An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna

Department of Education and Skills

Whole School Evaluation Management, Leadership and Learning

REPORT

Ainm na scoile / School name

Christ King Girls' Secondary School

Seoladh na scoile / School address

Half Moon Lane South Douglas Road Cork

Uimhir rolla / Roll number

62692I

Date of Evaluation: 29 November 2017

What is 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.

WHOLE-SCHOOL EVALUATION – MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING

Dates of inspection 29 November 2017

Inspection activities undertaken

Meeting with Board of Management

Meetings with principal and 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

Christ King Girls’ Secondary School is a catholic school in the trust of Catholic Education an Irish Schools Trust (CEIST). The school was established in 1965 and has a current enrolment of 873 girls. The curriculum provided includes: Junior Cycle Programme; Leaving Certificate; Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP); and Transition Year (TY). Management and staff are proud of the school’s humble beginnings and loyal to the teachings of Venerable Nano Nagle.

Summary of main findings and recommendations:

Findings

Leadership of teaching and learning is good overall, and very good in terms of senior management’s success in driving a development agenda whilst promoting distributed leadership and a strong learning culture among teachers and students.

Good quality student support is provided, and while some good practice is identified regarding provision for students with special educational needs (SEN), it remains a key area for development.

The board manages the school appropriately, and the leadership team effectively oversees the day-to-day running of the school, but a number of possibilities for improvement exist, including the important aspect of timetabling and the approach to accommodating students undertaking Professional Masters in Education (PME).

The quality of teaching and learning in the majority of observed lessons ranged from very good to good, and in a significant number of lessons, the quality was noted as outstanding.

The implementation of recommendations from previous report is generally good, but there are a number of important recommendations that still require attention.

The quality of the school’s SSE process and capacity for school improvement is very good but there is potential to use SSE to consolidate and merge the work of the school’s many teaching and learning focussed teams.

Recommendations

Provision for students with SEN should be benchmarked against the six principles enshrined in the new resource allocation model and the requirements outlined in Circular 0014/2017 Special Education Teaching Allocation.

The construction of future timetables should be better informed by best practice principles, the concerns identified in the report, and the suggested staff consultation.

Policy and practice relating to the accommodation of/support for PME students should be reviewed.

The teaching and learning committee should consider how the valuable work emerging from the various staff teams might be combined into common, shared teaching and learning improvement plans.

DETAILED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is effective overall, but some significant areas for development are identified.

Leading learning and teaching

Leadership of teaching and learning is good overall. Management is successfully driving a development agenda in learning and teaching. Through the principal’s active involvement in local and national bodies, initiatives designed to enhance students’ experiences are identified. Teachers are eager to engage with such initiatives, and related leadership roles are well distributed.

A learning culture is evident. There is an expectation that teachers work continually to develop their practice and, as a result, the incorporation of new approaches to teaching, learning and assessment were evident. Teacher sharing of approaches considered to enhance students’ learning is embedded, and well supported by high levels of mutual appreciation, respect and regard. Teachers are well placed to take this professional sharing to the next level and, therefore, consideration should be given to the introduction of peer observation.

In addition to improvement plans linked to SSE, additional teaching and learning initiatives are being implemented by a series of staff teams. It is recommended that this work would benefit from the greater inclusion of two fundamental elements of SSE - a linking to context-specific data, and monitoring and evaluation. It is further recommended that the teaching and learning committee should consider how the valuable work emerging from the various teams might be combined into common, shared teaching and learning improvement plans.

In line with management’s vision to promote a learning culture, a number of staff act as mentors to newly qualified teachers (NQTs). Furthermore, informed by a vision of co-learning, there is a strong tradition of supporting PME students. However, it is recommended that the school review its policy and practice with regard to the deployment and support of PME students. In particular, the school should review the number of PME students that it accommodates and also the timetabling arrangements for these student teachers relative to the co-operating teachers assigned to them.

A broad curriculum supports access to a large range of subjects and learning opportunities. Students and parents are well supported in the making of informed choices, and subject choice systems seek to ensure that students’ preferences are well accommodated. Class organisation is predominantly based on mixed ability.

