School Self-Evaluation A Framework in Action

1. School Self-Evaluation A Framework in Action St Peter’s College

2. Saint Peter’s College • Dunboyne, • Co. Meath • Established 1994 • Now 1000 pupils approx. • 80+ teachers

3. Since September 2012schools have been obliged to engage with this formally

4. SSE @ St Peter’s College • Subject department meetings, reviews of methodologies and schemes of work • Student Council Meetings • Care Team Meetings • A-Post Meetings • Evaluation and review of TY, LCA, PLC programmes • Assessment Reports • Annual Examination Results Analysis – Subject & Whole School • Team Teaching • Board of Management Meetings

5. SSE @ St Peter’s College • New Teacher Induction • Special Educational Needs review and evaluation • Participation in Wellbeing Jigsaw Project • Feedback sessions from Support Services • 33 hour Planning Schedule evaluation and review • Parents Association Meetings • Prize-giving & Awards • Staff Meeting Workshops • Research Projects • Numeracy & Literacy Initiatives

6. Background • Whole School Development Committee WSD • Chaired by Principal + 10 Staff (voluntary) • Management Advisory Committee MAC • Deputy Principal + 10 Staff + 2 students – rotating Chair • Student Assessment, Learning and Teaching SALT • Deputy Principal + 10 Staff – rotating Chair • Behavioural Improvement Committee BIC • Deputy Principal + 6 Staff

8. Page 22, Guidelines

9. Step 1 Gathering Evidence • Who would gather this information? • What information did we want? • How would we gather this information?

10. SAMPLE TOOLS OF SELF EVALUATION • Questionnaires - online • Interviews • Observation • Analysis of pupils’ work • Spot checks • Posters, Postet walls • Portraiture/photo inquiry • Critical incident analysis • Suggestion boxes • Subject Department Reports • Research Projects

11. Step 1 Gathering Evidence • How we were going to evaluate this information? • When would we evaluate this information?

12. Structure of School Self-Evaluation Cycle

14. Not knowing how to study/How to study

15. When teacher talks too much/Teacher talking while we take down notes

16. Sun shining in the window!

17. Teaching and Learning School Self-Evaluation Questionnaire for 1st Year StudentsMay 2012 • Any other comments... • I like this school • Lighten up with the bad notes! • Explain first... Then let me take it down • I hate hate hate the Maths Book!

18. I love Mr Potter x • A petting farm would be good at lunch time

20. Subject Planning Folders - SALT Last Year Subject Departments given planning guidelines and templates • Department policy on methodologies/teaching approaches • Subject Inspection Reports & Improvement Plans • FYA First Year Continual Assessment – Subject Specific Policy

21. Attainment Levels in Literacy/Numeracy • National Numeracy & Literacy drive • July 2011 Launch of Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life • Outlines the necessity that all subjects take responsibility for increasing literacy and numeracy • The introduction of standardised testing in second year • The requirement of all schools to analyse the primary school scores, correlate with second year scores and identify strengths/weaknesses and formulate evidence based targets to address these weaknesses • From September 2011 – SALT investigated various initiatives to improve L & N in St Peters

22. Attainment Levels in Literacy/Numeracy • Dec 2011 SEN coordinator gave a L & N presentation to staff • May 2012 Presentation given to Subject Coordinators • Whole school, coordinated approach • Proposed L & N initiatives identified by SALT • June 2012 Feedback from departments • June 2012 Discussion of feedback by SALT and decision on 2012/2013 plans • Sept 2012 Targets agreed by all teachers

23. Agreed Whole School Literacy Initiatives • Common Approach to mis-spelling • First ten words misspelt in a test or homework are corrected by the teacher • Space is given at the end of the test/homework for students to rewrite the word and its meaning • Misspelt words are noted with their meaning in the vocab copy

24. Vocab Copy • Dedicated hardback copy • Alphabetised in tutor class to increase cross curricular links

25. Drop Everything And Read • Book in the Bag Absent teachers of first or second years will have the option of either leaving work or leaving instruction to read book in the bag

26. Agreed Whole School Numeracy Initiatives • Common Test Marking Policy • Teachers write only the marks awarded on the test • Students add up the total marks for the test • Students make a fraction and multiply by 100 to find their percentage

27. Date and Time • Date always written on board – change the format • Time to be displayed in 12 hr and 24 hr format

28. Subject Specific • Outline in department folder specific subject interventions/ cross curricular links – timelines, graphs and charts etc

29. Agreed Whole School Literacy Initiatives • Subject Key Words • Each department will identify 50 key words that all first years should know by the end of the year • 25 by Christmas 2012 and 25 by May 2013 • First years will be given a short assessment on these words during the exams

31. Subject Department SSE Goals 2012-2013 • Subject Department Improvement Plan using themes from SSE Guidelines - September • Teacher’s Practice/Methodologies • Learner Experiences • Learner Outcomes/Attainment levels in literacy and numeracy to highlight good practice identify challenges suggest how we might improve

32. SSE Timeframe 2012-13

33. Choosing Priorities for Improvement Staff groups of 4. Each group: one area for improvement from each section on the summary of data collected

34. Step 2 Drawing Conclusions Choosing Priorities

35. Choosing Priorities

36. Steps 3 & 4 Drawing Conclusions & Writing The Report • A summary of the self-evaluation report • listing the strengths of theschool and • the priorities that the school has set for development will beneeded for communication to the wider school community. It will enable theschool leadership and management to report to parents on the operation ofthe school as required under Section 20 of the Education Act, 1998. (Page 15, Guidelines for Post Primary Schools)

38. Step 5 Choosing Actions & Targets • Using the evaluation criteria provided by the Guidelines • Choose specific actions and targets to improve priority area identified

39. Learning to Learn – Independent Learning Learning Skills to Improve: • Managing Myself • Well Being • Communication • Critical & Creative Thinking • Working with Others • Summarising • Presenting Work to Others etc.

42. Current Continual Assessment Policy

43. MAC proposeLearning to Learn Enable students to: • ‘’Reflect on their own learning syles and approaches to learning’’ • by • Engaging with project work & action reporting as part of their Continuous Assessment • Using Diary as Reflective Learning Tool, student comments

44. Reflective Diary

47. MAC - Summary of Whole School Actions • May 2013 - School Improvement Plan Approved- BOM, Head of Department meet – MAC present plan • Sept 2013 –departments plan for ‘independent learning’ initiative and project work assessment • Dec 2013 – Staff Day - focus on Independent Learning Strategies, Project Work, Reporting • Mar 2014 - FYA 3 • Mar 2015 - SYA 3 comparison, results improvement monitored, challenges addressed ongoing basis via SALT • MAC review annually, and end of 3 year cycle • Restart Action Research Cycle of Evaluation year 3, 2016

50. Thank You for your Attention • Any Questions? • AGuinan@meathvec.ie • DMaye@meathvec.ie