An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna Department of Education and Skills Whole-School Evaluation Management, Leadership and Learning REPORT Alexandra College Milltown, Dublin 6 Roll number: 60910F Date of inspection: 10 April 2014
Whole-School Evaluation Management, Leadership and Learning A whole-school evaluation of management, leadership and learning (WSE-MLL) was undertaken in April 2014 in Alexandra College. This report presents the findings of the evaluation and makes recommendations for improvement. During the evaluation, the inspection team met with the school s board of management, in-school management, and groups of teachers, parents and students. Inspectors also reviewed a range of school documentation and responses to questionnaires and examined other data in relation to the operation of the school. As part of the evaluation, a range of lessons across a number of subject areas was inspected. 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. Introduction Alexandra College is a voluntary, secondary, fee-charging school for girls which was founded in 1866. It operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland but welcomes students of all faiths and has a current enrolment of 442 girls including both day students and boarders. The Junior Certificate, a compulsory Transition Year programme and the Leaving Certificate established are provided. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT Key Findings The board of management presents as a committed and active body with a diversity of educational knowledge and expertise. The school plan, devised collaboratively by the principal, deputy principal and the board, identifies priorities for school improvement. While a range of whole-school policies is in place, there is a need to develop or review policies in some key areas. The school is well organised and efficiently managed by an effective senior management team. Teachers are highly skilled and competent professionals and are committed to the school and its ethos. Most subject departments have engaged collaboratively in quality subject planning but there is room for further development in ensuring learning outcomes are linked to methodologies, resources and evaluation. Overall academic attainment is very good and there is a high rate of third-level progression. The school is commended for providing an extensive and broad curriculum but should remain aware of the need to comply with Department recommendations on appropriate timetabling. The quality of teaching and learning observed in lessons ranged from good to very good with some elements of excellent practice also noted. Substantial progress has been made in addressing the recommendations of previous subject inspection reports. 2
Recommendations for Further Development The board of management should develop an action plan to advance the areas that have been prioritised for school development and to lead a collaborative process in reviewing essential school policies and plans. The role of the year heads in leading learning should now be developed to include designing and monitoring a system to better track student academic progress, attendance and participation. School management should ensure full compliance with Department requirements and recommendations regarding the provision of time for curriculum instruction. School management is urged to prioritise the development of a school improvement plan and a school self-evaluation report, and to ensure that the plan and a summary of the report are shared with all stakeholders. 1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP 1.1 School ownership and management Over the last two years, there has been a major restructuring of the school s governance to facilitate more effective management of the school. Initially, a council was set up by the patron to govern the school. The roles of the council and the board of management have been recently redefined and new operating procedures are working well. The current board presents as a committed and active body with a diversity of educational knowledge and expertise. The board has made a good start in identifying the priorities for school development and engaging in a number of good practices. A system to record and track agreed actions has proven effective. Board members should consider availing of the training offered by the Joint Managerial Body to ensure a common understanding of the board s roles and responsibilities. The school plan, devised collaboratively by the principal, deputy principal and the board, identifies the priorities for school improvement for 2014-2015. These priorities appropriately include: policy development; education provision; improvement of facilities; school promotion; increasing enrolment; and school self-evaluation. A number of subcommittees led by board members have been created with staff and parent representatives to fulfil specific remits. This endeavour widens the involvement of the school community and is a promising innovation. As a next step, it is recommended that each sub-committee develops a three- to five-year action plan with specific targets and timeframes to help the board advance the prioritised areas. Mandatory policies such as admissions, behaviour, child protection, health and safety, internet usage, special educational needs and Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) are in place. However, some policies require review and further development. For example, the anti-bullying policy now requires changes in light of Circular 045/2013 and the publication of revised anti-bullying procedures for schools, and the whole-school guidance plan requires further development in relation to Circular 37/03. It is recommended that the board of management lead a collaborative process involving the whole school community in reviewing and revising essential school policies. The school has not yet engaged in the formal school self-evaluation process. To advance this, the school management should consider the establishment of an SSE working group. 3
To comply with Circular 0040/2012, the school should have a school improvement plan and a school self-evaluation report by no later than the end of the school year 2013-14. The school should ensure that the plan and a summary of the report are shared with all stakeholders. The school is well organised and efficiently managed. The roles and responsibilities of the principal and the deputy principal as a senior management team have been clearly defined and agreed. The team takes a partnership approach to school leadership and development and works effectively together. The principal and the deputy principal are hardworking and deeply committed to the school. The principal demonstrates leadership skills and has effectively maintained the school ethos while managing constructive change. Governance matters which took up much of the principal s time and attention have now been resolved, allowing the principal to concentrate on her core mission of leading teaching and learning. The principal and deputy principal have complementary skills and work closely together. The deputy principal is efficient in carrying out her duties which include the day-to-day management of staff and students. The Alexandra College Association is an active parent-teacher forum which is affirmative about school management and staff, and supportive of the work of the school. The members of the association participate on board sub-committees, review policies, arrange talks and social events for parents, and organise targeted fund-raising. The association is kept well informed of educational matters by management and staff. The parent representatives of the association met by the inspectors were very satisfied with the curriculum and extracurricular activities, and teaching and learning. The student council is a democratically-elected, representative body which is active in many aspects of the school. The council meets regularly and is ably supported by staff. The council frequently works closely with the Alexandra College Association. Student council members should consider how they can better represent their constituents and assure all students that they have a voice in school matters. The board might consider how they can establish formal contact directly with the student council leaders. 