiency.
A basic source of information on academic performance trends are
assessment meetings, managed through the PF for Pupil Assessment,
in which all decisions taken are recorded in the minutes of the
meetings. Prior to the meetings, all relevant and necessary data are
fed into the system by the teachers, after which the decisions to be
taken are agreed to by consensus with the tutor. The system is then
updated with the decisions taken, and the corresponding documents
to be given out to parents (pupil report cards) are prepared, together
with other documents for internal use such as statistical analysis by
classes, years, education stage, areas, etc. The data managed within
this system include information both on the acquisition of knowledge
and the attitude of each pupil. The results of each assessment
cycle (3 or 4 per year, depending on pupil age) are analysed in detail
by the MT, who later report on them to the Steering Committee, to
all teachers and to the Assembly of Parent Representatives.
Another source of information on our operational performance is
our partnership with IVEI (Basque Government Institute for Research
and Assessment in Education), through which our pupils
and those of other Basque Country schools participate in assessment
tests in different areas and skills. This information has proved
useful for strategy formulation, e.g. on the basis of findings from
these tests, a strategy line to refine the Olabide approach to language
teaching was included in the BP 2003-04. Olabide CSE and
USE pupils have also taken part in other assessment tests of other
organisations and initiatives (PISA, TIMSS, B2) run by the Basque
Government Department of Education. Comparative data of these
results with schools of a similar social and economic standing show
Olabide to be on a par with the best, both on a local, regional, national
and international level. More detailed information on this information
source can be found in 1b. Finally, in 2005, in conjunction
with the Basque Government Office for Language and Linguistic
Policy, we conducted a study on the use of the Basque language
among former pupils of the school. The results of this study showed
a more widespread use of the language by our former pupils than
those from other schools located in areas where the general use of
the language is more prevalent.
With respect to financial data, the MT reports monthly on the state
of Olabide accounts to the Finance Commission of the GB, extrapolating
the possible end result of the year on the basis of current
trends. In case of serious deviation to planned expenditure, etc, appropriate
corrective action is taken, 4b. This monitoring system has
been in place since 2001-02. Additionally, we are externally audited
every year to verify the financial situation of the school as submitted
by the MT to the Assembly of Cooperative Members.
Though our academic results are generally excellent, we closely
monitor all causes of academic failure and of children leaving the
school. The number of pupils leaving the school is very low. All
pupils are given personalised attention to make the most of their
abilities, and support is given whenever necessary.

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 16
Source of information Processes/ Documents Responsibility
Monitoring of key processes
Assessment and review summary sheet
Indicator results
PS owners, process owners and
QCT (Quality Coordination Team)
Monitoring of CSF Indicator results PS owners, process owners and
QCT
Monitoring of financial results Financial indicator results MT, PS owners, process owners and
QCT
Self-assessment Annual self-assessment QCT
Processes: assessment and review & improvement Processes
Process owner
cycles
Results of training activities Training records Training Plan Process owner
Seminars for the exchange of best practice Knowledge Management Plan Knowledge Management Process
owner
Consultancies Minutes of meetings with Overcall consultancy MT
Visits to other organisations.
Study of reports and submission documents of
other organisations
Training databases
MT
Society satisfaction survey
Market study (as needed)
Benchmarking (Euskalit, PISA, Eustat, ISEI).
Academic data (USE/ university entrance exams)
on competition in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Process for the Measurement of Impact on
Society
Process for the Measurement of Customer
Satisfaction
Indicator data
Process owners
Dept. of Education reports Strategic Reflection Process MT
Analysis of the competencies of partners Records of the Process for Partnership and Process owner
(through meetings, websites, etc.) and assessment
of partnerships
Supplier Selection and Appraisal
Environmental legislation
Agenda 21 Project
Process owner
(Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council)
Legislation on education (Dept. of Education) Strategic Reflection Process MT
Legislation on Occupational Health & Safety Strategic Reflection Process
Process owner
(Fremap Mutual Insurance Company)
ERKIDE
Process for Partnership and Supplier Selection Process owner
and Appraisal
Survey on former pupils
Process for the Measurement of Customer Process owner/ MT
Satisfaction
Data on population Strategic Reflection Process Process owner
Key process and CSF indicators
Process for the Management of Continuous Process owner
Improvement
Monitoring of innovation projects Project Management Process PS owner
MT
Indicators of the Process for Drawing Up the
Technology Plan
Process for Drawing Up the Technology Plan
Process owner
Fig. 2b.1: Information sources for the analysis of internal performance and capabilities
Learning activities and benchmarks/benchmarking
In Olabide three sources are used for identifying benchmark
performance, i.e. comparing our performance in results criteria.
Firstly, the Euskalit database on leading organisations in terms of
business Excellence in the Basque Country. The existence of these
data enables us to compare our performance with schools and
other organisations which have been recognised with the Silver
and/or Gold “Q-for-Quality” Awards and, in some cases, with
schools recognised as EEA Finalists, Prize or Award Winners
such as Lauaxeta Ikastola, Begoñazpi Ikastola, Colegio Vizcaya,
Fundación Novia Salcedo, Colegio Ursulinas (Urkide), Colegio
Sagrado Corazon, etc. Secondly, the Overcall database contains
data on leading organisations in the field of business Excellence
within the education sector, most of which have been recognised
with the Silver and/or Gold “Q-for-Quality” Awards. And thirdly,
our involvement in network organisations (EIB, ERKIDE), managed
as partnerships, 4a.
Having identified benchmark performance, benchmarking activities
in themselves have been conducted as a source of invaluable
information for learning purposes since 2002-03. The choice of
organisations to benchmark is based on identification of best
practice (of any organisation), compatibility with the characteristics
of the school (best practices of other schools of a similar
nature to ours) and/or relevance to Olabide Strategic Priorities
(StP, 2c). Prior to drawing up the SP 2004-09, we had already
been actively benchmarking our performance in different fields
of internal and academic management, e.g. with Maier (use of
5S methodology, internal layout of the school) and with the 2003
EQA Finalist Begoñazpi Ikastola (use and application of EU Education
Projects), 5a. With the start of a new strategic period for
Olabide in 2004-05, benchmarking was further systemised as a
tool for comparing performance and learning from best practice
in relation to the newly identified StP of the school. Examples of
this include:

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 17
• in 2004-05, benchmarking with various schools (Begoñazpi,
Lauaxeta, Jakintza, etc.) on matters related to further deployment
of the EFQM model in the school (2c, StP. 2.1), co-existence
(StP. 1.4) and leadership, and with Irizar (2000 EQA Prize
Winner) on leadership practices;
• in 2005-06, with Irizar (matters related to StP. 1.2. & 1.3), Jakintza
(process management, StP. 2.1) and with Salbatore Mitxelena
School (Bizi Zaitez Project, StP. 1.3);
• in 2006-07, benchmarking trip to Finland for learning and comparison
regarding pupil autonomy and participation (StP. 1.7),
and with Berakruz Ikastola on leadership;
• in 2007-08, with Jakintza (process management, StP. 2.1) and
with Axular and Ikastolen Elkartea (StP. 1.7 & 1.8); and
• in 2008-09 and 2009-10, with Ekintza, Axular and Ikastolen
Elkartea on further development of ICT’s in Olabide (StP. 1.8)
and parent participation (StP. 1.9).
Many such examples of benchmarking activities for learning
and comparison with best-in-class organisations can be found
throughout this submission document.
With respect to other learning activities, input is provided through
three processes, namely the Training Plan Process, the Process for
the Management of Continuous Improvement and the Project
Management Process. The MT studies the information and proposals
put forward, selects those it considers to be relevant and
includes the corresponding activities in the BP. Discussions are
held with the corresponding staff collectives on how best to apply
the learning in their processes, and the necessary resources are
made available to them.
With a view to maximising our performance and capabilities, we
also analyse data on the core competencies of our partners and
use them to complement our strategy, 4a. For example:
• 1994-95: participation in the pilot group of schools for implementing
a certified quality management system (organised by
Euskalit);
• 1998-99; start of Olabide involvement in EU Socrates and
Comenius programmes, to improve and further our knowledge
regarding student exchange programmes in Europe;
• 2002-03; implementation of a system of management by processes,
with the support of Overcall;
• through our partnership with EIB, and aligned to Olabide StP
1.1, 1.2, etc. (2c), we compare with other ikastolas how they promote
the Basque language and culture, the content of their MVV,
etc;
• in 2005/06, through our involvement in EU Projects and
aligned to the Olabide StP 1.2 (2c), the implementation of a Science
Project, which has led to Science and scientific experiments
being taught in English. This has been deployed throughout the
curriculum in PE;
• through our partnership with Julen Iturbe, an expert consultant
on knowledge management, and aligned to the Olabide StP 3.1
(2c), we have set up a Knowledge Management Project through
which a further 5 projects have been prioritised in this area, 4e;
• the setting up of a Committee for Co-existence, as part of the
Pentacity Project, aligned to Olabide StP. 1.4 (2c) and adapted
through internal learning to the particular characteristics of the
school. The function of this Committee is to oversee the correct
deployment of the planned approach. Initial learning on this
project was through benchmarking with Lauaxeta Ikastola on
this project, and later directly from Begoña Salas, the creator of
this model.
Many other examples of projects and initiatives set up in conjunction
with core capacities of partners and through internal learning
can be found throughout the enabler criteria of this submission
document. Other sources of internal learning include subscription
to various specialist education and management-related publications
such as Hik-Hasi, Cuadernos de Pedagogía, Hitza, Ahotsa,
Partida Doble, Organización y Gestión Educativa, Aula, etc.
With respect to new technologies and business models used in
Olabide, measurement of their impact on the performance of
the school has shown positive results. For example, comparative
data provided by EIB, ERKIDE, Ikastolen Elkartea and Kristau
Eskola show Olabide to be a reference school in the local area in
terms of IT equipment and technological infrastructure. Since
1994, our buildings have been equipped with category 5 structured
cabling with 10/100 cards, enabling all our IT equipment to
be intranet and extranet-connected. Additionally, all the school
(except the IE area) is connected to a WiFi network. Results values
for people satisfaction with the deployment and use of ICTs
in Olabide are shown below.
2003-04 0204-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
5.15 7.24 7.5 7.1 7.29
In terms of the business model, regular measurement (through
self-assessment and external assessment) of the impact of the
EFQM business Excellence model on our performance has revealed
that the deployment and progressive refinement of the
model has had a positive impact in terms of effectiveness and
efficiency in all key areas (6, 7, 8 & 9). Scores from successive
self-assessment exercises, subsequently endorsed through external
assessment and being recognised with the Silver and Gold
‘Q-for-Quality’ Awards in 2005 and 2008 respectively, are shown
below.
2003 0204 2005 2007 2008
351 415 480 576 621
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the Olabide approach in this area is measured
mainly through the performance indicators on academic and financial
results, 9. Some of the most significant actions taken as a
result of measurement and learning in this area of management
include:
YEAR
2002-
03
Selfassessment
2007-
08
2008-
09
2009-
10
REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Self-assessment against EFQM model
systemised (after initial use in 1995) as
a tool to gather relevant information
and measure the impact of this model
on the performance of the school.
Design of a matrix to bring together
all relevant information for drawing up
Strategy and supporting policies.
Self-assessment conducted with the
help of an external expert in EFQM
model, for a more demanding and
rigurous viewpoint in preparation for
external assessment.
MIT members take active part in
benchmarking exercise on language
teaching-learning.
USE teacher relieved of some teaching
duties to focus on measuring and
monitoring key Olabide results.

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 18
2c. Strategy and supporting policies are developed, reviewed and
Analyse relevant
information and
perform SWOT
analysis
Approve SP
and BP
Communicate
SP and
BP
Review SEP,
SCP and
MVV
Prepare budget
for SP and BP
Develop
actions of
the BP
Identify or review the Strategic
Priorities derived from the
elements of the Mission-
Vision.
Monitor
delivery
of BP
Draw up
annual BP
Draw up or
refine SP
Close BP
and SP
Fig.2c1: Flowchart for Strategy formulation
Approach and deployment
As explained in 2a and 2b, in Olabide we have identified and deployed
a system of information sources designed to enable the
MT to draw up and develop Strategy aligned to the Olabide MVV
and based on external stakeholder needs, the external environment
and the internal performance and capabilities of the school.
The flowchart for drawing up Strategy is illustrated in Fig. 2c.1.
Analysis of relevant information gathered
All relevant information for strategy formulation is made available
to the MT using the format and characteristics described in
2a and 2b. The MT then subjects this information and data to
SWOT analysis as the basis for drawing up or refining the existing
Strategy Plan (SP), thus ensuring its alignment to the needs and
expectations of all stakeholders.
Review of basic documents
Output from SWOT analysis is used by the MT for proposing
possible refinements to the Olabide basic documents, i.e. the
MVV, School Education Plan (SEP) and School Curricular Plan
(SCP). The full pre-2009 Olabide Mission and Vision statements
are presented in the Overview to this submission document, whilst
the refined versions for the current SP 2009-12 are shown in the
Qualification File (Dec. 2009). Pre-2009 Values are listed in 1a.
The proposals of the MT are submitted to the GB for approval;
if the GB approves the proposal, it then defines a calendar for this
work to be done and appoints a team to manage it. This team,
composed of cooperative member (parents) representatives and
members of the MT, draws up draft reviews of each basic document
and submits them to the GB and the Steering Committee
for further discussion. On completion of this first stage, the draft
versions are submitted to all teaching and non-teaching staff for
them to put forward their contributions and suggestions to the
Review Team, who then draw up an amended document to be
submitted to the Assemblies of Class Representatives. Once the
opinions and ideas of the class representatives have been taken
into account, the final draft is provisionally approved and submitted
to the General Assembly of Cooperative Members for their
definitive approval. This cycle is repeated every 4 years, the latest
review cycle having taken place in 2009, although interim reviews
are occasionally conducted such as in 2006, when Olabide commitment
to sustainability, environmental preservation and Corporate
Social Responsibility was integrated into the documents.
Over time, Olabide has had 4 Strategy Plans, with starting years
of 1991, 1998, 2004 and 2009 respectively. In 2009, the MVV,
Olabide statutes, SEP and Internal Rules and Regulations (IRR)
were refined, whilst the SCP and the Employees’ Handbook are
due to be reviewed in 2009-10. The SEP, which contextualises and
supports the MVV and is deployed through the SCP, is refined
on the basis of changes to the regulatory framework governing
education. The SEP was also refined in 2007-08, in response to
the application of the Spanish Fundamental Law of Education
and the New Basque Curriculum, the review of which is due to
be completed in Olabide by the end of 2009-10.
Drawing up the SP and annual BP
The SP 2004-09 was designed with a different approach from the
previous one, the consequence of learning with the Overcall consultancy.
The improvement consisted of drawing up the SP on 3
levels and using 3 documents:
• D1: the first level, identifying a series of elements derived from
the Mission and Vision statements and determining the Critical
Success Factors (CSF) for their delivery, their measurement and
projected 4-year target values;
• D2: a series of Strategic Priorities (StP) were associated with the
previously identified Mission and Vision elements, taking into account
the needs and expectations of all stakeholders and planned
to be deployed over a 4-year time frame; and
• D3: an annual Business Plan, determining a series of actions to
be taken to deliver each strategic priority, the processes involved,
a time frame for the actions and responsibility for their delivery.
An extract is shown in Fig. 2c.3.
An extract of D1 and D2 is shown in Fig. 2c.2. The draft BP is
submitted every year to the GB for provisional approval in July,
and is definitively approved in the first half of September and
subsequently endorsed in the General Assembly of Cooperative
Members. To maximise stakeholder participation in the formulation
of the BP, the MT submits it to the GB and all teaching and
non-teaching staff for their suggestions. BP activities, targets and
indicators are agreed to on a consensus basis between the MT and
all process owners, Management and Improvement Teams (MIT)
and project leaders.
With regard to ecological sustainability, Olabide has a clear social
commitment to the environment. This is manifest through our involvement
in the Bizi Zaitez Project to promote cycling (for both
pupils and staff) as a means of transport to and from school, our
commitment to the Agenda 21 Project, the actions taken in the
school to reduce energy consumption (including sensor-activated
lighting for a rational use of electricity) and equipping the school
with solar panels as a renewable source of energy. This commitment
was reflected in our MVV in 2006. All actions associated to
people-related StP (3.1, 3.2, etc.) are designed to ensure societal
sustainability, i.e. that our people’s efforts are sustainable and will
not lead to burn-out.

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 19
Strategy Plan 2004/05 -2008/09
Deployment level 1 (D1)
Deployment level 2 (D2)
Mission-Vision elements Critical Success Factors (FCE) Strategic Priorities (StP)
1. An all-round education based on 1.1. Overall degree of parent satisfaction with Olabide 1.1. Update basic documents and
the reality of our immediate
1.2. Degree of parent satisfaction with teaching-learning
environment, the Basque language
activities
and culture and open to the world.
1a. All-round education…
Collaborate in the education of our
pupils, developing personalised
treatment and informed
teaching…
1b. …based on the reality of our
immediate environment, the
Basque language and culture and
commitment to Basque society…
Make Basque the vehicular language…
1c. … open to the world.
Multilingual and aware of other social
realities...
2. Organisation. An organisation based
on Quality Management
2a. Based on quality management
Establishing, extending and focusing
more deeply on the EFQM Excellence
model.
2b. A well-managed school, following
principles of effectiveness, efficiency
and competitiveness.
Looking for a stable balance of income
and expenditure.
2c. Providers of good services and
facilities.
Canteen, transport and extracurricular
activities.
3. A school committed to the
satisfaction, welfare, cooperation and
training of our people.
Satisfaction of our people with the
working atmosphere, …
1.3. Degree of pupil satisfaction with teaching
1.4. Overall degree of satisfaction of former pupils
1.5. Degree of parent satisfaction with the use and
promotion of the Basque language
1.6. Degree of pupil satisfaction with the teaching and use
of the Basque language in Olabide
1.7. Degree of parent satisfaction with values-based
education offered in Olabide
1.8. Degree of pupil satisfaction with values-based
education offered in Olabide
1.9. Degree of former pupils’ satisfaction with values-based
education offered in Olabide
1.10. Degree of former pupils’ satisfaction with education
received as preparation for further education
1.11. Overall degree of pupil satisfaction with Olabide
1.12. % university entrance exams passed / total number of
pupils enrolled in 2nd year USE
etc.
2a.1. % staff involved in quality processes
2b.1. Deviation from planned budget
2b.2. Financial autonomy
2b.3. Long-term debt ratio
2b.4. % pupils enrolled / available places (3-year-olds)
2b.5. % pupils enrolled / available places (2-year-olds)
2b.6. Overall degree of people satisfaction with the running
of Olabide
2b.7. Degree of pupil satisfaction with the way the school is
organised, meetings, festivities and excursions
2b.8. % budget covered by parent contributions
2b.9. % occupancy of school
2b.10. Expenditure per pupil
2b.11 % of global enrolments
etc.
curricular plans of the school
and of each education stage
1.2. Improve language teaching
capabilities and use in Olabide
1.3. Promote innovation
programmes
1.4. Improve the way co-existence
is handled
1.5. Promote knowledge of our
cultural identity and participate
in acts organised to this end.
Raise public awareness of the
Olabide approach to education.
1.6. Analyse the feasibility of
starting up a Vocational Training
course.
1.7. Promote pupil participation
1.8. Extend the use of ITC’s in
the teaching-learning process
1.9. Promote parent participation
1.10. Greater focus on dealing
with diversity
1.11. Greater use of ICTs in the
teaching-learning process
2.1. Deeper focus on the EFQM
Excellence model.
2.2. Maintain a balanced budget
2.3. Cover enrolment places
available
2.4. Improve infrastructures and
services
3.1. Degree of people satisfaction with communication 3.1. Promote knowledge
3.2. Degree of people awareness of Business Plans
management
3.3. Degree of people satisfaction with their work
3.2. Improve internal
communication
3.4. Degree of people satisfaction with opportunities to
3.3. Promote people participation
participate in Olabide
3.5. Degree of people satisfaction with Management
3.6. Degree of people satisfaction with recognition
3.7. Degree of people satisfaction/ identification with the
content of the MVV and the SEP
3.8. Overall degree of people satisfaction
etc.
Fig. 2c.2: D1 and D2 of SP formulation; Mission-Vision elements, CSF and Strategic Priorities.
Strategic Priority Action First level dissemination When Responsibility
Greater focus
on dealing with
diversity
With the help of HUHEZI, make a
diagnosis and draw up a plan for the
years to come.
4.1.5. Owner of the
Process for Guidance and
Counselling
During the
year
1) Guidance and
Counselling Area
2) Head of Teaching
Deeper focus on the
EFQM Excellence
model
Carry out the improvement plan
Plan B; enter for the Gold ‘Q-for-
Quality’ Award in 2008.
Update the Vision, introducing the
concept of environmental preservation.
3.5.4. Process for the
Management of Continuous
Improvement
3.5.5. Project Management
Process
During the
year
1) MT
2) Head of Quality
Fig. 2c.3: D3; Deployment of SP through annual Business Plan

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 20
Delivery of strategic priorities (StP) is measured using the associated
CSF indicators aligned to key processes. These indicators are
included in the Balanced Scorecard (BSC).
Managing Risk
In Olabide, SWOT analysis and strategic reflection exercises are
used to understand and anticipate future scenarios and to manage
strategic risk. For example, SP’s are updated on the basis of
SWOT analysis, this technique was also used in 2008 to analyse
the potential impact of a change to the school timetable, and as
a result of SWOT analysis and MT reflection, a specific protocol
has been drawn up to counteract the effects of heavy snowfall on
the school transport service and class timetabling. A contingency
protocol is also in place to minimise the risk of catching swine
flu. With regard to financial risk, the only contingency we have
against late payment of government subsidies is the availability
of credit, though we very rarely use this. If government subsidies
to the school were one day drastically reduced, the only options
open to us would be to increase fees or to reduce the services we
offer. Finally, on an academic level, the potential risk of not being
able to deliver minimum pupil performance levels is addressed
by deploying complementary resources such as support classes,
splitting one class into two for more focused attention and customised
help.
Monitoring of the Strategy Plan
The delivery of strategic priorities is monitored quarterly by the
MT to prevent possible deviation from planned targets. To do so,
the MT uses the BSC with its 54 indicators to measure delivery
of the CSF listed in D1. An extract from this is shown in Fig.
2c.4. Monthly monitoring provides us with sufficient time and
space to bolster the activities required to deliver strategic priorities.
At the end of the academic year, the MT closes the BP by
analysing all relevant indicators to check whether targets have
been delivered and proposing any corrective actions which may
need to be taken.
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Associated CSF indicators Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target
1.1. Overall degree of parent satisfaction
with Olabide 7.40 7.60 7.40 7.65 7.50 7.70 7.53 7.70
1.3. Degree of pupil satisfaction with the
teaching in Olabide 6.96 6.70 6.84 6.75 7.03 6.80 7.22 7.12
Fig. 2c.4: Extract from Balanced Scorecard
Drawing up and budgeting of the Annual School Plan (ASP)
At the beginning of the 3rd school term, the MT begins to plan
the organisational needs of all stakeholders for the next academic
year. Meetings are held to discuss and put forward proposals on
operational needs, covering a wide range of areas such as staff,
curricular programming, school calendar and timetabling for the
different education stages, teacher timetabling, organisation of
transport, canteen and child-minding services, sports and cultural
activities, etc.
The activities of the BP, which forms part of the ASP, are funded
through the annual budget. For example, actions included in the
BP to deliver the StP ‘Deeper focus on the EFQM Excellence
Model’ required considerable funding, such as the services of an
external consultancy and training for our people in the model.
The actions required are first identified, an estimation of their
cost is made and, if acceptable, the actions are included in the
annual budget.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
As explained above, delivery of the SP is measured through the
different CSF indicators included in the BSC and presented in
this document in the results criteria. Some of the most significant
actions taken as a result of measurement and learning in this area
of Olabide management include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2005-
06
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Self- assessment
Irizar EQA sub.
doc.
External
assessment
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Process system becomes an integral
tool for strategic reflection, clarifying
the contribution of each process to
strategy.
Use of matrix to improve identification
of key processes.
More detailed use of SWOT analysis
to cover and balance Olabide needs
and the needs of all stakeholders.
Involvement of all Olabide people in
providing input to for BP content.
YEAR
2006-
07
2007-
08
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
External
assessment
Self-assessment
Reflection by
MT
Formulation of
new Strategy
Plan 2009-12
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Explicit reference to social and
environmental sustainability
included in Mission and integrated
into teaching syllabus and pupil
values.
Explicit identification of the need for
the support of partners in delivering
the Strategic Priorities of the BP
Design of a new process to monitor
former pupils, covering their
integration into wider Society and
their satisfaction with the values and
general education received.
Updating of basic documents,
new Strategic Objectives derived
from newly formulated Vision (see
Qualification File, Dec. 2009) and
drawing up of BP 2009-10.
2d. Strategy and supporting policies are communicated,
implemented and monitored
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, performance targets for the forthcoming academic
year are proposed by each process owner and agreed to on a consensus
basis between the process owners themselves and the QCT
(comprised of the MT and the PS owners). These decisions are
taken on the basis of results from previous years and, where available,
comparative data on the performance of other schools.
Olabide has defined a system for communicating and deploying
our Strategy to those stakeholders we consider need to be informed.
Given the importance of keeping stakeholders informed
of the school’s strategy, we have developed a series of processes
which define what needs to be communicated, to whom, how and
when. Once approved, the content of the BP and other important

2 STRATEGY strategy
EFQM Excellence Award 2010 21
aspects of the ASP are communicated to parents in the general
meetings at the start of the school year. This information is also
given to them in documented form. Since 1999-00, key aspects of
strategy have also been communicated to all those attending the
annual General Assembly of Cooperative Members. Additionally,
the most relevant aspects of the ASP and the BP, together
with the MVV, are included in the Olabide yearbook.
Since 2004-05, in the meeting at the start of the academic year
all Olabide people are given a personal folder containing all the
documentation they need on the BP, training plan, annual plan
to develop the approach to language teaching, a report on the
previous year’s BP and documents on proposed actions for the
forthcoming academic year. Any suggestions they may have on
this information can be put forward. In 2007-08, as a result of
MT reflection the previous year on how to present the BP in a
more educational, dynamic and attractive way, the decision was
taken to involve all members of the MT in the presentation event.
This improvement action was designed to make the BP easier to
understand and to involve more people in the process.
Since 1992-93, all parents of newly enrolled children and all new
staff members have been given documents explaining the MVV,
statutes and SEP to ensure they are informed of the Olabide philosophy,
methodology and general way of doing things. To assess
staff awareness of Strategy, a specific item was included in the
people satisfaction survey in 2004-05, 7a.
Strategy Deployment/ Implementation
Olabide strategy is deployed through our system of management
by processes. The operational structure of the school is designed
for simple tracking of strategy deployment. In short, strategic
decisions and objectives established by the MT are communicated
by MT members to the owners of the different Process Systems,
who in turn inform the corresponding process owners of what
these objectives involve and of the actions established in the annual
BP designed to deliver them. Process owners then pool this
information with their MIT members, detailing the actions, both
individual and team, which need to be taken on a day-to-day basis
to progressively deliver strategy. In this way, strategic priorities/
objectives are aligned to the day-to-day activities of Olabide
people. This operational method, or relevant parts of it, and the
improvements made to it are implicitly described in the different
enabler criteria of this document. Strategy is also deployed through
the Training Plan Process and the Project Management Process,
through which relevant information is analysed to define the training
activities required each year and the innovation projects to be
developed. These two processes are key for the deployment of the
SP. Clear objectives and targets are set in relation to innovation, and
strategy is refined on the basis of the results achieved, 1e & 5a.
Additionally, deployment of the SP is closely related to financial
processes, 4b, especially with procedures related to drawing up the
budget and closing the year, as these procedures manage investment
needs and the control of income and expenditure. Similarly,
strategy deployment is closely linked to the Annual Plan Process,
drawn up on the basis of an analysis of HR needs in relation to
the different services the school is to offer, forecast figures on the
number of new pupils and those who will leave the school, the
allocation of teachers and tutors to different classes, timetabling,
the number of classroom hours for each subject, training plans,
innovation projects, etc. As mentioned in 2c, D3 of the SP forms
part of the Annual Plan.
Key process framework and monitoring of strategy
The methodology used for identifying key processes is explained
in 5a, together with a full list of key processes for the SP 2004-09,
and is therefore not repeated here. The delivery of key processes
is measured through the CSF indicators associated with them
and included in the BSC, which is monitored quarterly by the
MT, 2c. For example, delivery of Training Plan Process objectives
is measured through the CSF indicator on the number of
hours used for training, and delivery of the PF for Review and
Adaptation of Teaching Units and the PF for Classroom Teaching
objectives is measured through various indicators presented
in 9, e.g. % university entrance exams passed / total number of
pupils enrolled in 2nd year USE, etc.
Another tool used by the MT for monitoring the correct processbased
deployment of strategy is the Process for the Management
of Continuous Improvement. This provides the MT with an insight
into the performance of all processes included in the EMS,
especially key processes, on the basis of information provided by
each process owner. Indicator results are closely monitored, and
on the basis of findings from assessment and review activities,
decisions are taken regarding the need to undertake a process
improvement cycle, to create a new process, to define new indicators
or appoint new process owners.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Stakeholder awareness of Olabide MVV and Strategy is measured
through parent and people satisfaction surveys, using a series of
items specifically designed to this end, 6a & 7a. Some of the most
significant actions taken as a result of measurement and learning
in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Self-assessment
External
assessment
Reflection by
MT
Self-assessment
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Inclusion in parent satisfaction
surveys of items to measure their
awareness of and agreement with
Olabide MVV
Drawing up of an external
communication plan, identifying
which stakeholders need to be
informed of Olabide strategy and
how. WiFi connection throughout
the school to facilitate connection to
the network
IT Plan to improve communication
channels and access to information.
Creation of an extranet with
restricted access
Decision taken to formally
communicate strategy to pupil class
representatives