A number of concerns are identified in the current timetable. This includes: high numbers of shared classes; compromised weekly spread in some subjects; timetabling of single classes when a double period would foster better outcomes; imbalance in the provision for optional subjects; possible lack of continuity of teacher from second year to third year; and no timetabling of Physical Education (PE) in sixth year. It is recommended that the approach to timetabling be reviewed In order to fully appreciate the impact of the identified concerns on student learning, the board should ensure that staff are consulted as part of the change process. In light of the Junior Cycle Framework, it would be important also to undertake a curriculum review.

To enhance students’ learning, and to support their holistic development, teachers provide a comprehensive programme of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, with the menu of options growing in response to emerging needs.

The school’s admissions, transition and induction procedures are very thorough. Provision for student support, which is of a very good quality, is anchored in a weekly meeting of the key

personnel involved in support and care. The work of this team is informed by weekly year head meetings. Provision is further enhanced by a teaching staff who communicate and collaborate most effectively in order to meet students’ needs. There is a clear willingness amongst staff to train in relevant areas. In line with junior cycle requirements, a renewed focus has been placed on the promotion of students’ wellbeing.

Guidance provision is prioritised. The approach is well balanced in terms of seeking to accommodate educational, vocational and personal needs. Provision of timetabled educational and vocational preparation and guidance in senior cycle, and the provision of inputs in junior cycle at key junctures, are hugely beneficial. In the next review of the whole-school guidance plan (WSGP) consideration should be given to documenting all the key personnel and practices that contribute to the school’s provision of guidance, in the greatest sense of the word.

In relation to the school’s provision for students with SEN some good practice is identified. This includes, for example: a team approach to planning; effective systems for identifying needs; and the provision of quality support by SNAs. However, when provision is benchmarked against the six principles and Circular 0014/2017, which must now guide the implementation process of the new resource allocation model, a number of significant areas for development are identified. There is a clear need to reduce the number of teachers involved, and to establish a core, relatively static team of self-selected, interested teachers who are either experienced in the area or are willing to upskill. A smaller team would also support enhanced review of students’ progress. Consideration should be given to the value of withdrawing students from a subject for support in that subject. It should be noted that support cannot be used for mainstream teaching, to reduce student-teacher ratio for general teaching, or to provide additional options for students who do not have SEN. The school should establish if students with the greatest levels of need are accessing the greatest level of support.

Students’ participation and achievements are acknowledged daily, as well as annually during an awards night. This is most encouraging of students’ efforts and progression, personal, social, or academic.

Managing the organisation

The board manages the school appropriately, although some possibilities for improvement exist, as highlighted in the preceding section. The members’ collectively rich experience of education leaves it well placed to consider the recommendations provided, and to lead and monitor related change and improvements.

The board is properly and democratically constituted, and related roles and responsibilities are well understood by the members. Meetings are regular and well attended. Business is informed by proper procedure. Detailed discussion, together with members’ openness to unpacking differing opinions, supports consensual decision making. The principal keeps the board well informed in relation to school life, the associated successes and challenges, and also requirements and statutory obligations.

The principal and three deputy principals effectively oversee the day-to-day running of the school. There is scope for development in terms of their management of: curriculum-related planning; the related aspects of timetabling and deployment; and provision for students with SEN.

The four members of the leadership team are highly dedicated, demonstrate cohesion, and work well together. A related division of roles and responsibilities takes cognisance of each member’s interests and strengths. A team approach prevails, and high levels of mutual support are evident.

A series of weekly meetings of the leadership team, together with their representation at all other key meetings, is most supportive of the giving and receiving of information and, therefore, careful

and considered decision-making. All four team members seek to remain informed and upskilled in their respective roles through continuing engagement and participation in conferences, courses and further study.

Teachers met as part of the evaluation describe communication amongst and between all staff members as effective, and they feel consulted, informed and valued.

The class teacher role greatly supports a sharing of the responsibility for the management and leadership of students. They are supported and guided in this work by the deputy principals and year heads, who have primary responsibility for student management and leadership. Review meetings, involving all teachers of the relevant year group, and which are organised in advance of all parent-teacher meetings, support whole-staff consideration of how all teachers might better support and manage individual student’s participation and learning. From discussions held with students, parents, staff and management student attendance is well monitored and behaviour is well managed. That said, it is recommended that the school’s approach to the monitoring of morning absences be strengthened.

