An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna

Department of Education and Skills

Whole School Evaluation

Management, Leadership and Learning

REPORT

School name Calasanctius College

School address

Oranmore

Co Galway

Roll number 63100I

Date of Evaluation: 14 March 2017

WHAT IS A WHOLE-SCHOOL EVALUATION – MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING?

Whole-School Evaluations – Management, Leadership and Learning report on the quality of teaching

and learning and on the quality of management and leadership in a school. They affirm good practice

and make 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 of the school 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.

Whole-School Evaluation – Management, Leadership and Learning

INSPECTION ACTIVITIES DURING THIS INSPECTION

Dates of inspection 14 March 2017

Inspection activities undertaken

Meeting with board of management

Meetings with principal and deputy principal

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

Calasanctius College is the sole post-primary school that serves Oranmore and the local catchment

area. It was founded in 1946 by the Presentation Sisters and its trusteeship was transferred to CEIST

– Catholic Education an Irish Schools Trust – in 2008. The school is a modern building which was

completed in 2006 with newer extensions completed as recently as 2012. The school is co-educational

and enrolment stood at 836 students at the time of the evaluation. Projected enrolment shows that

this number will continue to be stable. The students in Calasanctius College come from a wide range

of socio-economic backgrounds and academic abilities. The school’s provision includes a special class

for students with learning disabilities. The senior management team has undergone a number of

changes since September 2015.

SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

FINDINGS

The quality of school management and leadership is good, though there is a need for senior

management and the board to streamline the school development priorities.

Senior management has a high degree of support from the board and staff and it

demonstrates effective leadership in a range of areas especially in relation to developing

leadership capacity among the staff.

The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum.

The quality of care for students is of a very high standard.

The quality of teaching and learning was good or exemplary in most lessons with satisfactory

or fair practices evident in a small number of lessons.

The school has made progress in implementing recommendations from previous evaluations

and in advancing the school self-evaluation (SSE) process, however there was little evidence

of whole-school implementation of classroom strategies that were agreed in the school

improvement plan (SIP).

While the teachers of English, Science and Business are teaching the new Junior Cycle

specifications for these subjects there was limited evidence that subject plans are based on

the strands and learning outcomes of the new specifications.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The board and senior management should oversee the SSE process more effectively; they

should develop a more strategic approach to the development plan, share the plan more

widely with stakeholders and ensure the targets set are tied to time-bound action plans.

Practices such as a staggered start to the school year, occasional half-days and early holidays

for some year groups at the end of the year which mean that all classes are not receiving their

full tuition entitlement of 167 days in line with circular M29/95, Time in School should be

discontinued.

Senior management should more actively promote and lead teaching and learning,

particularly in the areas of differentiation and active learning, building on the good progress

made to date.

Students should be provided by their teachers with more formative feedback on their work in

relation to accuracy, presentation, areas for improvement and the effort made.

Teachers should familiarise themselves with the subject specifications for the new Junior Cycle

and ensure that subject department plans are based on the strands and learning outcomes of

the new specifications in order to comply with Circular 0024/2016.

DETAILED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

1.1. School ownership and management

The quality of school management and leadership is good overall. The board of management is

properly constituted and members have been provided with training by the school’s patron, CEIST.

Some board members have a long association with the school and others have backgrounds in

education. The board provides good support to the principal and the school. Board meetings are well

informed by the principal’s report and detailed minutes are maintained. To date, the board has

engaged well with the formation, review and ratification of policies, school finances, staff recruitment,

continuing professional development (CPD), and the maintenance of the existing facilities.

A number of developmental priorities for school improvement have been identified by senior

management and the board. Progress has been made in some of the identified areas. The board

should, however, develop a more strategic approach to the development plan. Any targets set should

be tied to action plans over defined timeframes. This strategic plan should be based on a shared vision

with stakeholders and widely shared in order to assist the school community in realising its objectives.

The board needs to ensure that the school’s junior cycle curriculum for the next academic year is in

line with Circular 0024/2016. The board also needs to increase its involvement and understanding of

the school’s certificate examination results analysis and the SSE process. The SSE report must be

shared with the wider school community and the board should ensure that this occurs.

The board has established strong connections with the local community and other organisations and

these links are beneficial to the school. The board communicates well with stakeholders. An annual

report on the school is sent to CEIST and an agreed report of the board meetings is shared with the

parents’ association (PA) and staff. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the agreed reports,

progress on any teaching and learning initiatives and SSE should be included. Further channels of

communication such as the board formally meeting with members of the PA and the student council

should be explored.

