An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

 

Department of Education and Science

 

Whole School Evaluation

REPORT

 

St Bernadette’s Special National School

Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

Uimhir rolla: 19592J

 

Date of inspection:  04 May 2007

  Date of issue of report:  6 December 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Whole-school evaluation

1.     Introduction – school context and background

2.     Quality of school management

3.     Quality of school planning

4. Quality of learning and teaching

5.     Quality of support for pupils

6.     Summary of findings and recommendations for further development

School Response to the Report

 

 

 

Whole-school evaluation

 

This report has been written following a whole school evaluation of St Bernadette’s Special National School. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the work of the school as a whole and makes recommendations for the further development of the work of the school. During the evaluation, the inspectors held pre-evaluation meetings with the principal, the teachers, the school’s board of management,  and representatives of parents. The evaluation was conducted over a number of days during which inspectors visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. They interacted with pupils and teachers, examined pupils’ work, and interacted with the class teachers. They reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation, and met with various staff teams, where appropriate. Following the evaluation visit, the inspectors provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the staff and to the board of management. The board of management of the school was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report, and the response of the board will be found in the appendix of this report.

 

 

 

1.     Introduction – school context and background

 

St Bernadette’s School is a special national school for children aged four to eighteen with mild general learning disabilities. The school serves a wide, urban and rural catchment area in North Donegal.  At the time of the evaluation there were fifty pupils on roll.  The school’s full time staff includes an administrative principal, seven teachers, one of whom acts in a resource role for pupils with autism spectrum disorders, and ten special-needs assistants. In addition, there are part-time teachers of Woodcraft, Cookery, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).   Ancillary staff includes eleven bus escorts, a cook, kitchen assistant, cleaner, caretaker and school secretary.

 

The school originated in 1969 with two classes located in a nearby primary school.  Recognition as a special national school came in 1978 and the school moved to its current site in March 1981.  

The school operates under the patronage of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Raphoe.  It serves pupils from all religious traditions.    

 

 

2.     Quality of school management

 

2.1 Board of management

 

            

The board of management is both supportive and effective in its governance of the school.  The board is properly constituted. It meets at least once per school term and generally not less than five times a year. The

chairperson visits the school on a regular basis and liaises actively with the principal.  Meetings follow an appropriate agenda and minutes are circulated.  A sub-committee advises the board in relation to enrolment.

The board members express a high level of satisfaction with the quality of education provided in the school. They stress the strong connections between the school and the local community. The board is aware of the

significant responsibilities of boards of management, as prescribed by legislation.  In this context, it is advised that when a new board is constituted, in the coming school year, any available training opportunities for

board members should be considered.

 

The documents in the school plan are generally drawn up by the school staff and brought to the board for amendment and ratification. The board has ensured that the school plan contains the required policies. Parents have access to the school plan by request to the principal.

 

During the current term of office, the board has been proactive in improving and extending the school building and grounds and purchasing necessary items of equipment.

 

It was noted that the school day, as currently configured, requires some adjustment in order to comply fully with Department of Education and Science requirements. At present, doors open for the reception of pupils at 09.10 and pupils are dismissed at 14.35. This gives a total school day of five hours and twenty-five minutes.  This overall period, which includes breaks, and reception and dismissal, is fifteen minutes less than the official requirement. The timetable should be adjusted accordingly.  It is acknowledged that, within the school’s current timetable, there is no shortfall in relation to actual teaching time.

 

2.2 In-school management

 

The school principal has been in her post since January 2004, having previously worked as a class teacher in the school.  She works effectively with the board of management, staff, pupils and parents and provides positive leadership in relation to all aspects of the work of the school.

 

She promotes good communication among staff and within the school community as a whole.  She encourages staff involvement in whole-school planning and promotes staff development.  She is actively involved with the pupils on a daily basis, understands the challenges they experience in relation to learning and conveys high expectations with regard to pupil behaviour. She works closely with the deputy principal, special-duties teachers and the staff as a whole in ensuring the efficient and safe operation of the school, in accordance with well-documented routines and procedures.

 

In addition to the principal, the in-school management team includes the deputy principal and two special-duties teachers.  Team members have been assigned appropriate and substantial duties covering curricular, pastoral and organisational aspects. It is accepted that these duties can and do change in response to developing needs. The members of the team provide valuable support to the principal and contribute positively to the development of the school.

