HEADMASTER’S REPORT
JANUARY 2010
Academic Matters
On the X November, members of the Management and Personnel Committee was
addressed by Mr Smith and Mrs Goodall on examination performances and the school
policies and practices on monitoring and tracking. All Subject Coordinators have
submitted Action Plans as integral to our procedures and all meet with me to discuss
results and targets.
Parents are consulted after each grade card and parents of students who are failing to
achieve target grades are invited in for interviews with Key Stage Heads and me.
Support mechanisms for under-achieving students include the provision of Report
cards, twilight classes, Saturday morning and Holiday classes as well as the thriceweekly Homework Support Club. This term we are introducing Assertive Mentoring,
whereby senior teachers will meet regularly with students identified as underachieving to challenge their assumptions and refocus their efforts in one-to-one
sessions.
On the 14th January, we had a visit from two members of ETI who looked at our
strategies for improvement, particularly in Specialist School Subjects. Mr Smith’s
summary of their report back is below.
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Improvement in depth and breadth of work throughout the school
Targets and Monitoring - “Very impressed with how energetically HODs are
using them”
“There is evident a challenge culture in the school and what is great is that the
boys are buying into it”
Pastoral : “ A more consistent approach is evident and this is making things
easier for teachers”
“ There is a really good consistency of effort between SLT, Middle
Management and HODs”
“Business like atmosphere in the school which was not evident before”
“Boys love structure and they are getting it”
“HODs have really bought into pupil voice and this has great potential for
getting the boys to buy into the challenge culture even more”
And their conclusions: Well done to all – we are delighted that we have done this inspection.
This is going to be very positive in terms of the department
Student Matters
In September we made all parents and students aware of new rules regarding
punctuality in the morning. Punctuality has improved but some students, previously
sanctioned, find it difficult to sustain their punctuality and it may be necessary to
move to another sanction for recidivists.
These areas demand a great deal of time and energy. I have had serious conversations
with students and parents over such matters as inappropriate dress, extreme hair
styles and earrings. Some pupils have been suspended for their failure to abide by
school rules. These rules are clear and have been distributed to all parents.
For some students, their ability to meet the expectations of the school is compromised
by, for instance, shirts that are too big and shirts that are too small.
From September to December 2009 a total of eight students from Years 10 to 12 were
suspended from school. Their misdemeanours included possession of fire-works,
bullying and harassment, fighting, inappropriate language and behaviour and offences
against the school’s dress code. In most cases, parents were supportive; all were
consulted.
As a result of a rigorous selection process, Rory Gibson Yr13 was chosen by the Rotary
Club for a Young Leaders’ project. This involves him in a week-long immersion in the
Northern Irish, Irish and European political institutions. Beginning on the 8 th of
February he will spend two days in Stormont, two in the Dail and three days at the
parliament buildings, Strasbourg.
Thirteen senior students took part in the regional heat of the Bar National Mock trial
Competition held in the High Court, Belfast on 28th November. This involved the
students studying and rehearsing two cases which are tried in front of High Court
judges in competition with other schools. We were facilitated in this by no fewer than
three barristers who travelled from Belfast to instruct the students.
Staff Matters
On December 2nd, I accompanied four colleagues to a conference at the Perse School
Cambridge entitled, Gender and Education: Exploding the Myths. It consisted of a
number of presentations from academics and Heads relating to single-sex teaching and
gender stereotyping in coeducational and single-sex schools. No evidence was
presented to suggest that one set of arrangements was inherently superior to another
or that one led to better outcomes than another. Within these bold statements,
however, was embedded some interesting sociology.
Mrs Maxwell and Ms Heap have both completed their PQH(NI) successfully. This
means that three teachers at Portora RS have achieved this qualification.
Mr and Mrs Mason have added to their family with the birth in December of Sidney.
It is humbling to think of the lengths colleagues will go to ensure that we can sustain
our intake numbers into the 21st Century. Mr Mason’s article on Thinking Skills was
published in the last edition in November of the magazine of the general teachers’
Council from whom he had received a bursary to attend a conference in England.