1.2. Effectiveness of leadership for learning

The deputy principal of the school has been the acting principal since September 2015. There have

been three different members of staff fulfilling the acting deputy principal role in this time. The school

will be allocated a second deputy principal post for the next academic year due to the number of

students enrolled. The members of the senior management enjoy a high degree of support from the

staff, parents and the board. They have a consultative and open management style and a range of

effective communication channels to stakeholders has been established. They have demonstrated

effective leadership since the changes brought about in the senior management team, particularly in

the areas of developing leadership capacity and managing the organisation. Senior management is

commended for recently undertaking a review of the posts of responsibility and, through agreement,

more closely aligning the duties of these posts with the current needs of the school. More regular

reviews are planned in the future and this is good practice. Senior management has begun a number

of initiatives to promote and lead teaching and learning in the school and, with the assistance of the

additional deputy principal post, should continue to build on these initiatives, particularly in relation

to differentiation and written formative feedback techniques. The senior management should, in

conjunction with the board, ensure the school priorities have set targets, documented in time-bound

action plans, and shared more visibly with staff and parents.

The post of responsibility structure provides good support to senior management. Senior

management meets weekly with members of the care team and has regular contact with post holders

and other staff working in key areas. The middle management teachers show a willingness to enact

the changes that were brought about, after consultation, following the recent posts of responsibility

review. Formal structures in relation to reporting on the progress and challenges in their duties are

also in place.

The teachers show a strong spirit of volunteerism and commitment to student welfare. Non-post

holders carry out a range of duties and teachers facilitate a very large number of co-curricular and

extra-curricular activities, which support the overall student experience in the school.

The school is involved with Droichead, a new professional induction framework for newly qualified

teachers. This formal mentoring system, in conjunction with an informative staff handbook, is proving

to be a valuable source of support to teachers new to the school.

Staff meetings with an open agenda and a staff input section are held regularly and minutes are

maintained of these meetings. These minutes should include actions and targets that need to be

progressed from meeting to meeting.

CPD and upskilling are available to staff through the support of CEIST and senior management. The

good practice of sharing the learning and recommendations from external CPD and previous

inspections has already been established. This is an important contributor to building leadership

capacity.

The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum, including an optional Transition Year (TY)

programme and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP). Current timetabling provision

is good overall, though there is a need to address some issues on an annual basis. The review of the

timetable should take place in conjunction with the board’s review of ensuring the curriculum is in

line with circular 0024/2016. There is an open choice of subjects available to students at times of

transition and option bands are generated based on the majority of students’ preferences. The TY

programme has very good planning and evaluation practices in place. The number of subjects that are

included in the sampling layer of the programme should be reviewed in order to allow students sample

as many as possible of the subjects that are offered at senior cycle. All TY subject and module plans

need to detail the manner in which each area of study links with assessment within the full TY

programme. LCVP is well planned and established in the school. However senior management need

to review the practice of including study periods on a rota system for non-LCVP students as this

impacts on their tuition time.

The school has a very open and inclusive admissions policy which gives access to students from all

socio-economic backgrounds in line with the school’s ethos. A buddy system, where fifth-year

students act as mentors for incoming first-year students is one of the many ways that students are

supported when they transition from primary schools. Attendance is checked regularly. During the

evaluation, student behaviour was very good during break times and as they moved between classes,

leading to an orderly and secure environment for students. The code of behaviour focuses on

encouraging positive behaviour and attitudes among the students. There are clear roles in the

management of behaviour procedures for class tutors and year heads. While there is a reward system

for good behaviour described in the code, the teachers and senior management should investigate

ways in which this system could be strengthened in order to make it more effective.

Students play lead roles in a wide range of school activities and evidence of their accomplishments to

date includes their involvement in achieving seven green flags, Gaisce awards, the mentoring system,

numerous extra-curricular activities and the student council. Nonetheless, feedback from the student

questionnaires indicated that there is considerable scope to address students’ perception of their role

as stakeholders in how the school operates. The school should investigate ways in which students’

views can be incorporated more into processes in the school. Some examples could be to empower

the student council to devise a set number of projects per annum in consultation with formal meetings

and inputs from the PA and the board of management.

Due to the staggered starting and finishing dates of the school year, as well as occasional half days,

some classes are not receiving their full tuition entitlement of 167 days in the school year as required

by Circular M29/95, Time in School. This needs to be addressed by senior management and the board

as a matter of urgency.