 

2.3 Management of resources

 

The school and its pupils are well served by a highly committed, co-operative and well-managed staff group.   School organisation provides for six classes arranged on the basis of pupil age, with some overlap in age between adjacent classes. In approximate terms, two junior classes contain pupils of primary school age, two middle classes contain pupils of junior post-primary age and the remaining two classes, known as Senior and Pre-vocational, respectively, cater for pupils of senior post-primary age.  One teacher works in a resource role, supporting pupils with autistic spectrum disorders.  While there is no formal policy for staff rotation among the classes and age levels, it is accepted that teachers may request or be required to move.  Teachers work together effectively as a team and provide commendable support for each other.

 

The continuing professional development of staff is encouraged and supported by the board of management.  A school policy document indicates that the board of management will, where possible, fund courses that are relevant to the needs of the school.  In addition to centrally organised whole-school development and curriculum planning days, individual teachers have attended short courses and day seminars and completed online courses on a range of relevant topics in special education. The school has facilitated teachers in completing Department of Education and Science funded post-graduate courses in special education, through St Angela’s College of Education, Sligo.  A member of the school’s permanent staff is currently seconded to the staff of St Angela’s.  It is evident that the school has benefited significantly from the sharing of knowledge and skills by staff members who have attended external courses.

 

Seven special-needs assistants are assigned to classrooms for the support of pupils in general and three are assigned to support a number of specific pupils with additional special needs. These assistants have received in-school training and work under the guidance of the management and the teaching staff.  They work productively with teachers, enhancing the quality of care for pupils and promoting their general development and independence.

 

New staff members benefit from a mentoring system. A staff-induction booklet provides information on relevant policies, roles and responsibilities.

 

School accommodation is well matched to the needs of the pupils. There are six general classrooms, a computer room and a woodcraft room. One of the general classrooms includes a cookery area. In addition, there are three small multi-purpose resource rooms, a general-purpose hall, a staff room, kitchen, secretary’s office and principal’s office.   All rooms are well presented and in good repair.    An extension, completed in 2004, increased the size of two rooms and provided three additional rooms. The recently refurbished kitchen has been judged to comply with the relevant health and safety standards. Plans are in train to carry out window replacement and extend the bus parking area. A pre-fabricated room, made surplus to requirements following the school extension in 2004, is to be converted into a mock bed-sit room for use in the development of independent living skills. The board employs a part-time caretaker to carry out small repairs, painting and gardening on a planned basis.  

 

Two hard-surfaced playing areas and surrounding grassed areas provide ample outdoor space for Physical Education, recreation and horticultural activities. The school also makes regular use of local community and leisure facilities. An enclosed courtyard contains a large trampoline and is also used for horticultural work.  

 

Classrooms are well stocked with a wide range of suitable materials to support teaching and learning.  Resources relevant to specific curricular areas and the storage arrangements for these resources are recorded in the school plan.  Appropriate arrangements are in place for timely purchase of new materials.  Each class has access to a television and a video/DVD player as well as shared access to a tape recorder, CD player and video camera/recorder.  Each class has two computers – one for pupil use and one mainly for the teacher’s use in planning and supporting the curriculum.  All classrooms have colourful, curriculum-relevant displays, including posters, photographs, charts and maps as well as thematic displays of pupils’ work.  Common, curricular themes are the subject of inventive and attractive displays in central, communal areas.  Numerous photographs of school activities decorate the corridors.

 

A school minibus, purchased with the assistance of a local charity, is used to facilitate a range of curricular activities.

 

 

2.4 Management of relationships and communication with the school community

 

The positive culture of communication within the school is matched by the school’s evident commitment to the establishment and maintenance of productive communication and interaction with parents and with the wider community. 

 

The school mission statement and a policy document on home-school communication commit the school to fostering links with parents. Formal parent-teacher meetings are held annually, usually during October/November. An open day is held in June.  Coffee mornings each term provide an additional form of support for parents of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders.  A home-school diary system is used for some pupils with specific communication needs. Parents receive a written annual report on their child’s work, at the end of the school year.  Work in progress on the development of the school’s individual education plan (IEP) system will result in further opportunities for parental consultation.

 

The school does not have a parents’ association at present.  Sustaining a parents’ association over a period, in a school with a relatively small enrolment, spread over a wide catchment area, poses particular challenges, notwithstanding the school’s commitment to parental involvement.  It is recommended that efforts to establish a parents’ association, in a form that suits the school’s circumstances, be renewed. The election of parent representatives for a new board of management, which is due to take place in the coming school year, may provide impetus in this direction.

