An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna

Department of Education and Skills

Whole School Evaluation Management, Leadership and Learning

REPORT

Ainm na scoile / School name

Saint Vincent's Secondary School

Seoladh na scoile / School address

Seatown Place Dundalk County Louth

Uimhir rolla / Roll number

63900R

Date of Evaluation: 10-05-2018

WHOLE-SCHOOL EVALUATION – MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING

Whole-School Evaluation – Management, Leadership and Learning reports on the quality of teaching and learning and on the quality of management and leadership in a school. It affirms good practice and makes recommendations, where appropriate, to aid the further development of educational provision in the school.

How to read this report

During this inspection, the inspectors evaluated and reported under the following headings or areas of enquiry:

1. Quality of school leadership and management 2. Quality of teaching and learning 3. Implementation of recommendations from previous evaluations 4. The school’s self-evaluation process and capacity for school improvement

Inspectors describe the quality of each of these areas using the Inspectorate’s quality continuum which is shown on the final page of this report. The quality continuum provides examples of the language used by inspectors when evaluating and describing the quality of the school’s provision in each area.

The board of management was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report, and the response of the board will be found in the appendix of this report.

CHILD PROTECTION

During the inspection visit, the following checks in relation to the school’s child protection procedures were conducted: 1. The name of the DLP and the Child Safeguarding Statement are prominently displayed near the

main entrance to the school. 2. The Child Safeguarding Statement has been ratified by the board and includes an annual review

and a risk assessment. 3. All teachers visited reported that they have read the Child Safeguarding Statement and that

they are aware of their responsibilities as mandated persons. 4. The Child Safeguarding Statement meets the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures

for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017. 5. The records of the last three board of management meetings record a child protection oversight

report that meet the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary schools 2017.

6. The board of management has ensured that arrangements are in place to provide information to all school personnel on the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, 2017

7. School planning documentation indicates that the school is making full provision for the relevant aspects of the curriculum (SPHE, Stay Safe, RSE, Wellbeing).

8. Child protection records are maintained in a secure location. The school met the requirements in relation to each of the checks above.

WHOLE-SCHOOL EVALUATION – MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING

Dates of inspection 8, 9 and 10 May 2018

Inspection activities undertaken

Meeting with board of management

Meetings with principal and three deputy principals

Meetings with key staff

Review of relevant documents

Student focus-group interview

Meeting with parents

Analysis of parent, student and teacher questionnaires

Observation of teaching and learning

Examination of students’ work

Interaction with students

Feedback to senior management team, board of management and teachers

School context

Saint Vincent’s Secondary School is a voluntary secondary school under the trusteeship of Catholic Education: An Irish Schools’ Trust (CEIST). The school provides the Junior Certificate, an optional Transition Year (TY), the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) and the Leaving Certificate programme. Summary of main findings and recommendations:

Findings

In-school leadership and management are excellent; the school is very well run, there are well-established processes to promote innovation in teaching and learning, and the Looking at our Schools 2016 framework is used very effectively to inform this work.

The work of the board of management is very good; it oversees the implementation of a very comprehensive strategic plan which exemplifies the astute identification of priorities, target-setting and accountability measures in place.

Overall, the quality of teaching and learning was very good; while the impact of whole-school initiatives was very evident in most of the lessons observed, there was scope to optimise consistency of implementation, in a minority of lessons, with regard to some agreed whole-school strategies.

Provision for students with additional learning needs is effective overall and this aspect of provision has been prioritised by the school itself as an area for further development; there is scope to ensure learner support that is more closely aligned with identified needs.

Certain aspects of the provision in respect of the LCA programme are in need of review.

The school demonstrates very good capacity for improvement and very good progress has been made in implementing recommendations made in previous evaluations.

Recommendations

The highly effective teacher collaboration in place should be extended to help ensure that all

whole-school agreed classroom strategies impact optimally on students’ learning.

Provision for students with additional needs should be aligned more closely with their

specific, identified needs.

The LCA programme should be reviewed to promote more student-centred teaching and

learning and greater inclusion in all aspects of school life.