People

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 22
3a. People plans support the organisation’s strategy
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, we consider our people to be the most prized asset
we have to deliver our Mission and Vision. As a team, their involvement
and commitment generate new initiatives, creativity,
improvements and innovation, and HR planning, management
and improvement is designed to deliver high levels of satisfaction
in these areas.
With a view to defining and describing the functions associated
with each work post in the school, an Employees’ Handbook was
drawn up in 2000 and subsequently refined in 2004 and 2009-
10. Additionally, in 2007-08, we systemised the Performance
Appraisal Process, designed to define the characteristics of each
work post in Olabide, the required competencies associated with
each of those posts, performance appraisal in itself and proposed
improvements.
Olabide Strategic Priorities (StP, 2c), or Strategic Objectives in the
new Strategy Plan (SP) 2009-12 (see Qualification File, Dec. 2009),
are progressively delivered through actions included in the annual
Business Plan (BP), which are in turn rolled out through processes.
The Management and Improvement Team (MIT, 5a) members
therefore know from the beginning of each academic year how
their actions will contribute to the delivery of Olabide strategy.
People management itself is essentially managed through the Process
System (PS) for People Management, which covers in all cases
both teaching and non-teaching staff and includes the following
processes: Process for Annual HR Planning, Process for People Selection
and Induction, Substitutions Management Process, Training
Plan Process, Performance Appraisal Process and Knowledge
Management Process. Both the Process for the Measurement of
People Satisfaction and the Procedure for Labour-related Administration
also have a key role in people management.
Process for Annual HR Planning
Each year in May, HR needs for the forthcoming academic year
are analysed in weekly Management Team (MT) meetings as
part of BP preparation. The process involves allocating teachers
and tutors to classes for the forthcoming academic year, the
subjects to be taught by each teacher and, where necessary, assigning
complementary tasks such as supervisory duties, etc. The
following circumstances and information are taken into account
in this planning:
• anticipated short and medium-term requirements (aligned,
amongst other things, to the different projects to be developed
as part of the BP);
• new HR qualifications and specific training required;
• pre-established general criteria, e.g. continuance in the same
education cycle or stage, etc.
• specific needs and characteristics of classes and pupils;
• the characteristics of each teacher;
• the electives chosen by pupils in secondary education, and their
impact on potentially dividing groups into two;
• staff requests for a reduction in the work schedule, as provided
for under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or due to personal
circumstances;
• staff requests for redeployment to another age group or type
of work; and
• other personal circumstances, e.g. the presence of their own
children in their class, etc.
The draft plan is then communicated by all Heads of Education
Stages and Administration Areas to their respective people for
them to review it and put forward any further suggestions and/
or personal requests. At the same time, the calendar, timetabling
and activities planned for each education stage and cycle are also
presented as part of the annual plan. As an improvement action
taken in 2005-06, we now use an IT programme to help us save
time, especially in relation to secondary education planning. Similarly,
on the basis of a benchmarking visit to Jakintza Ikastola in
2006-07 and with the help of the Olabide ICT Area, in 2007-08 we
designed and implemented IT software for staff scheduling which
enables each teacher to enter data into the system on the number
of hours they have worked (teaching hours and/or training time
counted as working hours), and thereby monitor the progressive
situation of hours worked per year. These data are subject to the
approval of the respective Heads of Education Stage or Administrative
Area.
Short and medium-term Planning
To address temporary situations brought about, for example, by
the gradual implementation of education reform (as is the case at
the moment with the LOE [Spanish Fundamental Law of Education]),
planning is short-term, based on an optimum end scenario.
Circumstances often arise which affect the organisation of teaching
activities, e.g. the absence of a teacher (leave, sickness, etc.)
may negatively affect how classes have been planned on a dayto-day
basis. Furthermore, other different circumstances (exams,
talks, excursions, etc.) could lead to timetable modifications for
certain classes. Any such circumstances are managed by the corresponding
Head of Education Stage or Administrative Area. One
of the Strategic Objectives of the new SP 2009-12 (Qualification
File, Dec. 2009) is to ensure the transmission of knowledge and
Values to our people. To this end, a knowledge management plan
has been prepared, and an analysis has been made of who is due
to retire from the school over the next few years and of the specific
knowledge they have. These medium-term staff needs have been
passed on to the Process for People Selection and Induction and
the required profiles for new candidates have been drawn up.
Selection and Induction
New HR needs are identified as part of annual planning and
managed through the Process for People Selection and Induction.
The process was improved in 2006-07 by involving more Olabide
people in it and forming a Selection Committee comprised of the
Head of Teaching, the Head of the Education Stage affected, the
Head of the Guidance and Counselling Area and representatives
of the Works Committee. The Process for People Selection and
Induction is designed to ensure equality and equal opportunity
for all Olabide people, and also provides for possible internal promotion.
For example, in 2006, a substitute teacher was promoted
to a full-time post as an IT teacher. Also, in 2008-09, a teacher
on a temporary contract in the Area of ICTs was appointed the
Head of the Area, and an assistant teacher in the area of pupils
with special education needs was appointed as a tutor in PE. Criteria
for internal promotion were defined in 2008-09. At the end
of the selection process, all job candidates are informed of the
final decision taken, and the characteristics of the contract are
discussed with the successful candidate (as established under the
procedure for staff administration).
As an example of process improvement, the profile for science
teachers in Compulsory (CSE) and Upper (USE) Secondary
Education was changed in 2005-066 to an engineering-related
qualification, in line with our specific needs and with the BP objective
of promoting and developing the use of ICTs.
Since 2007-08, all new employees are received by the corresponding
Head of Education Stage or Administrative Area, who explain
to them the characteristics of the school and ensure that
they understand the general ideas of the Olabide approach to
education. They are then introduced to their colleagues, who
are responsible for providing them with all the help and advice
necessary to ensure their work is aligned to the objectives of the
school. As soon as they start work in the school, all new Olabide
people are provided with an IT folder, an e-mail address, a user
profile and a personal tutor. Tutoring responsibilities may vary,
depending on the education stage in question; for example, at
Infant (IE) and Primary (PE) Education levels, tutoring is the
responsibility of one of the teachers of the same year as the new
employee, whilst at CSE and USE level, one of the teachers of the
corresponding department will take on the duties of a tutor.
Since 2003 all new teachers have been given a personalised
Olabide ‘teacher’s diary’ as part of the documentation handed
to them on their first day. In 2004-05, the induction process was
improved by preparing an induction kit containing all the basic
documents on the school. In 2008-09, the need was identified for
new employees to receive more in-depth training on the history
and culture of the school, the Olabide Excellence Management
System (EMS), how teaching units have developed, the organisa-

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 23
tion chart, the collective bargaining agreement, Olabide-specific
agreements and financial and/or any other organisational matters
considered of interest. All new employees with 1-year contracts
or more have received training on these matters by the Head of
Teaching and the School Director.
People input to improve HR Strategy
In Olabide, we have used people satisfaction surveys since 2001
to identify and compile the improvement suggestions of our people.
Additionally, suggestions boxes are located in the school for
people to contribute their ideas whenever they wish. A more recent
development in this area has been the meetings held with all
teaching and non-teaching staff to explain the draft content of
the annual BP, in which our people put forward their ideas and
suggestions (including HR-related matters) prior to its definitive
approval. This approach has led to a greater consensus of opinion
and involvement of our people. Similarly, since 2008-09, and
with a view to generally improving communication in the school,
one-to-one interviews can be held on a voluntary basis between
any Olabide employee and the School Director. The decision
to offer this possibility to our people instead of conducting the
people satisfaction survey in 2008-09 was taken after seeing that
in recent years, the satisfaction survey was not being used a lot
to make suggestions. This face-to-face contact has encouraged
people to put forward their ideas more directly.
In short, the deployment of the Olabide EMS with its 74 processes
has involved 100% of our people, and has given rise to a new
organisation with a flatter management structure and a greater
degree of consensus among the different education stages and
areas of the school. In this respect, one of our key objectives is
to ensure the job security of our people, Fig. 7b.1.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
In addition to the information gathered through day-to-day contact
with our people, people satisfaction survey results related
to people deployment and timetable planning, how the school
is run, working conditions, equal opportunity, empowerment,
etc. are used to measure the effectiveness of our approach in this
area. Annual self-assessment has also been an important source
of information to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
For example, results values on people satisfaction with the working
timetable have been 7.46 (2004-05, scale 1-10), 7.40 (2005-06),
7.6 (2006-07) and 8.04 (2007-08).
Some of the most significant actions taken as a result of measurement
and learning in this area include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2005-
06
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Systemisation
of the Process
for People
Selection and
Induction
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Process assessment
and
review
External assessment
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Deployment of induction kit for new
employees.
A points system (for courses attended,
experience in the field of work, etc.)
included in the selection process to ensure
equal opportunity.
Suggestions box
More efficient deployment of teachers
in IE after increasing the number of
2-year-old classes from 3 to 5 without
employing any extra teachers.
CV management digitalised for easier
use.
YEAR
Career plans included in HR planning.
Refinement of person profile required
for job, specifying the language profile
for successful candidates in line with
MVV.
Union representative incorporated
into Selection Process Committee.
2005-
06
2007-
08
2009-
10
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Benchmarking
of Jakintza
Ikastola
Benchmarking
of Jakintza
Ikastola
Training in
knowledge
management
Reflection by
MT
Self-assessment
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Updating of
basic documents
Surveys and
one-to-one
interviews with
Olabide people.
Study of situation
in other
schools.
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Development of IT application to
monitor and provide greater flexibility
in timetabling.
Selection of process owners. Use of an
instruction enabling all staff to express
their preferences for working in one or
another process.
HR Plan systematically and explicitly
drawn up in connection with Olabide
Strategy. Analysis made of planned
staff retirements over next 10 years,
and used in the knowledge management
plan drawn up in 2007-08.
Refinement of Employees’ Handbook
in line with preparation of competency
matrix. Overhaul of job profiles by
Heads of Education Stages and Administrative
Area.
HR planning adapted to ensure selected
trainees acquire the highest possible
competence level in relation to the required
profiles.
One-to-one interviews held with
Olabide people, with greater number
of suggestions put forward.
Greater induction training given to
new employees on general aspects of
the Olabide education project
Systemisation of the Performance Appraisal
Process and the Knowledge
Management Process.
Improved Employees’ Handbook
Kindergarten support teachers contracted
in classes for 2-year-olds (one
in each class during first term, then 3
for the 5 classes), in response to need
for systemising support in pre-school
education.
3b. People’s knowledge and capabilities are developed
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, we firmly believe that the success of a school is rooted
in the capabilities of its people, both teaching and non-teaching.
This belief, directly reflected in our SP, plays a major role in the
delivery of our objectives.
2007-08 saw the start of a major improvement to how we manage
knowledge and competencies in the school. This improvement
action consisted of creating a competence/ capability matrix, in
which the technical, personal and social competencies required for
each Olabide person to do his/her job were defined, together with
the current level of competence of each person and the minimum
level required. Additionally, the matrix has an important link to
knowledge management and the defined Olabide ethical principles
and Values, as it is also used to record information on the identified
capabilities of each Olabide person and their capacity to develop
the defined competencies. Matrix management is therefore closely
linked to the training plan, as those people seen to have a high degree
of knowledge in any given subject area may be asked to train
others in-house, thereby promoting multi-skilling.
The processes involved in this area of the Olabide management
system are the Training Plan Process, the Knowledge Management
Process and the Performance Appraisal Process, all of which
are linked to Olabide Strategy as the 4-year training plan is drawn
up on the basis of the strategy defined for the period. In turn, the
training plan has certain priority lines determined by strategy. Val-

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 24
ues are also taken into account at all times, e.g. as part of people
performance appraisal and 360º leadership appraisal.
Training Plan Process
The first stage of the process consists of an analysis by Olabide
people and Management of training needs. A study is made of
the training courses on offer, the demand for training is then correlated
to the offer and the training actions are developed and, on
completion, assessed for their effectiveness. Over the years, various
training plans have been conducted to meet the different needs
identified both on an individual and team level, and to comply
with education reform and changing needs in Society.
As a result of visits to other schools and training received in the
EFQM Excellence model, action was taken to improve the Training
Plan Process for the period 2008-12. For example, training
lines to be developed each year of the 4-year period are specifically
defined and expressed as such in the training plan. The main focus
areas for training over the period 2008-12 are listed below.
1. The EFQM business Excellence model
2. Language teaching
3. Olabide employees’ own competence level in the Basque
language
4. ICT’s
5. Dealing with diversity
6. Updating in each subject area or department
7. New curriculum. Development of competencies
8. Knowledge of the Olabide organisation and culture for new
employees.
Many training courses are organised in-house. When this is not
possible, the school covers enrolment and other course expenses
(food, transport, etc.). To promote and encourage training, a
maximum of 30 hours training received outside of working hours
as part of an individual’s training plan are considered as hours
worked and deducted from the annual total.
Long-term HR planning in Olabide involves training to ensure our
people have the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver our strategy.
In this respect, we have identified the need to contract people
highly qualified and/or skilled in new technology, and approaches
are already in place to ensure this objective is delivered, e.g. people
on internships who comply with this profile and are seen as possible
future employees in Olabide are assigned a tutor, 3a.
Knowledge Management Process
In Olabide, people knowledge is aligned to the delivery of our
MVV and is shared through a series of both virtual and physical
networks. Knowledge management provokes new ideas for
improvement. For example, in 2007-08, after training received by
various Olabide people on immersion courses in Basque (based
on English language courses), the training plan subsequently included
cascading this acquired knowledge down to all staff at IE
level for them to apply it in their teaching of Basque. This initial
training has subsequently led in 2009-10 to a change in teaching
methodology in IE.
Another fundamental value in Olabide is teamwork, Fig 1a.3. In
line with this approach, meetings in Olabide are systemised and
closely monitored to ensure work teams maximise their contribution.
For example:
• in CSE and USE, teams are organised on the basis of different
departments, each one with its own coordinator. Each department
holds weekly meetings;
• in IE and PE, teams are organised on the basis of education
cycles (2 2-year cycles covering the 4-year period in IE and 3
2-year cycles covering the 6-year period in PE);
• innovation projects are developed by a team and its corresponding
leader;
• the Basque Language Committee also functions as a team;
• in 2006-07 and ongoing in 2010, the Bizikidetza team, to plan
and coordinate all project activities designed to promote and
improve co-existence in the school;
• the planning and development of extracurricular sports and
cultural activities are managed by the kultur elkartea and kirol
elkartea teams respectively;
• process MIT teams, 5a, composed of the process leader and
team members and involving 100% of Olabide people; and
• the MT itself, composed of the Heads of IE, PE, CSE, USE,
the Guidance and Counselling Area, the Administrative Area,
the Head of Teaching and the School Director, who plan and
coordinate their work as a team;
In Olabide, we have a clear approach to ensure that individual and
team objectives are aligned to the overall objectives of the school,
2d. For example, in line with the general strategy of the school to
promote the use of the Basque language, and specifically aligned
to Strategic Priority (StP) 1.2 of the SP 2004-08 (2c), the coordinator
of the project to mainstream the use of the Basque language
(Euskaraz Bizi) in Olabide was also appointed as provincial project
coordinator. To do this work, she has been relieved of 60% of her
teaching load.
Performance Appraisal Process
In terms of developing our people’s capacities and performance,
the Performance Appraisal Process plays a key role. The process
is based on analysing the competencies required for each work
post in the school, assessing whether our people have these competencies
and aligning the competencies themselves to the Olabide
MVV. Input for performance appraisal comes from:
• the results of certain items included in annual parent satisfaction
surveys;
• the results of certain items included in annual pupil satisfaction
surveys;
• the results achieved in each class, analysed by tutors to draw the
appropriate conclusions and make any changes required to their
own performance;
• the opinions expressed by the different Heads of Education
Stage;
• the item on the performance of Management, included in annual
people satisfaction surveys;
• 360º assessment, in the case of the MT; and
• findings from the Report on Variable Remuneration. Every year,
the School Director submits a report to the GB on the performance
of Olabide Management in relation to the delivery of Balanced
Scorecard (BSC) indicators.
In 2007-08, a 3-year plan was implemented to further improve and
complement people performance appraisal. A survey designed
specifically for pupils to assess the performance of their teachers
began to be used on a pilot and voluntary basis by a series of
teachers, though the results were not obligatorily made public to
Olabide Management. In 2009-10, this approach has been systemised
for all CSE and USE teachers, 1a. Similar questionnaires had
been systematically used in Olabide to assess certain subjects and
the teachers who teach them, but this approach has been improved
by merging the questionnaires previously used in CSE and USE
into one survey (learning from Ekintza Ikastola).
Additionally, we also use other methods to develop the capabilities
of our people, whilst at the same time aligning individual work
with an organisational objective. For example, in line with the general
objective of a deeper focus on the EFQM Excellence model,
and specifically aligned to the StP 2.1 of the SP 2004-08 (2c), an
Olabide employee was asked to take responsibility for the translation
required to learn from submission documents of EEA candidates.
This employee has subsequently expressed his satisfaction
with the opportunity this has given him to deepen his knowledge
of the EFQM model.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Training is monitored and assessed by Olabide people using a specific
survey and, wherever possible, by the person who gave the
course. Additionally, an item is included in the annual satisfaction
survey to measure satisfaction with training. Year-on-year results
values for the item on satisfaction with training in the annual people
satisfaction survey are shown below.

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 25
02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08
5,40 5,62 6,92 7,00 7,40 7.81
Some of the most significant actions taken as a result of measurement
and learning in this area include:
YEAR
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
2008-
09
2009-
10
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Self-assessment
Visit to
Jakintza
Ikastola
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Study of
reports/ EFQM
submission
documents
Reflection by
MT
Training in web
2.0
Reflection by
MT
Euskalit
Reflection by
MT
Benchmarking
with Ekintza
Ikastola
Benchmarking
with Ikastolen
Elkartea
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Decision taken to work in
collaboration with GESFOR to secure
more subsidies for training
Record kept on the number of training
hours/ person, and the type of course
received.
30 paid hours of working time
dedicated to training, in line with
provisions of training plan.
Elimination of survey on training needs,
and in its place, the process provides
for the possibility for all Olabide people
to request training at any time. This
request is subject to the approval of the
MT in terms of whether it contributes
to improving and/or maintaining their
mobility and employability.
Creation of competence/ capability
matrix, linked to training plan
(identification of internal trainers)
Systemisation of the Performance
Appraisal Process
Promotion of web 2.0 technology to
facilitate training
Improved design of training plan
to meet strategy demands and for
Olabide people to be able to address
required changes, e.g. training course
given by 3 teachers of the Olabide IT
Area, to address certification in IT
competence, etc.
Review of competence matrix, to
include Olabide ethical principles and
Values
Systemisation of performance
appraisal of CSE and USE teachers,
using specific pupil satisfaction
surveys
+50% of teachers trained in new
methodologies to be applied in
different education stages (Urtxintxa,
Txanela and Ostadar projects)
Improved training for all IE teachers
in psychomotricity.
3c. People are aligned, involved and empowered
Approach and deployment
In line with previous (SP 2004-08, StP 3.4, 2c) and current (SP
2009-12, Qualification File) Olabide strategy, and with the clear
purpose of furthering the principle of responsibility for improving
the participation, involvement and empowerment of our people, a
series of activities have been developed by the school designed to
create a sense of shared responsibility for both academic achievement
and all other actions which contribute to bolstering a sense
of education community.
One clear example of this is the approach adopted by those people
due to become MT members. Prior to taking on this responsibility,
all future MT members receive any necessary training and attend
all the different meetings to familiarise themselves with the
post and its corresponding responsibilities. This approach was
adopted in 2005-06 as an improvement action taken on the basis
of findings from external assessment and through MT reflection.
Furthermore we believe the organisational nature of Olabide and
the EMS is, in itself, an enabling factor, as it offers all our people
not only the possibility to put forward suggestions to change and
improve their particular process but also the responsibility to do so
and, in doing so, to contribute to the continuous improvement of
the school. Those taking on maximum responsibility for process
management are called process owners, 5a, who are supported by
a process Management and Improvement Team (MIT) consisting
of a variable number of people.
Olabide people have played a key role in the deployment of the
Excellence system over time, 5a. After an initial grounding in
Quality Management systems by the MT, other Olabide people
began to be trained in this approach and some processes began to
be systemised. This dynamic has led us to the current situation in
which 100% of Olabide people are involved and take active part in
process management, either as owners or MIT members.
The defined functions and responsibilities of a process owner
are:
• to systemise the process and all related documentation;
• to inform all process participants, 5a, of the content of the process
and of any additional documentation, ensuring they understand
it;
• to organise process assessment and review activities;
• to organise how relevant data is to be gathered and process indicators
to be monitored;
• to report to Olabide Management on process results;
• to implement the directives given to him/her by the MT on the
deployment of strategic priorities, and to deliberate on suggestions
regarding assessment and review and improvement cycles
for the forthcoming period;
• to put forward proposals for process improvement cycles to the
owner of his/her Process System (PS, 5a);
• to organise, drive and take active part in process improvement
cycles;
• to provide process participants with the necessary resources to
carry out the activities of the process; and
• to ensure process documentation (files, records, etc.) is correctly
managed and maintained.
Having been trained themselves in management by processes, the
MT have cascaded this knowledge down to process owners, thus
empowering them to correctly manage their own processes. In
addition to the participation and involvement of all our people
in process management and the training in this area they continuously
receive, 7 Olabide people have been trained over the years
by Euskalit as external assessors against the EFQM Excellence
model, taking part in external assessments of other organisations
and contributing what they have learnt outside Olabide to innovation
in the school.
Mention must also be made here of the involvement and dedication
of PS owners, a responsibility post identified and implemented
in 2007-08 and designed for greater efficiency of the Olabide EMS
(more agile, time-saving management) and to further leadership
skills. Decisions on the possible deployment of an improvement
action proposed by a process owner are taken on a consensus basis
between that same process owner and the owner of the process
system. If a proposal for improvement requires significant funding
or is considered to involve considerable effort, or if there is a doubt
about whether the proposal is aligned to the Olabide philosophy
or strategy, it is submitted for approval to the Quality Coordination
Team (QCT).
The involvement and empowerment of our people is also manifest
through project development in the school. An open-minded attitude
towards new approaches and new experiences is a trademark
of Olabide, where involvement in projects has traditionally been
used to address or anticipate the challenges faced by the school,
5a. At the time of writing, Olabide is involved in the following
projects:
• Agenda 21 (environmental management);
• Comenius (EU Programme to increase the mobility of pupils
and educational staff in different member states);
• Bizi Zaitez (cycling as a means of transport for pupils and staff
alike);

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 26
• Aniztasuna, Bizikidetza (Diversity and Co-existence);
• Science Project (knowledge of Science subjects in English in
PE);
• Urtxintxa, Txanela and Ostadar (promotion of competencebased
teaching);
• HizPro (one line of which is the promotion of the Basque language
and culture at a non-curricular level);
• Plastic Arts in English (to promote competence in English
through this subject);
• TribuCAN (involvement of Society in the promotion of civic
values);
• Ikasys (computer-based learning of basic competencies); and
• Library (to promote reading among our pupils)
A wide range of Olabide people have been and are actively involved
in these projects.. For example, in 2003-04, all our Science
teachers were involved in a project on the application of ICTs (2c,
Strategic Priority StP 1.8) in teaching. The project lasted 2 years
as an innovation project and, when seen to be successful, the technology
was systematically deployed. The Comenius project has
involved all teachers of pupils at the education stages covered by
the project. The initial project (2004-07) was conducted in collaboration
with Northern Ireland, Hungary, Norway, Poland,
Germany and France. In 2005-06, the 3 rd meeting of the project
was held in and organised by Olabide, during which all our teachers
were fully involved in organising activities for our visitors both
in and outside the school. Additionally, we are currently involved
in a 2-year project with Hungary, Finland and Turkey, which is
being coordinated by an Olabide teacher and involves the active
participation of several of our teachers.
Likewise, student exchange courses with pupils from French, German
and US (New York) schools actively involve Olabide teachers
as hosts in their own homes to their foreign counterparts. Our
teachers also organise different activities in their respective departments
for the foreign students to feel at home and to get to know
our culture and environment.
The culture of innovation which exists in the school has led to several
examples of entrepreneurship by our people. For example, the
Olabide Science Department, in collaboration with the University
of the Basque Country, is currently involved in an initiative with
our pupils to reproduce hedgehogs, which includes monitoring
embryo development. This initiative is designed to encourage interest
and competence in Science. Another example is the robot
built by our technology teachers to stimulate interest in the subject,
and finally, our teacher of German took the initiative some years
ago to organise an exchange trip with a school in Germany. This
initiative has been successfully repeated year-on-year. Other examples
of innovative initiatives taken by Olabide leaders include the
annual conference organised by the school with keynote speakers,
details of which can be found in 5c.
All innovation-based projects (2c, StP 1.3) have an appointed
project leader and team who together are responsible for project
planning, development and assessment. Additionally, our people
take active part in school activities designed to reinforce our sense
of community and promote a sense of identification with the
school and what it stands for. These activities include the farewell
party for USE pupils when they finish their studies in the school,
the festivities of Olentzero, Saint Agatha’s day, Jueves de Lardero
(Fat Thursday of the carnival period), Carnival time, Tamborrada
de San Prudencio (local feast day), Olabide Day (the first Sunday in
June and a festive day for the whole of the education community),
Open Days, etc., 5c.
The involvement of Olabide people with our partners is another
very important factor. In Olabide, we encourage our people to be
ambassadors of the ongoing success of the school. On occasions,
the school is represented exclusively by our people, e.g. in relations
with our partner Ikastolen Elkartea, where different teachers take
part in the development of language projects (2c, StP 1.2) and new
methodologies, and where the Head of the IT Area manages the
implementation of new IT systems and the development of certain
common projects (Ikasys, 4d). Similarly, Olabide is represented by
the Head of the Guidance and Counselling Area and leaders of
the Co-existence project (2c, StP 1.4) in meetings with Berritzegune
(Centre for Training and Innovation in Education). Numerous
meetings are held in the course of the year to monitor the performance
of different services provided by the school, involving
the participation of many different people from the administrative
area, the canteen and transport services, etc. to identify possible
improvement actions. Representing the school in meetings
with our partners helps to create a corporate culture in which the
dedication, capability, talent and creativity of our people are encouraged
and valued. In Olabide, those who take projects and/or
services forward are recognised by all for doing so, and consider
themselves ambassadors of the school.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the Olabide approach in this area is measured
through people satisfaction surveys (7a), annual self-assessment
and performance indicators, e.g. number of improvement proposals
put forward by Olabide people per year, % of people taking
part in education-related innovation projects (7b), etc. The performance
indicators presented in 7b give us an insight into the
efficiency of our approach in this area.
Some of the most significant actions taken as a result of measurement
and learning in this area include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
Training and involvement parameters defined for
those people due to become MT members.
PS owners given more leadership powers. PS owner
responsibilities defined in greater detail.
Instruction to determine when PS owners are
empowered to approve improvement proposals
without having to refer them to the QCT
For project leaders, hours dedicated to developing
the Olabide approach to language teachinglearning
(2c, StP 1.2) are considered as classroom
hours. This increases their degree of empowerment,
in line with our approach to delegate responsibility.
Leaders relieved of more teaching hours to develop
the Olabide EMS
Greater people involvement in work teams to update
Olabide basic documents (2c, StP 1.1)
Bolstering of Management at IE level. People
commitment to Olabide witnessed through their
willingness to take active part in MT
All education stages now involved on a voluntary
basis (unpaid, no associated relief from other duties)
in decision making bodies such as the Steering
Committee.
2008-
09
2009-
10
REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
External
assessment
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
Selfassessment
Reflection
by MT
Reflection
by MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Greater involvement of people in the EMS (participation
in process MITs leads to increase from
50 to 100%)
More importance given to farewell event for USE
school leavers. Venue changed to University, and
many teachers attend the farewell dinner with
their pupils.
Instruction drawn up to determine criteria for selecting
process owners and MIT members.
3d. People communicate effectively throughout
the organisation
Approach and deployment
Effective top-down, bottom-up and across-the-board (horizontal)
communication is essential for us to develop our activities and
deliver our objectives. The different communication needs and
expectations of our people, identified through suggestions made
on this subject in the people satisfaction survey and through results
values of the survey item on communication, as well as day-today
contact with our people, are analysed by the MT as part of