 

The school has cultivated and benefited from a wide network of relationships within its catchment area.  Activities and projects such as open days, craft fairs and the Green School’s programme have raised awareness of the work of the school.  The school’s extensive work-experience programme is an example of the benefits that have accrued from the school’s involvement with the local community.  

 

2.5 Management of pupils

 

Staff interact in a positive, supportive manner with the pupils, in the classroom and throughout the school.  Social interactions are relaxed and friendly.  Teaching and learning activities are managed purposefully. Pupil behaviour is very well managed through a consistent, whole-school approach that is facilitated by school assemblies, weekly staff briefings and discussion, active involvement of the principal in support of pupils and staff and consultation with parents.  Discipline policy is stated in positive terms. There is an emphasis on encouragement and rewards. The use of sanctions is well graded and takes the pupils’ learning difficulties into account. The code of discipline has recently been reviewed and circulated to parents.

 

 

3.     Quality of school planning

 

3.1   School planning process and implementation

 

The school plan contains policies in the appropriate organisational and curricular areas. The plan is a useful guide for management and staff. Policy documents generally follow a coherent structure.  Some policy documents could be improved by including information about the development and consultation process and about roles and responsibilities for implementation, and by recording adoption and review dates.

 

The plan includes a planning section that prioritises areas for future development and schedules reviews of existing policies. Current work involves the development of an assessment policy and an action plan for literacy.  

 

Parents are informed that the school plan is available for examination, on request.  It is suggested that a parents’ booklet summarising essential aspects of the work of the school, including key policies, might be considered as an aid to disseminating relevant aspects of the school plan.

 

Curriculum plans are presented in three sections, related to the school’s junior, middle and senior classes. Each curriculum plan succinctly states the aims, content, methodologies, resources and evaluation procedures for the subject area. Some subject plans make reference to the strands and strand units of the curriculum. Consistency in this practice is recommended.

 

The school plan lists fourteen Further Education and Training Award Council (FETAC) modules offered by the school.  The integration of the objectives of the Primary School Curriculum with many of the learning outcomes of the FETAC modules was noted during the observation of teaching and learning sessions.  It is recommended that further information be given in the school plan about the selection and delivery of FETAC modules in the senior section of the school and the way in which these modules are integrated with and build upon the school’s overall curriculum.   

 

Evidence was provided to confirm that the board of management and staff have taken appropriate steps to develop policies in line with the provisions in Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children (Department of Health and Children, 1999, updated issue May 2004) and Child Protection Guidelines for Primary Schools (Department of Education and Science, April 2001). Evidence was also provided to confirm that the board of management has adopted and implemented the policies. The principal acts as the designated liaison person; this should be noted in the school plan. The child protection policy should be written in a similar format to other school policies.

 

3.2 Classroom planning

 

The teachers implement an agreed whole-school approach to long-term and short-term planning.   Subject-based planning is balanced by a cross-curricular, thematic approach.  Termly plans provide an overview of aims and content and are referenced to the strands, strand units and objectives of the Primary School Curriculum. It is recommended that this positive practice be further developed by including additional information on methodologies and resources and on the assessment and differentiation strategies that are in regular use in the classrooms.

 

Teachers’ short-term preparation is consistent with curriculum policies in the whole-school plan.  Teaching and learning are linked to resources and evaluation.  Differentiated content and  approaches, for individuals and groups, are indicated.   At the end of each month, teachers evaluate the delivery of programmes and send a copy of this evaluation to the principal.

 

In the current year, the school has adopted a common format for compiling pupil profiles.  This extensive collation of information on pupils has been successfully used to inform class-level planning and to support the development of individual educational plans (IEPs). The approach to writing IEPs has also been standardised this year. Typically, five targets, one social/behavioural, two literacy, and two numeracy targets, are identified for each pupil. Parents are consulted in relation to prioritising of targets and are asked to support the implementation of the plan.

 

 

4.       Quality of learning and teaching

 

4.1 Overview of learning and teaching

 

Teachers create a highly supportive learning environment that is sensitive to the needs of the pupils. They are competent and confident in using a variety of teaching approaches, in whole-class, group and one-to-one contexts. Teachers regularly work jointly with cross-class groups in order to make the best use of teacher expertise and group interaction. They take the pupils’ abilities, needs and learning strengths into account and build on pupils’ prior learning.  They make good use of concrete and visual materials and emphasise active learning approaches.

