Transcript Document

Quality Assurance
and the work of the
Inspectorate
SDPI Summer School
NUI Galway
19th June 2007
Emer Egan
Assistant Chief Inspector
Teacher Education Policy Support Unit
System improvement
initiatives
LEGISLATION
Quality of
External
Evaluation
State
Examinations
Commission
Continuum of
Teacher
Education
Curriculum
Development
and Review NCCA
School and
System
improvement
National and
International
Reporting on
Outcomes
SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT TOWARDS 2016
Teaching
Council
Leadership
Development
in Schools
Additional
Supports and
Services to
Pupils
Support for
Schools –
Planning and
Curriculum
System change and
development

Social partnership model for social and economic development

Education legislation
o Education Act 1998
o Education Welfare Act (2000)
o Teaching Council Act (2001)
o Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004)

Clarification of functions and responsibilities of stakeholders

Establishment of agencies for effective delivery of services

Public Sector Management Reforms – Strategic Management Initiative (SMI)
The Inspectorate

A centralised Inspectorate: primary and second level

A division of the Department of Education and Science

Statutory remit under the Education Act 1998
o Programme of inspection in schools
o Promoting compliance with regulation and legislation
o Advisory role for schools and for the Department
o Contribution to policy development
Strategic change in the
Inspectorate

150/170 inspectors under the Chief Inspector organised in two subdivisions:
Regional Subdivision and Policy Support Subdivision
Range of evaluation
models

Primary
o Teachers on probation
o Whole-School Evaluation
o Thematic / Focused Evaluations

Post-primary
o Subject Inspection
o WSE
o Thematic / Focused Evaluations
So! What is Inspection
about? A platform for improvement

Evaluation provides a review of how well schools are meeting their objectives and
a service to schools providing ….
o Support for leadership and management
o Critical analysis and commentary on teaching and learning and on the school’s
functioning in its context
o Clearly articulated rationale and realistic proposals for action planning
o Where necessary a strong message about things that must be done better
o Findings that affirm professionalism and foster development
Improvement – school’s
responsibility and capability

External evaluation is a professional input into the action planning and
programme implementation in the school in the future
o School improvement is a management and organisational responsibility within
the school
o Evaluation advice in relation to action planning is critical – but improvements in
educational provision can only result if there is effective implementation
o A critical factor is the capability of professionals in schools to manage a
change process.
WSE framework
Area 1: Quality of school management
Area 2: Quality of school planning
Area 3: Quality of curriculum provision
Area 4: Quality of learning and teaching
Area 5: Quality of support for students
Looking at our school –
evaluation indicators
Rigorous evidencegathering procedures
Planning
Documentation
Observation of
Teaching and Learning
Assessment
Records
School Information
Form
Interaction with
Pupils
Discussion with
School Personnel
Drawing from a variety of
sources of evidence

Foirm Eolais

Review of school policies

Observation of teaching and learning

Work of in-school management team

Management of pupils

Audit of school resources

Interviews with BOM, principal, in-school
management team, teachers, parents
The WSE report

Report identifies strengths and areas
recommended for development

WSE report is issued to chairperson
and the school principal - part of the
agenda for development

Recommendations should be
addressed in the school staff’s action
planning
The inspection may
be appealed under
Section 13(9)
Review Procedures
Factual Verification and
School Response
o
New processes
promoting school
engagement with the
Inspection reports
o
School responses
published on the
Department’s website
Evaluation findings: a wider
audience for reports

Reports for schools following
WSE, Subject Inspection,
Thematic and Programme
Evaluations

National trends from major
Thematic Evaluation Reports

Composite reports of Subject
Inspections and WSE
Findings have implications for schools
… and for services and agencies supporting schools
Supporting schools and the system to respond
where areas for development are identified
Guides to WSE – Primary
and Post-primary schools
Where the Inspectorate is
going… continuing to change

Employing a range of evaluation modes – to meet a range of system
demands

Communicating evaluation findings to a range of partners and the public

Sharing evaluation procedures and processes with others and promoting
capacity for school self-evaluation and development

Further building the evaluation expertise of the Inspectorate in areas such
as school leadership, disadvantage, special education, parental involvement

