Quality Assurance and School Development

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

2. Outline • 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

3. SDP role in schools SDP

4. System change and development • Education legislation • Education 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 • (NCCA) (NEPS) (SEC) (NEWB) (NCSE) (10 Regional Offices) • Development of Services to Schools • School Development Planning, Curriculum Support, Education Centres • Public Sector Management Reform – Strategic Management Initiative (SMI)

5. Planning for school and system improvement

6. The Inspectorate • A centralised Inspectorate: primary and second level • Statutory remit under the Education Act 1998 • A programme of inspection in schools: 8,000 inspections 2001 to 2004 • Promoting compliance with regulation and legislation • Advisory role for schools and for the Department • Contribution to policy development

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

8. Range of evaluation models • Primary • Teachers on probation • Tuairisc Scoile (School Report) • WSE • Thematic / Focused Evaluations • Post-primary • Subject Inspection • WSE • Thematic / Focused Evaluations

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

10. From WSI to WSE • WSI Consultative Conference in 1996 • White Paper – Charting Our Education Future • A guiding rationale for WSI • WSE Pilot Project in 1998/1999 • WSE based on partnership and co-operation • 35 participating schools “The key word is ownership.” Evolution of WSE

11. Whole School Evaluation • 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

12. Whole School Evaluation SDP support

13. WSE Framework 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

14. WSE evaluation team • 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

15. WSE Initial Phase • 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.

16. WSE In-School 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

17. Subject Inspection within WSE • 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

18. Evidence gathering for WSE

19. WSE Final Phase • 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

20. WSE FAQ • 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?

21. 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

22. Literacy Mathematics Pupil achievement • 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

23. Management and Planning in the Schools • 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 • 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. School Development Planning in action • 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 • Making connections in the teaching / learning process • Making connections in the functioning of the school as an organisation • Supporting school leadership to promote excellence in the school

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

28. Managing and monitoring implementation of plans • 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 • What are the observables of improvement?

29. SDP and Evaluation • SDP and WSE / Subject Inspection focusing on school improvement • Evaluation capability as central in both SDP and WSE • Sources of data for evaluation – and effective analysis • Reporting 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

30. Discussion Contact: Gary Ó Donnchadha Senior Inspector Office of the Chief Inspector Department of Education and Science Telephone +353 1 889 6425 Fax: +353 1 889 6541 gary_odonnchadha@education.gov.ie