 

Teachers deliver a broad and balanced curriculum based on the areas, subjects and strands of the Primary School Curriculum, differentiated to meet individual needs and adapted in an age-appropriate manner to meet the needs of older pupils.  A cross-curricular, thematic approach, often linked to the local environment, is used effectively at all age levels.  The development of communication and language skills and social and personal skills is emphasised throughout the school. As pupils progress through the school, topics are revisited, literacy and numeracy skills continue to be developed and consolidated and there is increased emphasis on links to the world of work and to leisure activities in the community.

 

Preparation for FETAC certification provides a valuable focus for older pupils.  The school has received quality-assurance approval for designation as a FETAC Centre. At age sixteen, pupils may register for a variety of FETAC modules, which they complete in conjunction with general curricular work. Pupil achievement is assessed internally by the school and monitored by FETAC.   Completed modules and work in progress, observed during this school evaluation, were  of a commendably high standard.

 

4.2 Language

 

English

There is  commendable emphasis on developing language and communication skills across the curriculum and throughout the activities of the school day.  In incidental interactions with staff, pupils are assisted and encouraged in their attempts to communicate confidently and clearly. Play, drama and group discussions are planned to promote oral communication. In all classes, oral language, reading and writing are integrated through broad language experiences. Skills are taught explicitly as well as incidentally.

Comprehensive pre-literacy  and early-literacy programmes are provided in the junior classes and successfully built upon in middle classes.  Activities focus on a wide range of skills, including auditory-perceptual, visual-perceptual and motor skills. Early reading skills are effectively developed through a range of approaches including language experience, sight-word recognition, and phonics work.  Early writing activities are suitably graded.

Skills development remains a feature in senior and pre-vocational classes, where the emphasis is on functional literacy.  Pupils at this level use practical materials to develop social literacy skills such as form-filling, following written directions and writing e-mails. The learning objectives from the FETAC module, Communications, are pursued in discrete language and communication lessons.

 

Classroom environments, at all age-levels, support language learning through the use of wall- displays, library corners and ICT resources.   Senior pupils develop word-processing skills for use in  drafting, editing and rewriting, as part of the writing process.  Effective use is made of both teacher-made materials and commercial resources and programmes. Pupils are enabled to develop literacy skills in line with their individual ability.  Teachers allow for different levels of ability by presenting alternative forms of similar work, providing concrete materials to support learning and facilitating different modes of response. Progress is carefully monitored in all classes and additional support is provided, as required.

 

4.3 Mathematics

 

In junior and middle classes a sound foundation is laid for the development of skills and concepts in Mathematics. Pre-number and early-number activities are developed in the context of work with suitable and varied concrete materials. All strands of primary Mathematics are introduced from the outset and revisited subsequently.  Learning materials, staff assistance and grading of tasks allow  pupils to progress in accordance with ability.

 

In the senior and pre-vocational classes, functional and social applications of Mathematics, related to time, money and measurement are emphasised.   Pre-vocational pupils follow the FETAC Level 3 module, Maths.  Weekly visits to bank or post-office to make savings deposits are an example of the practical focus of the work at this level.   Planning documents and lesson observation indicate extensive  integration of aspects of Mathematics with topics and activities from other curricular areas.

 

4.4  Social, Environmental and Scientific Education

 

An integrated and thematic approach is used in Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE).  All classes experience History, Geography and Science.  The pre-vocational class follows the FETAC module, Horticulture.  As well as gardening at the school, older pupils have also been working with pupils from local schools to help develop a garden in a local hospice. Active learning methodologies dominate instruction in the SESE lessons. There is excellent use of the school environment as well as the environment in the town and surrounding areas. There is extensive linkage within the SESE subjects and with other curricular areas.

 

History

The themes selected for the study of History are appropriate to the abilities and needs of the pupils. They foster pupils’ interest and facilitate their understanding of change and continuity between past and present. A range of historical topics, with family, local, national and international contexts, are explored.  Stories of people and events from the past are successfully used to engage pupils, to encourage questioning and debate and to give pupils a sense of chronology. Projects are used to good effect to stimulate pupils’ interest and to promote understanding. In all  classes, the local studies strand in History is suitably developed. Teachers organise a number of visits to local areas of historical interest.  

 

Geography

Geography is a well-developed and effectively delivered component of the school’s curriculum, frequently acting as a focus for meaningful cross-curricular work, linked closely to the local environment.  Pupils are actively engaged in learning through observation, discussion, hands-on activities and visits.  Since 2004, the pupils and staff have been working on the seven-step programme towards recognition as an Eco-school under An Taisce’s Eco-schools Programme. Having attained the Green Flag award, they now endeavour to retain it. They continue to be involved in recycling and composting and in developing a school garden.  They have constructed a green-house from used plastic bottles and are building a wooden shed to store garden equipment.  The school’s Green Flag committee consists of two pupils from each class, attending on a rotational basis, and members of the board of management and staff. They meet every two weeks and news of their work is reported at weekly assemblies. The committee has completed a litter and waste-management study, reviewed energy needs, selected targets and made an action plan. This work has fostered greater contact with the wider community including the County Council, the Tidy Towns committee and local businesses.

 

Science

Much of the work in Science is linked to the physical environment aspects of Geography.  Science lessons are well-planned and teachers provide a range of relevant, motivating tasks for the pupils. Through exploration and experimentation, pupils are encouraged to develop an appreciation of and respect for the diversity of living and non-living things. Nature tables, discovery areas and wall displays are in evidence in most classrooms. Garden and greenhouse activities provide age-related progression for the older pupils.  

 

4.5 Arts Education

 

Stimulating, varied activities in Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Woodcraft ensure that pupils experience and benefit from a broad programme in Arts Education. 

 

Visual Arts

Pupils at all levels of the school participate in a varied range of Visual Arts activities.  The teachers view Visual Arts activities as rewarding in themselves and as a valuable means of engaging pupils in integrated learning experiences.  Lessons observed were well organised and sustained active pupil engagement.  Pupils’ work is attractively displayed.  Displays of large, collaboratively-produced work, linked to whole-school events and often using recycled materials, are a notable feature in the school.  Classroom programmes show a spread of work across the strands of the Visual Arts curriculum, ensuring that pupils explore a range of materials and techniques.  Work produced in the Fabric and Fibre strand and the Construction strand is particularly impressive. Activities are based on themes linked to the seasons, school and community events and topics from various curricular areas.

 

Music

In Music, teachers plan for a range of suitable listening and responding activities involving a variety of musical styles. The performance strand is based mainly on song-singing and percussion, while teachers have begun to explore possibilities for simple composing activities and musical literacy activities.  A whole-school policy for Music has been drawn up, with a view to providing pupils of all ages with access to a broad range of activities.  

Music is widely used to support the pupils’ expressive and receptive language development and is also linked to PE lessons and to Drama activities.  Where class size is small, as it is in special schools, pupils may feel inhibited in joining in singing activities.   Singing in larger groups, such as school assemblies or other cross-class groupings, is therefore to be encouraged.  Pupils with a particular talent in singing might be assembled as a school choir and might take the lead in developing new songs for the school repertoire.  

 

Drama

The Drama component in Arts Education is being developed in a number of promising ways in the school.  Role-play is used as a learning tool in the development of communication, social and personal skills. This is seen in the extension of pretend-play with the younger pupils and the use of role-play in the context of work preparation with older pupils. Performances incorporating Music and Drama are a feature of school concerts and celebrations.  A commendable feature of the approach to Drama is the extent of collaboration among teachers in cross-class activities.   It is also commendable that a number of pupils have successfully gained FETAC certification in  Drama.

 

Woodcraft

All but the youngest pupils attend classes in the woodwork room.  Pupils work through a series of planned individual projects, at their own skill-level and pace.  Group size is reduced to facilitate individual attention and supervision.

Completed projects and work in progress provide evidence of the significant skills gained in this area. Pupils engage actively and are highly motivated to succeed.  Pupils in the pre-vocational class who are completing the FETAC Craft: Wood module are scheduled for extra woodwork time.  This module involves perfecting the use of a variety of hand tools to create a number of wood products.

 

4.6 Physical Education

 

The school encourages the full participation of all pupils in a commendably broad Physical Education programme, with an emphasis on enjoyment and personal success.  Lessons are well structured and well managed. Hygiene and safety issues are carefully monitored. Lessons begin with suitable warm-up activities and end with a cooling down session.  Pupils are highly motivated and participate appropriately with their peers. The range of activities available and the competence of the staff ensure that the activities are effective in developing pupil’s self-esteem and confidence.