1.2 Effectiveness of leadership for learning Teachers with assigned responsibilities contribute positively to the life of the students in a wide range of areas. The weekly meetings of the year heads in support of senior management is a positive development. The role of the year heads in leading learning should now be developed to include designing and monitoring a system to better track student academic progress, attendance and participation. The administration of a standardised cognitive assessment by the guidance counsellor and the development of a protocol for periodically re-assessing literacy and numeracy skills led by the literacy and numeracy link teachers will assist tracking student progress. A school management-led review of the duties assigned to posts of responsibilities would be timely in light of the changing needs of the school. The teachers are highly skilled and competent professionals, and are committed to the school and its ethos. They prioritise the needs of all students. The high level of their voluntary participation on the board subcommittees and in a range of school initiatives is commended. Most subject departments have engaged collaboratively in quality subject planning, but some subject plans do not link learning outcomes with appropriate methodologies, resources and evaluation. To comply with Circular M1/00, the TY plan should include individual subject plans with clear information on modes of assessment. The whole-school 4
guidance plan should reference SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) and RSE provision and relevant school policies plus the pastoral roles and responsibilities of the care team, form tutors, year heads and chaplain. These planning issues should be addressed. A literacy link teacher has been named and a core literacy team has been established. As a direct consequence of the team s work, a number of good literacy development practices are spreading through the school. However, to ensure new practices target student needs, the literacy team should first gather evidence regarding current levels of student literacy achievement and engagement, research and introduce whole-school strategies to address identified needs and then evaluate the success of any initiatives. This recommended process is outlined in the school self-evaluation guidelines. The school management disseminates information through assemblies, electronic displays and notice boards. In addition, there are weekly timetabled meetings with management of the year heads, and the learning support and guidance teachers as well as regular care team, subject department and whole staff meetings. Parents receive useful information through a weekly newsletter, an e-mail and text messaging service, and the school website. In addition, parents can monitor their children s progress through online access to academic and behaviour reports, and attendance data as well as by termly reports and attendance at parent-teacher meetings. Senior management and individual subject departments analyse examination results annually. Overall academic attainment is very good and there is a high rate of third-level progression. Very good leadership opportunities are afforded to students through the prefect system, student council, Green Schools committee and the school s involvement with the Hope Foundation. There is a varied and admirable range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities available in the school with high levels of student participation. A range of positive and effective student supports contribute to the caring ethos promoted by both management and staff. The responses to the student and parent questionnaires agreed that students feel safe and cared for in the school. As well as an established tutorial system, students are well supported by a diligent pastoral care team which meets weekly to discuss the provision and to monitor individual students. The guidance and counselling service and a team of learning-support teachers liaise regularly with the care team, year heads and management and provide targeted interventions. Student needs are identified effectively on enrolment through an established induction process and through ongoing teacher referrals to the care team. The school is commended for the extensive and broad curriculum which is available for selection by students. Conversely, this abundance presents significant challenges to the efficient use of the available resources and the demands of constructing a workable timetable. As a result, there are a number of concerns that should be addressed in the future. In line with Circular M29/95, school management should ensure that all students are timetabled for a minimum of twenty-eight hours of curriculum instruction each week and that all junior cycle students have a weekly class of SPHE for the full school year (Circular M11/03). In addition, all students should have two periods of instruction in the physical education curriculum each week (Circular M15/05) and all students should have daily contact with English and Mathematics (Circular 0025/2012). School management should also be aware that the present deployment of teaching staff does not make best use of the allocated resources as few teachers are timetabled for the recommended twenty-two hours of curriculum instruction. Addressing this could help alleviate some of the above concerns. Student punctuality and attendance is monitored, recorded and reported to parents. In the course of the evaluation, the inspectors observation of process and practice in the school 5
