IGC Audit of Guidance & Counselling (GC) Practice in ... reports/IGC Audit of Guidance... · IGC Audit of Guidance & Counselling (GC) Practice in Second Level Schools in Ireland:

IGC Audit of Guidance & Counselling (GC) Practice

in

Second Level Schools in Ireland:

2011 – 2013

PHASE 1: MARCH 2012

PHASE 1 RESULTS ONLY

Sheelagh Beatty

LifeCare Psychological Services Ltd.

January, 2, 2013

Phase 1: Total Results

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The presentation of results will follow the same format as that used in the Questionnaires. Results from each phase of the Audit will report separately on their findings as they arise. Phase 1: 2011-2012 Actual GC Practice 745 second level schools were invited to participate in Phase 1 of the IGC Audit of Guidance & Counselling practice in Ireland. 271 participant schools (36.4%) returned completed questionnaires under Phase 1 of the Audit, which reported data on the actual GC practice for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Table 1.1: Phase 1: Participant Schools in Each Phase of the Audit

Category N N % Response

No. of 2nd Level Schools invited to participate 745

Total Phase 1 respondents 271 36.4%

Details of the location of the 271 participant schools are shown in Table 1.2 below.

Table 1.2: Phase 1: Participant Schools by Location

Participant Schools by Location

County N Percentage

Carlow 4 1.5

Cavan 4 1.5

Clare 8 3.0

Cork 31 11.4

Donegal 10 3.7

Dublin 64 23.6

Galway 16 5.9

Kerry 15 5.5

Kildare 8 3.0

Kilkenny 9 3.3

Laois 3 1.1

Leitrim 1 .4


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Limerick 12 4.4

Longford 3 1.1

Louth 7 2.6

Mayo 12 4.4

Meath 7 2.6

Monaghan 6 2.2

Offaly 8 3.0

Sligo 4 1.5

Tipperary 14 5.2

Waterford 5 1.8

Westmeath 6 2.2

Wexford 8 3.0

Wicklow 6 2.2

Total 271 100.0

The 271 participant schools fell into 10 school types, and are shown in Table 1.3 and Figures 1.1 below: Table 1:3 Phase 1: Schools by School Type

Schools by School Type

School Description N %

Voluntary Secondary School 120 44.28%

Vocational School/Community College 71 26.20%

Community/Comprehensive School 45 16.61%

Fee-Paying Secondary School 14 5.17%

College of Further Education 12 4.43%

Voluntary School + C.F.E 3 1.11%

Vocational School + C.F.E. 3 1.11%

Community College + C.F.E. 1 0.37%

Youthreach 1 0.37%

VTOS/Second Chance 1 0.37%

Total 271 100.0


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Figure 1.1: School Type by Percentage of all Participant Schools Of the 271 participant schools, 73 reported holding PLC status, while 73 further reported holding DEIS status, as shown in Tables 1.4 and 1.5 below: Table 1.4: Phase 1: Schools with PLC Status

PLC Colleges

Category N %

Yes 73 26.9

No 196 72.3

No Response 2 .7

Total 271 100.0 Table 1.5: Phase 1: Schools with DEIS Status

DEIS Status

Category N %

Yes 73 26.9

No 192 70.8

No 3Response 6 2.2

Total 271 100.0


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Of the 271 participant schools, 265 reported employing 444 qualified Guidance & Counselling staff, of which 409 were practicing during the 2011-12 academic year, as per Table 1.5 below. In addition, 263 participant schools reported 56 unqualified staff were practicing as Guidance Counsellors during this same period, representing 12.04% of all staff practicing G & C, as shown in Tables 1.6 and 1.7 below. Table 1.5: Phase 1: Status of Qualified GC Staff in Schools

Qualified GC Staff in Schools

Category Qualified GC Staff Qualified & Practicing GC Staff

% Practicing

GC Staff 444 409 92.3

N 265 265

No Response 6 6

Total 271 271 Table 1.6: Phase 1: Status of Unqualified GC Staff in Schools

Unqualified GC Staff in Schools

Category Unqualified GC Staff

Unqualified & Practicing GC Staff

GC Staff 56 56

N 263 263

No Response 8 8

Total 271 271 Table 1.7: Phase 1: Status of Practicing Qualified & Unqualified GC Staff in Schools

Practicing Qualified & Unqualified GC Staff in Schools

Category Total %

Qualified 409 87.96

Unqualified 56 12.04

Total 465 271


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Of the participant schools who reported qualified (265) and unqualified (263) staff practicing Guidance & Counselling during the 2011-12 academic year, 12.04% of those practicing Guidance & Counselling were unqualified, as shown in Figure 1.2 below.

Figure 1.2: Practicing Qualified & Unqualified GC Staff


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The 271 participant schools reported DES allocation of Guidance and Counselling hours in accordance with their DEIS status, as shown in Table 1.8 and Figure 1.3 below. In addition, to DES allocated hours, 56 of these participant schools reported utilising external counselling services. Table 1.8: Phase 1: Department of Education (DES) Allocation

DES Allocated GC Hours 2011-12

N Hours Mean Scores

Std. Deviation

Grand Total 271 7002.53 25.8 12.615

Basic Hours 271 6250.00 23.06 10.818

GEI Extra Hours 54 423.67 7.85 4.716

School Extra Hours 47 328.94 7.00 6.408

Outside Extra Counsellor Hours 56 325.33 5.81 4.464

Figure 1.2: Percentage Breakdown of DES Allocation of GC Hours


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The 271 participant schools reported practice hours which were 477.36 hours (6.82%) below the DES allocation, as shown in Figures 1.4 and 1.5 below.

Figure 1.4: Allocated Practice GC Hours 2011-12

Figure 1.5: Percentage GC Practice Hours v's DES Allocation 2011-12


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Of the 271 participant schools, a maximum of 216 submitted data on the number of GC classes by student year, and their length in minutes, as shown in Table 1.9 and Figures 1.6 and 1.7 below; while 55 participant schools (20.3%) did not.

Table 1.9: Phase 1: Timetabled GC Classes by Student Year

Timetabled GC Classes per Week

Category N

Mean Number of

Classes S.D.

Mean Minutes

per Meeting S.D.

Year 1 30 1.5667 1.52414 32.66 15.805

Year 2 24 1.2083 1.14129 30.29 18.417

Year 3 38 1.885 1.56117 33.26 13.966

Year 4 182 2.7106 3.25898 38.76 5.759

Year 5 196 2.8438 1.87698 38.43 5.453

Year 6 216 3.369 2.20077 39.26 4.111

Figure 1.6: Weekly Time-Tabled GC Classes


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Figure 1.7: Timetabled GC Minutes per Class


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Of the 271 participant schools, a maximum of 246 submitted data on the number of one-to-one career/educational meetings by student year, number of students seen, and their length in minutes, as shown in Table 1.10 and Figures 1.8, 1.8 and 1.10 below; while 25 participant schools (9.2%) did not.

Table 1.10: Phase 1: One-To-One: Career/Educational Meeting per Year

One-to-One: Career/Educational Meetings per Year

Category N

Mean Students

Seen S.D.

Mean Meetings

per Student S.D.

Mean Minutes

per Meeting S.D.

Year 1 175 35.44 42.170 1.7160 2.32413 33.34 10.286

Year 2 140 15.84 22.499 2.1282 2.77743 36.12 8.123

Year 3 217 44.92 46.486 2.1202 4.54272 33.43 9.570

Year 4 195 32.00 27.500 1.7989 5.41681 33.06 9.625

Year 5 225 48.20 67.767 1.5974 2.13188 36.23 8.095

Year 6 246 56.85 50.538 3.3539 10.55607 37.82 6.877

Figure 1.8: One-To-One Career/Educational Students Seen


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Figure 1.9: One-To-One Career/Educational Meetings

Figure 1.10: One-To-One Career/Educational Minutes per Meeting


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Of the 271 participant schools, a maximum of 236 submitted data on the number of one-to-one career/educational meetings, number of students seen, and their length in minutes, by student year, as shown in Table 1.11 and Figures 1.11, 1.12 and 1.13 below; while 35 participant schools (12.9%) did not.

Table 1.11: Phase 1: One-To-One: Personal Counselling Meeting per Year

One-to-One: Personal Counselling Meetings per Year

Category N

Mean Students

Seen S.D.

Mean Meetings per

Student S.D.

Mean Minutes

per Meeting S.D.

Year 1 210 13.37 16.216 4.1533 5.159 37.40 7.085

Year 2 205 12.21 13.518 4.2153 3.461 37.63 7.216

Year 3 210 12.06 15.023 4.4685 3.492 37.83 6.260

Year 4 156 6.120 6.653 3.7553 3.541 38.54 5.336

Year 5 226 10.61 9.496 4.1888 3.184 38.27 6.098

Year 6 236 15.10 18.013 5.0480 4.748 38.79 6.349

Figure 1.11: One-To-One Personal Counselling Students Seen by Student Year


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Figure 1.12: One-To-One Personal Counselling Meetings by Student Year

Figure 1.13: One-To-One Personal Counselling Minutes per Meeting


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Of the 271 participant schools, a maximum of 254 (93.7%) reported data on their annual GC activities, as shown in Table 1.12 below. Table 1.12: Phase 1: Breakdown of Types of Annual GC Activities

Types of GC Activities per Year

Category N Hours Mean Scores S.D.

Consulting/Networking Externally 254 7187.50 28.30 33.221

Collaborating/Consulting Externally 246 5293.50 21.52 30.761

Collaborating Internally 251 12815.67 51.06 56.438

Attending Open Days, etc. 254 7032.83 27.69 20.285

Continuing Professional Development 245 6959.00 28.40 26.762

Testing (Administration) 249 5014.30 20.14 22.728

Liaising with parents 252 10397.00 41.26 46.513

Presenting 251 3983.67 15.87 30.002

Administration/Record Keeping 248 19669.00 79.31 93.228

Amt. of hours Supervision 250 3488.00 13.95 12.565

Organising/Planning SPHE with others 200 1419.75 7.10 16.631

Teaching SPHE 170 4242.66 24.96 41.765

Figure 1.14: Annual GC Activities by Hours Spent


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Of the 271 participant schools, 261 (96.3%) reported data on the location where various GC activities were carried out, as per Table 1.13 and Figure 1.15 below. Table 1.13: Phase 1: Where GC Activities are Carried Out

Where GC Activities are Carried Out

Category N

School time Only

Mostly School time Both

Mostly Personal

Time

Personal time Only

Consult/Network Externally - Further/Higher Education 257 41 92 102 2 1

Collaborative work/Consulting with External Agencies 258 37 98 109 13 1

Collaborative work/meeting with school staff/management 261 65 97 86 13 0

Attendance at Open days, exhibitions 261 58 97 96 10 0

Continuing Professional Development 254 23 43 123 50 15

Testing (Administration) 254 90 52 88 19 5

Liaising with parents; meetings; phone calls 257 28 74 139 14 2

Presentations 256 18 26 60 76 1

Administration/Record Keeping 260 21 49 121 57 1

Supervision 246 90 5 42 21 38

Figure 1.15: Where GC Activities Take Place

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