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 27
Strategic Reflection and subsequently managed through the Communication
Plan Process. In this respect, the Process for Drawing
Up the Technology Plan has contributed greatly in recent years to
improving our approach in this area of management, providing
technological support in our effort to improve communication
throughout the school.
The objectives of the communication plan are:
• to align individual and team objectives with Olabide objectives,
3b;
• to secure the commitment and integration of all our people;
• to create a relaxed, united atmosphere among our people; and
• through constant system review activities, to generate ideas to
improve the communication system itself.
The plan provides for a series of actions covering top-down,
bottom-up and horizontal communication, thus ensuring and
facilitating the correct flow of feedback and information to and
from our people and, in the case of horizontal communication,
teamwork and participation. The different communication channels
covered in the plan and progressively deployed and improved
over time in the school include:
• meetings;
• e-mail, website and intranet;
• suggestions box;
• pigeon holes, notice boards and blackboards;
• in-house publications and internal documents; and
• presentations and celebratory events.
Informal communication channels in the school, designed to
promote everyday contact and information exchange among our
people and to improve the general working atmosphere, include
teachers’ rooms and administration areas equipped with coffee
machines. Similarly, informal lunches and dinners are organised
regularly, and informal meetings to discuss day-to-day matters
bring to light issues which do not commonly arise in more formal
meetings.
Both an internal and an external communication plan have been
drawn up. The Communication Plan Process involves defining the
different communication channels to be used in each case, what
type of communication is most suited to each channel, how often
the information in question is to be communicated, who will communicate
it and to whom. The communication plan also covers the
communication needs of Olabide processes. Each process informs
on its communication needs through a specific instruction requesting
the process number and name, what needs to be communicated,
how, when, by who, to whom and if a report is required.
All new process communication needs are compiled by the person
responsible for managing the communication plan and then
processed within the Communication Plan Process. In Olabide, the
priority channel for communication is meetings, as they are used
for taking important decisions and for consolidating agreements.
Additionally, meetings enable direct contact between our people,
thus enriching feedback.
The end purpose of improving communication in the school is to
optimise how we share and communicate the Olabide MVV to all
our people, so that all our people take active part in delivering the
Vision of the school. Considerable effort has been made in recent
years to equip the school with the technology required to maximise
the effectiveness of communication. However, we also believe that
close relations among our people are essential for sharing objectives,
and it is for this reason that we still give great importance to
direct communication through meetings. This can be seen through
the number of meetings systematically planned and held at the
different education stages, as shown below.
Meeting Participants Frequency Report
GB GB members,
Every 3 Yes
School Director and Head
of Teaching
weeks
SC
MT with certain members Every 3 Yes
of the GB
weeks
MT MT members Weekly Yes
Meeting Participants Frequency Report
Education
Yes
stage
Teachers, Heads of
Education Stages and
occasionally the School
Director, Head of
Teaching or even GB
members
IE; weekly.
PE;
fortnightly
CSE and
USE;
fortnightly
Department Department members Weekly No
School year Those involved in class or
school year
IE, PE
and CSE;
weekly
No
Assessment
Inter-stage
(end of one
education
stage and
beginning of
next)
Department
Heads
Guidance
Area
Admin. and
Services
Start of
academic
year
Canteen
coordinators
Extracurricular
activities
coordinators
Transport
coordinators
Tutor, specific teachers,
Head of Education Stage
and Head of Guidance
Area
Heads of Education
Stages and Head of
Guidance and Counselling
Area
Dept. Heads and
Management
Management and
department members
Head of Admin Area,
administrative staff,
maintenance, school
caretaker and School
Director
GB representative,
Management and staff
Management and canteen
coordinators
Coordinators and their
team
Head of Admin. Area and
coordinators
IE, PE and
USE; once a
term. CSE;
weekly.
Once a year
Fortnightly
Weekly
Weekly
Once a year
(Sept. 1)
Monthly
Once a term
Once a term
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
These and all other meetings held in Olabide are included in the
communication plan. Since 2004-05, all Olabide people in the
meeting at the start of the academic year are given a personal
folder containing all the documentation they need on the BP,
training plan, annual plan to develop the Olabide approach to
language teaching-learning, a report on the previous year’s BP
and documents on proposed actions for the forthcoming academic
year. Any suggestions they may have on this information
can subsequently be put forward.
In 2007-08, as a result of MT reflection the previous year on how
to present the BP in a more educational, dynamic and attractive
way, the decision was taken to involve all members of the MT in
the presentation event. This improvement action was designed
to make the BP easier to understand and to involve more people
in the process.
The Olabide IT network has been systematically used by all our
people for many years. In 2007-08, as a result of MT reflection on
changing our approach to knowledge sharing, a cross-functional
project team was formed to pilot the use of a moodle platform
as a communication channel. This new tool led to more effective
and efficient meetings, as all meeting agenda items could be
worked on prior to the meeting through this platform. In relation
to this, the objectives of the knowledge management plan,
3b, are:
• to generate an appropriate working atmosphere and the required
basic support tools for the effective management of
knowledge, 4e;
No

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 28
• to develop technological support;
• to drive internal training in the CEDA (capture, make explicit,
disseminate and apply) approach; and
• to promote the transfer of tacit knowledge.
The knowledge management plan has included the following:
• an in-house training programme on the development of language
competencies in the classroom;
• piloting a multi-skills matrix;
• piloting and monitoring a web 2.0 learning platform and integrating
it with other sources;
• a plan for deploying an e-learning platform to improve teaching,
to facilitate knowledge transfer in all directions and to
improve communication amongst all our people; and
• compiling existing practices on the use of web 2.0 technology
by teachers.
This approach has led to more knowledge pooling and the systematic
sharing of best practice among teachers. For example,
the sharing of best practice related to new methodologies in
IE has led to changes being made in this area. Other examples
include the pooling of best practice in secondary education and
specifically, since 2007-08, among the different language teaching
departments (Basque, English and Spanish).
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of this area of our management is measured
through the item ‘satisfaction with the level of communication
in the school’ included in the people satisfaction survey. Efforts
made in recent years to improve the tools used to facilitate effective
communication (ICT’s and the opening of other channels),
in addition to direct contact with our people to get their
feedback, have led to improved results values for this indicator,
as shown below.
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
5.16 5.80 6.98 6.90 7.20 7.19
Self-assessment also enables us to identify areas for improvement
in this area. Some of the most significant actions taken as a result
of measurement and learning in this area include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2007-
08
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Benchmarking
with Irizar.
Overcall
consultancy
Benchmarking
with Axular
Ikastola
Reflection by
MT
Training in
knowledge
management
with ERKIDE
Training
in group
dynamics
given by
Mondragón
Unibertsitatea
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Suggestions boxes posted in each education
stage and in the Administration Area
Website made more user-friendly
Creation of Olabide intranet as homepage
on all teachers’ computers, thus improving
communication
Deployment of moodle platform for
knowledge management, 4e
New internal communication dynamics
to improve top-down and bottomup
communication and ensure better
feedback, e.g. Knowledge coffee, in which
a series of small work teams are set up
to discuss different aspects of an issue.
Each aspect is coordinated by a different
person responsible for gathering in the
ideas of each team on his/her particular
aspect. Finally, each coordinator presents
the different viewpoints of each team,
promoting the active participation of all
those present and enabling all points of
view to be heard
YEAR
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Reflection by
MT
Assessment
and review
of Process
for Drawing
Up the
Technology
Plan
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Overhaul of communication plan, based
on the communication needs of each
process and systemised identification of new
communication needs.
Systemised communication and handling of
IT-related incidents, 4d, thus improving the
efficiency of the IT maintenance service
One-to-one interviews held between School
Director and Olabide people to improve
communication
3e. People are rewarded, recognised and cared for
Approach and deployment
In line with the pre-2009 Olabide Mission and Vision statement
(Overview), which expresses the idea of ‘… a culture of calmness,
recognition, mutual respect, optimism and enthusiasm, prioritising
and clarifying objectives to best focus our efforts’, our people
need to identify with what the school represents and feel recognised
for their involvement in it and the work they do. The main
objective of recognition in Olabide is to show appreciation, both
formally and informally, for the work, dedication and availability
shown by our people, thus motivating them to continue with their
efforts.
To do so, a series of processes and programmes have been developed
and undertaken in the school since 2002, with a view
to progressively improving how we recognise and care for our
people. The processes and programmes involved are:
• the Recognition Process, including social benefits;
• the Waste Management Process, to promote the awareness and
involvement of our people in matters related to hygiene and the
environment;
• the Occupational Risk Prevention Process, to ensure a safe
working environment; and
• projects such as Hizpro, Bizi Zaitez and Agenda 21, to encourage
our people to participate in activities that contribute to
wider society.
Similarly, these processes and projects are aligned to stated
Olabide Strategy (Overview [pre-2009] and Qualification File
[2009-12] ), specifically in the areas of:
• people recognition and appreciation for their activity and professional
commitment;
• the provision of suitable facilities and resources for people to
do their job and fulfil their responsibilities;
• embracing the diversity of our people, with a view to promoting
co-responsibility;
• consolidating a culture of companionship and trust;
• ensuring a responsible work/ life balance, taking into consideration
the different levels of social benefits we offer our people;
• raising the awareness of our people regarding health & safety
and the environment;
• promoting social and cultural activities both in and outside the
school; and
• promoting mutual support, recognition and care between individuals
and teams.
On the basis of people satisfaction survey findings related to recognition,
the MT took the decision in 2002-03 to draw up and
deploy a Recognition and Social Benefits Plan, which has since
been subject to successive improvement actions. The current plan
(2009-10) provides for recognition for different collectives within
the school (teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils), parents,

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 29
former pupils and partners. However, reference in this criterion
part will be made exclusively and specifically to Olabide teaching
and non-teaching staff.
In Olabide, recognition may be both formal or informal, on an individual
or team level, and given verbally, on a written basis and/
or in the form of a prize (financial, a reduction/ compensation in
the timetable, a gift, social benefits, etc.). The Recognition Process
is subject to annual review at the beginning of each academic
year, and includes:
• the list of basic or Values-based examples of behaviour to be
recognised;
• a definition of how this behaviour is to be recognised, who is to
give the recognition and when;
• monitoring of process records;
• final assessment and review of the recognition plan; and
• the dissemination of the revised plan.
The plan provides for recognition in the following cases:
• loyalty and length of service (25 years in Olabide);
• a retirement gift for those people who have worked at least 15
years in Olabide;
• for taking on specific posts, functions and responsibilities;
• outstanding individual merit;
• participation in and management of education-related
projects;
• teamwork and team atmosphere;
• the acquisition of knowledge and its pooling among our people;
• a spirit of initiative;
• involvement in improvement teams;
• responsibility in the management of a process;
• the delivery of objectives;
• academic results; and
• survey results.
Some of the most significant examples of recognition and care
given to Olabide people since 2002 are shown below.
Retirement
No. of people How
22 Gift of a retirement watch
25 years of service to the school
No. of people How
30 Holiday gift voucher
Taking on specific posts, functions and
responsibilities
No. of people How
9 Gift of a laptop computer
Outstanding individual merit
No. of people How
6 Promotion
1 Weekend break in a country house (for
teaching in the School for Parents, 2006-07
Delivery of objectives
No. of people How
All Olabide people On obtaining the Silver and Gold ‘Q-for-
Quality’ Awards (2005-06 & 2008-09)
- Case of wine given to all Olabide people
- Process owners invited to a meal in
exclusive restaurant (Portalón, Vitoria)
- voucher for a weekend break with their
families in a spa given to all those who took
part in external assessment interviews
- Bonus payment and release from
classroom teaching for Heads of Quality
- A leg of ham for MT members
A spirit of initiative
No. of people How
2 Financial recognition for involvement in
translating EEA submission documents
Teamwork and team atmosphere
No. of people How
2 (Guidance Area) Invitation to a meal for involvement in pilot
class initiative, 2007-08
Survey results
No. of people How
71 Verbal (Heads of Education Stage to CSE
and USE teachers)
Academic results
No. of people How
29 Numerous acts of verbal recognition given
by Heads of Education Stage and recorded
in meeting minutes
The Basque Country collective bargaining agreement for Ikastolas
provides for a series of social benefits for our people, as
listed below:
• retirement gifts;
• reduced teaching timetable from 58 years of age onwards;
• compensation for early retirement;
• paid leave, i.e. for pregnancy, child adoption or fostering, maternity/
paternity, serious illness or death of relatives, medical
appointments, moving home (principal residence), fulfilment
of unavoidable public or personal duties, to look after minors
or physically or mentally handicapped, etc;
• reduction in working timetable;
• healthcare;
• free schooling for their children;
• different degrees of extended leave of absence; and
• civil liability and accident insurance.
Additionally, Olabide offers its people a series of benefits beyond
the regulatory framework, such as:
• a bonus payment for CSE and USE tutors and Heads of Department;
• improved salary and professional conditions for administrative
staff;
• health prevention plan and medical check-ups;
• flexibility in training, to encourage people participation. A
specific training fund is available to pay all enrolment costs
for courses which meet specific and stated requirements;
• training in work time, to promote an optimum work/ life balance.
Where necessary, appropriate arrangements are made for
substitutions. To promote and encourage training, a maximum
of 30 hours training received outside of working hours as part
of an individual’s training plan are considered as hours worked
and deducted from the annual total;
• adjusting the working timetable to people’s needs and requests.
The stated preferences of our people are taken into account
prior to drawing up timetables for the year, with priority being
given to important personal or family matters provided none
of the basic educational principles of the school are violated.
Staff requests for leave, extended leave, part-time work, reductions
in the work schedule, etc. are given the same consideration;
the personal situation of the individual in question
is given priority over mere compliance with the regulatory
framework;
• facilities to obtain personal leave;
• access to Olabide facilities, equipment and tools for personal
use, where appropriate;
• reduced canteen prices for those who use this service; and
• free use of school transport.

people
3 PEOPLE EFQM Excellence Award 2010 30
Additionally, information on projects and programmes developed
by our people is posted on the Olabide website and published in
the in-house Gure Gauzak magazine as a form of recognition for
their efforts and involvement. We also offer our people a maximum
300 euros subsidy for the purchase of a laptop computer
to be used both at work and at home, thus promoting a culture
of two-way support between the school and our people. We organise
excursions, celebratory events and informal staff meals to
encourage our people to get to know each other better, and the
school provides Christmas lottery tickets for those who wish to
participate. Furthermore, to promote and sustain a responsible
work/ life balance, a child-minding service is available for those
Olabide people with children of Infant and Primary school age.
With respect to diversity, potential restricted movement and mobility
have been addressed in the school. All Olabide premises
and work posts have been adapted to address disability. No discrimination
is made in Olabide on the grounds of gender, race
or social or financial condition, though selection processes are
governed by the demands of the Olabide Mission statement in
terms of the profile of employee we are looking for.
Results values from the people satisfaction survey with respect
to the items on staff relations and communication show positive
results, pointing to a healthy culture of mutual support and recognition
among our people and cross-area teams. Birthdays are
regularly celebrated among team members, and informal recognition
between colleagues is commonplace. Additionally, matters
are often resolved at education stage or Area level through staff
collaboration and support without recourse to Management
help. For example;
• protocols drawn up through collaboration of teams of nonteaching
staff for action to be taken in case of heavy snowfall,
or for requesting teaching material;
• identifying needs and deficiencies, in collaboration with maintenance
service staff; and
• collaboration between teachers and the Guidance and Counselling
Area to deal with special education needs of certain
pupils.
Staff relations
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
7.5 7.8 8.3 8.2
Communication
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
6.9 7.6 7.1 8.1
With respect to encouraging our people to take active part in
activities which contribute to wider society, our actions in recent
years have been focused on the following areas:
a) the Waste Management Process, 4c, geared towards conservation
of the environment and, by extension, involving those who
form part of it. Actions include:
• the presence of labelled collection boxes and bins in offices and
common areas;
• posters promoting the rational use of water; and
• reminders for all our people in education stage meetings of the
importance of being role-models for our pupils in this area.
b) the Bizi Zaitez project, to promote cycling as a means of transport
to and from school for Olabide people and CSE/ USE pupils
alike.
c) the Agenda 21 project, to promote and improve conservation
of the Olabide environment and to raise awareness of the education
community regarding environmental preservation.
d) the HizPro project, one line of which (Euskaraz Bizi) is focused
on the promotion of the Basque language and culture at a noncurricular
(extra-curricular activities) and institutional (families
and other such institutions) level.
Occupational Risk Prevention Process
This process is geared towards ensuring a safe and healthy working
environment for our people, 4c. To do so, a risk assessment
is initially conducted as the basis for drawing up a prevention
plan, which is assessed, reviewed and refined on an annual basis.
In 2009-10, a specific plan for protection and prevention against
swine flu has been deployed.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The people satisfaction survey measures the perception of our
people in relation to certain key areas of this criterion part, e.g.
recognition, method of recognition, working conditions, working
timetable, conditions in the classroom (space, light, temperature,
cleanliness) and other areas of the school, job security, etc.,
7a. Results values for satisfaction with recognition are shown
below.
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
6.77 6.80 7.00 7.18
On a complementary basis, self-assessment and process indicator
results are also used to measure the effectiveness of our management
in this area. When necessary, appropriate corrective actions
are taken accordingly. Some of the most significant actions taken
as a result of measurement and learning in this area include:
YEAR REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
2004-05 Reflection by
MT
Training Plan
2005-06 Reflection by
MIT
2006-07 Reflection by
MT
Training Plan
2007-08 Selfassessment
Reflection by
MIT
2008-09 Reflection by
MT
2009-10 Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Provision of a maximum 300 euros
subsidy for the purchase of a laptop
computer
Training in voice management
Study on risk prevention at work
A maximum of 30 hours training
received outside of working hours
as part of an individual’s training
plan are considered as hours worked
and deducted from the annual total.
Working timetable adapted to needs of
Olabide and its people.
Courses on First Aid
Refined criteria for recognition, and
drawing up of a document designed
to improve communication of
recognition plan
Data compiled by Occupational Risk
Prevention Committee to draw up
a manual on best practice at work,
e.g. voice management in class (tone,
pauses, lubrication, etc.), posture
(when standing or sitting), how to lift
heavy objects, etc.
Instruction drawn up on how to
manage personal needs and requests
regarding timetabling, etc.
Specific plan for protection and
prevention against swine flu

Partnership & Resources

partnerships
& resources
4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 31
4a. Partners and suppliers are managed for sustainable benefit
Approach and deployment
Over the years, a series of partnership agreements have been
established and developed. These agreements, designed in all cases
to help us improve the services we offer our customers and make
them more efficient, have five defined objectives:
1. To help ensure the viability of the school in terms of delivering
our Mission, Vision and Strategy.
2. To contribute to making Olabide services more efficient in
meeting the needs of our customers.
3. To create new services in response to existing and future
needs.
4. To seek out synergies and economies of scale with other
organisations to be able to address and take projects forward.
5. To help deliver the core Olabide purpose of contributing
to the development of the Basque Country in terms of the
dissemination of the Basque language and culture.
In view of the importance, and in some cases reliance, of Olabide
strategy on the effective management of relations with external
organisations, a systematic approach has been deployed to
identify and manage partnership relations. In Olabide, the term
‘partner’ is is applied to our relations with these organisations as
suppliers, collaborators and administrative bodies, Figs. 4a.2 & 3.
The flowchart of the Process for Partner Selection and Appraisal,
through which relations with partners are structured and which is
also designed to ensure compatibility of these organisations with
the Olabide culture, Values and management approach, is shown
below in Fig. 4a.1. The current configuration of the process is the
result of successive improvement cycles over the years.
Partnerships and their requirements are identified on the basis
of defined Olabide strategy, objectives and the projects to be
developed, Fig. 2c.2. People are selected by the Management Team
(MT) to contact the chosen organisations and administrative
bodies to compile information on their activity, what they have to
offer and how they work. Joint agreements are then negotiated on
the work area of interest, and partnership relations are structured
with a view to creating and maximising added value. The MT
is kept informed at all times. The final selection of partners is
made by the MT against criteria of efficiency, added value for
the organisation, cultural compatibility and market conditions.
A collaboration agreement or service contract is then prepared
and subsequently subject to regular review.
Partners are appraised annually on the basis of the degree to
which the defined objectives have been delivered, the degree
of satisfaction of the end-users of the service and the cultural
compatibility of the two parties involved. If the decision is taken
to renew the agreement, a new plan is drawn up taking into
account not only the activities already defined under the existing
agreement, but also other activities geared towards mutual
development and innovation.
BUSINESS PLAN
SELECTION AND
DEVELOPMENT OF
PARTNERSHIPS
REPORT /
APPRAISAL
STRATEGY
PLAN
OBJECTIVE 1
OBJECTIVE 2
OBJECTIVE 3
GATHERING OF
INFORMATION
ON POTENTIAL
PARTNERS
P’SHIP 1
P’SHIP 2
P’SHIP 3
+ -
+ -
-
+ -
R
E
V
I
E
W
Fig. 4a.1
CONSOLIDATION & REFINEMENT
To optimise their management, partnerships are classified in
terms of their importance for the delivery of Olabide Strategy and
the continued success of everything the school stands for. To this
end, we differentiate between what we call ‘partner suppliers’ and
‘partner institutions’. Partner suppliers are those organisations
which ensure the smooth running of the school and the provision
of the basic services we offer (education, language teachinglearning,
canteen, transport, extra-curricular activities, etc., Fig.
4a.2), whilst partner institutions are those organisations (not
suppliers) that collaborate with us in our efforts to continuously
improve what we offer to customers (improvements to existing
services, new services, etc.) and to deliver the Olabide Strategy,
Fig. 4a.3.
A further distinction is made between key and non-key partners.
Key partner organisations are those which, after due analysis by
the MT, are considered:
• to provide proven added-value for both parties;
• to have similar objectives and/or a compatible culture; and
• to be essential for the smooth running of the school and for the
delivery of our BP and Vision.
Compliance with the 3 rd criterion mentioned above is measured on
a points system. Only those partnerships rated with a minimum
of 7 points out of 10 may be considered as key. In line with
these criteria, the following organisations have been rated as key
partners for Olabide: Basque Government, Vitoria-Gasteiz City
Council, Provincial Government of Álava, Iberdrola, Euskalit,
EIB, ERKIDE, Ikastolen Elkartea, Armentia Ikastola, AMVISA,
Euskaltel, Autobuses Arrialar, Auzolagun.
The following two tables describe the main characteristics of our
partnership agreements.
Fig. 4a.2
Organisation
AMVISA
Autobuses
Arrialar
Auzolagun
Elkar
Seguros Allianz
Caja Laboral
Vital Kutxa
Overcall (Cesar
Gomez de Miguel)
Telbask
KM 90
IDECAL
List of Partner Suppliers
Key Competence and deployment
Municipal Water Board. Certification of
Olabide as responsible user of water
School bus and excursion service. Monthly
meetings with MT
Kitchen and canteen service (cooked on
premises). Monthly meetings with MT
Classroom and teaching material and books
Insurance
Financial and Investment services
Financial and Investment services
Business Excellence consultants
IT maintenance
Photocopying
Heating maintenance

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Organisation Key Competence and deployment
Fremap Occupation Health and Safety and Risk
Prevention
Z&B
Auditing
Caype
Provision of expendables and school
material
Mondragón Extra-curricular English classes, summer
Lingua
schools in English and training in English for
teachers
Hegoalde Advanced level Basque classes for pupils and
refresher courses for Olabide staff
Deusto sistemas Telecommunications consultants
Training
Iberdrola Electricity company
Commercialisation of solar energy
Euskaltel Telecommunications group
Electricidad Yoar Maintenance of buildings and facilities
Acorde
Business Excellence and Innovation
Consulting consultants
Julen Iturbe Project development. Knowledge
management
Fig. 4a.3: Partner Institutions and Collaborators
Organisation Description
Teacher Training Teacher training (internships in Olabide)
School: Univ.
of the Basque
Country
Mondragón Teacher training (internships in Olabide).
Unibertsitatea Project development
University of Academic guidance for Olabide USE pupils.
Deusto
Teacher training (internships in Olabide)
HABE
Refresher courses and training for Olabide
staff in Basque (IRALE programme and
R-300 course).
Wurzen German language exchange courses for the
Gymnasium last 12 years
Delhi High English language exchange courses fot the
School (New last 2 years, to motivate our pupils to learn
York, USA) and practice English
College French language exchange courses.
Marguerite
De Valois
(Angouleme,
France)
Armentia
Ikastola
Media companies
(EITB, Berria)
Caja Laboral
Baskonia
School in Vitoria-Gasteiz, with whom we
have an agreement for their pupils to pass
from CSE to USE
Publicise Olabide in the local community
and promotion of Basque language and
culture. Common projects in line with the
Olabide Mission
Collaboration agreement to develop
activities for Olabide pupils and to train
leisure time monitors
Deportivo Alavés Lankidetza Agreement. Promotion of youth
football
Sports
Sports promotion
Federations
Provincial Govt. Promotion of Basque language and culture
of Álava and school sports
Basque
Funding, subsidies, exchange courses, new
Government projects, multilingualism.
Collaboration with Education and Culture
Departments to conduct studies and
activities to promote Basque.
Collaboration to conduct studies on
academic performance, the acquisition of
Basque, etc.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
City Council
Various programmes (Asesórate, Hordago,
Agenda 21, Ceida), organisation of local
festivities, Basque for Parents, etc.
Organisation
Berritzegune
Partaide
EIB
ERKIDE
Euskalit
Ikastolen
Elkartea
Description
Support services for improvement and
innovation in education (curricular plan,
training plan, school materials, training,
seminars, etc,)
Promotion of Basque language and culture.
Cultural compatibility (of MVV, of
other partner members, website, business
Excellence)
Negotiations with Administration and Unions,
benchmarking (Begoñazpi Ikastola, Lauaxeta
Ikastola), organisation of common events.
Economies of scale (New Technology Project
with Ibermática). Summer English Courses
(with Lauaxeta Ikastola). The Olabide Director
is currently the Vice-President of EIB
Defence of cooperative members interests.
Financial and legal management with
Basque Govt. Member training. Best
practices. Joint projects with Olabide
(Baketik). The Olabide Director is currently
the Secretary of Erkide
Business Excellence promotion, e.g. 1st
self-assessment in 1995, training courses,
Assessors Club, 400 Club, external
assessment and certification of Silver and
Gold Q’s.
Promotion of Basque language and culture.
Approach to language teaching-learning.
Development of materials within the
Urtxintxa, Txanela and Ostadar projects.
Development of ICT’s
Cultural compatibility (MVV).
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
As described above, the effectiveness of partnership management
is specifically measured every year within the Process for Partner
Selection and Appraisal. Additionally, annual self-assessment in
Olabide also covers this area. In the case of partner-suppliers,
the effectiveness of their activities has a direct impact on the
satisfaction of pupils, parents and Olabide employees, and
is therefore measured through specific items included in the
satisfaction surveys conducted annually. The findings of these
surveys have given rise to successive improvement cycles, which
occasionally have led to the end of an existing partnership (end
of project, etc.) or changing an existing supplier for a different
one (better conditions, non-compliance with established target
levels of satisfaction, etc.).
Some of the most significant actions taken as a result of
measurement and learning in this area include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2005-
06
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Overcall
consultants
Benchmarking
with Lauaxeta
& Begoñazpi
Ikastolas
Reflection by
MIT
Collaboration
with Axular
Ikastola
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Systemisation of processes with
institutions and suppliers
Greater focus on learning through
student exchange programmes
ID card carried by all users of
school bus service, with bus and seat
number and photo.
Strengthening of partnership with
Mondragón Unibertsitatea through
collaboration with HUHEZI in a
study on dealing with diversity
Improvements to communication
system, specifically the website

