An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department of Education and Science
Subject Inspection of Science and Chemistry
REPORT
Saint Brigid’s Secondary School
Presentation Convent, Killarney, County Kerry
Roll number: 61340S
Date of inspection: 15 May 2007
Date of issue of report: 6 December 2007
Subject provision and whole-school support
Summary of main findings and recommendations
Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Science and Chemistry
Subject inspection report
This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Brigid’s Secondary School. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Science and Chemistry and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of these subjects in the school. The evaluation was conducted over one day during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers, examined students’ work, 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
In 1793 the Presentation Sisters came to Killarney and opened a primary school. At a later stage an industrial school was added in which girls were taught needlework, crochet, lace making and knitting. In 1948 the Presentation Sisters opened a secondary school. The foundation stone of St. Brigid's Secondary School was laid in 1950. In 1984 the present extension to the school was completed.
At first-year level, students are offered a wide range of subjects to enable them to make an informed subject choice for Junior Certificate. This is good practice. Science is a core subject in first year and optional thereafter, the majority of students taking the subject to Junior Certificate level. Consideration should be given to the provision of Science as a core subject for Junior Certificate given the high uptake of the subject in the first instance. It would also facilitate the development of the scientific literacy of all students. Significantly Biology, Chemistry and Physics are offered as optional subjects for Leaving Certificate. The uptake of Biology is very good. However, the percentage of students opting to study the physical sciences, and in particular Physics, for Leaving Certificate represents a cause for concern for management and the science department alike. It is recommended therefore, that management and staff continue to be proactive in their encouragement of student uptake of these subjects, and work together in an attempt to reverse the trend.
The school is to be commended for the establishment of Science as a component of the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme, thus providing all students with the opportunity to develop their scientific knowledge and understanding. Due to the extremely small cohort of students who opted for Transition Year (TY) for the 2006/2007 academic year, the students are currently studying the sciences with the fifth-year cohort. It is recommended that the school return to the normal approach for TY, when student numbers facilitate such an option. Normally TY students are offered a taster system of all subjects in advance of choosing on entry to fifth year. This is good practice as it is very much in keeping with the TY philosophy of broad-based educational experience and the development of life skills.
Commendably, students entering second year are supported and advised in making appropriate subject choices by both the guidance counsellor and the subject teachers. Information evenings are held to advise parents. Initially students are offered an open choice. These choices are then used to create a “best-fit” model for the Junior Certificate subjects. A similar procedure operates at senior cycle. This is good practice.
The time allocation for the Leaving Certificate sciences is in line with the class contact time recommended in the syllabuses. However, the time allocation for Junior Certificate Science is below that recommended in the syllabus due to the thirty-five minute class periods and the three lessons per week in first year. While wholly mindful of the timetabling challenges, it is recommended that avenues for increasing class contact time for Science be explored. Timetabling otherwise supports the delivery of the curricula, with the majority of classes receiving an even spread of lessons over the week. This is commended. Management should endeavour to build on this good practice by having timetable slots for all classes well scattered across the timetable.
Science classes at both senior and junior cycle are of mixed ability. All students are encouraged to study higher-level Science at Junior Certificate and final decisions regarding chosen levels are not made until third year. It is commended that students generally retain the same teacher from second year through to third year, and again for Leaving Certificate, as this supports continuity of learning.
St Brigid’s Secondary School
has a good resource in its science personnel. The science teachers are
committed and adopt a professional approach to their work. There is good
support for teachers’ continuing professional development, with all science
teachers afforded opportunities to attend relevant in-service education
courses. This is commended. The commitment of teachers themselves is also
illustrated by their willingness to host in-service training for teachers in
both Biology and Chemistry. One of the teachers is a member of the teacher
design team in Biology and has developed ICT resources to support the teaching
and learning of Biology, these resources being shared with teachers nationally.
Two teachers also share their expertise by acting as student-teacher mentors
under the Lucent Science Initiative run by the
The school is well resourced for the teaching of the sciences, with two well-equipped laboratories. The science teachers deserve credit for the work involved in converting a classroom into a science room in which Physics lessons take place. This facility helps alleviate the pressure of access to the two laboratories. Commendably, all classes have a minimum of weekly access to the laboratories. Co-operation between teachers ensures that a laboratory is available when required. This is praiseworthy. It is good to note that the science department is allocated a budget for the updating, repair or enhancement of existing resources.
The laboratories are visually stimulating through the display of posters and scientific models. They also contain overhead projectors. The ICT facilities in the science department are good, with each laboratory housing a PC or laptop and one of the laboratories also housing a data projector. It is understood that the laboratories will be fitted with internet access during the summer and that the ICT resources will be enhanced. This is commended, particularly in view of the exemplary use that students and teachers made of ICT in one of the lessons observed.