 

Pupils attend weekly swimming classes at a local leisure centre.  Senior pupils have the opportunity to participate in football and basketball training at a local community facility and to attend an outdoor adventure centre.  Senior pupils may also pursue FETAC certification in Swimming and Health-related Fitness. Pupils from the school participate successfully in a  range of inter-school events involving football, basketball, bowling and swimming and in a number of Special Olympics activities.

 

4.7 Social, Personal and Health Education

 

The school plan contains policy documents on Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).  These policies indicate age-related progression in content and methodology. Class teachers take responsibility for the delivery of the RSE component during a set period in the school year. In planning and delivering SPHE programmes for their classes, the teachers draw on a number of reference sources and published programmes, including The Stay Safe Programme.  As pupils progress through the school, the social, personal and health-related skills that are the focus of SPHE are further developed in the context of cookery lessons, horticulture and work preparation.

 

The climate of social interaction and the quality of staff-pupil relationships, throughout the school, provide a positive context for the informal, incidental development and consolidation of social and personal skills. Independence in self-help skills is systematically promoted throughout the daily routine, by teachers and special-needs assistants.  This emphasis on the promotion of independence is facilitated at a more advanced level among the older pupils, in the context of work experience, field trips, use of community facilities and outdoor adventure activities, and during educational exchange visits with a partner school in Scotland.

 

Cookery:

Pupils participate with enjoyment and discipline in well-organised cookery lessons. At upper primary age-level, the cookery instructor  works in collaboration with the class teacher to provide direct experience of a range of cooking activities,  linked thematically to the general classroom curriculum.  As pupils progress, there is a growing emphasis on developing confidence and skills at an individual level,  leading, for some pupils, to FETAC certification.  Whenever possible, ingredients from the school garden are used.   An added dimension is created by the fact that, for some of the more advanced pupils,  aspects of the programme are delivered in the realistic setting of a local hotel kitchen.   

 

Vocational Competence and Work Experience

School policy on vocational competence states that the school will seek to ensure that all of the pupils are prepared adequately to participate as fully and as meaningfully as possible in post-school life.  Pupils aged sixteen and over take part in a work-experience programme co-ordinated by the deputy principal. Pupils are placed in local businesses for two half days each week, following careful consideration of their abilities and the demands of the respective placements. Through experience, and with significant support from the local community, the school has evolved a well-structured programme that provides valuable life-skills training and vocational experience for the pupils.  Pupils on work experience receive a small weekly gratuity from school funds, which they lodge in personal savings accounts in a local bank or post office.  Through this activity they learn how to deal with public services and how to manage their own money.

School records show that many past pupils have obtained jobs in the general employment market, working in retail outlets and factories or in family-run businesses and farms.  In other cases, sheltered or supported employment has been more suitable.

 

4.8 Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

 

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an educational tool is well-developed throughout the school. All pupils receive instruction in a designated-computer room. The ICT teacher works  with the classroom teachers to plan appropriate curricular and support work for pupils. Younger pupils are given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with computers through the use of curriculum-related software. Older pupils learn to use word-processing and graphics software and the internet. Pre-vocational pupils work through the learning objectives of the FETAC Computer Literacy  module and use ICT to produce and present work for other FETAC modules.

 

The school has a high-quality website, which includes useful information about the school and displays examples of the pupils’ work and photographs of some of the many activities in which pupils are involved. The school provides pupils and teachers with their own e-mail and messaging facilities.  The school plan contains an Acceptable User Policy, which parents and pupils must agree to if the pupils are to be allowed access to the internet. Parents and pupils can also sign their agreement to allow photographs and work to be published on the school website.

 

 

4.9 Assessment

 

Co-ordination of assessment has recently become the responsibility of a special-duties post-holder.  Existing assessment policy is scheduled for  major revision in the next school year. It is commendable practice for a school to regularly review its range of assessment modes and the impact of assessment on teaching and learning.

 

A number of standardised literacy and numeracy tests are administered by teachers in October and May each year. Test data is recorded and stored by each teacher and passed on to the next teacher when the pupil moves class. The information is used by teachers in monitoring pupil achievement and in compiling pupil profiles and individual education plans. In addition to formal tests, the teachers use a range of  procedures to check learning and current skill levels.  These include published and teacher-designed  checklists, informal observation and assessment of class work.  Many of the teachers also conduct weekly tests of skills in areas such as spelling, tables, sight-word recognition, time and money.  