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 33
YEAR
2006-
07
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Reflection
by MT after
training with
ERKIDE
Self-assessment
External
assessment
INPUT to review/ update the
Strategy Plan
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Partnership with Julen Iturbe for a
more in-depth focus on knowledge
management.
Decision taken by MT to foment
closer relations with certain
partner suppliers (Auzolagun) and
collaborators (Ikastolen Elkartea)
to boost the Olabide approach to
language learning and expression,
with good results.
Identification of more partnersuppliers
in the maintenance area
Definition of criteria for selecting
key suppliers
4b. Finances are managed to secure sustained success
Approach and deployment
Olabide has been recognised by the Basque Government as an
organisation of public interest. We believe this accolade endorses
our strategy of contributing to the general interest of the Basque
Country and our commitment, as a school, to being a not-forprofit
organisation, delivering our Mission and Vision and, in
doing so, managing funds obtained both from the government
and from c ooperative members (parents) in a balanced and sustainable
manner. This is clearly manifest through the existence of
the StP 2.2: Maintain a Balanced Budget (SP 2004-08, 2c) and the
finance-related Vision objectives of the SP 2009-12 (Qualification
File, Dec. 2009), as well as through the Procedure for Financerelated
Administration. Finance-related key results indicators are
presented in this submission document in 9a & 9b.
Therefore, in Olabide, financial management plays an integral
part in strategic reflection, in drawing up annual and pluriannual
plans and as a key element when assessing the success of the
school. Olabide finances are managed as shown below.
- Strategy Plan Objectives
- Strategy Plans
- Investment Plan
- People Management
- Proposals derived from analysis of previous budget
- Information on suppliers
- Annual Report presented in Assembly
- BSC indicators
- Annual external audit
ANNUAL BUDGET
ANALYSIS
OF DEVIATION AND
PROPOSALS
- Monthly monitoring by Finance Committee of GB
- Analysis of trends in budget delivery
EXECUTION OF
BUDGET ITEMS
BUDGET MONITORING
Management of the annual budget involves the following:
1. Budget planning, involving the following aspects;
a. consideration of the effects of approved SP projects and activities
on the forthcoming academic year.
b. the degree to which the previous year’s budget has been delivered/
deviations from budget.
c. updating of variables, e.g. possible increase or decrease in Consumer
Price Index, inclusion or elimination of BP budget items,
deployment of the budgets of the different Areas of the school
(agreed to by consensus with those responsible).
With a view to achieving a balanced budget, a calculation is made
of the subsidies payable by the Basque Government for the services
offered by the school. Once this figure has been ascertained,
the fees payable by cooperative members (cooperative member
fees, pupil fees, transport, canteen, extra-curricular activities, etc.)
are determined, taking into account directives from the governing
bodies of the school (General Assembly, GB, School Director).
2. Budget control/ monitoring. All budget items are monitored
monthly to ensure correct execution, and corrective action is
taken against deviation. Budget monitoring is the responsibility
of the Finance Committee of the GB, composed of the Olabide
President (or the person to whom he/she has delegated this responsibility),
the Treasurer and another GB member.
The different Heads of Department/ Area and Services update the
Committee with relevant information and data on budget requirements
in their particular area, which are subsequently studied by
the Finance Committee and accepted or rejected accordingly. The
corresponding budget items are then updated and included in the
EMS for monitoring purposes.
3. Budget reporting. A detailed analysis and report on budget
deviation is drawn up every year and submitted to the General
Assembly of Cooperative Members, the highest governance body
of the cooperative. The report consists of externally audited accounts
certified for the veracity of the information provided and
compliance with applicable accounting standards.
In Olabide, financial management is focused on:
• ensuring the short, medium and long-term financial sustainability
of the school, and thus ensuring the viability of the Olabide
philosophy. In recent years, we have focused on not generating
a deficit as a consequence of our activities (2c, StP 2.2, 9a
[budget deviation] ), on securing extra funds, on keeping our
delinquency (debt) ratio at a reasonable level (9b) and on making
sure that any increase in fees (as a cooperative member and
pupil fees) is kept at a reasonable level and that the % ratio of
fees in relation to total income does not increase, 9b.
• improving the financial management of the school itself, in terms
of better use of available funds and being in a position to offer
services to our customers in optimum conditions of efficiency
and effectiveness. To ensure and measure the effectiveness of
the financial structure, a series of ratios are used and presented
in 9a and 9b of this submission document.
Additionally, financial management in Olabide is supported
by an IT system with data on all relevant areas, thus enabling

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 34
detailed analysis of results segmented by education stages and
services (general, extra-curricular activities, transport, canteen,
etc.) to make it easier for us to identify, define and eliminate
possible waste and to improve our capacity to generate funds,
with no subsequent adverse effect on the quality of the services
provided for our customers, 6a. This improved system for managing
and controlling our finances has also enabled us to set
fees for each separate education stage, addressing and adjusting
them to the real cost for each pupil whilst at the same time
delivering our strategic objectives related to enrolment levels
(2c, StP. 2.3).
This facility has also brought about an increase in the quality
of information on fees available for us to give to our customers.
We also inform our customers and employees about school accounts
(budget delivery and the income statement for the previous
academic year) every year in the meeting at the beginning
of the academic year. A report on the financial situation is also
given at the end of each term (December, March and June) to
the Commission of Parent Representatives.
• the generation and provision of reliable financial data, thus supporting
and helping to ensure effective decision making and
inspiring confidence in our suppliers, customers and in Society
at large. Budget planning and control has been a constant in
Olabide since 1984, though the management of these aspects
was effectively systemised in 2001-02, as recorded in the meeting
minutes of the General Assembly, GB and Supervisory Committee.
For further reliability, our accounts have been externally
audited by independent auditors since 1992.
• analysing the financial feasibility of undertaking new projects.
When contemplating the possibility of including new actions in
the SP, special importance is given to the possibility of funding
these actions externally (government subsidies or funding from
other such bodies). Every effort is made to minimise the possible
impact of these actions on the fees payable by our members,
in line with the principle of self-financing.
In a grant-aided school functioning as a cooperative, close monitoring
of data on income and expenditure, and of the existence
and availability of funds at the anticipated time, is crucial for the
effective and efficient management of the school. As mentioned
above, the two sources of income for Olabide are fees and government
subsidies due to us as a grant-aided school. Historic data
from the last 4 academic years on the % breakdown of income
from these 2 sources shows that, on average, 39% of income comes
from fees and 61% from public funds. With respect to expenditure,
personnel costs account for around 69% of total expenditure,
whilst the remaining 31% or so is attributable to overheads,
canteen, transport and extra-curricular services, amortization and
promotion activities.
In terms of revenue flow, fees (cooperative member and pupil fees)
are paid monthly throughout the year, whilst canteen, transport,
child-minding and extra-curricular fees are payable if these services
are used and only during the school year (10 months, from
September to June). Government subsidies are paid in lump sums
in January, May, September and October. On the other hand,
the vast majority of expenditure items are paid monthly (salaries,
transport and canteen costs, etc.). The risk of possible late payment
of government subsidies has been addressed by ensuring the
availability of credit accounts to cover short-term liabilities.
Additionally, and to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of
the resources at our disposal, the transport and canteen services
are 100% outsourced. In 2008-09, these two services represented
13.27% of total Olabide expenditure. With respect to investment,
the school set up a company (100% Olabide capital) to address the
construction of the Celaya building, seen at that time as a strategic
need for the future of the school. This operation enabled us to
recover all VAT costs associated with the construction works.
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Average
218,272.55 4,659.72 871,925.16 404,495.02 374,838.11
The table above shows Olabide investment figures over the last
4 academic years. In 2006-07, given the considerable volume of
strategic investment planned for the year, the decision was taken
to postpone the required investment for one year (hence the extremely
high investment figures for 2007-08). This investment was
mainly aligned to the SP 2004-09 Strategic Priority (StP) 2.4: Improve
Infrastructures and Services (2c). Further evidence of how
financial resources are directly aligned to the delivery of strategy
is shown in the table below.
StP 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
1.8. Hiring of an
IT Engineer:
Cost: 32,392€
Cost in €:
33,525
Cost in €:
36,579
Hiring of a
graduate in
Computer Science:
Cost: 59,978€
2.1 Expenditure
(€):
41,442.24€
20,084.74 22,251.93 42,982.69
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
YEAR
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Review of
Procedure for
Finance-related
Administration
Review of
procedure
Review of
procedure
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Development of IT software
applications to analyse budget
trends. New projects and actions
undertaken.
Improved cohesion of services,
resulting in greater financial
efficiency and better value-formoney
for customers (timetable
adjustments, restructuring of
extra-curricular activities, school
bus service adapted to real needs,
etc.)
Greater effectiveness of system for
monitoring finance management
Outsourcing of canteen
supervision
Decision to undertake at least
one investment/year focused on
reducing energy consumption/
expenditure
4c. Buildings, equipment, materials and natural resources are managed
in a sustainable way
Approach and deployment
The processes directly involved in this area of Olabide management,
and therefore designed to support the delivery of our overall
strategy (specifically of StP 2.4, 2c), are the Maintenance Process,
the PS for Prevention and the Waste Management Process.
Maintenance and Security of Assets
A significant part of the Olabide budget is allocated each year to
the maintenance and improvement of our buildings and equipment.
In this respect, the school has a Preventive Maintenance
Plan drawn up on a joint basis with our partners, suppliers and
other local organisations. It is essential for the success of the
school that our facilities and equipment are maintained in the
best possible conditions; to this end, pluriannual preventive
maintenance contracts have been signed with several suppliers.
Depending on the development of the annual budget in general,
the maintenance budget may also be increased, e.g. in 2003-04, an
extra 40,000 euros was dedicated to general repairs. Outsourced
services account for between 15 and 30% of total expenditure on
maintenance. Additionally, expenditure on maintenance is monitored
using a coding system for each type of maintenance work,
which enables us to analyse these costs in detail and to identify
what action to be taken in the future.
The Maintenance Process provides for a series of instructions determining
the required maintenance actions and how frequently
they are to be taken, e.g., daily control of atmospheric and wa-

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 35
ter temperature in the swimming pool, chemical analysis of the
water, or the need for all Olabide facilities to be painted within a
maximum period of five years. With respect to painting, a specific
budget item is dedicated to this in the annual budget. The
maintenance of technological and IT equipment is managed internally
by Olabide hardware and software specialists, All PCs
are equipped with homogeneous software platforms which are
reinstalled at the end of each academic year to help ensure the
correct use of the equipment. Any incidents in relation to this
equipment are reported to the Administrative and Service Area
and handled by the ICT Coordinator.
Specific procedures are in place for reporting incidents. Specifically
designed sheets are available for all users of school facilities
to report incidents of deterioration or breakdown of equipment,
and an electronic system has been deployed in recent years to
inform maintenance and all other staff of breakdowns or repair
needs. Finally, we facilitate training for all Olabide maintenance
and service staff.
The security of our premises is of paramount importance. The
school is fully equipped with a card access centralised and automated
security system, which has led to improvements in terms of
restricted access, a reduction in vandalism and doing away with
the need for the school caretaker to live on the premises, enabling
us to use his former house for other purposes. Furthermore, and
outside of regular school hours, all school facilities are permanently
connected to a remote alarm system to advise of potential
robbery or fire. All Olabide assets are covered by premises and
content insurance.
Health and Safety
The first risk assessment was conducted in Olabide in 1997, since
when many improvement actions have been taken in the field of
risk prevention, e.g. securing furniture, eliminating obstacles, etc.
FREMAP, our external advisors on occupational risk prevention,
provide us with all necessary guidelines on ergonomics and
health & safety, and these are taken fully into account whenever
buildings are renovated or furniture is renewed. Internally, occupational
health and safety is managed by the Prevention Committee,
composed of Management representatives and staff and
set up to lead the Occupational Risk Prevention Process. Meeting
rooms used to receive parents were soundproofed to reduce
noise levels in 2005-06 and, on the basis of the success of this
initiative, the canteen area was also soundproofed in 2006-07. All
Olabide premises and work posts have been adapted to address
disability.
Environmental Impact
In Olabide, we are very aware of the need to save energy. To this
end, the school has replaced the old lighting system in all buildings
with sensor lights and/or low consumption light bulbs. The
heating and hot water regulation system is specific to each school
building or area, thus enabling us to heat only those areas required
for use at any given time. In 2008-09, a system for the automated
management of the heating and hot water system was installed.
Additionally, we tap into an underground stream that flows under
the school to obtain water for non-domestic purposes, e.g.
for watering school grounds, etc. All bathrooms and showers
are equipped with push-button taps. With respect to electricity
consumption, the school is equipped with solar energy panels to
generate electricity which is subsequently fed back into the grid
for commercial purposes.
Promotion of sustainable and efficient means of transport is a
major issue in Olabide. With respect to school buses, we were the
first school in the Basque Country to switch to using 81 seat buses,
thus reducing the number of vehicles needed to transport our
pupils to and from school from 3 to 2. To maximise the efficiency
of the service, every effort is taken when organising bus routes to
optimise the number of users per bus. In this respect, the success
of the canteen service has made it possible to reduce the number
of school buses required at lunchtime, thus improving efficiency.
We also promote cycling as a means of transport for both teachers
and pupils (12 years old or more) through our Bizi Zaitez Project.
In 2008-09, in response to our requests, the Vitoria-Gasteiz City
Council restored a cycle path to the school, thus improving access
and safety. Two bicycle parks are available in the school.
Waste Management
Organic waste generated in the school is managed separately from
non-organic waste, which in turn is classified and separated on
the basis of its potential environmental impact (paper, toner, oils,
batteries, etc.). The storage, daily collection and disposal of waste
in municipal landfills has been outsourced externally to a specialist
waste management company. Two containers for depositing
waste paper are strategically located in the school and emptied
weekly by a specialist company. Responsibility for the disposal
and recycling of cooking oil from the kitchens is also outsourced
to a specialist supplier.
Additionally, we encourage the responsible use and recycling of
paper throughout the school; pupils themselves are involved in
classifying the types of paper to be recycled and taking them to
the collection points. Double-sided photocopying and printing of
all documents is encouraged throughout the school.
With respect to reprographic services, the recycling of toner and
ink cartridges is centrally managed by a staff member responsible
for collecting used material prior to giving out new toner or ink
cartridges. All used cartridges, etc. are then picked up our supplier
of office material and taken to other companies who use them as
part of their production process. As with cartridges, new batteries
are only given out if the used ones are handed in at the same time.
These are then left in special boxes provided by local authorities
for recycling purposes.
Adaptation of Buildings and Equipment, Inventory and 5S
All classrooms and offices are network connected, and a WiFi
service is available throughout the school. In 2005-06, the library
of the Celaya building was adapted for multi-use as a library,
media library and IT room for PE and 1 st and 2 nd year CSE pupils.
In 2006-07, part of the old canteen was adapted for use as a
classroom for the Science project in PE, and a Common Room
was specifically built for CSE and USE pupils. In 2008-09, the
original school building was refurbished. These works included
the creation of a covered storage area for maintenance material
and a bicycle park for pupils and staff alike, thus contributing to
this sustainable means of transport.
Inventories are made of technological material, of the furniture,
equipment and material used by staff, the equipment and material
used by pupils and material in stock. Technological material,
furniture and equipment used by staff and material in stock are
subject to a recount every year, whilst a record is kept of pupilrelated
equipment and material no longer used due to its bad
state of repair. Similarly, a record is kept of any material removed
from stock or added to the inventory as a result of the number
of pupils in each year of the school. In 2006-07, we deployed a
coding system to facilitate inventories of all school equipment
and materials.
Finally, deployment of the 5S system for order and cleanliness in
the workplace is ongoing in offices, teachers’ rooms and storage
areas.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
A series of items used in customer, pupil and Society satisfaction
surveys are used to measure the effectiveness of our approach to
waste management. Additionally, the respective usefulness of all
our actions in this area are subject to assessment and review by
the MT as part of the Process for the Management of Continuous
Improvement. In addition to the many actions taken and
described above as a consequence of continuous improvement
in the school, other improvement actions taken as a result of
measurement and learning in this area of Olabide management
include:

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 36
YEAR
2006-
07
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Reflection by
MT
Review of
procedure
Reflection by
MT
Request made to
City Council
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Part of former canteen adapted for
use as a classroom for the Science
project in PE, and construction of a
common room for leisure purposes
for CSE and USE pupils.
Coding system introduced to
facilitate inventory
Refurbishing of the oldest of the
Olabide buildings, with creation of a
covered storage area for maintenance
material and a bicycle park.
Provision (by the City Council)
of a cycle path to the school, thus
improving access and safety
Implementation of a system for
the automated management of the
heating and hot water system
4d. Technology is managed to support the delivery of strategy
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, we believe it essential to fully understand and harness
the benefits of a series of educational principles if we are to offer a
quality education to our pupils. These principles, in line with our
MVV and embodied in the content of our 3 strategy plans since
1998 (e.g. in the SP 2004-08; StP 1.8, 2.4, 3.1 and 3.2, 2c, and SP
2009-12; Strategic Objective on ICTs, Qualification File), necessarily
involve the widespread selection, deployment and use of
technology in different areas, as outlined below.
Education-related technology, including:
• the methodology for designing teaching programmes, specifying
what needs to be taught for our pupils to obtain the required
competencies (model of Teaching Unit), and coordinating and
aligning the different activities performed by teachers in the
course of their teaching duties;
• innovation programmes, e.g. CREA (creativity), IDEAL (for
stable behaviour in problematic situations), Ulises (emotional
self-control), Bizikidetza (co-existence), Science, Bizi Zaitez
(cycling as means of transport), etc., designed to strengthen
certain pupil competencies considered by us to be essential for
their success in the future; and
• linguistic planning, designed to deliver objectives related to the
language competence of our pupils, as stated in our strategic
documents (SEP, SP, Language Project, etc.).
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), including
all methodologies and technical elements related to the management
of information. To this end, a specific ICT Area, made up
of both teaching and non-teaching staff, was set up in 2003-04
to select, deploy and monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of
all matters related to this area of management. Nowadays, the
ICT Area of the school includes technicians who dedicate their
time almost exclusively to this Area. Additionally, the ICT Area
is under the direct supervision of the Head of Teaching to ensure
that the approach followed in this area responds to the basic
needs of the school. In 2008-09, the subject of computer science
was taken out of the curriculum in favour of a more all-round,
wider use of new technology in all curricular subjects. This decision
has led to a considerable increase in the number of teaching
hours involving the use of ICTs and their deployment in the vast
majority of subjects.
Other technologies, including all those technologies which enable
a more efficient use of our material resources and people,
e.g. the use of solar panels and low consumption light bulbs, or
the centralised and automated security system, which has led to
improvements in terms of restricted access and greater efficiency
in the area of human resources.
Technology management in Olabide is designed to meet the following
needs:
• to identify the technology needs of our people and customers;
• to identify and evaluate emerging technologies;
• appropriate use of external resources in relation to technology
management; and
• the use of technology to support improvement.
The flowchart for technology management in Olabide is as shown
below.
Laws
Surveys/
requests
DETECTION
OF NEEDS
Identification of
technologies
SELECTION
Integration/ evaluation
Market
Forums
no
Valid?
Integration into EMS
New teaching methodology is most commonly incorporated
through an innovation project (Project Management Process,
3c & 5a). All innovation projects are assigned a project leader
and team, and specific project objectives are established. Additionally,
project planning includes a time chart for project training,
development and implementation and specification of the
resources required. In the course of the implementation stage,
the project leader reports to the MT on the progress made, and
on its conclusion, the project leader is responsible for assessing
whether the established objectives have been met and planning
how best to transfer the acquired knowledge into the EMS.
In any case, all projects are managed in line with the principles laid
out in Olabide basic documents (the SEP and the SCP), and with
the stated objectives of the PS for Strategy and the Process for the
Review and Adaptation of the School Curriculum Project.
The guiding principles, innovation programmes/ projects developed
and technologies applied in them in recent years are shown
in the table below.

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PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
1994-10 To improve knowledge and expression in the Basque Programme of total immersion in the Basque language for IE and
language by pupils
PE pupils
2004-10 To improve non-formal expression in Basque of pupils Euskaraz Bizi
2006-07 To improve non-formal expression in Basque of pupils Kuadrilategi
2007-10 To improve expression in Basque among parents Mintzalaguna
2003-10 Summer school activities in English AHIZKE CIM/ Mondragón Lingua
The anticipation and provision of education focused on maximising our pupils’ possibilities when they enter the labour market (the
principle of preparatory education) is another area where technology has a significant role. In Olabide, we have run and continue to run
innovation programmes designed to complement academic training with a series of competencies that we see as essential for the future success
of our pupils, e.g. entrepreneurship, creativity, problem solving, metacognition, etc.. Some of these programmes are listed below.
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
1997-07 Early development of learning potential Ulises Programme in Infant Education
1998-07 Development of creativity CREA Programme in Infant and Primary Education
2002-04 Creativity and problem solving Eraiki Programme (1st and 2nd year CSE)
2000-10 Development of expressiveness and creativity Programa de Dramatización (from IE up to 2nd year CSE).
2006-10 Idea proposed by pupils IT as a subject in 1st year USE
2008 To monitor what degree courses have been chosen by our Collaboration with ERKIDE and Mondragón Unibertsitatea
pupils, and their progress at University and after.
After due assessment in 2006-07, the decision was taken to incorporate the Ulises, Optimis, CREA and IDEAL programmes into regular
classroom programming, as opposed to developing their content as specific programmes.
The programmes and projects listed below also include the technologies addressed and actions taken to improve the competencies of
Olabide pupils in foreign languages.
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
1998-08 Consolidate English language learning at a younger age than that English language learning using the Artigal method
stipulated by law
2006-10 Use of English as a vehicular language, and the motivation to do so Science
Other complementary areas to the education offered in Olabide and considered of interest for our pupils include:
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
1997-08 Visual language and the media EGO (press workshop) (4th year CSE)
2004-08 Journalism and expression in Basque Radio and press workshop (3rd year CSE)
1999-08 Knowledge of IT (Office Systems) for PE pupils IT in Primary Education, using the Futurekids Programme
2002-08 Motivation for learning Science and the use of new applied The application of ICTs in Science teaching
technology
Technology is also used to address the problem of pupils with learning difficulties which hinder their learning in a normal classroom
situation (a principle of integration and compensation).
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
2006-08 Plan for Dealing with Diversity in the Classroom Programme in collaboration with Mondragón Unibertsitatea
The development of the values required to contribute to Society at large (holistic education) is another area where Olabide has deployed
technology through tutoring programmes, including a series of actions taken to address specific subjects which later have become an
integral part of tutoring itself. These include:
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
Subject areas addressed through tutorials
2001-02 Knowledge and prevention of AIDS AIDS
2001-02 The avoidance of homophobic attitudes ENFASIS (Homosexuality)
2004-10 Prevention of drug addiction SALUD@ LA VIDA Programme
2004-10 Holistic development of values and co-existence Pentacity and the Plan to Improve Co-existence
2007-10 Development of healthy habits AUPA OSASUNA
Other subjects addressed
2005-10 Environmental awareness Agenda 21
Environmental awareness
Bizi Zaitez
Technology is also used to improve the management of all services and resources which support the provision of education and school
infrastructure.
PERIOD IDENTIFIED NEED PROGRAMME OR PROJECT
1994-10 Coordination of the planning of teaching activities Model of Teaching Unit
2003-10 Coordination of actions designed to deliver and improve HizPro (Project for Language Acquisition)
objectives of language acquisition
2006-10 Improve efficiency in the field of energy Use of low consumption light bulbs in all classrooms
Solar panel installation
Use of sensor lights

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Improvements to infrastructures and ICT management are managed
through the Process for Drawing Up the Annual New Technology
Plan, covering:
• material resources, i.e. equipment, maintenance, classroom
management, the use of new technologies, replacement of
outdated technology, improved connectivity between buildings
and the external environment, etc.;
• the people required to deliver the annual plan; and
• the deployment of IT applications designed to improve
Olabide management, to process surveys (satisfaction surveys,
surveys on bullying, sociograms, etc.), to develop one
intranet platform to manage all the information contained in
the Olabide EMS, and another to improve communication
(real time news and information at all education stages), and
to develop an extranet platform with password access to disseminate
information among all cooperative members.
This effectiveness and efficiency of the process, systemised in
2007-08, is monitored using the following process indicators:
- Spam blocked
- Use of ICT rooms
- Investment in ICTs
- Number of news articles published on intranet and extranet
- Number of hours dedicated to developing the annual plan
- Ratio of computers/ teacher and computers/ pupil
Additionally, meetings involving the School Director, Head
of Teaching and process owner (ICT Coordinator) are held
regularly to monitor delivery of the plan.
Financial investment in the development of applications to
improve the all-round management of the school is a constant
in Olabide. For example:
• since 1994, specific rooms for language teaching at all education
stages;
• since 1990, technology workshops, art room and Physics,
Chemistry and Natural Science laboratories in secondary education;
• in 2006, migration to a new server (biltegia), where the EMS
and teachers’ personal folders are stored;
• in 2007, another server added to host intranet web services;
• in 2006, mail server renewed and deployment of global address
book;
• in 2008, development of extranet for improved communication
with pupils and parents;
• development of constantly updated and improved customised
software applications to complement the use of the existing office
IT system. In-house developments to manage canteen and
transport service, payroll management, academic management,
etc.;
• funds made available to use new technology in the classroom,
e.g. laptop computers, multimedia systems, video cameras,
beamers, internet connectivity, etc;
• gradual increase in the number of computers for use by pupils
in subjects other than IT itself. The first room was equipped
for teaching computer science to CSE pupils in 1990-91. In
2009-10, we have 1 computer room equipped with 25 computers
for CSE pupils (for which new hardware was bought in
2007), 1 multimedia room set up in 2003 and equipped with 27
computers for CSE pupils, 1 room equipped with 2 terminals
for the Social Science and Curricular Diversification Areas, 1
room equipped with 28 computers for PE pupils (for which
new hardware was bought in 2005, and which is systematically
used for foreign language learning and social sciences) and another
room equipped with 28 computers and also for PE pupils,
where the hardware was last renewed in 2002. These rooms are
subject to annual review and adapted to school needs. This academic
year (2009-10), we have started to change our approach
by taking IT material into the classroom and equipping the
classroom itself with new technology, rather than allocating
specific areas for the use of computers. This shift in our approach
is designed for better use of the existing hardware facilities
and to integrate new technology into the everyday reality
of the normal classroom;
• the subsidised purchase of 21 laptop computers for classroom
use by teachers;
• in 2008, the acquisition of a videoconference system; and
• in 2009, the implementation of a new IT systems plan, known
as PEIO, with the development of the ikasdat and ikasweb applications
for academic management.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of the decisions taken and the approach followed
with respect to this area of management is assessed by the
MT. To do so, several tools are used, including:
• pupil and parent satisfaction surveys;
• comparative data with other schools;
• general and specific satisfaction surveys filled in by teachers on
innovation programmes;
• meeting minutes from teachers’ meetings on the deployment of
innovation programmes;
• records containing data on satisfaction with and changes to be
made in tutorial programmes; and
• indicators of the Process for Drawing Up the Annual New
Technology Plan, such as:
Indicator 2007-08 2008-09
Number of news articles 66 339
published on the intranet
The respective leaders of the innovation, guidance, IT or management
programmes or projects are responsible for discussing the
relative success of the initiatives with those who have actually put
them into practice (teachers, administration and service staff, etc)
and with the end users themselves (teachers, parents and pupils),
depending on the characteristics of each project. Additionally,
alternative and emerging technology has also been identified
through benchmarking visits made to various schools recognised
as leaders in the area of technology management (Ayalde, Jakintza
Ikastola, Axular Lizeoa, Lauaxeta Ikastola, etc.), who have
inspired us to undertake new projects.
Learning and improvement activities are conducted in relation
to this area of our management as described in 5a, as well as
through specifically chosen learning activities. Improvement actions
taken as a result of measurement and learning in this area
of management include:
YEAR REVIEW AND LEARNING
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
2001-
07
Reflection by MT
Creation of a Programme for Customised Academic Management (report cards and files on
pupils), thus improving data management and monitoring of pupils.
2005 Reflection by MT Hiring of telecommunications engineer to run the Olabide ICT Area and to drive its use and
improvement. Since 2005, trainees from Vocational Training courses and graduates have also
been employed to reinforce this area.
2006-
10
Reflection by MT
Improved efficiency in the field of energy through;
Use of low consumption light bulbs in all classrooms
Solar panel installation
Use of sensor lights

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 39
YEAR REVIEW AND LEARNING
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
2006-
10
Reflection by MT
Improved connectivity and mobility within the school:
2005: Increased speed between buildings (from 10Mb to 1Gb)
2006: WiFi coverage in the 3 buildings
2006-
10
Reflection by MT
Improved external connectivity; migration from ADSL to frame-relay. Imminent deployment
in 2010 of a system entitled ‘Conect Lan’, 4 times faster than the frame relay system and
enabling inter-connection with other ikastolas of the EIB network.
2006-
10
External assessment
Use of IT application for on-line reservation of common spaces, e.g. meeting rooms. WiFi
network set up in all school buildings
2007-
10
Increase in demand for use of
ICTs in classroom
Another room equipped with ceiling projector (beamer) for presentations. Increase in the
number of portable beamers. Development of a Moodle platform for pupils.
2008-
09
Analysis of systems, applications
and offers on the market.
Benchmarking with Ekintza,
Design of new IT systems plan PEIO (4-year plan to develop IT systems and applications
customised to Olabide needs). Academic management system replaced with a more efficient
programme adapted for pupil monitoring.
Jakintza, Sto Tomas and Astileku
schools and Ikastolen Elkartea
2007-
08
Reflection by MT
Creation of network environment for sharing information, leading to improved internal
communication
2006-
08
Reflection by MT
Deployment of a card access centralised control system of access to school premises, thus
improving security and facilitating buildings management.
2007- Anticipated migration from IBM Drawing up of specific strategy plan for implementation of new IT systems plan PEIO.
09 server (where Olabide database
and applications for academic,
financial and service management
are hosted)
2008 Demand from IE teachers IE classrooms equipped with computers to pupils to become familiar with new technology.
2008 Training in network security Improved network security and management by change of router and firewall
2008 Updating of SCP.
New decree on compulsory
education
Decision taken to deploy ICTs in all subjects, withdrawing the subject of Computer Science
from the curriculum up to 4th year CSE and ensuring the use of ICTs in all other subjects.
2008-
10
2009-
10
2009-
10
Training in IT systems
Development of PEIO
Benchmarking with Ikastolen
Elkartea. Analysis of new
government lines in this area
Deployment of an automated inventory system for IT equipment (2008), and the setting up
of a user helpdesk (2009) for centralised management of incidents, thus optimising the time
dedicated to maintenance and improving customer service.
Deployment of the ikasdat and ikasweb applications for academic management. Migration
to new servers, and agreement reached with the Federation of Ikastolas to use a programme
created by them and used successfully by several other schools, 1e.
External connection speed increased from 1Gb to 4Gb, for both incoming and outgoing
data, thus enabling internet connection with parents, pupils and teachers. Olabide web server
accessible, for example, to introduce data for report cards from any terminal with web access.
Introduction of the eskola 2.0 programme. Faced with the possibility of obtaining an
important government subsidy to purchase new hardware (laptops), a study has been made of
the possible use of these laptops in classrooms and of maximising their use in other education
cycles. Analysis of the ikasys project (acquisition of basic IT competencies). Agreement to use
teaching materials in 5th and 6th year PE and 1st and 2nd year CSE. Deployment of digital
whiteboards in 5th year PE, with appropriate training plan for PE teachers.
4e. Information and knowledge are managed to support effective
decision making and to build the organisation’s capability
Approach and deployment
Information is essential for us to develop our activity as a school
and to deliver our Strategy. In this respect, the Olabide EMS plays
a key role, as this is where a large part of the explicit knowledge
generated in the school is recorded and stored.
In Olabide, information and knowledge management has 6 end
goals:
A. To ensure the competitiveness of our core product, i.e. the
teaching-learning process, providing and enhancing its added
value, continually refining it and differentiating it from the rest.
B. To improve the internal cohesion of the school through processes
of internal communication.
C. To assist academic and administrative management processes,
making our day-to-day activity and service more efficient.
D. To meet the information needs of our users, providing them
with communication platforms and making it easier for parents
to participate actively in the school.
E. To ensure compliance with the regulatory framework in relation
to data protection, and to ensure information security.
F. To ensure Olabide leaders are provided with accurate and sufficient
information to support them in effective and timely decision
making, enabling them to effectively predict the future performance
of the organisation.
A series of measures, systems and mechanisms have been developed
and deployed in the school to help us deliver these goals.
These are described below.
A. In Olabide, we believe that offering a competitive teachinglearning
process involves offering a different and more holistic
school curriculum (early learning of foreign languages, immersion
courses, innovation programmes, etc.). In consonance with
this, we have adopted a skills-based curricular content. To do so, it
has been necessary to provide our people with the basic and complementary
training (3b) required to bring this to life in the classroom,
and we now consider this part of our knowledge base as
an organisation. This training has been provided on a structured
basis against defined staff training needs to ensure our capacity
to deliver the SEP and SCP. Some examples of this training and
consequent know-how acquired are shown below.