DETAILED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

School leadership and management are of a very high standard. In-school leadership and management are excellent, and the school is very well run. Leading learning and teaching

Leadership for learning and teaching is very good. The senior management team of principal and three deputy principals is united in their values, views and vision in respect of student support and learning. They have a very good awareness of students’ individual needs which is based on thorough analysis of assessment data. The team recognises the talents and interests of teachers and is open to innovation; these school strengths are reflected in recent additions to the curriculum. Professional learning amongst teachers is developed through a combination of external training and the sharing of internal expertise. This approach has been very successful in developing teachers as leaders in their own subject areas.

The board of management demonstrates very good oversight of curriculum, attainment, and levels of progression. Subject departments present to the board following inspection to discuss findings, recommendations and action plans for improvement. The board has overseen a number of significant changes in teaching and learning in recent years.

A very comprehensive strategic five-year plan for the school has been developed. Priority areas for improvement and action plans are clearly identified and the outcomes of the year-one review are detailed. Some targets have already been achieved or have been adapted following detailed analysis. The majority of targets are selected to bring about improvement in the classroom. Some consideration should be given to ensuring that all teaching and learning targets reflect the same level of meaningful decision-making evident throughout the plan.

The senior management team promotes a culture of sharing of teaching expertise. The ‘pineapple timetable’, a timetable to structure and promote peer observation of lessons, is becoming embedded. The number of teachers sharing practice in this way is increasing. Since September, over one hundred lessons have been shared with great potential for modelling of effective practice and to inspire dialogue for improvement.

There is excellent practice in relation to driving school improvement. Teachers support the development of teaching and learning effectively through involvement with various teams and initiatives. There is a well-established mechanism for change-management which is underpinned by a keen knowledge of the school community’s capacity and readiness for change. A phased, gradual approach has been adopted to facilitate the development of staff capacity to successfully implement change.

Teachers provide numerous co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities to support learning. Students participate in a range of national events. The walls and corridors of the school provide evidence of students’ high-quality engagement with the arts. Student performance is celebrated through events such as the TY musical and the annual talent show.

The school has moved recently from ability banding of students on entry to the creation of mixed-ability base classes in first year. This very good initiative facilitates the students to settle in prior to being assigned to levels for various subjects.

There is a good range of programmes and subjects provided for students. New junior-cycle short courses and leaving-certificate subjects add breadth to the curriculum. Further development of the curriculum to include additional modern languages should be considered. The introduction of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) is planned for 2019; this is a welcome development.

A very high-quality TY programme is provided. In the student focus group meeting, when asked about how they prefer to learn, students were appreciative of the more active methodologies used in TY. They expressed a preference for these methodologies to be used further in lessons across all years.

The LCA programme is provided for a small cohort of students. Uptake of this programme has decreased in recent years and, consequently, fifth and sixth-year LCA students are taught together. A review of LCA should be carried out. There is need to employ more student-centred methodologies that promote active engagement. Careful consideration should be given to measures to raise expectations of LCA students. Additionally, the students of this programme expressed dissatisfaction with how LCA is perceived in the school. The review should examine the systems in the school to ensure maximum inclusion for LCA students.

Student successes are celebrated at various points throughout the year and at the annual awards night. Achievement in a very wide range of categories is honoured, based on academic, sporting, cultural, social justice and leadership endeavour.

Provision for students with special educational needs (SEN) is effective. One of the deputy principals has been assigned recently to co-ordinate and develop provision; this is an indication of the importance placed on SEN in the school. While still in the early stages of restructuring, a lot has already been achieved, particularly in the identification of students requiring support and in the creation of individual student support files for all students with identified needs. SEN planning is based appropriately on the continuum of support framework and very good use of data. However, a refinement of the deployment of SEN hours is required; there is some overuse of team teaching in LCA and the SEN team comprises one third of all teachers and is too large. Students’ behaviour during the evaluation was observed to be exemplary. High-quality measures are

in place to support students’ wellbeing and behaviour. There is a clear ladder of referral supported

by the class tutor, year head, and student-support team systems. However, the responses to

questionnaires administered as part of this evaluation indicate scope for improvement in a number

of areas related to student wellbeing. These responses should be reflected upon, and measures put

in place to address the identified issues.

The provision of career guidance is very good. Junior-cycle and TY students are provided with career guidance lessons on a modular basis. One guidance lesson per week is provided for fifth and sixth-year classes. At least one individual appointment is provided for all sixth-year students and additional appointments can be scheduled at a student’s request. The career guidance plan is very good and, appropriately, the policy and plan were reviewed in conjunction with the introduction of the wellbeing provision.