 

Senior pupils completing FETAC modules are assessed in the school through continuous assessment of learning outcomes. This assessment process is monitored by FETAC staff Successful pupils are issued with a FETAC Record of Achievement as  formal evidence of their attainment in specific modules.

 

 

 

5.     Quality of support for pupils

 

5.1 Pupils with special educational needs

 

The commitment of management and staff to the provision of appropriate education to pupils with identified special educational needs is demonstrated in all areas of policy and practice.     While all of the pupils present with needs associated with mild general learning disabilities, some pupils have additional needs or different learning styles, sometimes related to diagnosed conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder.   The climate of openness and inclusiveness generated by management and staff establishes a positive basis for meeting a diverse range of needs.

 

The school has ongoing liaison with local units of the Health Services Executive (HSE).  The HSE provides a range of services to the pupils and their families.  A speech and language therapist visits the school weekly to work with targeted pupils.  A number of pupils avail of residential respite services. The school’s engagement with the HSE’s Training and Occupational Support Service  helps to ensure post-school placement for school leavers.

 

The school’s own curriculum-development work, with its strong emphasis on practical skills, culminating in the extensive work-experience programme and the provision of a range of FETAC modules, has ensured that pupil’s needs are addressed and has allowed the pupils to achieve at a commendable level in relation to their abilities.

 

The provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) is coherent and effective and is responsive to the impairments in social communication, social interaction and imagination/flexibility that are associated with autism.  There are nine pupils in the school with a diagnosis of ASD.   No class  is designated to cater exclusively for these pupils. They are placed in classes on an age-related basis. The pupils and their teachers are supported by a designated resource teacher. Pupils remain with their base classes for most of the day and go to the resource room for a range of individual and group activities. The resource teacher also works in the classroom or other settings, supporting the involvement of the pupils with ASD in such activities as Drama and Physical Education.  This model appears to be well suited to the needs of the currently enrolled pupils.  In general, pupils’ basic academic skills in Language and Mathematics are addressed in the base classes, where individualised teaching is part of normal provision.  The autism resource teacher concentrates on social interaction, social communication and imagination/flexibility in the context of activities such as Drama, Music, Horticulture and Art.  Autism-specific teaching strategies have been combined with the learning opportunities available through creative and practical subjects to produce a very effective programme.  Personal independence and self-care are addressed in the context of daily routines and individualised programmes. The input of special-needs assistants is highly valuable in this regard. Pupils achieve FETAC certification in Drama, Horticulture and Art and Design.  Transition programmes have been successful in enabling individual pupils to transfer to mainstream provision.  There is productive collaboration and skill-sharing between the resource teacher and the class teachers.  Autism-appropriate practices are a feature of the classes in which pupils with ASD are enrolled. The resource teacher acts as the main contact between the school and the HSE’s autism support service.  Pupils with ASD participate in a July programme organised and staffed by the school and funded by the Department of Education and Science.  Coffee mornings organised once a term facilitate informal home-school contact and mutual support among parents.

 

The school plan contains a brief statement in relation to the school’s provision for pupils with ASD.  In the light the school’s positive experience and growing expertise in this area a full policy document should now be developed.  

 

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

 

The school’s enrolment policies and general practice are socially inclusive. Aspects of the school’s provision, while available to all pupils, are likely to be of particular support to pupils who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. A hot, school meal is provided daily.  Access to all activities and materials is on the basis of need.  All pupils receive free, escorted   school transport. 

 

The school has longstanding positive relationships with families of the Traveller community who have well-established ties with the local area.  Children for whom English is a second language or who have recently arrived in Ireland are not a feature of current enrolment.  The inclusive policies and practices of the school will enable it to respond flexibly to the needs of such pupils in the future.  The school plan currently contains a brief statement indicating its commitment to accommodating cultural differences. It is now appropriate to consider expanding this statement into a policy document on intercultural education.

 

 

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.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix

 

School Response to the Report

 

Submitted by the Board of Management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Area 2   Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection

               activity to implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection.          

 

 

The school timetable has now been adjusted to comply with requirements in the overall length of the school day.

 

The school plan is being amended to include more detail on the delivery of FETAC modules.

 

The school’s child protection policy is being re written at the moment.