Quality Assurance and School Development SDPI Summer School Thursday 23 June 2005 Gary Ó Donnchadha Senior Inspector Office of the Chief Inspector

 SDP role in schools  The Evolving Education Landscape: System Change and Development  The Programme of Inspection in Schools / WSE  Thematic or Programme Evaluation  SDP and External Evaluation  Discussion Outline

SDP role in schools SDP € Parents Pupils Teaching and Learning Action planning and monitoring Leadership and Management Ethos - Characteristic Spirit

System change and development  Education legislation oEducation Act (1998) - Education Welfare Act (2000) - Teaching Council Act (2001) - Education for Persons with Special Needs Act (2004)  Restructuring in the Department of Education and Science  Service Delivery through Agencies o(NCCA) (NEPS) (SEC) (NEWB) (NCSE) (10 Regional Offices) oDevelopment of Services to Schools oSchool Development Planning, Curriculum Support, Education Centres  Public Sector Management Reform – Strategic Management Initiative (SMI)

Planning for school and system improvement School and System improvement Continuum of Teacher Education Curriculum Development and Review Leadership Development in Schools Professional Bases for Teaching Resource Supports for Students Monitoring and Reporting on Outcomes Quality of External Evaluation School Development Planning Initiative SLSS

The Inspectorate  A centralised Inspectorate: primary and second level  Statutory remit under the Education Act 1998 oA programme of inspection in schools: 8,000 inspections 2001 to 2004 oPromoting compliance with regulation and legislation oAdvisory role for schools and for the Department oContribution to policy development

 150/170 inspectors under the Chief Inspector organised in two subdivisions: Regional Subdivision and Policy Support Subdivision Strategic change in the Inspectorate

 Primary oTeachers on probation oTuairisc Scoile (School Report) oWSE oThematic / Focused Evaluations  Post-primary oSubject Inspection oWSE oThematic / Focused Evaluations Range of evaluation models

Post-Primary Subject Inspection –Number of subject inspection reports issued from September 2001 to December 2004 Subject Inspection  Affirm good practice  Promote continuing improvement  Discussions with Principal and subject teachers  Classroom observation  Feedback / Report

From WSI to WSE  WSI Consultative Conference in 1996 oWhite Paper – Charting Our Education Future oA guiding rationale for WSI Evolution of WSE  WSE Pilot Project in 1998/1999 oWSE based on partnership and co-operation o35 participating schools “The key word is ownership.”

 Purpose  Provide an external perspective on the work of the school  Affirm good practice  Identify constructively areas for improvement  Facilitate school self-evaluation  Assure quality in education system Whole School Evaluation

Pupils TeachersPrincipal In-school Management Board of Management Parent Representatives Inspectors Minister for Education Public / Taxpayer Whole School Evaluation SDP support

Area 1: Quality of school management Area 2: Quality of school planning Area 3: Quality of curriculum provision Area 4: Quality of learning and teaching Area 5: Quality of support for students WSE Framework

 Reporting Inspector – responsible for the overall management of the process  Supporting Inspector –assists the Reporting Inspector  The Reporting and Supporting Inspectors attend and chair all of the meetings during the WSE process other than those taking place as part of the subject inspections  Subject Inspectors – carry out subject inspections as part of the process WSE evaluation team

 Initial Phase  Meetings with CEO of VEC, BOM, Parents, staff  Documentation / Information from school  Mission Statement, Timetable, Prospectus, School plan (including all policies), Handbooks/Journals, Staffing, Curriculum (planning, options, assessment, etc.), Extra-curricular activities, etc.  Information from other sources  SEC, Administrative sections of DES (e.g. Building Unit), VEC, etc. WSE Initial Phase

 In-school Phase  Review of documentation, meetings, observation, subject inspections  Meetings with;  Senior management  Middle management  Education support team  School planning team  Pastoral care team  Student Council representatives  other WSE In-School Phase

 Preliminary meeting with subject teachers  Discussions around whole school provision, planning and preparation and assessment and achievement  Evaluation of the quality of learning and teaching  Observation of a range of lessons, interaction with students, discussions with teachers, review of documentation  Feedback meeting with subject teachers / principal  Discussion of main findings and recommendations Subject Inspection within WSE

Planning Documentation Assessment Records Interaction with Pupils Discussion with School Personnel School Information Form Observation of Teaching and Learning Evidence gathering for WSE

 Final Phase  Meetings with senior management, staff, BOM  WSE report is factually verified with principal  Individual Subject Inspection Reports appended  Report cleared by Inspectorate and issued to school … and follow up development activity in schools WSE Final Phase

 Information on WSE for schools?  Reporting on individual teachers?  Resource implications of recommendations?  Follow-up to WSE?  Timing of WSE and the School Year?  Reviewing the process? WSE FAQ

Literacy and Numeracy in Disadvantaged Schools 12 of the 100 most disadvantaged Primary Schools  Poverty - drug abuse, lack of effective parenting  Widespread low achievement  Absenteeism is a major problem for some pupils  Between 9% and 40% absent for more than 30 days  Poor attendance has serious, long-term educational consequences

 The report highlights serious levels of low achievement among pupils  Very few pupils in the top category of achievement  Almost two-thirds in lowest achievement band in Mathematics Pupil achievement LiteracyMathematics

 One-third of the teachers had 3 years teaching or less  9% of teachers not qualified - High teacher turnover in a few schools  Most felt unprepared for teaching in disadvantaged schools Management and Planning in the Schools  not MORE planning! - more FOCUSED planning  delegation of curriculum leadership  should plan for improvement in literacy and numeracy  additional non-contact time is required to support school planning and review

An Evaluation of Curriculum Implementation Primary School Curriculum (1999) - ‘an exciting opportunity for change and renewal in primary schools’  Inspectors observed teaching and learning  Reviewed whole-school planning, classroom planning and children’s work  Interviews with class teachers and principals

Whole-school planning: Primary Curriculum  Effective school plans - a collaborative and consultative process  Subject co-ordinators played an important role in whole-school planning  Structure of the curriculum – positive response from teachers for the Mathematics and Visual Arts curricula  Planning for English – challenges for the future

 Understanding school Vision and a strategic perspective on school change  Supporting constructive change in school context and culture  Realistic expectations and professionalism in the change leadership role oMaking connections in the teaching / learning process oMaking connections in the functioning of the school as an organisation  Supporting school leadership to promote excellence in the school School Development Planning in action

Making Connections for School Improvement Professional development and expertise of teacher in teaching, learning and assessment teacher Translating whole school teaching, learning and assessment policies into classroom actions School to classroom Improving teaching, learning and assessment in the school Professional leadership for teaching, learning and assessment principal Connecting class-based teaching, learning and assessment and whole school policy and practice classroom to school SDP support

 Balanced Scorecard Planning models in industry [ref: Kaplan and Norton]  Clarity in major goals and in particular objectives – specific initiatives tied to the achievement of objectives – eg development of teaching methods  Emphasis on making the priorities everybody’s everyday business  Setting of targets and monitoring progress towards achievement of objectives oWhat are the observables of improvement? Managing and monitoring implementation of plans

 SDP and WSE / Subject Inspection focusing on school improvement  Evaluation capability as central in both SDP and WSE oSources of data for evaluation – and effective analysis oReporting on the findings of monitoring and review  SDP and follow-up actions recommended in WSE / Subject Inspection  SDP and WSE / Subject Inspection as mutually supportive processes SDP and Evaluation

Discussion Contact: Gary Ó Donnchadha Senior Inspector Office of the Chief Inspector Department of Education and Science Telephone Fax: