An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

 

Whole School Evaluation

REPORT

 

Aranmore NS 1

Aranmore Island, Co. Donegal

Roll number: 15955W

 

Date of inspection:  29 May 2008

 

 

 

 

Whole-school evaluation

Introduction – school context and background

Quality of school management

Quality of school planning

Quality of learning and teaching

Quality of support for pupils

Summary of findings and recommendations for further development

 

 

 

 

Whole-school evaluation

 

A whole school evaluation was carried out in Aranmore NS 1 in the month of May 2008. This report presents the findings of the evaluation and makes recommendations for the further development of the work of the school. The evaluation was focused on the quality of teaching and learning in English, Irish, Mathematics and Physical Education. The board of management of the school was given an opportunity to comment on the findings and recommendations of the report; the board chose to accept the report without response.

 

 

1.     Introduction – school context and background

 

Aranmore NS 1 is a co-educational Gaeltacht school which is situated on Aranmore Island. There are pupils attending the school whose parents have returned from England, America and Northern Ireland and, as a result of this, not all of the pupils who attend the school are native speakers of Irish but it is clear that the parents are fully supportive of Irish. The school has made a very good effort to cater for the linguistic needs of these pupils. It appears from the projected enrolment that the number of pupils in the school will remain at current levels in the long-term and increase is likely to arise. It is apparent from the school roll books that the pupils’ attendance could be better and it is recommended to the board of management that it draw up additional strategies in co-operation with the relevant authorities to resolve this difficulty and so that Section 22(1) of the Education Act (Revised) 2000 will be complied with. The school is included in the scheme, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), a Department of Education and Science action plan for the promotion of inclusive education. It participates in partnership with five schools, including the second-level Vocational School that is based on the island.

 

The table below provides general information about the staff of the school and the pupils who were registered in the school when the evaluation was in progress:

 

 

Number

Pupils on the school roll

39

Mainstream classes

2

Teacher(s) on the school staff

2

Teacher(s) of mainstream classes

2

Teacher(s) working in support posts

1 shared

Special  needs assistants

Language assistants

0

1

    

 

 

2.     Quality of school management

 

2.1 Characteristic spirit of the school mission or vision

The good communication and the relationships within it are defining features of the characteristic spirit of the school. The teachers work diligently and professionally and they co-operate gainfully with each other, with the management body and with parents so as to create a pleasant learning atmosphere in the school. There is a Catholic ethos in the school and good working practices are being cultivated in the pupils. Notwithstanding the fact that there is a very positive attitude to learning in the school community, it is recommended that a mission statement be developed so that the school’s vision can be set down in the school plan. The teachers focus fully on providing the pupils with high standards of education while equal treatment and full participation by all pupils in the life of the school is to be observed.   

 

2.2 Board of management

The board of management is properly constituted and its members are in regular contact with one another through meeting every term or more frequently when that is required. The board functions in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act 1998 and the guidelines issued by the Department of Education and Science. The board’s procedures for managing the school’s financial resources and for the appointment and promotion of teachers are effective. It gives the teaching staff its full support in improving the quality of teaching and learning in the school. The board used a grant from Meitheal Forbartha na Gaeltachta to improve the school playground. It gets a grant from the Department of Social and Family Affairs to provide pupils with lunches and Foras na Gaeilge gave it a grant to buy Irish books for the school. The board is making full use of these grants to enhance the provision of education for the pupils. The authorities of Aranmore Irish College make use of the school building during the Summer months.

 

Regular maintenance work is carried out on the school and the tidiness and the cleanliness that is evident throughout the school and the playground are to be commended. The secretarial work that is done in the school on a part-time basis is worthy of praise. Although discussions are taking place between the board and the county council concerning the unsafe condition of the protective wall outside the school, steps should be taken to  ensure that the wall is put right immediately in the interest of the health and safety of the pupils. The school has begun to plan for its participation in the Green School project and the members of staff are to be praised for their efforts.

2.3 In-school management

The principal teacher gives very professional leadership to the staff and the whole school community. Emphasis is placed on regular self-evaluation on a school basis in relation to the implementation of the curriculum. The teachers who come to the school and the other teacher who is based in the school give the principal their full co-operation and support. The duties of the teacher with a post of responsibility are set down in the school plan and are carried out methodically. It would be worthwhile now to review these responsibilities with a view to giving attention to the areas of need that have been identified for development by the school.  

 

2.4 Management of relationships and communication with the school community

It is noted that the teachers receive very strong support from the parents and from the surrounding community. During the meeting with the parents that is part of the evaluation, they praised the effective strategies that are in place to cultivate openness and communication between the school and the home. They also praised the systems that are used to receive new pupils into the school and to ease their transition to the second-level school. At the time of the report, the staff of the school in partnership with the school community was putting a book together as part of the school’s centenary celebrations. The pupils take an active part in church events and in cultural activities in the community. Members of the parent body show an interest in school planning. Plans and policies are made available to parents and they meet the teachers when it is required. Although the parents play a part in the development of school policies, it would be well worth giving them a stronger role in developing the policy on Social, Personal and Health Education and on developing the policy on Relationships and Sexuality Education.  

 

2.5 Management of pupils

The pupils in this school are managed very effectively. Work practices are established in them and the teachers have created a pleasant learning atmosphere in the classrooms. Attention is given to the pupils’ health and safety and their participation in all aspects of school life is nurtured.

 

 

3.     Quality of school planning

 

3.1   Whole school planning and classroom planning

The standard of whole school planning is good. Comprehensive, thoughtful policies are available for the curricular and organisational aspects of school life. All of the needs of the multiple classes are identified in the planning and systems are in place for adapting curriculum provision to meet these needs. It would be worthwhile carrying out additional planning on a whole school basis for differentiated provision, especially in English, focused on the weaknesses that are identified through formal standardised testing. It is recommended that the planning for assessment be developed further in accordance with the guidelines of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The three-year plan for the DEIS programme should also be further developed. It is recommended that the specific curriculum needs that the school has identified for development be included. In particular, strategies should be devised to develop in-class shared teaching as a teaching method.

 

The standard of planning by each teacher is good. Each one of them lays out a plan under the strands and strand units of the curriculum. They keep a thorough monthly record of the progress of the work.     

 

3.2 Policy and procedures for the protection of children

Confirmation was provided that, in compliance with Primary School Circular Letter 0061/2006 from the Department of Education and Science, the board of management has formally adopted the Guidelines for Primary Schools for the Protection of Children (Department of Education and Science, September 2001). Confirmation was also provided that the attention of management, the school staff and the parents was directed to these procedures for the protection of children; that a copy of the procedures was provided for all members of the staff (including all new members); and that the management has made certain that all members of the staff understand the procedures that are to followed. A designated liaison person and a deputy liaison person have been appointed as required by the guidelines.

 

 

4.     Quality of learning and teaching

 

4.1 Language

 

Irish

It is evident that the majority of the pupils have reached a high standard in understanding and speaking the Irish language. Language skills are being developed effectively by the class teachers.

Drama is used regularly as a method of cultivating the pupils’ communication skills and of teaching new language structures and practising them with the pupils. The language assistant, who comes into the school to work with the pupils in the language, is of considerable help.

A print-rich environment is created in both classrooms and in the wider school context. Very good use is made of this environment to stimulate the pupils’ interest during lessons. Literacy skills are established, sustained and consolidated ably and zealously in the junior classes. The majority of the pupils read with understanding in the middle and senior classes. In order to enhance the pupils’ comprehension skills it would be of value to make more frequent use of comprehension tests based on the reading material. The pupils are given every opportunity to develop their reading across the curriculum and it is recommended that this good practice be continued and developed in the future. It can be seen that some of the pupils are achieving an excellent standard in functional writing. Although the majority of the pupils write a varied range of texts, it would be worthwhile to place more emphasis on the writing process to develop the pupils’ writing skills further. It would also be worth expanding the use of in-class shared teaching in order to raise further the standard of literacy of a certain number of pupils.  

  

English

Stimulating learning environments are provided in both classes. Discussion and story telling are emphasised during oral work in both classes. Highly effective attention is given to the discussion of news, topics and other aspects of the curriculum. Pupils are given frequent worthwhile opportunities to listen to and discuss a variety of stories and novels using appropriate vocabulary. Teachers encourage the development of pupils’ thinking skills through the effective use of questioning. Much emphasis is placed on the development of phonological awareness and the use of onset and rime as a methodology. Pupils recite, analyse and appreciate a suitable selection of poems and some fine examples of poetry composition are displayed. Reading standards are generally good and due attention is given to developing pupils’ reading strategies. However further development of the present provision of differentiated programmes of reading for pupils experiencing difficulties through the targeted and specific use of graded and parallel reading schemes across the school should be considered. A team-teaching approach including the learning support teacher and the home/school/community liaison co-ordinator should be adopted to address the needs of pupils presenting with prospective reading difficulties.

 

Pupils’ functional and creative writing is being well developed. However the further use of information and communications technology (ICT) in process writing to enable pupils to draft, revise and edit their work is recommended. Considerable encouragement and guidance are given to pupils as they engage in early writing activities. Pupils in the senior section of the school are writing their own novels and this approach is commendable. While the standard achieved in writing by some pupils in the middle and senior classes is praiseworthy, consideration should now be given to adopting a literacy intervention, using all available supports, which would focus on comprehension in particular. This cohesive approach would enhance the reading and writing standards even more across the school.

 

4.2 Mathematics

A satisfactory standard in Mathematics is being achieved by the majority of pupils in this school. Most of the pupils display a good understanding of appropriate concepts in this curriculum area. Graded lessons based on the ability of the pupils in the various classes are prepared. Oral work is used regularly to add meaning to their learning. Commendable use is made of concrete and illustrative materials. Due care is given to teaching mathematical terminology in a structured manner and attention is also given to discussion and to active methods of teaching for learning. The pupils record their work carefully and the teachers regularly monitor their copybooks. The work that is done on shape, number and area is to be greatly praised.  

 

4.3 Physical Education

As the school does not have a hall, implementation of the Physical Education programme depends greatly on the weather. The pupils get to engage in a wide range of activities. They travel to a hotel on the mainland to practise swimming skills during one term of the school year. This creates difficulties in terms of time and funding for the staff of the school and for the board. The teachers reported during the evaluation that the trip is particularly challenging since the pupils have to travel by boat and then by bus. Instructors come into the school to teach the pupils football skills and exercises associated with particular gymnastic skills. In addition, Irish dancing is taught to a high standard. The teachers deserve high praise for the promotion of gender equality during the Physical Education lessons. They organise the lessons in a graded manner and it is clear from their monthly records that appropriate emphasis is placed on the structure of lessons. In the course of the lessons that were observed during the evaluation, very good use was made of the resources that were available for the development of particular skills.

 

4.4 Assessment

Suitable assessment strategies are set out in the school plan and they are implemented regularly. The teachers administer school-based tests to the pupils and they record the results in the case of Irish, English and Mathematics. The pupils are formally assessed in English and Mathematics from first to sixth class. Meetings with the parents are organised once a year in order to discuss the results of these tests and the general progress of the pupils with them. The progress of the pupils’ is recorded at the end of the year and the appropriate details are sent in a professional way to the parents. The standardised assessment tests are used to measure the pupils’ competence in reading and Mathematics and to identify pupils who have learning difficulties as defined in the Department’s Circular Letter 00138/2006. It is the intention of the teachers, in collaboration with the support teacher, to carry out a deeper analysis of the results of the standardised tests in order to identify the needs of all pupils and to enhance the efficacy of the teaching and learning strategies, particularly in the case of weaker pupils. It would also be worth administering additional diagnostic tests for the purpose of identifying particular weaknesses at an earlier stage. It is also recommended that greater use be made of checklists based on the teaching objectives to assess progress in subject areas other than English and Mathematics.

 

 

5.     Quality of support for pupils

 

5.1 Pupils with special educational needs

The members of the staff of the school have formulated a very good policy on learning support. It is recommended that it also include guidance on deciding when to discontinue the provision of support to pupils. Support is given in English and Mathematics. As part of the support service, clear learning targets are laid down in the plans of work for individual pupils and their progress is recorded at regular intervals. Effective strategies are included in the approach that is used in the organisation of support service learning activities. It is clear from the recorded evidence of the results of standardised tests that a certain number of pupils have made very satisfactory progress since the start of the school year and this progress is to be commended. Even though plans are drawn up on a very co-operative basis between the support teacher and the class teachers, it would now be worthwhile to develop a plan for in-class, shared teaching. In order to tackle the identified difficulties being experienced by some pupils in the area of literacy, it is recommended to the teachers that they draw up an integrated plan of action in which the support teacher, the DEIS co-ordinator and the class teacher would each have a very definite role. It would also be worth seeking further advice from the Special Education Support Service when putting this plan together.      

 

5.2 Other supports for pupils: disadvantaged, minority and other groups

The school receives support from the DEIS co-ordinator. Under this programme, developmental work is being done in the area of local traditions and history and on the lore associated with the sea. It is recognised that there is merit in this approach but a greater focus should now be placed on reading initiatives in the school in Irish and English, based on the integrated plan of action.       

 

 

6.     Summary of findings and recommendations for further development

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

 

As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:

 

 

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the staff and board of management where the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.

 

 

 

 

Published January 2009