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YEAR ACTION TAKEN PURPOSE
1994-97 Training for teachers in abilities and skills To enable us to develop our basic documents on an educational
level.
To provide our teachers with the abilities and skills (knowhow)
to draw up teaching programmes in line with the Olabide
model
1997-03 Practical (on-the-job) training to develop innovation To draw up materials to conduct innovation projects
programmes (CREA, IDEAL, OPTIMIS)
2005 Training for IE, PE and secondary education teachers in To enable a change in the methodology used to teach Basque,
communicative methodology for the teaching-learning of the and applying the methodology to other subjects
Basque language
2005-07 Training in Pentacity Training for all teachers in values-based education, for its
subsequent application in the classroom
2006-09 Training in dealing with diversity An in-depth focus on dealing with diversity to improve coexistence
2006-08 Training for all teachers to improve their expression in Basque To maintain and improve the language competence of our
teachers
2007-08 Training for all teachers in the new curriculum An in-depth focus on developing competencies and becoming
familiar with the changes made by the government to the
curriculum
2008-09 Qualification for all teachers in the use of ICT’s and telematic Greater use of these tools in the teaching-learning process
tools in the classroom
SOURCE OF
KNOWLEDGE
Talk given by
Geraldine Keegan 07/02/06
DATE WHO LEARNING IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS
Iñaki
Roberto
Xabier
Ricardo
Andone
To improve communication and people
participation, teachers must be offered
the possibility of attending Management
meetings. Pupil Councils as a means
to ensure a high degree of pupil
participation and their involvement in
the suggestions scheme.
Minutes of GB and Steering
Committee meetings to be
made public.
Systemise meetings of class
representatives with CSE and
USE Heads of Education
Stage.
STRATEGY/
PROCESSES
Process for the
Drawing Up and
Monitoring of
Leadership
Improvement actions taken on the basis of this learning and
benchmarking activities are shown at the end of this criterion
part. An instruction was drawn up in 2005-06 to document organisational
learning and to monitor the knowledge acquired and
its possible application in the school. The instruction requires us
to select the learning source of interest for us, when this will take
place and who will attend the forum. After the event, the learning
is recorded, and subsequent improvement actions to be taken
are identified together with the process or processes affected. An
extract from this document is shown below.
In the course of 2007-08, a working plan entitled “Focusing on
Knowledge in Olabide” was drawn up to improve knowledge management
in the school. This plan included a series of recommendations
and associated actions (with defined objectives), covering
the systematic identification and specification of tacit knowledge,
knowledge sharing and pooling, the promotion of in-house training,
the creation of a corporate culture which favours the generation
and transmission of knowledge and the provision of more IT
support tools to record and transmit knowledge and information.
As a result, knowledge management was systemised and deployed
in 2007-08 as the Knowledge Management Process.
B. Fluent internal communication, providing all our people with
access on a need-to-know basis to relevant information to be able
to do their job well and to take active part in school life, is essential
for the internal cohesion of the school. This has been achieved
using several mechanisms, namely:
• sending, receiving and sharing work documents using e-mail,
shared files and networked programmes. E-mail is also used to
receive information on courses, meetings and other matters of
personal and professional interest, all of which nurtures collaboration
and cohesion in the school;
• since 2007-08, all Olabide people can consult the intranet
homepage for information on legal and internal matters of interest
for their day-to-day activities; and
• in addition to the learning instruction described above, all training
activities attended by all our people are recorded for consultation
by anybody else in the school, who may then ask for more
information if interested. Additionally, our people are regularly
informed by the MT of courses which may be of interest to
them, and information and documentation on courses designed
for parents is posted on the extranet, e.g. talks in the School for
Parents on how to create good study habits, or the importance
of imposing limitations on children in IE.
C. To assist academic and administrative (financial) management
processes. Examples include:
• to facilitate access to all required information, staff have password
access to the server which hosts the EMS; in other words,
to the Olabide process system. Process owners have unlimited
access, whilst access for end-users of the process is limited. For
example, each owner of a process for drawing up or reviewing
teaching units has unlimited access, whilst teachers have readonly
access to all teaching units. Teaching units house the core
knowledge of the school; they contain our know-how, including
all documented appendices to teaching units;
• all Olabide people have their own personalised IT profile as
a network user, including their own e-mail account with Web
technology which can be accessed on-line from anywhere in the
world. Our IT systems and applications are fully equipped for
on-line communication with our customers through the intranet,
extranet, e-mail, etc., whilst MT members have a passwordprotected
remote connection to the Olabide database and EMS
from anywhere in the world;
• in 1993-94, the 3 school buildings were fitted out with a structured
cabling system with a fibre optic connection and 2 communication
racks, and equipped with an RJ-45 double connection
for data and voice transmission;
• aware of the need for portable and easily accessible IT, Olabide
facilities have had a WiFi connection since 2006. Similarly, we

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4 PARTNERSHIPS & RESOURCES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 41
have developed a remote user facility for secure network access
from outside the school;
• with respect to academic management, a project was commissioned
in 2002 and subsequently developed to create an IT
register for recording all the information on all Olabide pupils
throughout their time in the school. Input for the design and development
of this ‘pupil file’ system was requested and provided
by the different areas of the school. The system enabled any
authorised user to access the files, e.g. the tutor of a 4 th year CSE
pupil could access historical data on the report cards of that
pupil, as well as observations of a more personal nature made
by previous teachers throughout the pupil’s life in Olabide. The
system was updated in 2008-09 and replaced by a more efficient
and standard application with a greater focus on educational (as
opposed to administrative) matters;
• since 2005, intranet access to the programme for reserving rooms
of common use (meeting rooms, etc.), for improved planning
and future management of these rooms; and
• the availability of several telephones throughout the school (in
teachers’ rooms, departments, etc.) for work-related calls to parents,
government offices, museums, etc.
D. To meet the information needs of our users. Fluent communication
with pupils and their parents, managed through the Communication
Plan Process, is vital for the success of the school.
Many different channels of communication have been set up in
recent years, including:
• publications, e.g. Gure Gauzak (in-house magazine published
once a term), the Yearbook, information on Cooperative Member
Assemblies, etc.;
• the website, set up in 1999 and updated with new features in 2005
and 2007. In 2009-10, the website is being overhauled to provide
access to the different communication channels through one
sole web platform;
• circulars and communiqués through the internet;
• password entry given to parents to fill in the satisfaction survey,
designed for greater privacy and to increase the survey response
rate; and
• Olabide has two registered domains on the Internet.
E. With respect to information validity, security and integrity, and
in compliance with the Data Protection Act, the Spanish Law of
Information Society Services and general legislation on the right to
privacy, a protocol has been defined for the webmaster, the person
responsible for the intranet and the IT Coordinator to provide and
systematically update all possible security measures, e.g. the different
levels of access to information (total, read-only, etc.), depending
on the user profile. Back-up copies are made on a daily basis,
and complete copies (including those of IT applications) are kept
in the office of the Head of Teaching. All staff are kept informed
of any modifications to the legal framework affecting this area of
management.
The Olabide domain managers have end responsibility for information
security and management, and an active role in the concession
and maintenance of authorisation to access, read, modify or
delete the existing information on the intranet. The webmaster has
exclusive responsibility for introducing new or modified content
on the website.
Additionally, an Employees’ Handbook, defining the functions
of each person in the school, was published in 2000 and refined
in 2004. The handbook is due to be reviewed again in 2009-10.
Performance appraisal to define job posts and the competencies
required to occupy them was systemised as a process in 2007-08.
Appraisal tools have been created, job posts are appraised and improvements
put forward. Both these tools provide us with information
to support the school in effective and timely decision making.
And finally, effective internal information management enables
all MIT members to know exactly how their process actions are
planned to contribute to the delivery of the annual BP, and hence
to the delivery of the school’s strategic objectives.
F. With respect to ensuring Olabide leaders are provided with accurate
and sufficient information to effectively predict the future
performance of the organisation, we analyse the needs and expectations
of all our relevant stakeholders through the channels
described in 2a & 2b.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
The effectiveness of information and knowledge management is
reviewed by the MT and the ICT Area of the school using appropriate
items included in the parent, people and pupil satisfaction
surveys, participation in forums, visits to other schools and suggestions
put forward by end-users and staff.
As a school, we are keenly aware of the importance of this area of
our management. As a result, we frequently attend and take active
part in various forums organised by ERKIDE, EIB, etc. with a view
to further deployment of ICTs throughout the school. Milestones
in this area have been the collaboration agreement reached with
Ikastolen Elkartea, which has led to major progress being made in
the area of information processing, and benchmarking activities
conducted with various schools within the network of Ikastolen
Elkartea such as Jakintza and Axular, both of which are pioneer
organisations in information and knowledge management.
Some of the most significant actions taken as a result of measurement
and learning in this area include:
YEAR
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
2005-06 Study of EEA sub. docs. Creation of the instruction to document learning
2006-07 Benchmarking with
Jakintza
Development of the intranet for fast dissemination of information throughout Olabide
Learning planned and monitored using the instruction created in 2006
2007-08 Work group with Julen
Iturbe (Mondragón
Unibertsitatea).
Development of the extranet
Deployment of a moodle platform for knowledge management
Systemisation of the Knowledge Management Process
Benchmarking with Axular Future staffing needs calculated on the basis of an analysis of anticipated staff retirements in
forthcoming years. Findings from this analysis are taken into consideration when drawing up the
person profiles for the People Selection and Induction Process.
Deployment of a moodle platform for use by pupils
Course material for School for Parents posted on the extranet
Reflection of MT New staff provided with specific training on knowledge of the Olabide philosophy and ‘modus
2008-09 Benchmarking with Axular
and training with David
Sánchez (professor of
Mondragón Unibertsitatea)
operandi’
More subjects included with content on moodle platform for pupils
New area included on the platform for academic guidance for pupils
Successfully application to SPRI (Basque Agency for Business Promotion) for a subsidy to conduct
an ‘agenda for innovation’ study in 2010 for the proactive identification of projects to be conducted
in forthcoming years.

Processes, Products & Services

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 42
OLABIDE Ikastola Process Map
Horizontal Structure of Processes
3.1 Leadership
311 Drawing up and
Monitoring of
Leadership
312 PF General
and Teaching
Coordination
- Procedure for
Meetings with
Class Reps.
- Procedure
for General
Assembly
- Meetings
Process
(Management,
Governance
Board, etc.)
3.2 Strategy
321 Strategic
Reflection
322 Annual Plan
3.3 People
331 Annual HR
Planning
332 People Selection
& Induction
333 Substitutions
Management
334 Training Plan
335 Communication
Plan
336 Recognition
337 Performance
Appraisal
338 Knowledge
Management
3.4 Partnerships &
Resources
341 Partnership
Selection &
Appraisal
342 Drawing Up
the Technology
Plan
343 Transport
344 Canteen
345 Child-minding
346 Former Pupils
3.5 Processes
351 Systemising,
Managing and
Improving
Processes
352 Management
of Continuous
Improvement
353 Project
Management
354 Complaints and
Suggestions
P
A
41 Teaching - Learning
411 PS Curricular Programming
4111 Process for the Review and Adaptation of the
School Curricular Plan (SCP)
4112 PF Teaching Units
412 PF Classroom Teaching
413 PF Pupil Assessment
414 PS Guidance & Counselling
Process for Drawing Up Personalised Curricular
Adjustments
Process for Diversification (commissioning)
Process for Diversification (monitoring)
Process for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Other
Educational and Development Needs
Process for the Review and Planning of Tutoring
Process for Academic Guidance & Counselling
4147 PF Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews
Process for Individual Pupil-Tutor Interviews
Process for Parent-Tutor Class Meetings
Programming of Tutorial Actions in Class
Process for Drawing Up the Pupil File
Process for Monitoring Disciplinary Actions
415 PF Excursions
416 PS Extracurricular activities
42 Administration
421 PS External Communication
Induction Process for New Parents
Process for Compilation of the Olabide Yearbook
Induction Process for New Pupils
Process for Compiling the Olabide Magazine
422 PS Promotion
Enrolment Process
Annual Conference Process
Process for the Org. of the Summer Solstice
423 PS Services
Maintenance Process
Waste Management Process
424 PS Administration
Procedure for Teaching-related administration
Procedure for Finance-related administration
Procedure for Labour-related administration
Procedure for Miscellaneous Services
425 PS Prevention
Occupational Risk Prevention Process
Prevention of Accidents to Pupils in School Hours
Emergency Evacuation Process
426 PS Organization of Social and Cultural Activities
Ahotsu Astea (Chatty Week) Process
Olabide Eguna (Olabide Day) Process
Process for the Olentzero, Iñauteriak, danborrada and
other festivities.
Farewell Process
D
3.6 Customer
Results
361 Measurement
of Customer
Satisfaction
3.7 People Results
371 Measurement
of People
Satisfaction
3.8 Society Results
381 Measurement
of Impact on
Society
382 Society
Satisfaction
Survey
3.9 Key Results
391 Compilation of
Key Results
C
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES (enablers) OPERATIONAL PROCESSES MANAGEMENT PROCESSES (results)

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 43
5. PROCESSES, PRODUCTS & SERVICES
5a. Processes are designed and managed to optimise
stakeholder value
Approach and deployment
The Olabide Excellence Management System (EMS), designed
for the effective delivery of our Mission statement, has enabled
us to create and continuously improve the processes used to deliver
our services and manage the organisation. Our pre-2009
Vision statement (Overview) expressed our will to “… continuous
improvement with respect to how the school is run, people
satisfaction, the teaching-learning processes, multilingual
education and the provision of cultural and sports activities”.
This element of the Vision statement is rolled out in the Annual
Business Plan (BP) through the Strategic Priority (StP) “Deeper
focus on the EFQM model-based System of Excellence”, 2c,
the purpose of which has been to generate a strong culture of
business Excellence among our people. This has been progressively
measured by obtaining a score of 621 points through selfassessment
against the model in 2007-08 and being awarded the
Basque Govt. Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’ in 2008.
Initial training of the Management Team (MT) in Quality
Management systems took place in 1994, followed in 2001-02
by the presence of 7 Olabide people in the Training for Action
courses run by Euskalit (Basque Foundation for Excellence) on
the EFQM model. Since then, all MT members have attended
successive training courses and events in relation to the EFQM
Excellence model over the period 2002-10.
Rather than a mere inventory of processes, the Olabide EMS
is organised as a set of interrelated processes broken down and
colour-coded in this submission document as follows:
• Macroprocess. The system of processes covering the
overall running of the organisation, encompassing how
we add value for our end customers.
• Process System (PS). An interrelated set of processes
focused on a common purpose. Each PS has an owner.
• Process Family (PF). Generally speaking, process
families refer to one and the same process delivered in
a slightly different way and with particular features at
each education stage.
• Process. A set of interrelated and repetitive activities
defining how we do our work and which transform
resources (an input) into products or services (an
output). All processes have an owner and corresponding
Management and Improvement Team (MIT).
No. of
systemised
processes
No. of
procedures
2002
-03
2003
-04
2004
-05
2005
-06
2006
-07
2007
-08
2008
-09
2009
-10
8 24 72 70 72 75 74 74
10 10 10 9 9 9
Fig. 5a.1: Number of systemised processes and procedures
The Olabide intranet, 4e, provides process owners and MIT
members with fast and easy password access to process data.
All Olabide people have read-only access to all elements of the
EMS. Each process is documented in 5 areas as described below,
with the hard copy format colour-coded as shown below :
1. A systemised base process, presented in a format agreed to
by consensus for the whole school, which identifies:
• process stakeholders (including customers/ recipients),
the process Mission and its main objective (to meet the
expectations of our customers through systematically
managed actions), the outflow, needs and expectations of
the process customer with respect to the outflow and the
quality requirements of the outflow to meet those needs
and expectations, all of which enables us to manage endto-end
processes and all process interfaces;
• process resources and, as part of process interface
management, supplier processes and the quality
requirements of the identified resources;
• the sequence of activities and quality requirements
of those activities, including a process flowchart. The
quality requirements of those processes whose interfaces
extend beyond the boundaries of Olabide and require
the collaboration of external partners are set out and
managed here;
• indicators of efficiency, effectiveness and deployment, as
necessary, together with their respective targets; and
• those with responsibility for process management and
improvement (process owner and MIT members).
2. A series of complementary instructions on how to develop
the process, providing guidance and help on how to conduct
day-to-day activities.
3. Process records, showing the end results of the different
repetitions of the process.
4. Process management record sheets, documenting the
compliance (or not) of each completed cycle with assessment
& review requirements and indicator measurement.
5. A record of any and all improvement cycles conducted on
the process (as a consequence of step 4).
With respect to interface management, and as a consequence
of a benchmarking visit to Laskorain Ikastola, in 2006 we designed
a matrix to identify process interfaces which has enabled
the MT to identify all internal interfaces of the Olabide EMS.
The effectiveness of the matrix has been confirmed by process
owners in refinement and improvement cycles. Each process
owner has subsequently reviewed the corresponding definitions
of supplier and customer processes to ensure coherence with
the matrix.
One fundamental process for managing the Olabide EMS is the
Process for the Management of Continuous Improvement. This
process, together with the Process for Systemising, Managing
and Improving Processes, drives process management throughout
the school, monitors the effectiveness of that management
and generates improvement opportunities.
The players involved in these processes are as follows:
• Process owners: report to the MT (2c) on process management
and considered as leaders in the organisation, 1b. As
a result of an improvement action identified through self-assessment
in 2003, all process owners have specifically defined
and detailed functions, 3c. Process owners lead and are supported
by a MIT.
• Process Management and Improvement Teams (MIT): the
team of people who provide help and support to the process
owner in the management and improvement of the process.
• Process participants: those involved in certain activities of the
process without being process MIT members.
Process owners use two mechanisms to manage their processes.
Firstly, through assessment and review (refinement) actions,
process owners attempt to check the degree to which the process
has been deployed and identify improvement opportunities. To
do so, the process owner selects a sample of process participants

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 44
to assess selected repeat cycles of the process. By analysing the
completed assessment and review sheets, an assessment can be
made by the process owner and his team of whether the different
quality requirements of the process have been met. Any subsequent
improvement suggestions are then registered. Secondly,
the delivery of process targets is monitored through monitoring
process indicators.
On the basis of self-assessment in 2005 and learning through
benchmarking Jakintza Ikastola in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the efficiency
and effectiveness of the Olabide EMS was improved by
managing it using Process Systems (PS). In this way, each PS
owner is responsible for managing his/her system, thus improving
his/her leadership skills as drivers of the EMS and optimising
the time required for its management. Indicators of efficiency,
effectiveness and deployment, as required, have been identified
for all processes. Since 2004/05, the results values of all process
indicators have been monitored and recorded on Excel spread
sheets. Targets have been set for all indicators, and this approach
has been deployed equally throughout the school, i.e. in 100%
of education stages and in all administrative areas.
100% of Olabide people take active part in process management,
either as process owners and/or as MIT members or process
participants. To reach this stage of effective EMS deployment,
training has been given by the MT and by Overcall, an
external consultancy. Data on the progressive deployment of this
approach are shown below.
2002
-03
2003
-04
2004
-05
2005
-06
2006
-07
2007
-08
2008
-09
2009
-10
% people
who are
process
6.01 17.64 33.57 40 41.6 38.6 29.72 31.08
owners
% people
working 10 50 100 100 100 100 100 100
in MITs
Fig. 5a.2: Data on no. of process owners and participation in MITs
Strategic Reflection Process
Together with the Process for the Management of Continuous
Improvement, the Strategic Reflection Process ensures that the
effectiveness of the general framework of processes to deliver
Olabide strategy and its supporting policies is reviewed. This is
explained in greater detail in 2c and 2d.
In Olabide, key processes are identified and defined in two
ways. Firstly, key processes are identified on the basis of their
relevance for delivering the Olabide Vision. In the 2005-09 SP,
each strategic priority (StP, 2c) was defined in relation to elements
of the Mission and Vision statements, and subsequently
rolled out through a series of processes and projects. Secondly,
using the Mission as the reference document, we use a matrix
to identify key processes on the basis of their importance for
delivering Olabide activities and services. Within the matrix, all
EMS processes are given a score of between 1 and 5 on the basis
of 4 criteria: impact on customers, impact on people, impact on
Society and impact on key results of the school. The criteria are
weighted in relation to the value assigned to them in the EFQM
Excellence model, and those scoring in excess of a certain figure
are selected as key processes. Those key processes selected using
this methodology and not previously identified as such in
relation to the Vision are also assigned Critical Success Factors
(CSF). The full list of Olabide key processes is shown below:
3.1.1. Drawing up and Monitoring of Leadership Plan
3.1.2.3. General and Teaching Coordination Meetings
3.2.1. Strategic Reflection
3.2.2. Annual Plan
3.3.1. Annual HR Planning
3.3.2. People Selection and Induction
3.3.4. Training Plan
3.4.1. Partnership and Supplier Selection & Appraisal
3.4.2. Drawing Up the Annual New Technology Plan
3.4.3. Transport
3.4.4. Canteen
3.4.5. Child-minding
3.5.2. Management of Continuous Improvement
3.5.3. Project Management
3.6.1. Measurement of Customer Satisfaction (Parents, Pupils
and Former Pupils)
3.7.1. Measurement of People Satisfaction
3.8.1. Measurement of Impact on Society
3.9.1. Compilation of Key Results
4.1.1.1. Review and Adaptation of the School Curricular Plan
4.1.1.2.1 PF Review and Adaptation of Teaching Units
4.1.2. PF Classroom Teaching
4.1.3. PF Pupil Assessment
4.1.4.4. PF Review and Planning of Tutoring
4.1.5.1. PF Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews
4.1.5.4. PF Programming of Tutorial Actions in Class
4.2.1.1. Induction for New Parents
4.2.1.2. Compilation of the Yearbook
4.2.1.3. Induction for New Pupils
4.2.2.1. Enrolment
4.2.3.1. Maintenance
4.2.4.2. Procedure for Finance-related Administration
Process improvements designed to further stakeholder satisfaction
are introduced based on the findings from process assessment
and review activities. This system ensures all-round continuous
improvement within the EMS, and has, together with
the whole EMS itself, been subject to development and successive
improvement cycles since 2002.
The processes which make up the Olabide EMS are as follows:
Process for the Management of Continuous Improvement
This process defines how the improvement activities of each
process are to be developed and coordinated. The process, directly
aligned to Olabide Strategic Priorities (StP, 2c) and Strategic
Objectives (SO, Qualification File), draws on autonomous
improvement activities which arise through the work of MITs,
information generated during process assessment and review,
ideas put forward through the complaints and suggestions system
and satisfaction survey results, amongst other sources.
The key activity for identifying improvement opportunities is
the development of improvement cycles, which are managed as
PDCA cycles. Once the decision has been taken to initiate an
improvement cycle, either as a consequence of Olabide Strategy
or because one of the process MITs believes it to be necessary,
the cycle is then coordinated by the process owner in question,
who subsequently invites the MIT members, process participants,
process customers, process suppliers and other relevant
players external to the process to take active part in developing
the improvement cycle activities. All this activity is recorded in
the relevant process documentation.
Information sources which trigger improvement cycles include:
• perceptions, expectations and satisfaction levels of internal
and external customers;
• perceptions, expectations and satisfaction levels of other
stakeholders;
• benchmarking;
• information gathered on new projects, teaching techniques
and/or technologies;
• suggestions put forward through process assessment and review
and/or the complaints and suggestions system;.
• Strategic Priorities/ Strategic Objectives established through
the Strategic Reflection Process;
• information gathered through partnerships; and

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 45
• improvements based on innovation projects.
This information, which may or may not be directly drawn from
processes but which gives rise to improvement cycles, is acted on
by integrating the consequent improvement cycle into the process
or processes affected by it, thus ensuring that the information
and its sources form part of the Olabide EMS.
Project Management Process
In Olabide, projects are triggered by proposals made at departmental
level, or discussion regarding the development of
the BP, after identifying a need for improvement requiring a
one-off (non-repetitive) innovation activity. A project team is
then formed to systematically manage the project in line with
process stipulations which include design, deployment and support
phases. All projects are monitored quarterly in weekly MT
meetings, and their effectiveness is assessed once the project has
been completed, 4d.
Complaints and Suggestions Process
The main channel used by the external customers of the school
to express complaints and/or put forward suggestions is the annual
satisfaction survey. The survey results are processed by the
survey management team and submitted to the MT for their
analysis. All complaints and/or suggestions received by Olabide
Management in the course of the academic year are responded
to on the basis of their urgency and importance. Likewise,
all Olabide people (teaching and non-teaching) have access to
the various suggestion boxes strategically located around the
school. Any suggestions put forward through this channel are
collected, recorded and later discussed in the weekly Management
meetings. Since 2005-06, all satisfaction questionnaires
and suggestion forms are divided into 3 separate sections for
making a complaint, putting forward suggestions and/or praising
the school, thus enabling us to differentiate and classify the
different comments and handle them optimally.
The different approaches described here for identifying and
implementing improvement opportunities and actions are deployed
and at the disposal of 100% of Olabide people.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Learning and improvement activities for this area of the Olabide
management system are developed through systematically conducted
improvement cycles, as well as through specifically organised
learning activities.
No. of
imp’ment
cycles
No. of
innovation
projects
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
-03 -04 -05 -06 -07 -08 -09
3 12 23 25 42 73 83
2009
-10
9 8 14 15 15 8 9 13
Fig. 5a.3: Number of improvement cycles and innovation projects
The Olabide process management and improvement system is
characterised, amongst other factors, by the following:
• the existence of a process management system in the school
since 2002-2003;
• clearly identified and described processes for the design and
systematic management of the complete process system;
• all stakeholders of all processes are clearly identified;
• all processes are managed using process indicators with corresponding
targets;
• a clear alignment between the process system and Olabide
strategic reflection;
• 2 processes specifically designed for radical improvement/
change (large-scale improvements), i.e. Strategic Reflection
and Innovation; and
• the existence of a Process for the Management of Continuous
Improvement, to monitor the structure, teamwork and
improvement of processes.
Improvement actions taken as a result of measurement and
learning in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
2004-05 Self-assessment Analysis made of EMS indicators to
ensure their inclusion in at least one
process, PS or macro-process.
2005-06 Reflection of
MT
Benchmarking
with Jakintza
Ikastola
Process
assessment and
review
External
assessment
2006-07 Overcall
consultancy
Child-minding timetable extended
to 17:40 to coincide with finish time
of extracurricular activities, and to
provide a better service to parents of
2 to 5-year-olds. Subsequent increase
in parent degree of satisfaction
Identification by MT of all internal
process interfaces, using a specially
designed matrix later reviewed and
improved by process owners to check
its effectiveness. Subsequently, each
process owner reviewed the internal
supplier and customer processes of
their particular process to ensure
coherency with the matrix.
Process structure reviewed through
the Process for the Management
of Continuous Improvement, with
proposals to merge certain processes
and create new ones.
Differentiation between complaints,
suggestions and accolades for
improved management of these
matters.
Improved identification
(specification of process participant)
of who is responsible for filling in
process assessment and review sheets
2007-08 Self-assessment Promotion of customer and partner
involvement in problem solving
and improvement ideas by making
surveys available on the extranet for
customers and through follow-up
meetings with partners
Benchmarking
with Jakintza
Ikastola
2008-09 External
assessment
Full deployment of a system
for improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of the EMS by
managing it using process systems
(PS). In this way, each PS owner
manages his/her system, improving
his/her leadership capacity and
saving time when compared to the
former system.
Process indicators included in annual
BP for monitoring purposes
5b. Products and services are developed to create optimum value for
customers.
Approach and deployment
Since 2001, and as previously described in 5a, Olabide has developed
a series of systematically organised activities (in this
case, activities to gather information as input for the Strategic
Reflection Process), designed to ensure that the MT is provided
in a timely manner with all the relevant and up-to-date information
necessary to define, on the basis of the Olabide MVV, the
scope within which the organisation is to develop its activity,
and to understand and anticipate the needs and expectations of
all our customers and remaining stakeholders and any developments
in and around the education sector.