Managing the organisation

The school is exceptionally well managed. At board of management level, there is very good oversight. Very comprehensive minutes of meetings are kept. Teaching and learning are discussed regularly. Very good practices for policy development and review are in place and meetings are organised to reflect a focus on the Looking at our Schools 2016 framework (LAOS). The board has engaged dynamically with developing the school’s ICT infrastructure and tracking student attainment.

The quality of in-school management is excellent. Members of the senior management team have appropriately assigned roles and responsibilities, in accordance with their skills and expertise. They carry out their duties in an informed and purposeful manner and there is highly effective communication within the team. The team engages well with the patron and other relevant external bodies. The LAOS framework has been used to very good effect in guiding the work of senior management.

The parents’ association is highly supportive of the school and is appropriately consulted in relation to policy development. The parents’ curricular advisory group provides valuable input into curricular developments. Representatives of the association were overwhelmingly positive about the school.

Leading school development

The board of management is highly committed to leading school improvement and is very supportive of continuing professional development of staff. A number of major school developments are planned, including a special class for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which will open in September 2019. The board has completed an audit of current SEN expertise in the school to ascertain the school’s needs in this regard so as to identify and provide additional training as required. This measure will support the introduction of the class for ASD and the planned development of SEN provision in general.

The board has managed developments in the ICT infrastructure very effectively. Notably, a very successful pilot project, where students in some classes use tablet devices to support their learning, has been introduced and there are plans to expand this provision. Significant resources have been provided to develop a highly suitable library space. The school comprises a combination of more than one building and some limitations exist in its layout. While these limitations are generally well managed, additional consideration should be given to adjusting the timetable to reduce the time lost in moving from one area to another.

Developing leadership capacity

There is very good practice in relation to developing leadership capacity within the school. The post-holders have a range of responsibilities commensurate with their positions and carry out their roles to a very high standard. There is also a very good level of volunteerism amongst non-promoted teachers in supporting the school. However, despite these valuable contributions an unduly heavy weight of responsibility has been placed on the senior management team in managing the school. Recent expansion of the schedule of posts has provided scope for responsibilities to be reprioritised. This welcome development will enhance the distribution of leadership in the school and create greater balance in the division of duties.

The authentic views of teachers are strongly valued. An electronic forum was used to very good effect in the recent review of posts of responsibility to enable teachers to share their views. The responses were analysed carefully to support decision-making processes that are inclusive.

Students avail of leadership opportunities through their roles as mentors, prefects, TY library leaders, and as lighthouse leaders where they support primary school pupils through preparation for Confirmation. There is a recently expanded student council. There are also leadership opportunities for students through participation in extra-curricular activities. However, the responses to the student questionnaires show that only a few students believe they have a say in how things are done in the school; this finding indicates that more robust structures for capturing the authentic student voice should be put in place.

2. QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Overall, the quality of observed teaching and learning was very good. A wide range of methodologies

and teaching approaches was used. However, further whole-school focus should be placed on

ensuring that all classroom activities are fully effective in facilitating genuine and deep learning.

Learner outcomes and experiences

Learner outcomes and experiences were very good. Students participated in collaborative activities

in most lessons observed and they demonstrated very good group and pair work skills. They

contributed respectfully to discussions and listened well, they acted as scribes and presented

findings clearly and knowledgably in plenary sessions, and in some cases, came up to the top of the

room to share their learning. In a significant minority of lessons, the students were more passive;

mainly listening or taking down notes from the board and there was a need for more active learner

engagement. This was particularly evident in the LCA lessons.

In most of the language lessons observed, the students engaged in well-structured activities that

facilitated them to hear, speak and/or write the target language. In some language lessons, there

was scope for students to further use the target language and this should be addressed.

Students responded positively to the feedback and praise provided by their teachers. In the lessons

where they were engaged in peer teaching, they were encouraging and affirming of fellow students’

efforts.

Students with English as an additional language (EAL) and special educational needs (SEN) engaged

well with the learning tasks in the dedicated SEN and EAL lessons observed. However, while they

were clearly enjoying the activities provided and the environments were supportive, there was

scope to improve the effectiveness of their learning. It is recommended that the provision for EAL

and SEN students be targeted more to address assessed needs.

Students were observed to use ICT very effectively as a learning tool. All students have access to the

school’s virtual learning environment for assignments and some students use tablet devices as their

main learning resource. There was scope in a number of lessons for students to use ICT further as a

research tool.