The quality of student care is of a very high standard. The systems in place that support student

wellbeing include the practice of class tutors continuing with the same students throughout their

entire time in the school. This can enable the tutors to build up a significant pastoral rapport with

these students and the school finds that this works well for them. Whole-school initiatives such as

healthy eating, wellbeing and friendship weeks have been developed to foster greater supports for all

students. There is also a dedicated care team in place in the school which meets regularly to agree on

actions to support students. Guidance and counselling are provided for students. School management

and the board of management are commended for expanding the size of the guidance department in

recent years in order to address the needs of the large student cohort. The guidance department has

developed a comprehensive plan with relevant organisational details and student support information

and its staff provides information to both parents and students about careers and subject choice.

Retention and progression of students is very good among the student cohort.

The structures for special educational needs (SEN) are good and the members of the co-ordination

team have specialist qualifications in this area. The additional hours for SEN and learning support are

well managed and the SEN team uses a variety of models of provision to support students. Information

is provided to staff around the provision required for each student at meetings as well as being

available on the SEN server. Individual education plans and associated targets are set for students

drawn from information provided from educational passports from primary schools as well as

standardised testing undertaken for incoming first-year students. The SEN department should look to

retest students at strategic times to check that the plans and targets set are leading to improvements

for the students concerned. The school is also in receipt of funding from the Department to operate a

special class for students with moderate general learning difficulties.

Confirmation was provided that the board of management has formally adopted the Child Protection

Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools without modification and that the school is

compliant with the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary

Schools.

1.3. Management of facilities

The school facilities are clean and very well managed. The classrooms are primarily teacher-based and

there are good specialist rooms available for practical subjects. Information and communications

technology (ICT) facilities are good and the school has begun utilising online communication systems

for staff, parents and students. In planning for ICT integration into teaching and learning, an e-learning

team should be established. This team should create an e-learning plan with a shared vision on

curriculum integration, staff CPD and further develop an e-learning culture within the school. A health

and safety policy, which includes a risk assessment for classrooms, is in place and it is reviewed and

ratified annually in line with the Health and Safety Authority guidelines.

2. QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

2.1. The quality of learning and teaching

A total of thirty-two lesson periods were observed during the inspection. Subject department planning

has been established throughout the school. Examples of good practice in relation to collaborative

planning is evident. These included the use of common schemes of work, sharing of resources, CPD

undertaken by teachers listed and dated and minutes of meetings recorded with some discussion and

sharing of teaching practices. There is a need for some subject departments to improve their

collaborative plans and include these practices. Each subject department should become more

involved in analysing its own certificate examination results and, from this, devise strategies for

improvement annually through time-bound action plans. Minutes of department meetings should

reflect greater discussion in relation to the teaching strategies used and the targets set. The analysis

of certificate examination results should then be forwarded to the board. A more consistent approach

to schemes of work is needed across subject departments. Where not already the case, schemes

should have a focus on learning outcomes linked to specific methodologies and a variety of assessment

modes. Plans should include timeframes for topics and a review section to inform future planning and

to strengthen their use as working documents.

There was limited evidence in subject department planning that the English, science, and business

subject departments had engaged fully and appropriately with the new Junior Cycle specifications for

the subjects. The reason for this was reported to be industrial action. In order that each student will

benefit from the full range of learning experiences as provided for in the specification, it is

recommended that teachers familiarise themselves with the new subject specifications and work

collaboratively with their subject department colleagues to prepare a subject department plan based

on the strands and learning outcomes of the new specification.

The quality of teaching was good or exemplary in most lessons with satisfactory or fair practices

evident in a small number of lessons. There was a good standard of preparation for lessons. The

preparation was best when the resources and methodologies chosen were related to the shared

learning intentions and relevant to students’ interests and experiences. Learning intentions were

shared with students in most lessons, though there is a need for teachers to check on learning through

recapitulation of these learning intentions during the lesson. Students should also be encouraged to

use the intentions to reflect on their own learning.

Teachers showed good levels of subject knowledge and teaching skills. There was generally a good

range of effective teaching methodologies used during the observed lessons. In the small number of

lessons where improvements were needed, this would have been achieved through providing

opportunities for active participation by students and ensuring that there was a better balance

between the time spent on teacher instruction and student activity. In just over half of the lessons

observed, good differentiation strategies were evident. There was scope in the remaining lessons for

students of all abilities to be more challenged and engaged. This could have been facilitated in some

cases through the use of differentiated worksheets, more careful planning of group activities, and

through the use of extension activities to cater for the more able students.

The quality of learning was good or very good in most lessons with satisfactory or fair levels noted in

a small number of lessons. Lessons were conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and positive

rapport and student behaviour was very good throughout the evaluation. Classrooms were decorated

with print material, including students’ work, which were relevant to the subjects being taught. Some

classrooms had arranged the desks in a manner that was supportive of group and pair work. Where

this is not the case, teachers should consider varying the layout of desks in this manner if it is possible.

Students engaged very well in their learning in most cases. In a small number of lessons teachers

needed to ensure that a sufficient variety of methodologies, including active learning, was used in

order to maximise student engagement.

The quality of assessment ranged from satisfactory to good. Students generally appeared to enjoy

their lessons and were skilfully motivated by teachers to achieve and make progress. Prior learning

was checked at the start of most lessons through the correction of homework. Providing students with

feedback was a feature of some lessons, though, in the majority of instances this was limited to oral

feedback. While some good examples of written formative feedback were observed, in order to

ensure consistency of standards, all teachers should ensure that substantial pieces of students’ work

are collected on a cyclical basis and that written formative feedback is given in relation to accuracy,

presentation and effort.

Questioning was good or very good in the majority of lessons. Questions were most effective when

they were differentiated and distributed across the student cohort and when students were given

time to formulate a response. In a small minority of lessons questioning strategies were not used or

were ineffective. These teachers need to address this issue and familiarise themselves with best

practice in relation to assessment for learning and assessment of learning.

While literacy and numeracy strategies were observed in some lessons there was limited evidence of

an application of the agreed whole-school strategies. It is recommended that management and staff

review the literacy and numeracy strategies currently in use and that any agreed whole-school

approach be adopted and embedded in all lessons.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS

3.1. Management

There have been five previous evaluations since the previous whole-school evaluation in 2011. The

implementation of recommendations that related to whole-school and management issues has been

good. This includes areas around policy formation and review, including the health and safety policy

as well as addressing some of the timetabling recommendations. Some of the outstanding issues in

relation to timetabling are ongoing; these should continue to be reviewed in line with the curriculum

review suggested.

3.2. Learning and teaching

Most of the recommendations in relation to subject planning have been progressed, but there is a

need for more consistency in planning for some subject departments. Progress was noted in relation

to all recommendations related to teaching and learning. Based on the lesson observations,

improving the use of formative assessment practices and differentiation strategies remain areas for

whole-school attention to aid improvement of teaching and learning.

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

The school has made progress with SSE through the use of student, teacher and parent surveys.

There has been discussion and analysis of these surveys in order to create an improvement plan. The

school should consider using focus groups and other methods of gathering evidence from students

and parents to further assist in obtaining clearer baseline data into the future. While there was

evidence of some teachers using the agreed SSE strategies, there is a need to ensure that this is

being implemented on a whole-school basis. The SSE report based on the school’s improvement plan

needs to be shared with the wider school community. Senior management and the board should use

the six-step SSE process to ensure that progress and implementation is maintained.

The school has good senior and middle management structures in place. This, along with the

willingness of staff to accept and adopt the need to change, shows good capacity for making

improvements into the future.

Appendix

SCHOOL RESPONSE TO THE REPORT

Submitted by the Board of Management

Part A Observations on the content of the inspection report The BOM at Calasanctius College welcomes the WSE-MLL report. The Board is pleased to note that the report captures the excellent holistic education being provided at Calasanctius. The Board is also delighted that the report highlights the emphasis placed on the welfare needs of our students, which we believe, is at the heart of Calasanctius College. The Board welcomes the inspectors’ observations, including:

The very high standard of care provided for our students.

The teachers’ very strong spirit of volunteerism and commitment to student welfare.

The broad and balanced curriculum provided.

The very open and inclusive admissions policy.

The strong connection with the local community and other organisations.

The very good behaviour of students which leads to an orderly secure environment for students.

The atmosphere of mutual respect and positive rapport between teachers and students.

The exemplary and good teaching observed. 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 welcomes the recommendations received. We are fully committed to continue working in partnership with staff, students, parents/guardians and the wider community to implement, with immediate effect, the recommendations in this report.

Published June 2017 / Foilsithe Meitheamh 2017

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 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;