Richard followed Mrs Goodall in being the second Portora teacher to receive such an
award. Mr Mason has led the implementation of Thinking Skills strategies in the
school.
We have relaunched the House system with the appointment of four new
Housemasters: Mr McCallum, mr Bersot, Mr Smith (Art) and Dr McAlister. The
first event of the relaunch was the House Cross Country held on the 2 nd February
after school. There was a very good turn-out of enthusiastic boys and it was evident
that our new Housemasters had worked very hard to engender allegiances. It was a
very gratifying start to the relaunch. (Connacht won, by the way.)
Transfer 2010 and Post Primary Review
These were two of the big issues: the first was a province wide one, the second was
particular to Fermanagh.
Our transfer procedures began in the first half of 2009 with meetings with principals
and parents to introduce them to our decisions about how children would transfer to
Portora in 2010. As agreed, we subscribed to GL Assessment, as did Mount Lourdes
and St Michael’s. Eighty-four P7 boys from Fermanagh and Tyrone attended an
Activities Day in June and a Familiarisation day in November at the school before
sitting the assessments on the morning of the 21st November. All went smoothly and
we await copies of their first-preference applications in February.
We have seventy places to offer and expect 84 applications. This would be line with
other years and better than some.
The results of the assessment have been received and will be sent out to parents on
Friday 5th February to help inform their decisions as to the most appropriate postprimary school for their sons.
Our Open Night was held on Wednesday 27th January. Attendance was good
considering that most of the boys who attended had already been to the school on
three other occasions: an activities day in June, Familiarisation Day in November and
Assessment day in November.
Linked to demographic change, of course, is the matter of the review of post-primary
education in Fermanagh. The most recent episode in this story has been the
completion over six months of an economic appraisal. This was presented to the
Boards of Governors of all participating schools (with one exception). The meeting at
which the Portora Board was debriefed was on the 3rd December. The WELB will
submit the economic appraisal to eh DENI this month.
On Tuesday 2nd February Young Enterprise held an employability session with year
10.
Jonathan Wilson has received a conditional offer from St Catharine’s College
Cambridge to study Veterinary Science. Jonathan Wilson (Medicine at St John’s) and
James Brady (Veterinary) were unsuccessful in their applications.
Extra Curricular
Football
The 1st XI were knocked out of their competition in the third round by the 2009
finalists, St Patrick’s Academy.
Rowing
The rowing club had it's first race of the new season at the weekend at Carrick on
Shannon Head of the River. Despite not being on the water for two months over the
winter, the boat club performed very well with the 1st 8 coming second to Bann by 2
seconds, ahead of St Josephs, Galway and Commercial, Dublin and the under 16 8 and
under 18 4 winning their categories. These results, combined with good wins on the
girls side, have set the club up for hopefully another successful season."
Rugby
The 1st XV have progressed to the fourth round of the Schools’ Cup having defeated
Carrickfergus GS and Down High School in earlier rounds. The next match is away
to Ballyclare HS on Saturday 6th February with an 11.30 kick-off.
The Medallion XV were knocked out of the main Medallion Shield competition in the
first round.
I have received two letters from fathers concerned by what they perceive as the lack of
appropriate coaching and competition for our Junior Rugby players. This has been a
concern to the SLT and a root and branch review of our provision will be undertaken
at the end of this season. It is clear that there is a lack of understanding of the place of
rugby in the larger educational (and moral) universe we inhabit. As I have discussed
with the Board, increasingly the pressures on the school to produce high end results
necessitate ongoing reviews of priorities. The present policy is straightforward: it is
that representing the school in any extra-curricular activity is contingent upon full
engagement with the academic requirements of the school.
Music and Drama
The Music and Drama departments organised a Showcase (Work in Progress) event
at the Ardhowen Theatre on Friday 22nd January. This provided vibrant evidence of
the fine work being achieved in these areas by our pupils individually and in
collaboration with other students throughout town.
Chinese Partnership
Mr Mei, our Chinese exchange teacher returned without mishap to China in July. He
will be returning in April with his Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster in order to
cement a partnership between our schools which will involve teacher and student
exchanges. (Mr Mei got married on the 1st February).