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 46
In this respect, we use several systematically managed channels
to identify stakeholder expectations, including:
• customer satisfaction surveys, conducted through the Process
for the Measurement of Parent and Pupil Satisfaction. These
surveys are designed with a specific area in each section for
comments and suggestions;
• complaints and suggestions, compiled through the Complaints
and Suggestions Process;
• meetings held in the school with parents and pupils, managed
through the Process for Parent-Tutor Class Meetings, the PF
for Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews and the Process for Individual
Pupil-Tutor Interviews (for more in-depth information
on these processes, 5d); and
• a survey on the needs and expectations of potential customers,
conducted through personal interview and managed
through the Enrolment Process.
Through these channels, Olabide customer needs and expectations
have been clearly identified, as laid out below.
Fig. 5b.1: Example of identified PARENT EXPECTATIONS
All-round Teaching
• From 2 to 18-year-olds
• Education in Values
• Complementary activities (Arts, sports, etc.)
Language Teaching
• Basque as the vehicular language of education
• Multilingualism
Quality Teaching
• Good academic results
• New technologies
• Innovative projects
• Personalised attention
• Guidance and counselling
• Competent teachers
• Appropriate facilities
Facilities for working parents
• Transport service
• Canteen service
• Child-minding service
Trust
• Discipline
• Monitoring and information, a welcoming, pleasant and
family-like atmosphere
• Safety
• A grant-aided school
Information-communication
• Monitoring and information
• Accessibility of staff
• School-Parent communication
• Opportunities to participate and take decisions,
autonomy.
Olabide customer needs and expectations are constantly checked
through all our processes designed to gather information from
customers, and principally through satisfaction surveys. In this
last respect, the delivery of customer expectations is measured
through the items included in the survey, which are in turn considered
as satisfaction indicators. The systems used for identifying
customer expectations (Parent-Tutor and Pupil-Tutor interviews
and class meetings) are described in detail in 5d.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
New customer needs and expectations are identified through
customer satisfaction surveys, conducted annually from 2002 to
2008, which include a specific section for suggesting new ideas
and improvements. As mentioned before, two additional questionnaire
sections have also been designed to encourage parents
to express any complaints they may wish to make or to praise
the school. Additionally, three meetings are held each academic
year with representatives of parents from each class, in which
these parents voice the concerns of their fellow parents and solutions
are discussed at class and education stage level. Meetings
are also held with representatives of classes of older pupils,
with a view to listening to their opinions and finding solutions
to their concerns. Any corrective actions taken are subsequently
refined if and when any particular customer need or expectation
arises on a repetitive basis.
All this information on Olabide customer needs and expectations
is used as input for the Strategic Reflection Process. The
information is subject to SWOT analysis, which subsequently
enables us to define StPs (pre 2009, 2c) and SOs (Qualification
File) related to delivering customer demands, both in terms of
designing and developing new services and improving existing
ones. Examples of this are shown below.
REVIEW &
YEAR
LEARNING
2003-04 Process
assessment and
review
2004-05 2005 selfassessment
Process
assessment and
review
2005-06 Reflection by
MT
2006-07 Reflection by
MT
2007-08 Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Personalised attention for pupils with
dietary restraints, e.g. celiac sufferers,
food allergies, etc.
Improved meetings with
representatives of pupils, gathering
more information on pupil
expectations regarding the teachinglearning
process.
In response to concerns voiced by
parents of pupils in IE regarding
eating habits, and to optimise
planning for each child’s evening
meal, in 2004 a supervisor for each
table was appointed in the canteen
for IE pupils, responsible for
recording whether each child has
eaten well. This information is then
forwarded weekly to the parents.
Additionally, at the beginning of
each term a leaflet is sent out to
parents detailing the canteen food
to be served during the term, with
data on calorific value, etc. Parents
are given same day notice of any
changes made.
Parents provided with meeting
agenda for parent-tutor class
meetings to optimise their
effectiveness
Tutors sent on-line version of agenda
to follow in CSE parent-tutor class
meetings, thus standardising the
information to be given to parents
and facilitating the work of tutors.
Creation of register for individual
parent-tutor interviews for tutors
to record the information given and
received in their teachers’ folder
Circular sent out to parents
informing them of child-minding
service while they attend meetings in
Olabide, to enable parents with young
children to attend meetings (IE and
PE)
Circulars informing of class meetings
posted on website to optimise
communication with parents
Another fundamental aspect in this design stage of our services
is the review and adaptation of the School Curricular Plan

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 47
(SCP) against changes in legislation, or the creation of new
programmes or teaching units based on customer demands for
new elective subjects. Two processes are in place to manage this;
the Process for the Review and Adaptation of the School Curricular
Plan and the Process for the Review and Adaptation of
Teaching Units.
The starting point, or base document, for the provision of
Olabide services is the School Education Plan (SEP), which is
reviewed and adapted by the MT as part of Strategic Reflection
on the basis of the identified needs and expectations of our
customers. This document sets out the basic activity lines of the
school. On the basis of the SEP, applicable legislation and data
drawn from an analysis of the student base and sociocultural
environment, the SCPs of the different education stages are then
drawn up through the Process for the Review and Adaptation
of the School Curricular Plan. In turn, the SCPs are used as the
basis for drawing up general programmes and teaching units.
Teaching units themselves are subject to annual review and improvement
against identified needs through the Process for the
Review and Adaptation of Teaching Units. All teaching units
have complementary appendices (with exercises, activities, etc.)
accessible through the intranet and/or in hardback form for all
teachers. Similarly, all teaching units have defined objectives,
contents (conceptual, procedural and attitudinal), activities,
methodology, assessment criteria and appendices. Once designed
and drawn up, the teaching units for any determined area of the
school become the core tools for teaching. All teaching units for
IE, PE, CSE and USE have been defined. 2008-09 results values
for parent satisfaction with Olabide teaching-learning activities
stand at 7.66 (scale 1-10), 6a.
Another system for designing and deploying new services in
Olabide is through innovation projects. As a consequence of
strategic reflection, the MT may decide to commission an innovation
project designed to meet customer needs. Once completed,
project results and findings are integrated into the Olabide
EMS, and some of them may subsequently form part of the
Olabide SCP. Over the years, many innovation projects have
been developed in the school, Fig. 5a.3.
Improvement actions taken as a result of measurement and
learning in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR
2004-
05
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
2008-
09
REVIEW AND
LEARNING
Project
assessment
Feedback report
from external
assessment
2007 selfassessment
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Feedback report
from external
assessment
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Funds obtained from the Basque
Govt. Office for Innovation in
Education for the Pentacity Project
Actions taken for process owners to
have better access to learning and
information channels to encourage
their creativity and innovation,
and to foment the participation of
customers and other stakeholders in
improvement cycles.
Library project begins to be
deployed in CSE and USE.
Pilot of new methodology for IE
(Urtxintxa Project)
New methodology (continuation
of Urtxintxa Project) piloted in PE
(Txanela).
Decision taken to prepare a
Marketing Plan geared towards
potential Olabide customers
5c. Products and services are effectively promoted and marketed.
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, the defined expectations of our customers (5b) are
used as a reference for establishing strategic priorities related to
the development of new products and services and for the promotion
and marketing of the school and the services we offer. In
this respect, the Olabide process map includes a Process System
(PS) designed to meet promotion and external communication
requirements. The general objective of the PS for Promotion,
systemised in 2002, is to promote the image of Olabide in the
city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, thus informing potential customers of
the existence of the school and the services we have to offer. The
PS is made up of the following 3 processes:
• the Enrolment Process, for designing the enrolment campaign
itself, the associated activities (open days, talks in local villages,
etc.) and for centrally processing the various requests received
from the parents of potential pupils to visit the school.
On these visits, all potential customers are given individual
attention, i.e. each family is shown around and interviewed
by an individual Olabide person, and provided with detailed
information on the school, including the SEP, school services,
fees, extracurricular activities, applicable legislation, etc. Once
the official pre-enrolment period has expired and the definitive
lists of accepted pupils drawn up, official enrolment for
the forthcoming academic year begins;
• the Annual Conference Process, for planning, organising and
running an annual conference in Vitoria-Gasteiz. To date,
guest keynote speakers have included Mr. Koldo Saratxaga
(former General Manager of Irizar, 2000 EQA Prize Winner),
the renowned philosopher José Antonio Marina, Mr.
Pedro Luis Uriarte (President of Innobasque, the Basque
Agency for Innovation) and the scientist Pedro Miguel Echenique,
amongst others; and
• the Process for the Organisation of the Summer Solstice, for
defining the activities to be organised by Olabide in June every
year in the central Fueros Square in Vitoria-Gasteiz, to mark
the summer solstice and designed for the general participation
of all citizens of the city.
The objective of the PS for the Organisation of Social and
Cultural Activities is to plan and conduct a series of social and
cultural activities for Olabide people and customers throughout
the academic year. These include activities in school time
such as the festivities of Olentzero, Saint Agatha’s day, Jueves de
Lardero (Fat Thursday, related to the carnival period), Carnival
time, Tamborrada de San Prudencio (local feast day), Olabide
Day (the first Sunday in June and a festive day for the whole
of the education community) and the Basque Language Day,
designed to promote the use of the Basque language inside and
outside of the classroom. These activities are managed using the
following processes:
Ahotsu Astea (Chatty Week) Process
Olabide Eguna (Olabide Day) Process
Process for the Olentzero, Iñauteriak, danborrada and other festivities.
The objective of the PS for External Communication is to disseminate
all relevant information on the school to our customers,
improving the already positive image of Olabide for parents
and pupils. The PS includes:
• the Process for Compiling the Yearbook, which brings together
the information on the school to be included in the
yearbook and distributed to parents. In addition to photos
and data on all classes, groups and extracurricular activities,
the yearbook also includes information on the school calendar,
timetables for planning parent-tutor interviews, e-mail
addresses, useful contact numbers, etc.;
• the Induction Process for New Parents, designed to present
and disseminate the Olabide SEP and all other relevant information
for parents of pupils at all education stages at the start
of the academic year;
• the Induction Process for New Pupils, through which an induction
plan is prepared for new pupils to get to know their
new schoolmates and tutors prior to the start of the academic
year; and
• the Process for Compiling the Olabide Magazine, designed
to disseminate the activities carried out by pupils each term.
This publication is sent out to parents at Christmas, Easter
and at the end of the summer term.

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 48
We consider this process system to be especially important, as
we believe that all the activities conducted by and for our existing
customers, and in which these customers take an active part,
also play an important role in terms of promoting the school to
potential customers.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Improvement actions taken as a result of measurement and
learning in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR
2002-
03
2003-
04
2004-
05
2005-
06
2006-
07
2007-
08
REVIEW
AND
LEARNING
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
Reflection by
MT
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Decision taken to organise an annual
conference open to the general public, with
keynote speakers of renowned fame. This
initiative is later formalised as a process.
Decision taken to start meetings for
parents of new pupils in September and
not, as before, in June, to avoid parents
forgetting important matters over the
summer period
Child-minding service offered to parents
of new pupils during induction meetings,
to encourage them to attend
Decision taken for tutors to be present
at meetings for parents of new 2-yearold
pupils. Meetings for parents of new
pupils held by education stage, to be able
to deal with specific matters
Information on official assessment given
out during School Open Day
Decision taken to include records of
interviews held during the enrolment
process in one log
5d. Products and services are produced, delivered and managed.
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, we have developed a system to provide our customers
with the services we offer in line with our MVV and Strategy.
The system includes the processes for promotion and attracting
customers, with communication running through several of our
operational processes with Olabide customers as end-users. To
meet these needs, a process system has been successively developed,
shaped and improved since 2003-04 to reach its current
state of maturity. The delivery of most Olabide CSF is directly
related to these PS, which support the delivery of our MVV and
Strategy.
These processes, an integral part of the Olabide EMS and structured
as described in 5a and 5b, include:
Teaching-Learning
This PS encompasses the core activities of the school, where the
services provided for our customers are produced. In 2004, all
Teaching-Learning processes were systemised and integrated
into the EMS, to which all Olabide teaching staff were given
and ensured computer access. 100% of the Olabide teaching
staff intervene actively in the Teaching-Learning PS.
0. Teaching-Learning PS
1. PS for Curricular Programming
1.1 Process for the Review and Adaptation of the SCP
1.2 PF for Teaching Units
2. PF for Classroom Teaching
3. PF for Pupil Assessment
4. PS for Guidance and Counselling
4.1 PF for Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews
5. PF for Excursions
6. PS for Extra-curricular Activities
0. Administration PS
1. PS for External Communication
2. PS for Promotion
3. PS for Other Activities and Services
4. PS for Administration
5. PS for Prevention
6. PS for the Organisation of Social and Cultural Activities
The PS for Curricular Programming encompasses:
• as a first stage, the Process for the Review and Adaptation
of the SCP. Input data for the process (the SEP, applicable
legislation, data on the student base and the socio-cultural environment)
are analysed, and the SCP for the different education
stages in the school subsequently drawn up (process output).
The general objectives for each education stage are then
established, and from here, the teaching objectives of each
stage, which in turn form the basis for reviewing and drawing
up Teaching Units. The Olabide SEP was adapted to the
requirements of the Spanish Education Law and approved
in 1997, and further refined in 2004. The SCP for IE and PE
were approved in 1997, the SCP for CSE was approved in
2002 and the SCP for USE was approved in 2004-05;
• the PF for Teaching Units, designed to ensure management
of the respective teaching units at each education stage within
the school. Teaching units are drawn up with defined objectives,
conceptual, procedural and attitudinal content, class
activities and assessment bases, and modified on the basis of
the findings of assessment and review conducted annually
within each process at each education stage. 100% of Olabide
teaching staff are involved in drawing up and reviewing the
teaching units of the subjects they teach. In 2001, the formats
used for teaching units were standardised at IE, PE and CSE
level, and digitalised the following year. Since 2005, 100%
of Olabide teaching staff have on-line access to 100% of the
teaching units designed for their particular education stage
and competence area. These units are stored in the Olabide
EMS;
• the PF for Classroom Teaching. Teaching units are the basis
for classroom teaching. These processes, managed at each education
stage, establish the directives to be followed in day-today
classroom teaching, and are complemented by the PS for
Excursions, through which the different activities (planned as
part of the teaching unit) to be held outside of the classroom
and aligned to the different teaching objectives are organised
and managed. Classroom teaching processes were fully systemised
in 2003-04; and
• the PF for Pupil Assessment, the objective of which is to continually
monitor the progress of each pupil in both academic
and attitudinal terms. To do so, meetings are held at the end
of each school term to assess and rank the different academic
and attitudinal aspects of each pupil. These meetings are attended
by the tutors and specific subject teachers involved, as
well as by representatives of the Guidance and Counselling
Area.
The PS for Guidance and Counselling identifies and provides
services for pupils with learning difficulties, special education
needs or simply helps those with problems to reach the required
minimum targets. Dealing with diversity in the classroom is given
particular importance in Olabide, and is therefore considered
a strategic line of action aligned to the element of the Olabide
Vision stating ‘All-round, personalised education for pupils,
with a sensitive and inclusive approach to diversity’. From the
first cycle of IE onwards, diversity is managed through the following
processes:
• the Process for Drawing Up Personalised Curricular Adjustments,
which creates a programme on the basis of the knowledge
levels of pupils with special education needs, anticipating
the level the pupil may attain through personalised curricular

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 49
adjustment with a view to maximising the pupil’s progress in
line with his/her possibilities and needs;
• the PF for Diversification, designed to meet the educational
needs of a specific group of pupils, planning and carrying out
the corresponding activities for each academic year;
• the Process for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Other Educational
and Development Needs, designed to identify and
manage pupils with special learning difficulties to enable
them to receive personalised attention and provide them with
resources to maximise their capacity and development, with
specific support from specialists and close monitoring;
• the PF for the Review and Planning of Tutoring, to review
and plan tutoring activities at each education stage;
• the Process for Academic Guidance and Counselling, to provide
an advisory service for pupils and parents alike regarding
further education. After analysing the profile of each pupil,
advice is given taking into account the interests, capacity and
age of pupils, as well as the different educational possibilities
on offer;
• the PF for Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews, responsible for
coordinating all work and contact with parents, and for establishing
the principles for effective communication between
teachers and parents, thus ensuring a context for discussion
and advice complementary to the information provided in the
pupil assessment report;
• the Process for Individual Pupil-Tutor Interviews, determining
the communication channels between pupils and the
school, and providing us with direct information on the situation
in the school and pupil feedback on the actions taken
both by the pupils themselves and the school;
• the Process for Parent-Tutor Class Meetings, a meeting point
for parents and tutors. 2 meetings are held each academic
year, the first at the start of the academic year and the other
before the end of the academic year. In the first case, the objective
is to establish the meeting as a communication forum
between Olabide and all the parents of each particular class,
as well as to inform parents of all the teaching activity related
to each particular education stage;
• the PF for Programming of Tutorial Actions in Class, through
which the different tutorial and above-mentioned teaching
activities planned to be held in class are designed and scheduled;
• the Process for Drawing Up the Pupil File, the objective of
which is to produce and manage a file for individually recording
the academic progress of each pupil, from the moment
they start their studies in Olabide until they leave the school.
The file, updated annually and designed to be used by the corresponding
tutors as a document for consultation, includes
personal data, psycho-evolutive features of each pupil, assessment
reports, all relevant characteristics and information
identified in interviews with tutors and parents, etc.; and
• the Process for Monitoring Disciplinary Actions, which sequences
the measures to be taken with those pupils who
break the rules of co-existence as laid out in the Internal
Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the school, with a view to
ensuring peaceful and respectful co-existence of and between
pupils and the rest of the school. Every year for the last 4
years, we have surveyed pupils on bullying, and statistics have
been compiled and stored on the % of pupils who feel bullied
every day, often or occasionally. Appropriate measures are
taken to eradicate the sources of bullying.
The PS for Excursions includes 4 processes, namely:
• the PF for Excursions, managing those excursions or outings
linked to study objectives;
• the Process for the End-of-Year Study Trip, covering all activities
for planning and actually making the trip;
• the Process for Pupil Exchange, through which Olabide pupils
go to study in another country; and
• the Process for Pupil Exchange, through which pupils of other
countries come to study at Olabide.
The PS for Extracurricular Activities defines, plans and structures
the extracurricular activities to be offered by the school
each year. The offer is divided into two areas, namely arts activities
and sports.
Administration
Several of the operational PS related to administration (External
Communication, Promotion, etc.) have already been detailed
above in 5c. Additionally, other PS and processes related
to Olabide products and services are also managed, one of which
is the PS for Prevention. This PS determines the parameters to
be taken into account with respect to occupational risk prevention,
with particular attention to pupil safety. A 3-year plan has
been drawn up through which health and safety parameters
are checked annually to identify potential hazards. A protocol
for systematically managing accidents involving Olabide pupils
during school hours has also been implemented, as well as a
protocol for emergency evacuation of school premises which is
drilled annually. All this is managed through 3 processes:
• the Occupational Risk Prevention Process, involving a 3-year
plan and related training for Olabide people;
• the Process for the Prevention of Accidents to Pupils during
School Hours, through which a protocol has been established
stipulating the actions to be taken in case of an accident to an
Olabide pupil; and
• the Emergency Evacuation Process, which systemises the
school emergency evacuation drill. Data are gathered on the
effectiveness of the emergency evacuation drill, and the associated
protocol is thus assessed and reviewed.
As previously detailed in 5c, the PS for the Organisation of Social
and Cultural Activities is designed to manage the various
relevant social and cultural activities carried out in the course
of the school year. These include activities developed within the
school timetable, such as the festivities of the Olentzero, Saint
Agatha’s day, Jueves de Lardero, Carnival time, Tamborrada de
San Prudencio (local feast day), Olabide Day (the first Sunday in
June and a festive day for the whole of the education community)
and the Basque Language Day, designed to promote the use
of the Basque language inside and outside of the classroom.
The Olabide transport, canteen and child-minding services provided
for our customers are managed through the PS for Partnerships
and Resources. This process system consists of:
• the Transport Process, responsible for organising and managing
school bus routes and pick-up points, drawing up the lists
of pupils using each bus route, preparing the bus user ID card
for the children, contracting the transport companies and bus
monitors, providing teachers and bus monitors with the lists
of bus routes and users and solving any problems which may
arise in connection with the service;
• the Canteen Process, responsible for providing pupils with
lunch and also for their wellbeing outside of class during
the lunch period. The process, through which parents are informed
of lunch menus and the eating habits of their children,
works in close coordination with other services such as
tutoring, transport and extracurricular activities;
• the Child-Minding Process, responsible for planning the activities
to be conducted with users of this service before and
after school hours. These activities are segmented by age and
class; and
• the Former Pupils Process, responsible for monitoring and
maintaining contact with former Olabide pupils.
The objective of the PF for General and Teaching Coordination
is to manage and record the content of all general and teaching-related
meetings held in the school. To do so, 2 procedures
and 1 process have been identified to manage meetings in three
separate organisational areas of the school. The Procedure for
Meetings with Parent/ Pupil Representatives sets out the directives
for how these meetings, held at the end of each term at
both education stage and class year level to bring suggestions
to light and identify possible areas for improvements, are to be
managed. The Procedure for the General Assembly sets out
guidelines for managing the annual general assembly, whilst the

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 50
objective of the Process for General and Teaching Coordination
Meetings (Management, GB, Management Committee, Guidance
and Counselling Area, etc.) is, amongst other things, to
record the minutes and the content of these meetings throughout
the school.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
Each process owner conducts his/her own learning and improvement
activities, in line with the systematically organised
and managed improvement cycles (5a) and also through learning
activities specifically organised in relation to this criterion
part. Improvement actions taken as a result of measurement
and learning in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR
REVIEW
AND IMPROVEMENT ACTION
LEARNING
2004-05 Process 100% of teaching units included in the
assessment and computerised EMS, with all teaching
review staff having access to them.
Seminars with
Overcall
2007-08 2008 selfassessment
2008 selfassessment
2008-09 Feedback
report from
external
assessment
2008 selfassessment
2009-
2010
Reflection by
MT
Systemisation of a series of processes,
enabling the flow of all Teaching-
Learning activities (Teaching Units,
Classroom Teaching, Tutoring,
Guidance and Assessment) to be
sequenced.
Training given to all teachers to
improve how diversity is managed in
the classroom.
Further deployment of planned
activities for the HizPro Project
(focused on language acquisition).
Review (refinement) of all teaching
units, with a view to incorporating
new technology across-the-board in
school subjects.
Creation of new process to monitor
the progress of Olabide former pupils.
Agenda for Innovation, 5a.
5e. Customer relationships are managed and enhanced
Approach and deployment
In Olabide, a series of processes have been developed to manage
customer relations. As a school, our customers (pupils) are
in constant and direct contact with the organisation providing
them with the service. Parents are in frequent contact with
teachers, both to monitor the progress of their children at school
and to deal with any complaints and/or improvement proposals
related to their children. All enrolment applications are closely
monitored up to the definitive enrolment stage, and satisfaction
surveys are regularly used to gather relevant information as potential
input for strategy and to increase customer satisfaction.
A high degree of customer (parent and pupil) participation in
the school is essential for us to effectively deploy our Mission.
The activities designed to ensure that customer relationships are
managed and continuously enhanced are systemised and deployed
through the following processes:
• the Process for the Measurement of Customer Satisfaction.
One significant improvement introduced in 2001-02 as a consequence
of training received in Euskalit was the creation of
surveys to measure the degree of satisfaction of parents and
pupils. These customers were surveyed that same year, and
customer satisfaction surveys have since been conducted on
an annual basis, i.e. a total of 8 times. Survey findings are used
for strategic reflection and to identify improvement actions
geared towards increasing the satisfaction level of Olabide
customers. The indicators used to this effect in processes are
related to customer expectations, as explained in 5b. Survey
content has been progressively improved over the years, e.g.
survey questionnaires used on young pupils have been modified
to the demands of their age to make them clearer and
easier to understand;
• the Process for Individual Parent-Tutor Interviews and the
Process for Individual Pupil-Tutor Interviews. These processes
were created in 2003-04, and that same year a document
was designed for keeping a record of all matters discussed
in the interview. These interviews with parents or pupils are
held on demand, or when the tutor considers it necessary for
reasons related to behaviour, academic performance and/or
other educational needs. All tutors are available for interview
with parents and/or pupils, and an average 95% of parents attend
these interviews, which take up around 3,200 man-hours
per academic year;
• the Process for Parent-Tutor Class Meetings, created in 2003-
04 to further improve and systemise meetings with parents
from IE to USE. In 2001-02, the forms for keeping a written
record and report of meetings with parents were standardised.
Through this process, the tutor of each class holds a meeting
with the corresponding parents at the start (September) and
end of each academic year. Additionally, a specific meeting
is held at the beginning of the academic year with parents of
new pupils. Throughout the academic year, parents or pupils
may at any time also request a meeting with Olabide Management,
the Guidance and Counselling Area, etc. to discuss
any relevant issue. The table below illustrates the year-on-year
trend in the number of parent-tutor class meetings held.
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
-03 -04 -05 -06 -07 -08 -09
118 120 122 122 126 126 126
Written records are kept of the matters discussed and the most
important opinions expressed by customers in these meetings
and interviews. For example, in the Process for Parent-Tutor
Class Meetings, each tutor is required to make a note on page
5 of the record sheet of the main issues raised by the parents.
These documents are reviewed by the MT and action is taken
on any issues considered to be of importance for Olabide;
• the Enrolment Process, 5c, is the reference process for identifying
the expectations of parents of potential Olabide pupils.
The table below illustrates the year-on-year trend in the
number of enrolment interviews held;
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
-03 -04 -05 -06 -07 -08 -09
165 136 107 125 145 151 149
• the Procedure for Meetings with Parent / Pupil Representatives.
Another communication channel to manage and enhance
customer relationships are the meetings held once a
term with parent and/or pupil representatives, both at education
stage and class year level. Special mention is to be made
here of the meetings held with pupil representatives of CSE
and USE classes, who act as spokespersons for the concerns
and improvement ideas of their classmates. Since 2004-05,
meetings have also been held regularly (once per term) between
pupil representatives, the Heads of Education Stages
and the Head of Teaching, in which pupils put forward the
suggestions and/or complaints of their classmates. These ideas
are analysed and responded to in the next planned meeting.
These processes highlight the importance of tutors in day-today
contact with both pupils and parents. As customer contact
with all teachers is considered as key, one hour per week
of all Olabide tutors’ and teachers’ time is set aside for telephone
contact with customers, and a further hour for faceto-face
interviews with parents (at a convenient time for the
parents). Furthermore, secondary education tutors also have
an hour set aside for personal interviews with pupils.

