Subject Inspection Report

This report has been written following a subject inspection in Saint Mary’s Secondary School. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Physical Education and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over one day during which the inspector visited lessons and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers and had discussions with the teachers. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and subject teachers. The board of management was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report; a response was not received from the board.

Subject provision and whole school support

Saint Mary’s Secondary School is an all-girls’ school with a total enrolment of 374 students. Physical Education in the school is being delivered by two, fully qualified teachers who bring considerable experience and commendable enthusiasm to the teaching of the subject. Staff and students moved into a new building several years ago and the fact that high-quality physical education and sports facilities were included in the design of the new school reflects the positive attitude which management and staff have towards the subject. These facilities include a full-sized hall, grass pitch and a hardcourt area which is primarily used for tennis. All facilities are very well maintained and the excellent range of equipment and materials available is sufficient to allow teachers to adequately cover all core areas of activity in Physical Education. It is recommended, as part of the long-term developmental plan for the subject, that the school also consider developing the balcony area of the physical education hall. While this area is currently used by students playing table tennis, the purchase of some basic fitness equipment would allow the school to develop this area as a small fitness suite. The availability of such a facility should be of benefit to all students in physical education lessons but can be expected to be of particular benefit to senior cycle students, especially those who are not interested in the more traditional physical activities but who still want to maintain and develop a good level of health and fitness.

The timetabled provision for Physical Education in junior cycle is a double period in first year and second year and a single period in third year. This level of provision falls short of the two hours per student per week recommended in the Department of Education and Science Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools 2004-2005. Of particular concern is the fact that third-year students have only a single period of Physical Education as, having allowed time for students to change and shower at the start and end of lessons, very little time remains for actual physical activity. This leads to a situation where physical education teachers are unable to explore a topic in sufficient depth. The short time available for lessons can also be demotivating for students. While pressure on the school timetable at junior cycle is cited as a reason for providing a single period in third year, and while management is commended for timetabling this lesson either before or after break time whenever possible so as to maximise students’ activity time, it must be accepted that the provision of a single period may inadvertently give some students the impression that Physical Education is of less importance when students are preparing for state examinations. The provision of two double periods in Transition Year (TY) is commended as it goes some way towards making up the shortfall in third year and also allows the physical education teachers to deliver activities, such as aquatics, which would not otherwise be possible. The fact that Physical Education is an optional subject in fifth year and sixth year is, again, less than satisfactory as it means that a significant number of students may have no physical activity each week. While the optional nature of Physical Education in these years means that students who participate in lessons are enthusiastic and well-motivated, a variety of reports, such as the National Task Force on Obesity Report 2005, European Year of Education through Sport (EYES) Report 2004, Reports of the Houses of the Oireachtas on Women in Sport 2004 and, School Children and Sport in Ireland, ESRI 2005, have highlighted the vital role that quality Physical Education can play in the fight against obesity as well as its role in providing students with the foundation for an overall healthy, active lifestyle. Other reports, such as Consultations with Teenage Girls On Being and Getting Active – Health Promotion Department, North Western Health Board have pointed to worryingly high drop-out rates from physical activity among girls in their late teens. It is therefore regarded as essential that all students are guaranteed timetabled provision in Physical Education in both fifth year and sixth year. The school is therefore encouraged to revisit timetabling arrangements for Physical Education with a view to providing all students with timetabled provision in the subject in line with Department of Education and Science guidelines.

Management is commended for the provision allocated to students with special educational needs in the school whereby resource hours are used to provide an additional teacher to students who require some assistance in certain subject areas. The fact that some students receive such assistance in many physical education lessons is of considerable benefit to them and allows them to participate as fully as possible in physical education activities.

Planning and preparation

The quality of planning and preparation in Physical Education in this school is excellent. Management is commended for providing a planning template which the physical education department has used in the compilation of its subject plan. While some minor modifications had to be made to the template to suit the individual requirements of Physical Education, the template used provides for a consistency of approach among all subject areas and helps to show how Physical Education contributes to the overall aims of the school in terms of providing the best possible education for its students. The physical education plan is, therefore, a comprehensive document containing a range of purposeful, focused information which reflects a significant amount of work on the part of the physical education department. Among the items dealt with in the plan are the aims and objectives of the subject for each year, the health and safety policy in relation to Physical Education, teaching methodologies to be used, approaches to assessment, integration of students with special educational needs and records of all formal subject department planning meetings held over the past number of years. Planning for cross-curricular initiatives with other subject areas such as Home Economics, Music and Information Communication Technology (ICT) is also documented. An extensive collection of resource and reference materials has also been compiled and these resources have, in many instances, been customised to suit the individual needs of the school or of particular classes in the school. Management is commended for facilitating this level of high-quality planning by providing opportunities for the physical education department to formally meet on at least four occasions per year. In addition to this, the physical education teachers also meet informally on a regular basis.