Overall, provision for specialist subjects is appropriate, although it would be valuable to consider allocating budgets to specialist subject areas to support ongoing development and improvement. The school has continually sought to keep up-to-date in terms of information and communications technology (ICT). Students, with the help of their teachers, have achieved Green Flag status.

The questionnaires completed during the evaluation showed varying views in relation to some key aspects of school management and the management of students. Further reflection and discussion by all parties of the outcomes of the questionnaires should be accommodated as part of the school’s ongoing development and improvement.

Leading school development

The leadership of school development is very good. The school’s vision and mission of respecting everyone’s uniqueness, the promotion of intellectual and spiritual development, and valuing partnership, informs everyone’s work. The fundamentals of school development planning are in place.

A comprehensive suite of polices has been ratified by the board. Consultation with the whole staff and the parents’ association is an integral part of the development process. The greater inclusion of the students’ council, as appropriate, should be considered. The provision of review dates on policies would inform a natural cycle of review. The admissions policy should be reviewed, with particular consideration given to aspects that may suggest conditional enrolment. The board is advised that the health and safety policy requires annual updating. Further publication of policies on the website should be considered.

Developmental priorities, which have been compiled through consultation with all partners, have been identified by the board. It is recommended that the board prepare action plans relative to all priorities.

Subject department planning is well established, with plans offering much detail in terms of subject provision and good evidence of planning for teaching and learning. A number of plans provide very good quality review and evaluation and this practice is further encouraged. Agreed, time-bound programmes of work are in place. In time, the further development of programmes of work should be considered, with a particular emphasis on the identification of topic-specific learning outcomes, resources, methodologies, assessment approaches, as well as the key skills outlined in the Framework for Junior Cycle.

A small, but active and valuable parents’ association is in place. Communication with all parents is very good. Strong links with other schools are invaluable to the transition and induction of students,

and in ensuring appropriate provision for them. Links have also been forged with a myriad of organisations, agencies and businesses, designed to enhance students’ experiences, learning, future opportunities, and wellbeing.

Developing leadership capacity

Provision for the development of leadership capacity is very good in the school. The principal clearly understands, and appreciates, the importance of building leadership capacity amongst staff and important roles and related responsibilities are well delegated to all interested parties. Staff carry out associated tasks in a committed, efficient and effective manner. The formation of staff teams, and therefore collaborative management and leadership, is also encouraged and supported by the principal. Staff described feeling trusted and empowered.

There is recognition amongst staff that continuing professional development (CPD), and at times too further study, is an important precursor to the assignment of key management and leadership roles. The school’s assistant principals are very well facilitated to actively support the leadership team in managing and planning.

The recent inclusion of students on key committees is testament to the finding that students’ views

are valued. Students’ involvement in the operation of the school is encouraged through: provision

for a democratically elected students’ council for seniors; the annual election of a head girl and

deputy-head girl; and provision for a prefect and deputy prefect in all classes. The junior forum

should be reinvigorated. There is also very good provision for student-led programmes such as Big

Sister, Little Sister.

2. QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching and learning in the majority of observed lessons ranged from very good to good, and in a significant number of lessons the quality was noted as outstanding.

Learner outcomes and experiences

An extremely positive learning atmosphere was observed. Interactions were warm, pleasant and respectful. Teachers demonstrated high expectations with regard to participation and learning. Teachers sought to make lessons interesting and to make learning fun. It was positive to note that the majority of students were: comfortable to ask questions; willing to offer an opinion or comment; and risk incorrect responses. This is a tribute to the relationship of trust that teachers have forged. Teachers were appropriately generous in their encouragement, acknowledgement and affirmation of students.

In all lessons, teachers ensured that students were involved in lesson content and, overall, the requirements placed on them were kept varied and challenging. Students were engaged and demonstrated an interest in and an enjoyment of learning. They demonstrated understanding of subject matter being explored, and there was clear and ample evidence of learning.

