An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

 

 Subject Inspection of Guidance

REPORT

 

St Gerald’s College

Castlebar, County Mayo.

Roll number: 64580H

  

Date of inspection:  04 May 2007

Date of issue of report: 6 December 2007

 

 

Report  on  the Quality of Provision in Guidance

Subject Provision and Whole School Support

Planning and Preparation

Teaching and Learning

Assessment

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations

 

 

 

 

Report  on  the Quality of Provision in Guidance

 

Subject Inspection Report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of provision in Guidance and makes recommendations for the further development of Guidance in the school.  The evaluation was conducted over two days during which the inspector visited classrooms, viewed guidance facilities, interacted with students, held discussions with the principal and with the guidance counsellor. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and the guidance counsellor. 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

 

St Gerald’s College, an all-boys voluntary secondary school, operating under the trusteeship of the De La Salle Brothers, is one of three post-primary schools in the town of Castlebar. The school caters for students from both urban and rural backgrounds.  Currently there is an enrolment of 589 boys and the principal expects numbers to increase next year.  The catchment area consists of nine primary feeder schools and approximately 40% of students travel to school by bus.

 

The school receives an ex-quota allocation of twenty-four hours per week for Guidance from the Department of Education and Science. Two qualified guidance counsellors are employed to deliver the guidance and counselling provision.  However, at the time of the evaluation, one of the guidance counsellors was on leave and no substitute was available to cover the guidance hours. It is recommended that the total ex-quota allocation of twenty-four hours per week be deployed to the optimum level for guidance provision across the full student body and recorded on the timetable in the next and subsequent years.

 

The school has the services of a part-time chaplain who is a member of the pastoral care team and a designated National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) psychologist.

 

Guidance provision is targeted primarily in senior cycle.  A guidance module is provided in Transition Year (TY).  Classes are timetabled in fifth and sixth year on a modular basis with Religion.  Individual appointments are offered to students in all year groups.  The Rainbows programme is available outside the school in the Family Centre in the town.

 

Management in St. Gerald’s College is supportive of Guidance and there are excellent facilities for Guidance in the form of an office with computer, broadband access, phone, shelving and storage. The office also houses a well stocked careers library and careers materials are also available in the school library.  The school library has a data projector and two computers with broadband access.  Notice boards outside the guidance office and beside the main door provide guidance-related information. Personal counselling is an important part of the guidance service and of student support. A counselling room is available and a counselling policy has been ratified by the board of management.

 

The guidance counsellor states that information and communications technologies (ICT) facilities in the school are good and access to the computer room for guidance classes is timetabled.  This is to be commended. There is ongoing liaison between the guidance counsellor and the ICT co-ordinator and it is planned to develop a section of the school website next year to provide guidance-related information with links to relevant websites.  This is encouraged as it will benefit both students and parents.

 

A pastoral care team of key support personnel has recently been established and to date one meeting has taken place to discuss the needs of individual students.  This is commended as it will further enhance the good work that is already being done and will develop a whole school approach to student care and support. The guidance counsellor states that an effective informal network has been working in the school with ongoing consultation among principal, class heads, guidance counsellors and teachers of learning support and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE). This is commended and it is recommended that this collaboration now be formalised under the structure of the care team with regular, minuted meetings.  Such a structure will facilitate the transfer of information and the early identification and support of students in need of extra assistance. The resource and learning support department is located beside the guidance office which facilitates communication and collaboration between these two departments.

 

Class heads usually remain with the class group for the entire six years and the school regards the pastoral aspect of their role as being very important in the support of students.  St Gerald’s College has a referral system in place through which senior management, class heads, subject teachers and parents may refer students to the guidance department.  Students may also self-refer.  The school monitors student attendance on a daily basis and a list of students with a pattern of absences is given to the guidance counsellor who will meet with the students on an individual basis. Referrals to outside agencies are effected through the office of the principal in consultation with parents and guidance counsellors. Ongoing contact is maintained between the guidance department and parents regarding personal counselling work with students. It is recommended that when all the referral procedures are documented they be included in the school guidance plan.

 

It is commendable that St Gerald’s College is working on a critical incident response plan and initial work has already been done by the guidance department on networking with other local guidance counsellors.  In preparing the final draft of the policy document it is recommended that the school refers to support materials available from NEPS.  

 

While there is no specific budget for the guidance department resources are provided as required.

 

 

Planning and Preparation

 

A sub-committee was established in 2005 to work on the guidance plan and the development of pastoral care in the school.  Work began with an audit of the existing provision in guidance and the results were submitted to the staff.  A questionnaire was completed by first year students and their parents to survey the needs of first year students and a development plan was drawn up arising from the results of this study. Regular meetings of the guidance, learning support and SPHE departments take place to develop the planning process. Work has been completed on the school’s counselling policy which was ratified by the board of management following consultation with staff, parents’ council and the board.