Schemes of work have been compiled for each year group and it is considered exemplary practice that these schemes are detailed right down to the material to be covered and the aims and objectives of each individual lesson in Physical Education. A broad range of activities has been planned for each year group and most of the core areas of activity in Physical Education are covered at junior cycle. The exceptions to this are adventure activities and aquatics. While the latter is provided in Transition Year (TY) and necessitates a longer time allocation than is currently available at junior cycle, adventure activities could be provided at junior cycle. Records of department planning meetings indicate that the physical education department is aware of this shortcoming and intends to address the matter. The school is encouraged to do this, as adventure activities present a unique range of learning experiences to students and provide some students who may not excel in other areas an opportunity to demonstrate their talents. It is also recommended that the school implement the Junior Cycle Physical Education (JCPE) syllabus as soon as possible as it has not done so to date. This syllabus provides a clear structure and rationale to activities at junior cycle and its implementation is well within the capacity of the school as the school has the requisite physical and human resources to enable its implementation. Information with regard to its implementation can be obtained by contacting Mayo Education Centre or by accessing the JCPE support service website at www.jcpe.ie.

One of the teaching approaches recommended as part of the implementation of the JCPE syllabus is the use of assessment for learning and the use of rich tasks. It is suggested that the use of these methodologies would be very beneficial to students in junior cycle. It is further recommended that the rich task approach could be extended to senior cycle Physical Education and the physical education department is encouraged to plan for this with a view to providing a variety of learning experiences and more challenging learning opportunities for senior cycle students. During a rich task, students could be given the responsibility for volunteering for different roles based on their talents and interests, thus emphasising the possibility of participating in sport through many different avenues. The teacher would then adopt the role of facilitator of this learning experience and would have a key role in guiding students during the activity and focusing students’ self-evaluation at the end of each lesson and at the end of the block of work. Providing such opportunities should be a fulfilling educational experience for all students and should provide opportunities for them to acquire higher-order skills such as analysis and evaluation. Possibilities for such activities might include the organisation of a mini-league for a particular sport during a block of work within their own class or the organisation of a sports day or other event for younger students. In this regard, fund-raising activities which have been planned, such as the organisation of a fun day for first-year students by Leaving Certificate Vocational Preparation (LCVP) students and the organisation of an annual student versus teachers soccer match, are highly commended as these provide opportunities for students to exercise leadership and organisational skills as well as raising funds for worthwhile causes. Plans which the physical education department has with regard to getting senior students to design and implement their own training programme for a chosen activity are also regarded as highly appropriate.

A good range of co-curricular and extracurricular physical activity is provided by the school, catering for a significant number of students. Among the activities provided are camógie, athletics, table tennis, basketball, badminton, football, horse riding, golf and dance. The commitment of the physical education teachers and many other teachers in volunteering to provide these activities to students is highly commended. The involvement of some students in assisting in the coaching of the school’s basketball teams is also noted and is regarded as an indication of a very healthy attitude towards participation and volunteerism in the school. The physical education department is also commended for the efforts it makes to ascertain, by means of student questionnaires, the areas of interest of students and the activities they would like provided. Making such effort helps to ensure that the school does what it can to achieve the stated aims of the extracurricular physical activities programme with regard to ensuring maximum student involvement.

The TY Programme of physical activities is varied and interesting in keeping with the spirit and ethos of TY. Activities such as First Aid, swimming, golf, horse riding, self-defence and yoga are provided and these are not part of the physical education programme in other years. Educational trips such as the school tour and a three-day residential outdoor education trip to an outdoor education centre also take place. The provision of this range of learning opportunities is commended as is the willingness of the school to employ the services of external teachers if sufficient expertise to deliver these activities does not exist in the school staff. Activities in which external coaches are employed include dance, First Aid and yoga.

Teaching and learning

The quality of learning and teaching observed in this school during the inspection was good, with all lessons benefiting from very thorough planning and preparation. It was also clear that many of the lessons observed were part of a structured unit of work where the work of previous lessons was consolidated and built upon. Teachers assisted this process by availing of opportunities to recap on previous learning and place learning in each lesson in context with learning that was to take place in future lessons. This is considered very good practice.

All lessons began promptly and teachers called a class roll once all students had entered the physical education hall. This worked well as, in addition to facilitating a check on attendance and students having the correct physical education gear, it also provided a natural beginning to the lesson and allowed the teacher to introduce the lesson. While the good practice of outlining lesson content for students at the outset of the lesson was in evidence, it is suggested that this could be extended to include lesson objectives, in keeping with the principles of assessment for learning. The setting of clear learning goals in this manner has been shown to be motivational for students and can help them to critically evaluate their own learning. Teachers led students in a series of warm-up activities which were vigorous, enjoyable and varied. These activities achieved the objective of preparing students mentally and physically for more strenuous activity. Stretching exercises were performed conscientiously by students and opportunities were provided for students to lead these activities in one lesson. The practice of asking students what muscle group was being stretched or asking them to demonstrate a stretching exercise for a particular muscle group was noted and is commended.