Students demonstrated very good thinking when they were provided with opportunities to work

autonomously. Where this type of activity occurred, students worked on their answers until they

were satisfied; they frequently asked questions and received support from their teachers in the form

of encouragement to persist and to think more deeply. Excellent practice occurred when student

questions were used as a stimulus for further exploration of the concepts taught.

An analysis of student outcome against national norms and intake data indicates that students are

performing well.

Teachers’ individual practice

Teachers’ individual practice is of a very high standard. Lesson planning and preparation were found

to be very good overall. A very wide variety of methodologies was used to engage learners. While it

is good that teaching and learning strategies were varied, there was scope to improve the

effectiveness of some of the strategies to optimise their impact on learning.

Teacher explanations and examples were clear and concise and, in some cases, related to real-life

and students’ personal experience. Very good links were made between prior and new learning. The

learning objectives were shared with students at the outset of lessons and were assessed as lesson

progressed which is good practice. In general, there was an appropriate balance between teacher

and student voice, although there was scope for a better balance in a significant minority of lessons.

Effective differentiation of learning was evident when the methodology chosen allowed students to

work at their own pace and provided opportunities for teachers to assist students experiencing

difficulty. The majority of teachers provided extension exercises and suitable scaffolding to challenge

and support learning.

Learning was assessed very well in general. Teachers provided feedback to students as they worked.

High-quality work was noted in the student copybooks reviewed and there was evidence of very

good teacher monitoring. There is very good practice around the giving and checking of homework.

Valuable literacy strategies are in place across the school, including a well-established reading

initiative. The resultant data indicates improvement in students’ reading, enjoyment of reading and

word knowledge. Additionally, a whole-school keyword strategy is in place which sees teachers

highlight, display and revisit keywords. Observation of lessons showed limited implementation of

this strategy beyond the attention that key words would get in the general teaching of new subject-

specific words. Further opportunities for repetition and reinforcement of new words and terms

should be provided for learners.

The whole-school numeracy strategy includes measures for improving students’ understanding of

fractions and percentages, and for exploiting the numeracy opportunities that exist in various

subjects. In some lessons, while numeracy was highlighted there was a need to ensure that the

numeracy strategy promoted new learning and supported the learning of the subject itself.

Teachers’ collective practice

Teachers’ collective practice is very good, overall. Subject planning is of a very high standard. There

is good evidence of reflective practices amongst teachers in the plans. Best practice was evident

where the resources matched the learning outcomes and where teacher reflections resulted in

action plans for improvement. The good practice noted in some subject plans should be extended to

all.

Innovative practice is evident in planning for teaching the class groups who use tablet devices. The

teachers of these groups design and develop all of their own resources for teaching and learning and

do not rely on the text book.

There is an emerging culture of peer observation and review. Teachers observe lessons and,

following an observation, meet informally to reflect on the professional learning from the

experience. In developing this excellent practice further, consideration should be given to

collaboratively planning lessons in advance of an observation.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS

There has been very good implementation of recommendations from previous evaluations.

Leadership and Management

All previous leadership and management recommendations have been fully implemented.

Furthermore, the board of management ensures that subject departments are accountable in

relation to recommendations made.

Teaching and Learning

There has been good implementation of recommendations made in previous evaluations in teaching

and learning. For example, providing challenge to more-able students, engaging students in their

own assessment, and increasing the use of the target language in language lessons were previously

recommended. There was a good improvement found in these areas and measures are in place to

facilitate the extension of good teaching and learning practices.

4. THE SCHOOL’S SELF-EVALUATION PROCESS AND CAPACITY FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

The school’s self-evaluation process and capacity for school improvement are very good.

The School’s Self-Evaluation Process

There has been significant engagement in strategic planning. This work is aligned with the LAOS framework and has underpinned the school’s self-evaluation (SSE) processes. The SSE plan and the actions it outlines have been developed following a very comprehensive and inclusive consultation process. The SSE planning process supports improvement very effectively and the school improvement plan is accessible to the whole-school community through the school website.

The strategic plan is very clearly documented and practical. It outlines a range of interventions to improve outcomes in various important areas. Surveys and other measures provide useful baseline information for the identification of targets. Thorough review processes indicate the effectiveness of the selected targets and interventions. There is scope to improve the meaningfulness of some literacy and numeracy targets; this should be explored at whole-school level.