5 PROCESSES, PRODUCTS processes
& SERVICES EFQM Excellence Award 2010 51
Similarly, through the school yearbook and the Olabide
website, parents are kept informed every year of the e-mail
addresses and contact numbers of teachers and tutors, thus
facilitating contact and enabling them to arrange meetings.
In this respect, the setting-up of the website in 1999-00 has
since led to considerable improvement in Olabide-customer
relations. Improvement actions have been taken in this area,
including new ADSL lines and e-mail accounts to further facilitate
communication with the school;
• the Complaints and Suggestions Process. Complaints and
suggestions may be received through the corresponding suggestions
box, through parent-tutor interviews, class meetings,
by telephone, in meetings with pupil representatives, through
direct contact with pupils, etc. Information gathered through
these channels is handled by this process and channelled
through to the affected process owners. If the complaint or
suggestion is not related to any process of the EMS, it is referred
to the MT to be resolved by them directly. As a result of
findings from external assessment in 2005, action was taken
to improve how suggestions and complaints are differentiated
in the school; and
• the Recognition Process, which provides for recognition to be
given to parents and pupils, 1c, e.g. to former Olabide pupils,
for having taken active part in Olabide school life. Since 2004-
05, the fact of being a former pupil of the school is taken into
account as a weighting factor in the selection process for new
teaching or non-teaching staff; since 1990, this has proved to
be an important factor in the selection of several new employees.
Recognition is also given for the efforts made by pupils at the
end of their studies, 1c. 2 nd year USE pupils finishing their
studies are formally recognised through the Farewell Process.
Measurement, learning, refinement and improvement
To enhance relationships with our canteen suppliers and monitors,
monthly meetings are held between the MT and representatives
of the canteen service. Monthly meetings are also held with
representatives of CIM, the supplier of extracurricular English
classes, as well as with other suppliers of extracurricular arts
and sports classes.
Improvement actions taken as a result of measurement and
learning in this area of Olabide management include:
YEAR REVIEW AND
LEARNING
2003-04 Process
assessment and
review
Process
assessment and
review
Training given by
Overcall
Training given by
Overcall
IMPROVEMENT ACTION
Systemisation of meetings with
parents, from IE to USE.
CSE and USE teachers’ room
reformed, and 2 rooms set up for
interviews with pupils. Creation of
a new IT Room for CSE and USE
pupils.
Systemisation of process of parenttutor
interviews.
Standardisation of documents
related to the process of parent-tutor
interviews.
All processes documented with a
5-page format.
All processes integrated into the
computerised EMS.
Training given by
Overcall
Training given by
Overcall
2004-05 Setting-up of a bicycle stand in the
school.
2005-06 External
assessment 2005
2006-07 Reflection by
MT
2007-08 2008 selfassessment
2008-09 External
assessment
External
assessment
System defined for gathering
information from former pupils.
Those former pupils who left the
school at the end of CSE or USE
are sent a satisfaction survey 3 years
after leaving Olabide. Data has
therefore been obtained from former
pupils of 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
and 2005-06.
As a pilot initiative, pupil assessment
reports sent out personally each
term and at the end of the academic
year to those parents who so request.
Initiative fully deployed in 2007-08.
Setting up of a moddle platform for
pupils.
Systemised communication with
Olabide canteen customers.
Restructuring of the Complaints and
Suggestions Process.

Customer Results

customer
results
6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 52
6. CUSTOMER RESULTS
6a. Perceptions
Scope and Relevance
External customer satisfaction (parents, pupils and former pupils)
is measured through satisfaction surveys which include items
linked to the most relevant aspects of the Olabide MVV. Certain
items directly measure the delivery of Olabide Critical Success
Factors (CSF), thus enabling the MT to measure progress towards
the delivery of the Olabide Vision.
The indicator results presented below are available on a segmented
basis by education stage, departments, extra-curricular activities,
etc., but are not included here due to space limitations. In general,
target values are set in line with strategy directives on an ambitious
basis to drive continuous improvement. Although we are aware that
this sometimes means the target is very difficult to accomplish, we
believe the driver effect of this approach to be motivational.
The first customer satisfaction survey was conducted in 2000-01,
and surveys have been systematically used since 2001-02 when
the initial survey questionnaire was refined to include new items
on the basis of process review and assessment and review of the
survey itself. Satisfaction is expressed on a scale of 0-10. Average
and best-in-class comparative data have been taken from the
Euskalit (Basque Foundation for Excellence) database on schools
in the Basque Country whose management system is based on
business Excellence, 2b. The existence of these data enables us
to compare our performance with schools and other organisations
which have been recognised with the Silver and/or Gold
“Q-for-Quality” awards and, in some cases, with schools recognised
as EEA Finalists, Prize or Award Winners such as Lauaxeta
Ikastola, Begoñazpi Ikastola, Colegio Vizcaya,, Colegio Ursulinas
(Urkide), Colegio Sagrado Corazon, etc. At the time of writing,
the latest data available are those of the academic year 2007-08,
though 2008-09 data will be available by mid-2010. Secondly, the
Overcall database consists of data on leading organisations in the
field of business Excellence within the education sector, most of
which have been recognised with the Silver and/or Gold ‘Q-for-
Quality’ awards. Finally, and although these data do not appear in
this document, we have also monitored comparable results indicators
of St. Mary’s College, Londonderry (EEA Award Winner
on two occasions) up to and including 2006. The excellent results
of St. Mary’s in 2006 represent, in certain cases, a benchmark for
Olabide. If no comparative data are shown, this is because we
have not been able to find data from any source.
The colour code used in all the indicators below is as follows:
Results values show a stable degree of satisfaction of around 7.5.
The annual target is year-on-year improvement; to achieve this,
future actions will be focused on ensuring that classroom activities
continue to meet the needs of all our pupils, and on maintaining
the high degree of effective coordination between all education
cycles and stages. The positive results achieved to date are largely
attributable to these two factors.
Results values show sustained good performance, attributable to
the efforts made to promote expression and the use of the Basque
language among pupils and parents alike. The different initiatives
taken and activities developed are explained throughout the enabler
criteria of this submission document.
Satisfaction with Parent-Tutor relations shows sustained good
performance over time, exceeding the average results of external
comparison. Targets have been met every year since 2005-06. We
believe good tutor-parent coordination to be essential in education,
systematically informing parents of the progress of their
children through personal interviews, class meetings, telephone
conversations and written reports. The positive results trend is
also attributable to improvements in the general communication
system of the school, 5b & 5e.
1. Parent Satisfaction: indicators affecting Teaching-Learning and
Tutor-Parent processes.
Results values reveal sustained good performance, attributable
to the comprehensive and timely information given to parents on
both academic and attitude-based (relations, etc.) aspects of their
children’s performance. We plan to continue making a special effort
in this area to ensure results continue to improve on account
of their importance to the school.

customer
results
6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 53
Results reveal a positive trend, attributable to the fact that the
Guidance and Counselling Area works in close coordinated contact
with the MT, staff and parents. Furthermore, a School for
Parents initiative was started in 2008-09 to work with parents on
matters of common interest.
2. Parent Satisfaction: key indicators of Teaching Activities, Values-based
Education, Quality of Complementary Services and
Overall Degree of Satisfaction
The upturn in results values in recent years is attributable to the
special effort being made in 3 areas related to communication.
Firstly, to improve the quality of communication (clarity, accuracy
and correction). Secondly, to provide more communication
channels; in this respect, all staff members have their own e-mail
account, and all tutors and teachers are assigned 1 hour/ week
for telephone contact with parents and 1 hour/ week for personal
interviews with parents, 3d. Parents are made aware of this in the
meeting at the start of the academic year, and this information is
published in the yearbook and posted on the website. The website
and the extranet are both key channels for posting circulars and
relevant news (reports on Assemblies of Parent Representatives,
etc.) to keep parents up to date with the latest developments in
the school. And thirdly, to respond to the specific demands of
parents, e.g. to include (as part of the communication plan) an
agreement to inform all parents when any teacher is due to be
absent from the school for more than a week. We hope to see
positive results of these efforts the next time parent satisfaction
with communication is measured.
Results values in this case are steady at around 7.5. Despite the
numerous improvement actions taken in various areas in recent
years our efforts are not yet reflected in the results of this indicator.
We shall continue to make every effort to improve the overall
degree of parent satisfaction with the school.
Results values show sustained good performance over time, a logical
consequence of the results presented so far in this criterion
part. This is also attributable to parent satisfaction with academic
results and pupil monitoring. The downturn in 2008-09 is due to
the fact that some parents did not answer this survey item. Every
effort shall be made to remind them in the future to answer the
complete questionnaire.
3. Parent Satisfaction; General Services
Results show a positive trend in recent years, attributable to close
monitoring of our pupils from IE up to the end of USE. Staff stability
means that our people know, share and transmit the Values
of the school, and that our teachers and tutors have years of experience
and specialised knowledge. Additionally, the values and
attitudes promoted throughout the school are especially worked
on in tutorials, which are planned and scheduled on a joint basis
by tutors and the Guidance Area.
Results values reveal relatively stable performance over time,
attributable in recent years to the fact that responsibilities and
functions have been shared out among the people working in this
area on a more specific and specialised basis. Additionally, the
Administration Area has been physically remodelled to accommodate
these changes. Further efforts will be made to continue
to improve.

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6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 54
Results values show stable performance in this area. Demand for
this service has increased over time, and close monitoring of adherence
to bus timetables has led to greater punctuality. In view
of the considerable expansion of the city, and the consequent
increase in traffic, we consider these results to be good. Even so, a
schedule of meetings between the MT and service representatives
(including coach drivers and monitors) has been drawn up with a
view to continuous improvement in this key area.
4. Pupil Satisfaction; indicators affecting Teaching-Learning processes.
Despite the difficulty involved for this indicator to be scored
highly, results values have levelled off at an encouraging level.
Enabling approaches behind these results include a canteen report
given weekly to parents of 2-3-year-olds, fortnightly to parents of
4-year-olds and monthly to parents of 5-year-olds. For 6-yearolds
upwards, a report on canteen habits is sent out once a term,
though the canteen coordinator and monitors are permanently
available for telephone contact with parents. Meetings to monitor
the canteen service are held with the MT once a month.
A clearly positive results trend can be appreciated for this survey
item, attributable to the effort made by the school in areas such
as support teaching, splitting one class into two, the amount and
content of elective subjects on offer, the resources made available
to pupils (media library, laboratories, video and projector
room, etc.) and training given to teachers in the use of ICT’s and
refresher courses in other areas. Additionally, the Department of
Culture of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council offers the school a
wide range of complementary activities, e.g. theatre workshops,
press workshops, radio, television, visits to the wastewater treatment
plant, museums, etc. which we include in the curriculum as
part of an all-round, quality education.
Results values are stable in recent years and exceed the average
external comparison. These results are attributable to the wide
range of activities and timetables on offer, and also to the fact
that this service forms an integral part of everyday school life. A
full-time sports coordinator was appointed in 2003-04. Changes
have also been made to how these activities are organised.
Results values show a positive trend in recent years, attributable
to the efforts made by both teachers and pupils. On one hand,
teachers define clear assessment criteria and analyse results very
carefully with a view to refining these criteria, whilst on the other
hand, the assessment criteria are carefully explained to pupils and
test results are analysed with them.
Results values show sustained good performance in recent years,
attributable to the wide range of activities and timetables on offer
and to the efforts made by the coordinator of these activities.
Target values have been met in all cases.
Results values show a sustained positive trend in recent years,
attributable to the effort being made in two areas. Firstly, tutors
have been given greater empowerment; they are considered as
leaders, and particular attention has been paid to providing them
with appropriate training and know-how in their relations and

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6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 55
contact with pupils. Secondly, tutoring programmes are planned
and monitored, in close collaboration with the Guidance Area,
throughout each education cycle or stage to ensure continuity.
These efforts have led to a high degree of pupil satisfaction with
the relation they have with their tutor and his/her work.
Results show a clearly positive trend, attributable to the degree of
pupil satisfaction with the teaching-learning activities, the efforts
made by the school to address diversity in the classroom and effective
guidance and counselling.
A clearly positive trend can be seen in all items on pupil relations
(pupil-teachers and among the pupils themselves), as well as in the
specific results values of this indicator. This can be explained by
the efforts made in two areas; firstly, to maximise pupil participation
in the different school activities, and secondly, to help pupils
understand that living out the attitudes and values promoted by
the school makes life more pleasant for everyone and generates a
positive atmosphere. In line with this approach, our pupils take
active part in events such as the Olabide Day, Ahotsu Eguna, the
farewell event, etc. and special activities are run to work on interpersonal
relations.
5. Pupil Satisfaction; key indicators of Teaching Activities, Education
in Values and Attitudes, Quality of Complementary Services
and Overall Degree of Satisfaction
Results values show a sustained positive trend, with target values
met in all cases. This is attributable to the fact that our pupils have
seen improvement actions taken on their proposals and ideas,
e.g. participation in the Steering Committee, official right to hold
meetings and to strike, the provision of a Common Room, etc.,
reaffirming our approach to personalised attention.
Results show a clearly positive trend. Mention has been made
previously of the wide range of activities on offer. We make every
effort to organise these activities as carefully as possible, and to
make pupils aware of their usefulness and alignment to what they
are being taught on a day-to-day basis.
Results values show a positive trend since 2006-07, attributable
to an effective Co-existence Plan which involves careful tutorial
planning at all education stages, establishing minimum values to
be taught and worked on in all areas and careful coordination
with parents to ensure continuity at home.
Results values show sustained good performance over time, attributable
in part to the success of the HizPro Project, 3c & 3e.
The members (pupils and teachers) of Euskara Batzordea (Basque
Language Committee), set up to organise activities to promote
the use of the language, are renewed every year.

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6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 56
The upturn in this indicator is attributable to the existence in recent
years of a Class Representatives Committee, and to pupil
participation in different areas, e.g. in the Steering Committee, the
Basque Language Committee, canteen meetings, etc.
6. Pupil Satisfaction; General Services
The generally positive trend in recent years is attributable to the
effort made to adapt the service to customer needs, i.e. pick-up
points, routing (altered in case of delay due to road works, etc.)
and punctuality. The highest scoring element of this item is the
atmosphere on the bus, in line with indicator results on the atmosphere
in the school.
Once again, results values show a clearly positive trend, up to
2008-09, attributable once again to the effort made to offer and
correctly organise a wide range of quality activities and to employing
former pupils as monitors. We are working on the causes
of the downturn in 2008-09 with a view to recovering the performance
level of the previous year.
Results values show a clearly positive trend since 2005-06, attributable
to improvement actions taken in recent years, e.g. soundproofing,
food cooked on-site, size of portions, participation in
meetings with the canteen coordinator, etc.
Results values show a slight but clearly positive trend, attributable
to the considerable effort made to maintain and improve existing
communication channels (tutorials, meetings once a term with
class representatives, information published in the yearbook, etc.),
and to open new ones to ensure the necessary information reaches
pupils in a timely and reliable manner (Gure-Gauzak in-house
magazine, the website, the Committee of Pupil Representatives,
etc.).
A clearly positive results trend can be observed over time, attributable
to the effort made to offer and correctly organise a
wide range of quality activities. Another important factor is that
former Olabide pupils have been contracted as extra-curricular
sports instructors, thus ensuring greater commitment and a closer
teacher-pupil relationship.
Results values show sustained good performance with slight
improvement year-on-year, and external comparison is positive
for Olabide in relation to the average figures from the Euskalit
database. This is attributable to the high quality of our buildings
and facilities, and to the effort made to ensure they are continuously
and effectively maintained and looked after. Every effort is
made to respond to the many suggestions put forward by pupils
in this area (new coat of paint in the sports hall, improved flooring,
etc.).
7. Former pupils
Results values show that our former pupils have a positive perception
of the school, thus delivering the objective expressed in the
Olabide MVV that ‘…the different generations of pupils who
have studied in Olabide Ikastola will have fond memories of their
schooldays.’ These results are basically attributable to their degree
of satisfaction with the education they have received in prepara-

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6 CUSTOMER RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 57
tion for higher education courses, and with the values they have
acquired.
1. Parents.
Results values show a clearly positive trend and are attributable to
the active role taken by parents in the school and to the fact that
we share the parents’ concern for continuous improvement.
The method used for compiling the number of complaints, suggestions
and accolades received was changed in 2005-06 to align
it to the reality of the situation. With respect to complaints, in
Olabide, we interpret as a complaint any suggestion made by parents
or pupils for a change to an existing service. The same criteria
is NOT used by the components of the Euskalit database, hence
comparison here is not really appropriate. In line with this, target
values are set exclusively against Olabide data.
A generally positive trend can be seen in the number of suggestions
and complaints received, attributable to two factors: firstly,
to increasing parent participation in the school, and secondly, to
the effort made to reply to all complaints and suggestions, creating
a culture of proposal and response.
6b. Performance Indicators
Scope and Relevance
We believe that the satisfaction level of future Olabide pupils
and their parents is determined by what we are doing today. It is,
therefore, coherent to state that future customer satisfaction will
depend on the quality of our products and services, the results
of which are presented in 9a & 9b. The following performance
indicators are used to monitor, understand, predict and improve
our performance in relation to customer satisfaction.

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Results values show a clearly positive trend, attributable to the
fact that parents value the effort made to address their needs and
offer customised solutions in terms of the academic performance
of their children and the provision of information.
Results values show a slightly positive trend and sustained good
performance. These results not only reflect the fact that parents
want to be informed, but also that the meetings are of a practical
and relevant nature. The high % attendance figures are also attributable
to the improvements in communication, 5e, 6a,2.3.
Results values confirm that very few parents and/or pupils choose
to leave Olabide for reasons related to dissatisfaction (

People Results

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7 PEOPLE RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 59
7. PEOPLE RESULTS
7a. Perceptions
Scope and Relevance
People satisfaction surveys have been conducted in Olabide since
1999-00. Initially, the surveys were biennial, but in 2001-02, we
decided to conduct the surveys on an annual basis to ask our
people for their opinions and suggestions more frequently and
be in a better position to respond more quickly to their demands.
The survey questionnaire consists of 16 general items, some of
which are further segregated into sub-items. Certain items directly
measure the delivery of Olabide Critical Success Factors (CSF),
thus enabling the Management Team (MT) to measure progress
towards the delivery of the Olabide Vision. Satisfaction/ agreement
is scored on a scale of 0 to 10.
As explained in 6, the indicator results presented below are available
on a segmented basis by education stage, departments, teachers/
non-teachers, etc., but are not included here due to space
limitations. In general, target values are set in line with strategy
directives on an ambitious basis to drive continuous improvement.
Although we are aware that this sometimes means the target is
very difficult to accomplish, we believe the driver effect of this
approach to be motivational. With respect to comparison, the
same databases are used as those described in 6, with the same
advantages in terms of comparison with Silver and/or Gold “Qfor-Quality”
and EEA Finalists, Prize or Award Winners. Finally,
and although these data do not appear in this document, we have
also monitored comparable results indicators of St. Mary’s College,
Londonderry (EEA Award Winner on two occasions) up
to and including 2006. The excellent results of St. Mary’s in 2006
represent, in certain cases, a benchmark for Olabide.
In 2008-09, with a view to improving communication and measuring
our people’s perception of the school more directly, the
decision was taken to hold one-to-one interviews with all staff
members and not to conduct the survey that year. From now on,
the idea is to conduct the survey and hold the interviews on alternate
years (in other words, each one every 2 years). For this reason,
no survey results are shown in this criterion part for 2008-09.
The interviews are voluntary and are held with the corresponding
Head of Education Stage, process owners, the School Director
or the Head of Teaching. Qualitative data have been recorded
through these interviews and have been used as input for the improvement
plan.
The colour code used in all the indicators below is as follows:
2. Degree of satisfaction with the work being done (CSF)
The factors behind this positive trend in recent years include:
• participation-based management: staff are encouraged by
Management to propose ideas and put forward their suggestions
regarding the content of the draft Business Plan for each
academic year, and these ideas are seen to be taken into account;
and
• staff stability, the end objective of the school when taking action
to improve communication, people involvement, teamwork,
etc.
2.1. Satisfaction with the resources provided to do your job.
Years 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08
Actual 5,00 5,50 5,56 7,01 6,70 7,30 7,81
Target 5,50 5,50 5,50 5,53 7,36 7,15 7,23
Overcall average 6,80 7,70 7,70 7,60 7,65 7,70 7,70
Overcall best-in-class 8,00 8,50 8,40 8,30 8,30 8,40 8,35
3. Training
1. Overall degree of satisfaction with the running of the school
(CSF)
Results values show a sustained positive trend over time, reflecting
a high degree of satisfaction of our people with school services
and how they are run.
1.1 Degree of satisfaction with Olabide services
Years 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08
Actual 5,40 5,80 5,83 6,67 6,80 7,03 7,29
Target 5,50 5,55 5,67 5,70 6,19 6,49 6,76
The table above shows mean results values for staff satisfaction
with different school services (administration, cleaning, transport,
canteen and maintenance, amongst others). A clearly positive
trend can be seen over time, attributable to improvements progressively
made to administrative management, to the cleaning
service (bathrooms and other areas are now cleaned twice a day
instead of once), to maintenance management and to the canteen
service (a specific dining area was set up for teachers in 2006-07,
soundproofing in the pupils’ canteen, etc.).
Results values for satisfaction with training show a clearly positive
trend over time, attributable to improvement actions taken over
the training period 2004-08, 3b, i.e. alignment of training with the
content of the BP, and the facilities given for staff to attend training
courses, e.g. many in-house courses, payment of enrolment
fees and other associated costs, a maximum of 30 hours training
received outside of working hours are considered as hours worked
and deducted from the annual total, etc.
4. Communication (CSF)

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Results values show sustained good performance over time, attributable
to the importance given to both internal and external
communication, 3d & 4e. Enabling approaches in this case include
the existence and progressive improvement of different communication
channels, e.g. meetings, pigeonholes, suggestions boxes,
e-mail, website, intranet and extranet, etc.
Results values show a continuously positive trend, attributable to
equal opportunity in staff selection, in planning of staff deployment,
in approving requests for leave and training, etc.
8. Satisfaction with Management (CSF)
5. Autonomy at work
A positive trend can be observed over the last three measurements,
attributable to the empowerment given to process owners
and their teams (3c) and to the creation of the figure of Process
System owner. Other practices which facilitate autonomy at work
include:
• taking active part in decision making on teaching methodologies
and projects, putting forward alternative ideas and suggestions;
• planning and conducting curricular-wide activities; and
• organising cultural events and festivities in the school.
6. Opportunities to participate in the school (CSF)
A clearly positive results trend is visible over time, mainly attributable
to the training received by leaders over the years (1a), to
improvements made to how strategy is communicated (1d & 2d)
and to changes in the leadership plan itself.
9. Recognition
Results show a clearly positive trend, attributable to the deployment
of a systemised recognition plan and a series of social benefits
progressively developed since 2003-04, 3e. On the occasion of
being awarded the Basque Govt. Silver ‘Q-for-Quality’ in 2005, all
our people were given recognition for their part in contributing to
this, 3e. Since then, a conscious effort has been made to maintain
this high level of people recognition.
9.1. Satisfaction with how Management recognise my work
Results values show a clearly positive overall trend, punctuated
in 2005-06 by a slight fall. These results are attributable to the
opportunities our people have to participate in the formulation
of the annual BP and the SEP, in refining the basic documents, in
innovation projects, in Open Days and in organising festivities.
9.2 Satisfaction with recognition of work in general (CSF)
7. Equal Opportunity

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10. Main objectives (Mission, Vision, BP, SP, etc.) (CSF)
11.4. Job security
A clearly positive overall trend is visible, attributable mainly to the
care taken by leaders to inform of the content of the annual BP
and of the results obtained the previous year, 1d, 2d & 3d.
11. Working Conditions (CSF)
Results values show a positive trend over time, with a notable
increase seen in 2004-05 in the overall degree of satisfaction. Results
with regard to job security are seen as the result of efforts to
ensure staff stability, whilst flexibility of timetabling helps ensure
an appropriate work/life balance for our people, 3e. Other factors
behind these results include punctual salary payment, access to
and use of the school sports facilities, a new teachers’ room in IE,
more frequent daily cleaning of the school premises, etc.
12. Rating of the impact of Olabide on the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz
(CSF)
11.1. Overall degree of satisfaction with working conditions
11.2. Classroom conditions (location, light, temperature, cleanliness)
Results values show a sustained positive trend. The Olabide policy
with respect to Society is focused on contributing to the welfare
and enrichment of the culture and values of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the
city where the school is located, 8. These results are attributable to
the fact that we organise and/or are involved in several activities
which affect the well-being of the city, such as:
• an annual conference, organised by the school and open to the
general public, with a variety of keynote guest speakers from
the world of the Arts, philosophy, research, the economy, education,
etc.:
• celebration of the summer solstice, open to the public and held
in one of the main squares of the city;
• active participation in the Agenda 21 project;
• the promotion of cycling as a means of transport to and from
school for both staff and pupils, thus contributing to environmental
conservation; and
• the ‘ korrika’ (a sponsored run to raise funds for the Basque
language), a children’s parliament, literary, Arts and sports
competitions, etc.
13. Technology (CSF)
11.3. Work timetable
The major upturn in 2004-05 was due to the considerable increase
and improvement of IT resources that year, whilst the reason for
the downturn in 2006-07 was related to maintenance problems
with the large amount of material in the school. This problem
was overcome and the 2007-08 results rose again.

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14. Overall degree of satisfaction (CSF)
As a result of benchmarking other organisations, we decided in
2006-07 to compile data on this matter. For this reason, data are
only available since 2006-07. The number of training hours/ person
went down in 2008-09 due to a change of training priorities.
However, overall investment figures in training and the degree of
people satisfaction with the training they received remained the
same. This indicator is monitored closely as it reflects the effort
made by each individual in terms of training.
4. Number of improvement ideas put forward/ year
Results values show a clearly positive trend over time, attributable
to the results of the items shown above.
7b. Performance Indicators
Scope and Relevance
1. % employees on open-ended (indefinite term) contracts
Hiring people on an open-ended basis is consistent with the
Olabide philosophy, as it nurtures internal cohesion and a sense
of community and enables us to plan and deliver medium and
long-term projects. This would be far more difficult to achieve
with a high degree of staff turnover. A certain amount of our
people work on fixed-term contracts as substitutes for people on
leave, e.g. sickness, maternity, etc.
Though results values fluctuate, a culture of quality in the school
has been consolidated. After a downfall in 2005-06, the number of
proposals made by staff rose sharply in 2006-07. Over the period
2007-09, although the quantity of suggestions fell, the quality of
the ideas put forward has improved in terms of their value to the
school, e.g. kindergarten support teachers contracted throughout
the year in classes for 2-year-olds, improved format for pupil
report cards, etc. In short, the consolidation of a culture of staff
participation and contribution to improvement, attributable to
the effective deployment of business Excellence approaches, is
what we consider to be of primary importance.
5. % people participating in education-related innovation projects
2. % people taking part in training (CSF)
Results values show sustained excellent performance over the last
4 years, attributable to active participation of 100% of our people
in projects such as dealing with diversity, co-existence, approach
to language teaching-learning, etc.
6. % survey response rate (CSF)
We believe results values speak for themselves. These results are
attributable to the improved Training Plan 2004-08, 3b.
3. Training hours/ person
After detecting that falling response rates were, to some extent,
attributable to a sense amongst our people of not being able to
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7 PEOPLE RESULTS EFQM Excellence Award 2010 63
naire, the decision was taken in 2008-09 to conduct the survey
every 2 years, and to hold personal interviews with staff on alternate
years as well (see beginning of this criterion).
10. % hours lost to strike action/ year
7. % voluntary termination of contract
Results values show that nobody has terminated their contract
with the school on a voluntary basis, thus endorsing a high degree
of people satisfaction. In this case, target values are always 0%.
Practically no hours have been lost to strike action in the school,
thus fomenting a good working atmosphere focused on the delivery
of the Olabide objectives. 2008-09 figures reflect the existence
of a one-day strike that was called throughout the sector. In this
case, target values are always 0%.
11. Number of acts of recognition made to staff
8. % absenteeism in relation to total time off work (not including
maternity leave) (CSF)
Results values have progressively fallen since 2004-05 and have
levelled off in recent years. Any result above 2.6% is considered
as detrimental to the interests of the school. In this case, the comparative
data shown are misleading, as the criteria used for calculation
by Olabide (no. of hours) are different to those used by
schools included in the Euskalit database.
Results values for 2005-06 and 2008-09 reflect the recognition
given to all our people for their contribution to the school being
recognised with the Silver and Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’ Awards respectively.
Recognition given is aligned to defined criteria in the
recognition plan, 3e.
12. Number of workplace accidents leading to time off work
9. Number of complaints reaching MT/ person
Complaints reaching the MT act as an incentive to review and
improve the issues in question. All complaints are systematically
gathered, handled, responded to and monitored.
Results values reveal a very low incidence of workplace accidents
leading to time off work. In this case, target values are always
0%.