 

Detailed programmes for Transition Year and senior cycle classes have been developed and the guidance counsellor liaises with the SPHE teachers regarding the programmes covered in junior cycle. It is recommended that the SPHE policy be reviewed to include cross-curricular planning with Guidance. Information to support this work on planning is available in publications – Planning the School Guidance Programme, issued by the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE), Guidelines for Second Level Schools on the Implications of Section 9 (c) of the Education Act, relating to students’ access to appropriate guidance, published by the Department of Education and Science and the Department’s template for guidance planning, available on www.education.ie.  It is suggested that input from the student council and from representatives of the local business community into the planning process would now be opportune.  A student needs analysis would also inform the planning process.

 

St Gerald’s College has in place a transition programme for incoming first year students which begins with a visit by the principal to all feeder primary schools and an open /enrolment evening for prospective students and their parents.  Students also visit the school to complete pre-entry tests.  An induction/orientation day is held at the beginning of the school year when students are introduced to their subject teachers, class heads and the guidance counsellors.  Student photographs are taken using ‘classpix’ for the class lists with student photographs which are circulated to staff. At the end of the induction day an opportunity is provided to students to ask questions and to clarify any concerns.  It is recommended that the roles of key support personnel in the school be explained to students at the beginning of term. Bonding activities and trips for first year students are organised in the course of the year.

 

The school hosts an information evening for parents of first year students in September.  This provides an opportunity for parents to meet with support personnel, to raise any issues or concerns they may have and to receive feedback on how students are experiencing the settling-in process.  The guidance counsellor makes a presentation on the guidance service provided in the school, the role of the guidance counsellor and on the import of subject and level choice. Parents could be directed to the information now available regarding subject choice on www.qualifax.ie.  The guidance counsellor is available to meet with individual parents during the information evening or meetings are arranged for later.  This level of support for students and parents is commended.

 

St Gerald’s College provides sampling of the five optional subjects by first year students until November when students choose two subjects. These practices are commended as they assist students in making informed choices for the Junior Certificate.  The guidance counsellor works on the subject options and students and parents may arrange individual appointments. It is recommended that a guidance module be offered in first year to assist students as they make their subject and level choices.

 

Arising from the surveys carried out with first year students and their parents the school is planning to set up a mentoring system next year between senior students and incoming first years. This is encouraged and it is recommended that the school continue to explore ways of extending and enhancing the transition programme.  Feedback from staff on the guidance plan identified, among other areas, a need to formalise the anti-bullying supports in the school.  In this regard it is suggested that the school considers an anti-bullying week of activities to support the module in the SPHE programme.

 

Currently the guidance counsellor has no class contact with first, second or third year students. In addition to meeting new students on induction day the guidance counsellor visits all first year classes to introduce the guidance service and explain access and procedures.  Individual appointments and personal counselling are offered throughout the school and the principal reports that quite an amount of counselling time was provided to assist the settling-in process this year and to provide extra support to second year students.  It is suggested that the school considers the possibility of providing individual meetings for all first years with a member of the care team. It is recommended that, in the course of guidance planning, the school addresses the imbalance in guidance provision between junior and senior cycles.

 

The Transition Year is mandatory and at present there are six class groups. In September the guidance counsellor makes a presentation to students to assist the preparation for the Junior Certificate results. Guidance is provided on a modular basis. The main aims of the module are to enable students to make informed subject choices for fifth year, to introduce students to the world of work, to assist students to develop self-awareness and a positive self concept.  Research skills are developed through the use of QualifaX and Career Directions websites.  The guidance counsellor also organises the work experience programme in TY.  In the course of guidance planning it is suggested that the school explores how other members of staff could contribute to this activity thus ensuring the enhanced availability of the guidance counsellor for core guidance work.

 

St Gerald’s College offers a very wide choice of subjects in senior cycle and commendably, subject sampling is offered during Transition Year to support the take up of new subjects. The guidance counsellor, in consultation with the principal, is very involved in subject choice which begins with an open choice form completed by student and parent.  The results are then further refined as, using the OPTIONS programme, the guidance counsellor works on possible subject blocks. Members of staff provide information to students on content and levels of senior cycle subjects.  It is recommended that the school formalises this good practice so that information is offered on all subject areas.  The school hosts an information session for parents on subject choice and students and parents are welcome to make appointments with the guidance counsellor to discuss individual choices. It is recommended that the school considers the introduction of the LCVP to provide an option for senior students.

 

Generally guidance classes are timetabled on a modular basis with Religion in fifth year giving four modules of Religion and one of Guidance.  This year and last year a specific group of students attended the guidance counsellor for guidance class three times weekly for a set period of time. In sixth year Guidance is co-timetabled with Religion and the guidance counsellors take groups as required.  In the course of guidance planning it is recommended that the school reviews the current timetabling arrangements for Guidance in order to ensure the best possible and most equitable deployment of resources.

 

The focus in senior cycle is on self-development, the development of career awareness and the choice of post-Leaving Certificate options. Senior students attend college open days and other career and course information events. The school organises visits to a small number of events and students are encouraged to make individual arrangements to attend events of specific interest to them.  This is commended as it helps students develop self-management skills.  Representatives from colleges and training organisations visit the school to provide talks and external visits are organised for students.  The school has established contacts with the GMIT College in the town and visits to the college laboratories are organised.  It is recommended that the school continues to build on these links.