Drills and practices that had been set for students were very enjoyable and exhibited a clear progression in difficulty. This is considered good practice as it enables all students to experience success at the initial level and provides sufficient challenges for the more able students as the tasks become more advanced. Teachers moved around the hall regularly and gave individual attention to students as required. Good opportunities were provided for students to work at a level appropriate to their own ability through allowing them to modify a task as they saw fit. Thus junior cycle students who were engaged in a passing drill in a soccer lesson were told that they could move closer together if they were experiencing difficulties in controlling the ball or passing it accurately from the original distance. Although information overload is always a risk when teaching these activities, key points such as striking the ball with the side of the foot and making contact with the ball at the mid point in order to keep it on the ground should be reinforced regularly as they are key to students learning to perform these skills effectively. Some elimination-type activities were used in one lesson. Any of these types of games or activities should be used sparingly as they can be demotivational for students who are eliminated early. Where such strategies are used, it is important that any student eliminated can re-enter the game by completing a set task, thus avoiding the risk of students becoming frustrated or losing interest if they are eliminated early.

Students were very co-operative in all lessons and the easy rapport and mutual respect which existed between teachers and students enabled lessons to progress very smoothly. Teachers addressed students by name and used a variety of questioning strategies, including individually directed, general, higher-order and lower-order questions, allowing all students to contribute. The effectiveness of this questioning in enhancing students’ understanding was a notable feature of all lessons. All answers were sensitively handled and were used as a stimulus for further discussion and students were regularly affirmed for their efforts. Teachers’ explanations were precise and demonstrations from both teachers and students were used very effectively as these helped focus attention on key concepts and were a significant aid to learning. A focus on key terminology associated with particular activities was also noted and this was effective in consolidating these terms, particularly in junior cycle classes.

It is recommended that different teaching methodologies be considered when teaching senior cycle classes, as students in these classes are more mature and can be expected to accept more responsibility for their own learning than students in junior cycle. As such, the use of rich tasks and assessment for learning methodologies, as outlined earlier, is considered highly appropriate and can go a long way towards encouraging students to become more autonomous learners. While participation in Physical Education should not be optional for students, it is considered appropriate that senior cycle students in particular be afforded some latitude in taking decisions concerning some aspects of their physical education. It may, therefore, be possible to allow them to choose the activity in which they are involved for part of the school year or to decide, in consultation with their teachers, on the nature of their involvement in some lessons. Affording senior cycle students such choices should be seen as an affirmation of their maturity and ability to make informed choices concerning their physical activity involvements. This should help to create a natural link between their school life and their adult life and will hopefully foster a positive attitude to physical activity and a desire for life-long involvement.

Lessons typically ended with a gentle cool-down and with teachers leading students through a series of light mobility and stretching exercises designed to gradually lower heart rate. Teachers also used this time very effectively to recap on the key points of the lesson, re-emphasise learning that had taken place and give information about the next lesson. This is considered very good practice as it helps consolidate learning and enables students to see learning in each lesson as part of an integrated block of learning.

Assessment

Very good assessment strategies are in place in Physical Education in the school. Teachers maintain records of students’ attendance, punctuality and participation in all physical education lessons. The chief mode of assessment is through informal observation with individual student progression and improvement given a high priority. A physical education workbook is maintained from which exercises are given to students who are unable to physically participate in physical education lessons. Other documentation such as the Health Related Activity Log Book in which scores on fitness tests among third year and Transition Year students are maintained, Transition Year project work, work sheets and student activity diaries are all used to inform reporting in Physical Education. Written reporting in Physical Education takes place twice per year, at Christmas and summer. In addition to this the physical education teachers attend all parent-teacher meetings and are also available by appointment for meetings with parents. As part of the long-term plan for Physical Education in the school it is recommended that the department consider identifying methods of objectively assessing learning in Physical Education, particularly learning in practical areas.

Summary of main findings and recommendations

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

Physical Education has a healthy status in the school, reflecting the commitment to the subject of the physical education department and school management.
The facilities available for the teaching of the subject are excellent.
The provision for students with special educational needs in physical education lessons is commended.
An excellent quality of planning and preparation in Physical Education was in evidence, both at whole-school level and with regard to individual lessons.
A good range of co-curricular and extracurricular physical activity is taking place in the school, with both teachers and students involved in the organisation of these activities.
An interesting and varied programme of physical activities is provided in TY.
There is a good quality of teaching and learning in the school, with questioning strategies being particularly well used to elicit learning.
An excellent rapport and friendly atmosphere was a feature of all lessons.
Very good assessment strategies are in place in Physical Education.

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

The balcony area of the physical education hall has scope for development and the school should consider purchasing some fitness equipment for this area if funding is available.
The school should provide timetabled lessons in Physical Education for all students in accordance with Department of Education and Science recommendations. In particular, the single period provided in third year and the optional nature of Physical Education in fifth and sixth year should be addressed.
Adventure activities should be provided as part of the Junior Cycle Physical Education syllabus. Some aquatics could also be provided if this is feasible.
Different teaching methodologies should be considered when teaching senior cycle classes in line with the increased maturity of these students.
The physical education department should consider identifying methods of objectively assessing learning in Physical Education as part of the long-term plan for the subject.

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Physical Education and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.