Working to build professional capacity in schools, in governance, in
management and in teaching, and supporting local and system strategies for
improvement
Some Challenges for the
Inspectorate
o Further refining our evaluation processes
and procedures
o Developing systems to support and evaluate
self-evaluation processes in schools
o Identifying how best to assist schools in
responding to the outcomes of evaluation.
CPD: Key messages
Continuum of learning

Initial teacher education, induction and continuing professional development: connection

Lifelong learning framework/skills: ITE provides the foundation; on-the-job skill development

Teacher formation: development of skills of reflective practice; teacher as researcher

Attention to development of subject and pedagogical knowledge at each stage throughout
the career

Primary role for school as site for learning, schools as learning communities
School domain
Towards improvement in teaching and learning

Engage in self-review and development planning

Improved student outcomes is the focus of school improvement efforts

Links teacher development to school development and improvement

Leadership a key factor in improvement activities

Informal learning valued [innovation, joint problem-solving, networking, sharing experience]

Professional dialogue is promoted within and between schools

Research and development integrated into school’s work
Signposts
Towards schools which:
•
develop as communities of learners
•
link teacher learning to school improvement
•
provide for both on and off the job professional development
•
network with providers and other schools
•
mentor student and beginning teachers entry to the profession
•
give status to good teachers
Towards teachers who are:
•
committed to lifelong learning and link professional development activities,
improvements in their own practice, student progress and overall school improvement
Teacher domain
Towards improvement in teaching and learning
Personal competences that make a difference to the quality and effectiveness of teaching:
sound subject knowledge; communication skills; ability to relate to individual students; self
management skills; organisational skills; classroom management skills; problemsolving skills; a repertoire of teaching methods; teamwork skills; and research skills.
Lingard et al (2002) and Ayres et al (2000) in OECD (2005) Teachers Matter
New Strategic Context:
Social Partnership Agreement
delivering School Self-Evaluation
o
Towards 2016 embeds the Inspectorate’s Looking at Our School
framework in the partnership agreement with teachers.
o
The agreement will facilitate the systematic implementation of
school self-evaluation in all primary and post-primary schools.
o
The agreement also addresses underperformance in teaching.
o
Main challenge is to develop systems to support and evaluate
self-evaluation processes in schools.
T16 Part Two
Section 31 – Education Sector

Part A - Teachers - Performance Management
31.1
Under the Education Act 1998 a school is required to establish and maintain systems
whereby the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations can be assessed. In this context Section 23 of
the Education Act 1998 sets out the responsibilities and functions of the school principal which covers,
inter alia, the creation of a school environment which is supportive of learning and on a day-to-day basis
the guidance and direction of the teachers and the promotion of their professional development, for
which the principal is accountable to the employer.
31.2
The parties recognise that within the overall performance of a school or education centre the
effectiveness of the contribution made by each teacher is critical not only to the interests of the specific
students for which the individual teacher has direct responsibility but also to the overall performance of
the school.
The parties agree that the most appropriate basis for the development of strategies to enhance team
and individual contribution is in the context of school development planning and holistic self-evaluation
processes conducted by the school in line with best practice.
T16 Part Two
Section 31 – Education Sector
31.3
The parties have agreed that each school will utilise the Department of Education
publications “Looking at our School – an aid to self-evaluation in primary schools (2003)”
and “Looking at our Schools – an aid to self-evaluation in second level schools (2003)” to
conduct a self-evaluation of school performance.
31.4
Schools will consider the role and contribution of teachers to overall school performance in
the context of the school development plan. Each school will assess performance by using the
themes for self-evaluation set out in the above documents for the aspect Teaching and Learning
as a dimension of overall school performance.
T16 Part Two
Section 31 – Education Sector

Difficulties in relation to Teacher Performance
31.7
Section 24(3) of the Education Act, 1998 provides that a board of management of a school may
suspend or dismiss teachers in accordance with procedures agreed from time to time between
the Minister, the patron of the school, recognised school management organisations and any
recognised trade union representing teachers.
31.8
The parties are agreed that it is timely to review and revise existing procedures. Discussions in
that regard shall commence under this agreement and new procedures will be agreed in time
for implementation with effect from the commencement of the 2007/2008 school year.

Section 33 - Performance verification process
There will be Performance Verification Groups (PVG) for each of the Civil Service, Education,
Health and Local Government sectors.
Discussion
Discussion
www.education.ie