suggested that a strategy for attendance and participation should be created and implemented (Circular M51/93; Section 22, Education Welfare Act, 2000). Confirmation was provided that the board of management has formally adopted the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools without modification. To be fully compliant with the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, the principal s report at board of management meetings should include the number of child protection cases and this should be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. 1.3 Management of facilities The school accommodation and sports facilities are generally of a high standard and are well maintained. The range of facilities is acknowledged and appreciated by all. In particular, significant investment has been made to ensure that all classrooms have information and communication technology (ICT) facilities. There is a range of wellequipped specialist rooms for Music, Science, Art and Home Economics. A good print-rich environment is being developed in most classrooms and the school environs in support of the whole-school promotion of literacy. The recent completion of the Henrietta White Centre will enhance the school s provision for sports, drama and music. 2. QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING 2.1 The quality of learning and teaching The quality of teaching and learning observed in lessons ranged from good to very good with some elements of excellent practice also noted. Most parents and students sampled through questionnaires indicated their satisfaction with the quality of teaching and learning in the school. There is an appropriate focus on academic attainment but equal attention is given to the development of interest and ability in the arts, drama, music and sport. The school values and promotes independent thinking, diversity, respect and responsibility. Teacher preparation for all lessons observed was uniformly very good. Student behaviour and participation in lessons observed was exemplary. Classroom management was effective and all lessons were conducted in a positive atmosphere which resulted in excellent learning opportunities. In all lessons, teacher expectations for their students were suitably high and students responded accordingly ensuring that very good learning was achieved. Students demonstrated high levels of motivation and were focused on their learning. In many lessons, teachers identified key learning outcomes for the lesson, while other teachers gave an overview of the lesson content. Teachers should clearly establish key learning outcomes at the start of lessons and allow time sufficient to revisit them at the end of the lessons. This will help to ensure that students are fully aware of the learning to be achieved while supporting teacher planning and preparation for subsequent lessons. Methodologies observed in lessons were mostly effective and included teacher-guided discussion and collaborative learning tasks such as group or paired work. In lessons where group work was observed, it was clear that students were familiar with the approach. Effective group work was characterised by the establishment of a clear purpose for the activity and specific timeframes for the completion of the task. There was an appropriate balance between teacher direction and student activity. The quality of teacher questioning was good and included some good examples where questioning initiated and guided good quality student discussions. Student responses to questioning were of a good standard and, for the most part, indicated a depth of knowledge 6
and understanding of the topic Teachers used a good variety of thought-provoking questions to probe and challenge students understanding of learning. In such studentteacher exchanges students were frequently asked to justify their answers. In addition, in many lessons students made very good links with prior knowledge. There is scope nonetheless, in a small number of lessons, for teachers to develop questioning techniques to achieve a better balance between global and individual questions and to ensure that all students are active in their learning. The overall use of the target language in language lessons by teachers and students was very good. In addition, during student-teacher exchanges the use of subject specific terminology was very good and in some instances keywords were recorded on the board and used effectively to reinforce learning. Appropriate homework was assigned in all lessons. Teachers provided oral formative feedback to students with some written formative feedback noted in students copybooks giving advice to students about how improvements could be made to their work. There is scope to extend this good practice in all subject areas. Teachers are generally classroom-based and have good access to ICT facilities. There were many very good examples of student-developed materials and commercially sourced materials on display in classrooms; all of which added to the creation of a positive learning environment. Commendably, the layout of some classrooms has been configured to facilitate collaborative pair and group work. Additional resource materials such as show-me boards and teacher-prepared supplementary worksheets were integrated into lessons and were used effectively to enhance student learning. ICT was used in some lessons to project lesson objectives and visual images, and to display teacher notes. In some instances, the interactive whiteboard was used to good effect. Given that tablet devices have been introduced in first and second year and the school has invested significantly in ICT, it is recommended that the integration of electronic resources as learning tools be strengthened. School management supports staff participation in relevant continuous professional development (CPD) as opportunities arise. Nevertheless, an audit of staff CPD needs would be beneficial and would ensure the continued development of skills especially in relation to teaching and learning. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS 3.1 Management The reports of previous subject inspections have been discussed at management level and due attention has been paid to the recommendations. There has been significant improvement in the quality of subject planning. The majority now link learning outcomes to methods, resources and evaluation but this good practice has not yet spread to all subject plans. 3.2 Learning and teaching Subject departments are charged with the responsibility for implementing the recommendations of subject inspection reports and some subject plans clearly indicate how teachers have addressed the recommendations. 7
There is evidence that the relevant subject departments have taken a range of actions in response to these recommendations. Specific improvements include an increased focus on sharing learning outcomes and an increase in the use of active methodologies such as cooperative learning. A good range of strategies alternative to translation are in place in language lessons. The recommendation to include Latin as a TY option to provide continuity of learning between the junior and senior cycle should be progressed. Overall, substantial progress has been made with addressing the recommendations. 4. THE SCHOOL S SELF-EVALUATION PROCESS AND CAPACITY FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT There is a strong commitment to the continued development of the school from all stakeholders. The knowledge, vision and professional capacity is already available within the management and staff to lead a systematic whole-school approach aimed at improving outcomes for learners. There is evidence of some good practices including ongoing professional reflection, annual reviews, analyses of examination results, and the use of a survey of parents in 2011 which demonstrate the school s capacity to engage in school selfevaluation. Published October 2014 8