There is a high level of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, safety blankets and safety glasses in the laboratories. Some good work has been done to ensure the safe storage of chemicals. It is recommended that this safe storage be enhanced through the purchase of a flame-resistant press for the storage of flammable chemicals. The chemicals should be colour coded for ease of safe storage. It is good to note that the science teachers were consulted in the recent review of the health and safety statement.
Teachers have an awareness of the students in their classes who require learning support. The science department has liaised with the learning-support department in order to get advice on effective strategies to support students with special education needs in the mainstream classroom. This is commended. Significantly, a summary of the teaching activities, materials and instructional strategies has been compiled using multiple-intelligence categories. An ongoing project is the development of a folder of useful teaching resources. This is very good practice.
A high level of provision is made for co-curricular
and extra-curricular science activities including fieldtrips, participation in
science quizzes and science-week activities. Teachers have organised educational
trips to the
Planning and preparation
The science department is ably co-ordinated and commendable effort goes into ensuring the smooth running of the department, as evidenced by the extensive organisational and planning documentation supplied and the well-resourced laboratories. Co-ordination duties are clearly outlined and include liaison with management, chemical storage and updating of the department website. Well-resourced laboratories provide evidence of an effective system in place for the purchase and organisation of equipment and chemicals. The team has regular subject department meetings. Records are kept of such meetings. This is commended. It is good to note that the formal communication that is facilitated through meetings is enhanced by ongoing informal contact.
Team planning and collaboration is evident in St Brigid’s Secondary School. A good level of curriculum planning has taken place in the science department, and extensive work has been done on science policy development, programme planning and review and the development of resources. A comprehensive science subject-planning folder has been compiled. This folder outlines subject-related issues such as the subject’s aims and objectives, assessment procedures and health and safety. Significantly, a science department mission statement has been devised. This states that the science programmes “provide students with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enhance their personal development.” Also included in the science department folder is a detailed programme of work for Science, which describes the subject content to be covered on a yearly basis, in terms of learning outcomes and syllabus references. In some instances resources to be employed are outlined. This is good practice. Yearly plans have also been devised for the Leaving Certificate sciences. Similarly, an extensive chemistry-planning folder, which was also examined during the course of the inspection, has been developed. This quality of planning is commended.
There is clear evidence of teamwork and a high level of collaboration and co-operation among the science teachers. Folders of shared resources have been devised to support teaching and learning. Experimental kits for each mandatory practical activity have been developed for Junior Certificate Science and Leaving Certificate Biology. This is excellent practice.
Individual teacher planning documentation, which supplements the common programme of work, was made available during the visit. In these folders were examples of an impressive array of resources including word searches, student-motivating worksheets and CDs, all of which were compiled to support the teaching and learning of the sciences. This is excellent work. Preparation for lessons, including the preparation of a PowerPoint presentation, acetates, equipment and chemicals was noted as being of a high standard. Handouts were employed as a prop to support students’ hands-on experimental activities. This is commended.
Teaching and learning
A good quality of teaching and learning was observed in St. Brigid’s Secondary School, in an atmosphere where the relationships between the students and teachers were perceived to be warm and respectful. The lessons observed were well thought-out, student centred in the main, and directed at a pace appropriate to the students. Diverse teaching styles were employed. Lessons were well organised, ensuring a smooth transition from one activity to another. A clear purpose was evident in the lessons, which dealt with topics such as gravity, pH, periodic table, bonding and blood circulation. The material being covered was communicated through the use of a variety of strategies including discussion, student practical work, questioning, explanation, and the use of ICT.
In the main, the focus was on active learning. Students were actively engaged throughout the lessons through effective teacher questioning and practical activities. In some instances, very good use was made of pair work and interactive classroom discussion to generate the students’ interest and develop lesson content. Subject matter was communicated clearly and effective links were made to previous learning. Excellent practice was observed when students discussed the scientific topic under consideration in small groups in advance of whole-class debate. This strategy helps to develop students’ skills in communicating science.
Initial lesson development in most lessons centred around question-and-answer sessions, dealing with issues that had arisen in the previous night’s homework or in other lessons. Great efforts were made by all teachers to draw the optimum number of students into participation during the lessons through such questioning. The attention and focus of students were also maintained throughout the lessons by frequent questioning, some of which was challenging. Most of the questions were of a recall type, though some good use was made of more probing or open-ended questions. In some instances, students were encouraged to expand on their answers, thus assisting in developing lesson content. This is commended.