Society Results

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results EFQM Excellence Award 2010
8. SOCIETY RESULTS
The 2009 Olabide Mission statement (Qualification File, Dec.
2009) expressly states that our social policy, in addition to a
clear commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, includes
‘…taking an active part in the city of Vitoria–Gasteiz and in
the province of Álava in living and bringing to light the Basque
identity…’. To this end, the indicators included in this criterion
are designed to measure the delivery of the Strategic Objective
included in the Society perspective of the new SP 2009-12, as
well as the Society-related aspects of the former Mission-Vision
statement of the school (Overview), i.e. to reflect the impact the
school has on the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz and its citizens. The fact
that Olabide was the pioneer ikastola in the province of Álava,
and is now the 2nd largest grant-aided school in Vitoria-Gasteiz
in terms of number of pupils (excluding Vocational Training
schools), has not been easy to achieve. Moreover, the fact that we
have maintained this position and prestige as a reference school in
the local area over time is due, amongst other reasons, to how we
have managed to connect with local Society.
Given the particular characteristics of each Society-related
indicator, no uniform criteria are used for target setting. In line with
our strategic commitment to continuous improvement, all targets
are reviewed annually within the Strategic Reflection Process.
Average and best-in-class comparative data have been taken from
the Euskalit (Basque Foundation for Excellence) database. The
existence of these data enables us to compare our performance
with schools and other organisations which have been recognised
with the Silver and/or Gold “Q-for-Quality” awards and, in some
cases, with schools recognised as EEA Finalists, Prize or Award
Winners such as Lauaxeta Ikastola, Begoñazpi Ikastola, Colegio
Vizcaya, Colegio Ursulinas (Urkide), Colegio Sagrado Corazon,
etc. At the time of writing, the latest data available from Euskalit
are those of the academic year 2007-08, though 2008-09 data
will be available by mid-2010. The Overcall database consists of
data on leading organisations in the field of business Excellence
within the education sector, most of which have been recognised
with the Silver and/or Gold “Q-for-Quality” awards. Finally, and
although these data do not appear in this document, we have also
monitored comparable results indicators of St. Mary’s College,
Londonderry (EEA Award Winner on two occasions) up to and
including 2006.
Mention must be made here of the fact that we are currently
working to establish a series of indicators on energy consumption
in the school, thus enabling us to measure the delivery of our
commitment to energy saving and efficiency.
8a. Perceptions
Scope and Relevance
In 2000, Olabide Ikastola was declared of public interest by
the Basque Government on account of our contribution to the
general interests of the Basque Country. The first survey on
the perception of the school held by the local community was
conducted in 2002-03. In 2006, the decision was taken to design 3
different questionnaire models on 3 different areas (Sustainability,
Solidarity [charitable actions] and the promotion of the Basque
Culture), and only to send to survey respondents the questionnaire
related to their activity with the school. Since 2007-08, the survey
is managed by e-mail. Survey respondents are asked to express
their degree of satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10 in relation to their
particular activity area.
Results
1. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations regarding their relationship
with Olabide
Results values show sustained good performance over time.
Survey participants (in this case and the indicator directly below,
practically all Olabide partner suppliers and institutions, 4a) are
asked to express their degree of satisfaction with their relations
with our leaders and the school in general in relation to the
activities included in 8b. All our people are acutely aware of the
importance of these activities with regard to our impact on local
Society, and take a responsible and proactive attitude towards
them at all times. All necessary resources are made available to
ensure the success of these activities.
2. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with the general impact
of Olabide on the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz (CSF)
Results values are high and show a positive trend in recent years,
attributable to the actions taken in the field of environmental
sustainability (rational use of energy and water, cycling as a
means of transport to and from school, collective transportation,
selective recycling), financial sustainability (keeping school fees
at a reasonable level), charity campaigns (Christmas, sponsored
swims, etc.) and sports and Arts promotion.
3. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with the capacity of
Olabide to generate employment
Exact data on the employment generated by the school are shown
in 8b, 5.2.

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4. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with the support given
by Olabide to sport
7. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with the participation
of Olabide in charity campaigns
Both the local basketball club (Baskonia Caja Laboral) and
football club (Deportivo Alavés) express a very high level of
satisfaction with their relationship with us and the work we do to
promote sport at school and locally. Enabling approaches behind
this include the collaboration agreements signed with both clubs,
involving the promotion of both sports, training courses and the
provision of equipment and material.
5. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with the support given
by Olabide to cultural activities
PROCLADE (a Charity NGO) and other organisations show
a high degree of satisfaction with the school, attributable to our
cooperation in raising funds for different charity projects, 8b,3.
8. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with Olabide regarding
internships of their pupils in the school
The Department of Culture of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council
values highly our efforts to promote sociocultural and leisure
events in the city. The wide variety of events and activities
organised and run by the school are shown in 8b, 2.
6. Degree of satisfaction of local organisations with environmental
conservation in Olabide
Teacher training schools affiliated to the University of the Basque
Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao and San Sebastián, and the
faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences of Mondragón
Unibertsitatea show a consistently high degree of satisfaction with
Olabide regarding the internships of their pupils in the school,
8b, 5.1.
8b. Performance Indicators
Scope and Relevance
We believe the degree of Society satisfaction with the school is
determined by what we do on a day-to-day basis. In this respect,
our everyday actions include the use of our facilities by our own
and external people, organising and taking part in Arts and leisure
activities, involvement in charity campaigns, environmental
activities and generating employment. In addition to the indicators
presented here, we believe our Society-related CSF help us to
anticipate future satisfaction levels of Society.
Results
1. Use of Olabide facilities
The Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council values highly the efforts made
by Olabide to recycle, 8b,4. Results values show a consistently high
level of satisfaction, attributable to our participation in the Agenda
21 project and our efficient use of water, for which we received
official recognition from AMVISA, the Municipal Water Board
of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We make a concerted effort every year in the
area of energy efficiency, and are currently working to establish a
series of indicators on energy and water consumption.
In line with our interest to meet stakeholder needs and expectations,
we offer the use of our sports facilities for training purposes to 5

8 SOCIETY RESULTS society
66
results EFQM Excellence Award 2010
external sports teams in which 70 former Olabide pupils take part.
Similarly, our own people occasionally ask to use school facilities
to play frontón or to go swimming, and we have 112 different
school sports teams who train and compete on school premises
in their respective leagues at weekends.
2. Arts and leisure
We organise and take part in a series of events designed to promote
leisure and the Basque culture in the local community,
2.1. Number of sociocultural activities organised
2.4. Number of people attending conferences organised by Olabide
Every year, we organise a conference in Vitoria-Gasteiz with keynote
guest speakers from different fields of Basque society, 5c. In
2005-06, the conference was cancelled at the last moment due to
non-availability of the speaker. Results values for attendance at
these events are healthy and stable.
2.5. Number of people attending the summer solstice festivity
Olabide IE and PE pupils take part in a series of festivities in
the city co-organised by Olabide, 5c, and every year since 2003-
04 we have organised a conference and an open-air festivity in
the city centre to celebrate the end of the academic year and the
summer solstice respectively. IE and PE pupils also take part in
the children’s sponsored run every 2 years. In 2003-04, to celebrate
the 40th anniversary of the school, we organised a photography
exhibition in the Europa Civic Centre and a concert featuring a
well-known Basque singer, which attracted over 2,000 people.
That same year, in the Hegoalde Civic Centre, we also organised
an exhibition of paintings and handicrafts of Olabide pupils, and
this was repeated in 2007-08.
2.2. Money raised on the Korrika (sponsored run)
The first festivity to celebrate the summer solstice was organised
by the school in a central square of the city in 2004. On account of
its popularity (around 2,100 people attended this event), this has
been organised every year since. Attendance dropped in 2006 and
2007 due to bad weather.
2.6. Performances by the Olabide school choir
Since 2002, Olabide staff and pupils have taken part in a sponsored
run to raise funds to promote the Basque language and culture.
The graph above shows the amount of money raised by the school
on the last 3 occasions.
2.3. Basque language classes for parents
In response to parental demand, since 2005-06 we have facilitated
Basque language classes for parents. These classes are organised
through a Basque language school, as this is financially more efficient
for Olabide.
The Olabide school choir is made up of 45 girls and boys of
between 11 and 17 years old. Performances are held both in
and outside the school. Results values show the number of
concerts given outside the school, reflecting the popularity of this
contribution by the school to local culture.
2.7. Performances by the Kultur Elkartea (Arts Association)

8 SOCIETY RESULTS society
67
results EFQM Excellence Award 2010
Olabide has a series of music and dance groups which perform
both in and outside the school to promote and disseminate Basque
culture. Results values show the number of performances given
outside the school.
3. Money raised through charity campaigns
4.3. Recycling of batteries
Results values over the years show an effective collection and
recycling policy of batteries, 4c.
4.4. Recycling of oil
Since the school was founded, we have run a Christmas campaign
to raise money for charity (for schools in under-developed
countries, to fund water treatment plants in the third world, etc.).
Since 2005, all vending machines in the school sell and promote
the sale of fair trade products.
4. Environmental and ecological activities
In line with our stated commitment to the environment and social
responsibility, Olabide has developed and continues to develop
many activities geared towards environmental conservation. These
are fully explained in 1c, 3e and 4c, and in relation to several indicators
presented above.
4.1. Recycling of paper
Results values from 2003-04 to 2005-06 show a considerable
reduction in the amount of oil used in the school canteen,
attributable to a policy of serving less fried foods and more grilled
dishes. The upturn in consumption since 2006 is attributable to
the major increase in the number of users of this service, though
consumption fell once again in 2008-09.
5. Generation of employment
5.1. Internships for trainee IE and PE teachers
Internships are offered every year to trainee teachers, 8a,8.
The number of internships each year depends on the number
of applications made for teacher training using the Basque
language.
Results values show the effectiveness of our active involvement in
the Agenda 21 project. Other factors behind these results are the
active participation of both pupils and staff in these activities, and
paper collection points located in all classrooms, 4c.
4.2. Recycling of toner
5.2. Creation and generation of employment
Results values in the table below show that the number of people
contracted by Olabide in recent years has risen, attributable
primarily to the inclusion of bus monitors and cleaning staff on
the school payroll (the service was previously outsourced), and the
setting up of classes for 2-year-olds (requiring more teaching staff).
2008-09 figures, with 3 employees less than the previous year, are a
direct consequence of adjusting staff numbers to meet our needs
in the most efficient way possible.
All printer and photocopier ink cartridges are recycled; prior to receiving
a new one, the used one must first be handed in, 4c. Results
values show a sustained positive trend in this respect.
Permanent Temporary Total Target
2001-02 101 28 129 129
2002-03 96 32 128 128
2003-04 98 33 131 131
2004-05 104 33 137 137
2005-06 107 24 131 131
2006-07 112 28 140 140
2007-08 125 23 148 148
2008-09 122 23 145 145

Key Results

9 KEY RESULTS 68
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
9. Key results
A selection of key results linked to the delivery of the Olabide
Mission, Vision and Strategy are presented in 9a and 9b. Some
of the indicators included here are Critical Success Factors
(CSF, 2c) of the school.
Target values are reviewed each year as part of the Strategic
Reflection Process. In view of the particular characteristics of
many of the indicators presented here, the criteria for target
setting used for the indicators included and explained in criteria
6 and 7 of this submission document are not uniformly
applied here, although the general trend of continuous improvement
towards delivery of the Olabide Vision remains
the same.
Average and best-in-class comparative data have been taken
from the Euskalit (Basque Foundation for Excellence) database
on schools in the Basque Country whose management
system is based on business Excellence, 2b. The existence
of these data enables us to compare our performance with
schools and other organisations which have been recognised
with the Silver and/or Gold “Q-for-Quality” awards and, in
some cases, with schools recognised as EEA Finalists, Prize
or Award Winners such as Lauaxeta Ikastola, Begoñazpi Ikastola,
Colegio Vizcaya, Colegio Ursulinas (Urkide), Colegio
Sagrado Corazon, etc. At the time of writing, the latest data
available from Euskalit are those of the academic year 2007-
08, though 2008-09 data will be available by mid-2010. Additionally,
data are also used here from the Education Inspectorate
database, from the University of the Basque Country,
from the Basque Statistics Office (EUSTAT) and the National
Statistics Institute (INE).
Up to 2002-03, pupils passed automatically from 1st to 2nd
year CSE.
3. Pass rate in 2nd year cse (csF)
4. Pass rate in 3rd year cse (csF)
9a. Key Strategic Outcomes
scope and relevance
PuPil Pass rates
1. Pass rate in 6th year Pe (csF)
In 2006, the target value was raised to 98%.
5. Pass rate in 4th year cse (csF)
6. Pass rate in 1st year use (csF)
2. Pass rate in 1st year cse.
In view of previous years’ results, the decision was taken in
2008 to raise the target value to 92% for the next 6 indicators.

9 KEY RESULTS 69
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
7. Pass rate in 2nd year use (csF)
average Failure rate
8. average failure rate in 1st (2 year) cycle of cse (first sitting)
• continuity of pupils. Most of our pupils enter the school as
2 or 3-year-olds and stay here until they finish their studies
(9a,31 & 32);
• the support of parents. The success of the school is based
on collaboration between parents and teachers to ensure
pupils’ progress towards defined objectives; and
• pupil assessment at each level of education against predefined
and suitable objectives.
•
Key suBjects
11. Pass rate in spanish in 4th year cse (csF)
12. Pass rate in Basque in 4th year cse (csF)
9. average failure rate in 2nd (2 year) cycle of cse (first sitting)
13. Pass rate in Mathematics in 4th year cse (csF)
10. average failure rate in use (first sitting)
14. % rate of cse pupils who pass 4 languages in cse & use
(csF)
These results are attributable to:
• the personalised attention given to our pupils ( 5d & 9b,
2);
• a stable teaching staff committed to the Olabide philosophy,
enabling sequential teaching, continuity and optimising
how we monitor pupil progress;
• a higher ratio of teachers/ class than the average in the sector
(grant-aided schools, 9b, 1);

9 KEY RESULTS 70
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
Indicators 11 to 14 show the results achieved in key subjects
for the development of our multilingual approach to education.
These results are attributable to the enabling approaches
described above and to support teaching in these subjects,
9b, 2.
university entrance eXaM results
These exam results are the best possible external indicator
we have to assess and compare the academic level achieved
by our pupils when they finish their studies in Olabide. These
results are not achieved by the fact that few pupils reach this
level and take this exam; as can be seen in indicators 1 to 7,
pass rates from one year to the next are very high throughout
the school.
15. % pupils taking exam in 1st sitting / total number of pupils
enrolled in 2nd year use
18. % pupils who pass exam (1st and 2nd sittings) / total number
of pupils taking exam (csF)
2 pupils of a total 717 have failed the exam in 9 years.
19. % university entrance exams passed / total number of pupils
enrolled in 2nd year use (csF)
Pupils who pass this exam in the first sitting are much more
likely to be able to take the degree course of their choice at
university. Olabide has been best-in-class in the Basque Country
on many occasions and way above the average. In absolute
terms, we are also one of the schools in Álava with the highest
number of pupils who take this exam.
16. % pass rate in 1st sitting / total number of pupils taking
exam (csF)
20. average pass mark in university entrance exams (1st sitting)
(csF)
21. average pass mark in university entrance exams (1st & 2nd
sittings) (csF)
17. % pass rate in 2nd sitting / total number of pupils taking
exam
22. average final mark (60% school mark, 40% univ. entrance
exam) (csF)

9 KEY RESULTS 71
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
Good results are difficult to obtain in indicators 20, 21 and
22. Our target is that 85% of pupils take the exam in the first
sitting. Although these results values could be improved by
less pupils taking the exam in the 1 st sitting, the priority for us
is for the highest possible number of pupils to take the exam
in the 1st sitting, thus improving their chances of being able
to take the degree course of their choice at university. Even
so, comparison with the average for the Basque Country is
favourable for Olabide.
23. average overall pass rate in university entrance exams x
% pupils that took the exam x % pupils that passed the exam
(1st sitting)
26. average mark in spanish in university entrance exam (first
sitting) (csF)
We have a stable and very experienced teaching staff. Considerable
importance is given to suitable preparation for the
university entrance exam from the first year of USE studies.
At the end of 2 nd year USE, after the end-of-year report cards
have been given out, an intensive 2-week course is given to our
pupils to prepare them specifically for the university entrance
exam.
This is the aggregate result of indicators 15, 16 and 20. Results
values show us to be best-in-class (or very near) in Álava and
above the average for the Basque Country.
24. average mark in english in university entrance exam (first
sitting) (csF)
DisciPline
27. no. of cases of indiscipline (serious and very serious)
28. no. of cases of indiscipline (not serious)
25. average mark in Basque in university entrance exam (first
sitting) (csF)
Results values show that cases of indiscipline are slowly being
reduced, despite the fact that more areas for potential acts of
indiscipline exist year-on-year (buses, canteen, extra-curricular
activities, etc.). This is attributable to the various work
being done in the school on co-existence (Pentacity, baketik,
co-existence plan, tutoring, etc.) and the active role taken by
parents and teachers in this area.

9 KEY RESULTS 72
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
enrolMent
29. % enrolment of 2 and 3-year-olds (csF)
A more or less steady year-on-year trend can be observed,
showing that the vast majority of Olabide pupils finish their
compulsory education at the planned age (as also shown in
9a,1 to 7). Once again, these results are attributable to the personalised
attention paid to pupils (tutoring, support teaching,
splitting one class into two, etc.).
32. age-appropriate enrolment rate of 17-year-olds (2nd year
use)
Despite the initial downturn in 2001-02, results values since
then show sustained excellent performance, attributable to
the application of findings from market studies (2001-04), the
opening of classrooms for 2-year-olds (2001-05), extending
the school transport service to cover nearby towns (2001-02),
open days, the appointment of a person to coordinate the
enrolment campaign, personal interviews with parents and
the setting up of a child-minding service (2002-03).
30. % pupils enrolled / available places (occupancy rate)
(csF)
Results values show sustained good performance over time,
especially taking into account that the birth rate in the Basque
Country is the fourth lowest of all EU-27 member states (2008
data). These results are attributable to stable and/or continuously
improving enrolment rates and the degree of continuity
of pupils studying in Olabide. Another factor to take into
account here is that the legal limit on the number of pupils
per class in 6th year PE is 25, but when they pass to 1 st year
CSE, the legal limit is 30. This change obviously affects the
occupancy rate figures.
age-aPProPriate enrolMent rates
31. age-appropriate enrolment rate of 15-year-olds (4th year
cse) (csF)
Financial results
Budget monitoring is the responsibility of the Finance Committee
of the GB. All budget items are monitored monthly
to ensure correct execution, and corrective action is taken
against deviation, 4b. We are very demanding in our target
setting in this area, and this, together with close monitoring of
any actions and measures taken, enables us to achieve results
generally superior to the sector average.
33. % % deviation of income / initial budget
02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
ratio 0.0299 0.0441 0.0273 0.0387 0.0312 -0.0025 0.0231
Target 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Av’ge 5.47 3.03 1.13 1.99 2.26 3.96
Best-in-class 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.06
34. % deviation of expenditure / initial budget
02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09
ratio 0.0079 0.0232 0.0059 0.0184 0.0142 -0.017 0.022
Target 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Av’ge 0.87 2.06 1.49 0.44 2.01 3.86
Best-in-class 0.00 -20.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03
35. % deviation of results / initial budget (income - expenditure)
(csF)
02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09
ratio 0.13 0.17 0.33 0.27 0.05 -0.18 0.11
Target 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Av’ge 0.00% 0.68% 2.05% 3.20% 1.77% 1.29%
Best-in-class 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Our financial strategic objective is to achieve a bottom-line
profit and loss account figure tending to zero. Results values
of these 3 indicators show sustained good performance, attributable
to close budget monitoring (as mentioned above),
the continuous adjustment of staff and their deployment to
the real needs of the school, modifications to school timetabling,
fees set on a discriminatory basis to increase occupancy
rates in younger education stages, the commitment to ensuring

9 KEY RESULTS 73
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
that any proposed new activity must be subject to a specific
viability plan, and investments which generate cost savings in
energy and consumption (sensor lighting, IT-regulated automated
heating system, thermostat-controlled through the
school, improved insulation, etc.). These measures contribute
to improving the sustainability of the school.
36. expenditure/ pupil (csF)
9b. Key Performance Indicators
scope and relevance
eDucation-relateD inDicators
1. ratio of teachers/ class in secondary education
Average expenditure per pupil in grant-aided schools in the
Basque Country in 2007-08 stood at 3,462 € (ref. Ministry of
Education and Science, 12.05.08). To deliver our objectives,
we ask Olabide parents to make a slightly greater financial
effort than the average; however, this approach has led to excellent
academic and educational results. All expense items
are included in the graph shown above (transport, canteen,
child-minding, extra-curricular activities, etc.).
2. support class hours / week in cse
Business eXcellence
37. score obtained in self-assessment against eFQM model
(csF)
Considerable effort is made to offer pupils support classes in
so-called procedural subjects (Basque and Mathematics), the
consequences of which can be seen in 9a,1 to 13.
Financial inDicators
3. Financial autonomy (csF)
No self-assessment was conducted in 2006 as the previous
year we had been externally assessed and awarded the Basque
Government Silver ‘Q-for-Quality’, thus endorsing the selfassessment
score of 2005. Likewise, in 2008, we were awarded
the Gold ‘Q-for-Quality’, which also endorsed our self-assessment
score of the same year.
Results show that our degree of financial autonomy has decreased
the last two academic years due to the extension of a
loan taken out to cover necessary investment in 2007-08 and
2008-09 (500,000 €).
4. long-term debt ratio (csF)

9 KEY RESULTS 74
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
Results show that this ratio has increased. This situation
is attributable not only to the extension of the loan as described
above, but also to changes in accounting law which
have meant that parent contributions to cooperative social
capital are now, for accounting purposes, recorded as longterm
debt.
5. % unpaid fees
In 2008-09, budget control was improved by discerning between
study fees paid by parents and the fees payable for other
services and extra-curricular activities (transport, canteen,
child-minding, etc.). Results values for this indicator show
sustained performance over the last 5 years.
9. % funds allocated to investment/ year (csF)
01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
ratio -0.0003 -0.0002 0.0007 -0.0006 0.0005 0.0001 0.0011 0.0033
Target 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Average 0.04 0.01 0.20 0.52 0.29 0.14 0.22
Best-inclass
-14.74 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Close monitoring and control of this fundamental factor in
the management of a cooperative has enabled us to keep this
ratio below 0.0033% of turnover. Even so, these are more
cases of late payment than non-payment.
6. acid test (liquidity ratio)
Results values show that we have been able to allocate around
4% of total expenditure to investment, without any substantial
increase in our debt level (9b, 4).
10. equity / fixed assets
01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
ratio -0.3107 -0.3498 0.5611 -0.4622 0.3547 0.4298 0.416 0.467
Target 0.30 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.40
Average 0.00 0.00 1.51 2.47 1.61 2.03 3.20
Best-inclass
0.00 0.00 5.10 29.62 5.59 13.50 51.14
Results vales show that, as a result of close budget monitoring,
we are in a satisfactory position to cover our short-term
debts.
7. % cooperative member and study fees / total income (csF)
Results values for these last two indicators reveal that the financial
situation of the school is sound. This is attributable
to the fact that for the last two years, our financial results have
been positive, and even when results have been negative, the
school has been able to generate a positive cash-flow.
11. capacity to generate positive cash flow (cash flow/ total
income)
Results values show that the % of total income represented by
cooperative and study fees is diminishing, attributable to the
fact that we are also financed by public funds.
8. % all fees paid by parents / total income
Cash flow levels has been consolidated at around 4%, even
though the relative importance of fees as a total % of income
has been reduced, 9b,7 and 8.
12. % subsidised (grant-aided) classrooms (csF)
01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
Olabide 59 61 63 64 66 66 66 66
Target 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

9 KEY RESULTS 75
key results
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
innovation
13. % investment in innovation/ budget
Maintenance
15. % budget allocated to facilities maintenance
02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
ratio 0.22 0.19 0.26 0.56 1.19 1.18 0.81
Target 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.40 0.80 1.00 1.00
Av’ge 8.32 4.77 4,47 8.16 3.33 3.36
Best-in-class 0.00 13.00 21.00 30.27 16.84 16.43
This indicator reflects the school’s commitment to innovation
in all areas. Fluctuation in results values is mostly attributable
to the number of innovation projects conducted each year. As
explained in 2, 4c & 4d, 2005-06 marked the beginning of a
period of change in the ICT Area of the school with the hiring
of an IT engineer who dedicates 80% of his time to this field.
In this case, comparison is misleading, as the database used
here mainly contains data on Vocational Training schools.
14. ratio computers/ pupil
Results values for this indicator show that, in line with our
Vision statement and the approach outlined in 4c, we make
every effort to maintain our buildings and facilities in the best
possible condition. A minimum 1% of the school budget is allocated
to maintenance, though whene ver the financial situation
permits, this is increased to 2% to cover external works.
Business eXcellence
16. % people taking part in process management (csF)
02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
% 10 50 100 100 100 100 100
Target 20 70 100 100 100 100
We replace existing hardware and buy more equipment (average
life cycle; 3 years) for our pupils in line with the multiannual
plan drawn up and aligned to our strategy. Obsolete
equipment is then used in other secondary service areas of the
school. As above, comparison in this case is misleading, as the
database used here for comparison mainly contains data on
Vocational Training schools.
17. number of process improvement cycles completed (csF)
02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09
No. imp.
cycles
3 12 23 25 42 73 82
Target 2 5 15 17 20 82 82

glossary
glossary
EFQM Excellence Award 2010
9 76
ASP
Annual School Plan
B1, B2, etc. Language competence levels
Berritzegune
BP
BSC
CSE
CSF
CSR
CV
Centre for Training and Innovation in Education
Business Plan
Balanced Scorecard
Compulsory Secondary Education
Critical Success Factor
Corporate Social Responsibility
Curriculum Vitae
D1, D2, D3 Deployment Levels
EIB
EMS
ERKIDE
Euskalit
EUSTAT
GB
Gold Q-for-Quality
HUHEZI
ICT
IE
Ikastolen Elkartea
INE
Irizar
IRR
ISEI-IVEI
IT
Kristau Eskola
LOE
MAIER
MIT
Mondragón
Unibertsitatea
MT
MVV
NGO
Partaide
PE
PEIO
PF
PISA
PS
QCT
SC
SCP
SEP
Silver Q-for-Quality
SP
SPRI
StP
TIMSS
USE
Association of Ikastolas
Excellence Management System
Federation of Teaching Cooperatives
Basque Foundation for Excellence
Basque Statistics Office
Governance Board
Award for scoring 500+ points against EFQM model after external assessment
Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences: Univ. of Mondragón
Information and Communication Technologies
Infant Education
Association of Ikastolas
National Statistics Office
Coach making company
Internal Rules and Regulations
Basque Institute for Research and Assessment in Education
Information Technology
Association of Basque Christian Schools
Spanish Fundamental Law of Education
Automotive Sector company
Management and Improvement Team
University of Mondragón
Management Team
Mission, Vision and Values
Non-Government Organisations
Association of Cooperatives
Primary Education
4-year Olabide ICT Strategy Plan
Process Family
Programme for International Student Assessment
Process System
Quality Coordination Team
Steering Committee
School Curricular Plan
School Education Plan
Award for scoring 400-499 points against EFQM model after external assessment
Strategy Plan
Basque Agency for Business Promotion
Strategic Priority
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
Upper Secondary Education

Tel.: 945 01 19 63 | Fax: 945 13 02 50 | Postasaila 571 | 01080 Vitoria-Gasteiz
www.olabideikastola.com | posta@olabide.com
GPS coordinates: X 524940 - Y 4741611