Quality
Assurance and
School
Development
SDPI Summer School
Thursday 23 June 2005
Gary Ó Donnchadha
Senior Inspector
Office of the Chief Inspector
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
SDP role in schools
€
Parents
Pupils
Teaching and Learning
Action planning and monitoring
Leadership and Management
Ethos - Characteristic Spirit
SDP
System change and
development

Education legislation
o 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
o (NCCA) (NEPS) (SEC) (NEWB) (NCSE) (10 Regional Offices)
o Development of Services to Schools
o School Development Planning, Curriculum Support, Education Centres

Public Sector Management Reform – Strategic Management Initiative (SMI)
Planning for school and system
improvement
Continuum of
Teacher
Education
SLSS
School
Development
Planning
Initiative
Curriculum
Development
and Review
School and
System
improvement
Quality of
External
Evaluation
Leadership
Development
in Schools
Professional
Bases for
Teaching
Monitoring
and Reporting
on Outcomes
Resource
Supports for
Students
The Inspectorate

A centralised Inspectorate: primary and second level

Statutory remit under the Education Act 1998
o A programme of inspection in schools: 8,000 inspections 2001 to 2004
o Promoting compliance with regulation and legislation
o Advisory role for schools and for the Department
o Contribution to policy development
Strategic change in the
Inspectorate

150/170 inspectors under the Chief Inspector organised in two subdivisions:
Regional Subdivision and Policy Support Subdivision
Range of evaluation
models

Primary
o Teachers on probation
o Tuairisc Scoile (School Report)
o WSE
o Thematic / Focused Evaluations

Post-primary
o Subject Inspection
o WSE
o Thematic / Focused Evaluations
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
From WSI to WSE

WSI Consultative Conference in 1996
o White Paper – Charting Our Education Future
o A guiding rationale for WSI

WSE Pilot Project in 1998/1999
o WSE based on partnership and co-operation
o 35 participating schools
“The key word is ownership.”
Evolution of WSE
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
Whole School Evaluation
Teachers
Public /
Taxpayer
Minister for
Education
Principal
Pupils
In-school
Management
Board of
Management
Inspectors
Parent
Representatives
SDP
support
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
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
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.
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
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
Evidence gathering for WSE
Planning
Documentation
Observation of
Teaching and Learning
Assessment
Records
School Information
Form
Interaction with
Pupils
Discussion with
School Personnel
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
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?
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
Pupil achievement
Literacy
Mathematics

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
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
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
Effectiveness of whole-school planning
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
72%
48%
37%
English
Visual arts
Mathematics

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
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
o Making connections in the teaching / learning process
o Making connections in the functioning of the school as an organisation

Supporting school leadership to promote excellence in the school
Making Connections for
School Improvement
principal
Professional leadership
for teaching, learning
and assessment
School to classroom
classroom to school
Translating whole school
teaching, learning and
assessment policies into
classroom actions
Improving teaching,
learning and
assessment in the
school
Professional development
and expertise of teacher in
teaching, learning and
assessment
teacher
Connecting class-based
teaching, learning and
assessment and whole school
policy and practice
SDP
support
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
o What are the observables of improvement?
SDP and Evaluation

SDP and WSE / Subject Inspection focusing on school improvement

Evaluation capability as central in both SDP and WSE
o Sources of data for evaluation – and effective analysis
o 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
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