 

The guidance counsellor reports ongoing collaboration with senior management through formal and informal meetings. 

 

The school reports an open-door approach and good contact with parents.  Year heads and class heads maintain regular contact with parents.  The guidance counsellor attends all parent/teacher meetings and provides an input into all information sessions for parents. The school newsletter contains information on Guidance and Counselling.  St Gerald’s College used to offer parenting courses and the guidance counsellor is planning the provision of workshops for parents in the course of the next school year.  This commitment to parent support is commended.

 

Apart from links established with industry through the work experience programmes the school also liaises with a number of outside agencies and organisations to provide information and support for students.  Commendably an awards evening is organised to acknowledge and celebrate student achievement and trophies won by school teams are displayed.

 

The guidance counsellor is a member of the IGC. The school facilitates attendance at local and national in-service, relevant guidance and training events and the local professional development sessions to support counselling.

 

 

Teaching and Learning

 

In the course of the evaluation one Transition Year group and one fifth year class group were visited.  The TY group was small as a number of students were absent from the class doing driving lessons as part of the Transition Year modules.  In the course of planning the timeframe for the modules in Transition Year it is recommended that current co-timetabling arrangements be reviewed.

 

The focus of the lesson was group work and the aim of the lesson, which was clearly explained to students, was to identify feelings and emotions and to discuss how these are experienced and expressed. The lesson, which began with a reminder of the rules of group work and the issue of confidentiality, was well planned and was structured around the use of cards with written feelings from the pack “On my own two Feet”.  A sample card was selected and students were invited to share examples of their experience of the particular emotion.  To begin the guidance counsellor shared feelings with the class followed by each student using the same card. A discussion on the specific emotion followed.  Students then chose cards at random and some of the emotions were further discussed.

 

Students who wished to “pass” were allowed to do so. The guidance counsellor used questioning to check understanding and initiate comment and discussion. Students were positively affirmed and encouraged and there was good participation and sharing on the part of students.    The lesson was handled in a sensitive and caring manner and it is recommended that time be allocated in the planning of lessons to deal with any negative feelings that may be evoked for students in the course of dealing with particular content. Students may also require individual support and this should be included in the planning of time allocation.

 

The focus of the fifth year lesson was a PowerPoint presentation on the CAO system which consisted of engaging slides with excellent graphics.  Aspects of the system such as the change of mind facility and random selection were explained. Good reference was made to previous lessons and to moving on to researching college websites.  Students were familiar with the QualifaX website, demonstrated a good knowledge of college requirement and were at ease to ask questions.  There was good engagement and participation on the part of students.

 

The pace and content of the lesson were appropriate to the class groups. In both lessons a friendly and relaxed class atmosphere and good working relationships were evident.  Good rapport and mutual respect were evident between guidance counsellor and students. The good practice of roll call at the beginning of the lessons was noted. 

 

 

Assessment

 

During first year the guidance counsellor administers the AH2 and records scores in the student database. As the AH2 does not have Irish norms and has not been up dated in recent times it is recommended that the school reviews the use of this test. In this regard the school should refer to the Circular Letter 0008/2007 and the accompanying information regarding tests on the Department website www.education.ie  The Differential Aptitude Tests (DATs) are administered to Leaving Certificate students to assist with career and course choices.  Interest Inventories used include the Rothwell Miller Interest Blank which is completed in TY, the Career Decision Making System which is administered in fifth year and the interest inventories within Career Directions and QualifaX which are used with senior cycle students.  The Problem Analysis Test is used for counselling purposes.

 

Currently the school is working on a testing policy. A meeting has been arranged among guidance counsellors in Co. Mayo and representatives of the NEPS in the county to discuss tests and testing. This is commended as a model of good practice in collaboration and it will provide useful information and support for testing procedures.

 

Tracking of Leaving Certificate students is done by the guidance counsellor using statistics from the CAO system.  Past students are welcome to return to school or to meet with the guidance counsellor for further information and support.

 

The guidance counsellor maintains student profiles from first year onwards as students attend the guidance department and records are maintained in individual folders. 

 

 

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

·         There are excellent facilities for Guidance in St Gerald’s College and a well established guidance system operates in the school.

·         A sub-committee has been established and guidance planning is progressing well in the school.

·         There is good student support in the school operating through a system of class heads, Guidance, SPHE, learning support, engagement with outside agencies/organisations and a pastoral care team has been set up recently.

·         Counselling is an important part of student support and a counselling policy has been ratified by the board of management. An informal network operates among the staff which facilitates the transfer of information on students.

·         A wide range of subjects is offered to students.

·         Preliminary work has been completed on the school’s crisis management response plan and initial links have been set up with other local guidance personnel.

·         The school has a transfer from primary school programme in place which includes taster subjects for first year students and an information evening to update parents.

·         Transition Year is compulsory and students are offered an opportunity to take up new subjects.

·         The lessons observed were well planned and structured, a good class atmosphere prevailed and good rapport and mutual respect were evident between students and guidance counsellor.

 

 

As a means of building on these strengths the following key recommendations are made:

 

 

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