Effective and helpful revision for the forthcoming summer and Junior Certificate examinations was ensured by the use of constant questioning and work on examination questions. There was evidence of students designing their own crosswords and mind maps as a revision strategy. This is commended. In one instance excellent employment of ICT during a revision lesson provided for independent learning, and simultaneously facilitated students to focus on their own learning needs. Students worked either separately or in pairs, developing PowerPoint presentations on a variety of topics. The internet was utilised successfully to provide visual images for these presentations, which would ultimately be delivered to their peers. This is outstanding practice.
During the practical lesson, students’ activities were effectively organised and they supported the development of students’ understanding and skills. Attention was given to appropriate safety precautions during practical work. However, care should be taken to ensure all students wear their safety glasses at all times. Students worked in pairs or groups of three. The teacher circulated the room, giving appropriate guidance and support as the students worked. A plenary session was utilised very effectively to consolidate students’ learning. This good practice could be enhanced by facilitating class discussion on completion of each practical activity. It is good to note that in this practical lesson students were encouraged to discuss the strategies they might employ in advance of doing the investigation. This is commended as this is an underlying principle of the Junior Science syllabus and is best practice in the teaching of the subject.
It was observed in one instance that, following class discussion, students wrote up the investigation in advance of completing the activity. This is not a good approach to practical work and so should be avoided. This lesson time would be more productively used to cover related theory and consolidate learning.
Students were encouraged to work hard and achieve their best, and their contributions were encouraged and affirmed in all lessons. They proved themselves to be motivated learners in the main, and readily engaged in classroom activities when the opportunity presented itself. There was good evidence of learning as students were generally confident and capable of answering questions put to them during the course of the visit.
Assessment
Continuous assessment is in operation throughout the year. Formal whole-school tests are held for non-examination classes in the summer and examination classes sit pre-examinations in the spring. This combination of assessment methods is laudable as it helps to provide for students’ continuing motivation. The practice of setting a common summer examination paper at the end of first year is excellent, as it helps to establish a shared direction for the subject, whilst ensuring consistency across the year group. Consideration should be given to extending this across all year groups, where appropriate.
Oral assessments were integrated into all the lessons observed, with teachers assessing students’ understanding through questioning in the classroom, and homework was assigned. It is noteworthy that a written homework policy is in place, thus providing uniformity in its practice across the school. There was some evidence of monitoring and annotation of homework, which is commended. Teachers are encouraged to build on this good practice.
Students have a laboratory notebook/workbook in which they record all their practical work. There was some evidence of monitoring of the practical notebooks. Teachers are encouraged to build on this element of good practice. The inclusion of practical work in a scheme of continuous assessment, which is employed in some instances, is commended. It is recommended that all teachers consider utilising this strategy, as it provides motivation for engagement by all students with the practical element of the course and ensures regular monitoring of students’ laboratory notebooks. It also reflects the assessment objectives of the Junior Certificate syllabus.
A good level of contact is maintained between the school and parents. In addition to biannual reports, information on students’ progress is also given to parents through annual parent-teacher meetings. Parents may also meet with the principal by appointment. This is commended. School management conducts an overall analysis of the Leaving and Junior Certificate results and compares them with national trends.
Summary of main findings and recommendations
The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:
· The majority of students take Science for Junior Certificate and Biology, Chemistry and Physics are offered as optional subjects for Leaving Certificate. Laboratory facilities are available to support the curriculum and the school is supportive of the continuing professional needs of staff.
· There is a high quality of teaching and learning in Science and Chemistry. The science teachers are dedicated and adopt a professional and collaborative approach to their work. Well-stocked laboratories and individual programmes of work provide evidence of a good level of planning.
· A sensitive and caring interaction exists between students and their teachers in the very positive learning environment of the science and chemistry classrooms.
· The commitment of teachers themselves is illustrated further by the willingness of teachers to share their expertise by acting as student-teacher mentors under the Lucent Science Initiative run by the University of Limerick, and by hosting in-service training for teachers in both Chemistry and Biology.
As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
- Management and staff should continue to be proactive in their encouragement of student uptake of the physical sciences and work together in an attempt to reverse the low uptake.
- The safe storage of chemicals should be enhanced through the purchase of a flame-resistant press for the storage of flammable chemicals. The chemicals should be colour coded for ease of safe storage.
- The practice of students writing up an investigation in advance of completing the activity should be avoided. The lesson time would be more productively used to cover related theory and consolidate learning.
- The good practice of assessing students’ practical work/laboratory notebooks, as a component of the end-of-term examinations, and which is employed in some instances, should be expanded to all year groups in junior cycle.
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Science and Chemistry and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.