The School’s Capacity for Improvement

The school demonstrates very good capacity for improvement through its reflective approach, focus on accountability and strategic management of change. The degree to which the actions outlined in the strategic plan have become implemented practice in the classrooms and have had a positive impact on students’ experience of learning and outcomes is a clear indication of the school’s capacity to adapt and continue to meet evolving students’ needs.

Appendix

School response to the report

Submitted by the Board of Management

Part A: Observations on the content of the inspection report

The board of management acknowledges receipt of this report, which affirms excellent work

practices in St Vincent’s Secondary School.

The board’s work is affirmed as the report highlights that “School leadership and management are of

a very high standard. In-school leadership and management are excellent, and the school is very well

run…there is excellent practice in relation to driving school improvement…and sharing teaching

expertise in place in the school”.

The board notes the endorsement of the school’s ‘high quality subject and strategic planning’ and

that “Teachers’ individual practice is of a very high standard” and “The innovative practice evident in

the very successful project of using tablet devices to support learning”

The board is appreciative of teachers’ commitment to the holistic development of students in

“providing numerous co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities to support learning” as

highlighted in the report.

Part B: Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to

implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection

The board of management acknowledges the recommendations made by the inspectors and are

committed to their implementation.

The board notes that the inspectors found that “subject planning is of a very high standard” and is

committed to ensuring that the best practice evident “where the resources matched the learning

outcomes and where teacher reflections resulted in action plans for improvement”, is extended to

all subject planning so that agreed classroom strategies impact optimally on students’ learning.

The board notes that the report highlights that “Provision for students with additional learning

needs is effective overall and this aspect of provision has been prioritised by the school itself as an

area for further development”. In line with this school priority, the board is committed to developing

capacity within the school in the area of SEN. Therefore, the board will ensure that the extensive

CPD put in place for teachers supporting students with SEN during 2017/2018 will continue on a

yearly basis. Furthermore, whole-school CPD will be undertaken to ensure teachers continue to

develop target setting practices for students with additional needs. The school has been selected to

work with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in its overall review of senior cycle.

As part of this work, the board will also oversee an extensive review of the LCA programme in the

first term on 2018/2019.

Published September 2018 / Foilsithe Meán Fómhair 2018

The Inspectorate’s Quality Continuum

Inspectors describe the quality of provision in the school using the Inspectorate’s quality continuum which is shown below. The quality continuum provides examples of the language used by inspectors when evaluating and describing the quality of the school’s provision of each area.

Level Description Example of descriptive terms

Very Good

Very good applies where the quality of the areas evaluated is of a very high standard. The very few areas for improvement that exist do not significantly impact on the overall quality of provision. For some schools in this category the quality of what is evaluated is outstanding and provides an example for other schools of exceptionally high standards of provision.

Very good; of a very high quality; very effective practice; highly commendable; very successful; few areas for improvement; notable; of a very high standard. Excellent; outstanding; exceptionally high standard, with very significant strengths; exemplary

Good

Good applies where the strengths in the areas evaluated clearly outweigh the areas in need of improvement. The areas requiring improvement impact on the quality of pupils’ learning. The school needs to build on its strengths and take action to address the areas identified as requiring improvement in order to achieve a very good standard.

Good; good quality; valuable; effective practice; competent; useful; commendable; good standard; some areas for improvement

Satisfactory

Satisfactory applies where the quality of provision is adequate. The strengths in what is being evaluated just outweigh the shortcomings. While the shortcomings do not have a significant negative impact they constrain the quality of the learning experiences and should be addressed in order to achieve a better standard.

Satisfactory; adequate; appropriate provision although some possibilities for improvement exist; acceptable level of quality; improvement needed in some areas

Fair

Fair applies where, although there are some strengths in the areas evaluated, deficiencies or shortcomings that outweigh those strengths also exist. The school will have to address certain deficiencies without delay in order to ensure that provision is satisfactory or better.

Fair; evident weaknesses that are impacting on pupils’ learning; less than satisfactory; experiencing difficulty; must improve in specified areas; action required to improve

Weak

Weak applies where there are serious deficiencies in the areas evaluated. Immediate and coordinated whole-school action is required to address the areas of concern. In some cases, the intervention of other agencies may be required to support improvements.

Weak; unsatisfactory; insufficient; ineffective; poor; requiring significant change, development or improvement; experiencing significant difficulties;