Teachers’ individual and collective practice

Planning and preparation for lessons was very good, and at times it was observed to be of the highest quality. Teachers informed students of the lesson plan through the very good practice of sharing learning intentions. Commendably, these emphasised student learning - what students

would know, understand or be able to do at lesson end. In line with the school’s plan to focus on differentiation as part of SSE, the differentiation of learning intentions merits consideration.

Students’ prior learning and experiences were well utilised to introduce or refine new concepts and skills. Teachers’ explanations were very clear, accompanied at times by valuable use of high quality visuals, including electronic presentations, well-executed demonstrations, and teacher modelling.

In the majority of lessons, co-operative learning was facilitated, and students were familiar with this approach. Activities were very well organised and managed. On occasion, high impact cooperative learning strategies were employed to very good effect. As relevant, teachers are encouraged to extend and develop their repertoire of cooperative-learning strategies. Consideration should also be given to providing for differentiation in tasks, and a related strategic grouping of students. Furthermore, considering the extent to which cooperative learning is being employed, serious consideration ought to be given to the arrangement of desks into learning centres.

In line with the school’s SSE plans, teachers have begun the ‘assessment for learning’ journey. While the use of learning intentions is well embedded, use of success criteria is less well accommodated. It is recommended that all tasks assigned to students are informed by an explicit sharing and discussion of the related criteria for success. The good use of success criteria provides a natural lead in to an essential aspect of assessment for learning, namely self and peer assessment. Teachers’ greater provision for this is also strongly encouraged.

Questioning was noted as a key inclusion strategy and much good practice was observed. At times, there was an over reliance on question asking as a means of including students, and on occasion too, it was identified as an area to develop. On more than one occasion, teachers were advised of the need to be more cognisant of and responsive to student passivity during questioning.

Seamless integration of ICT was observed in many lessons. It was used primarily as a presentation technology, although in a very small number of lessons students were facilitated to use ICT to capture whole-class learning. A vision and plan for the further development of ICT as a learning tool, both within and outside the classroom, should be formulated.

In modern language lessons, there was very good use of the target language, which supported students to develop their aural and oral capacities. Across subjects, there was an appropriate focus on the development of examination techniques.

In addition to the best practice highlighted above, teaching and learning was outstanding where independent and self-directed student learning was facilitated. This was achieved through the incorporation of tasks that promoted discovery learning, experiential learning and creative engagement.

The in-class correction of homework was well utilised to determine levels of understanding. Equally, homework designed to consolidate or further learning was provided in most lessons. In a very small number of lessons, homework activities were differentiated by, for example, provision of an element of choice. Students’ copybooks demonstrated that, by and large, teachers regularly monitor students’ written work. However, it was observed that the use of formative feedback is being underutilised. Greater provision of formative feedback is recommended.

Rooms were largely print-rich, often displaying student work alongside displays designed to both inform and support learning.

It is suggested that the ‘Teachers’ Handbook and Roll Book’ include identified areas for development in teaching and learning, complete with ‘aide-memoires’.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS

The implementation of recommendations from previous report is generally good, but there are a number of important recommendations that still require attention. Leadership and Management

The school has worked to address four of the seven key recommendations pertaining to leadership

and management provided in the 2009 WSE report. Two significant key findings remain to be

addressed. These include, as highlighted earlier: the timetabling of shared classes; and the school’s

policy and practice in relation to PMEs. The third recommendation, which relates to a review of TY,

will be fully addressed in the near future through a planned root and branch review.

Overall, management has worked to address management-specific recommendations provided in

subject inspection reports, but most of the recommendations provided in the SEN report were not

acted upon.

Teaching and Learning

Much work has been undertaken by teachers in terms of developing or improving aspects of

teaching and learning identified in relevant subject inspection reports. Further provision for the

assessment of student’s oral ability in Irish should be considered. All subject departments should

consider the relevance of teaching and learning findings and recommendations offered in subject

inspection reports.

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

The School’s Self-Evaluation Process

The quality of the school’s SSE process and capacity for school improvement is very good.

SSE is well embedded, with related work being managed by a team. Key staff have participated in relevant CPD and the process is well understood. SSE initiatives are well informed by the collection of school-specific data. Presentations to staff help to keep all staff informed of the role they have to play in seeking to improve outcomes for students linked to three improvement plans. Efforts are also being made to link SSE work with relevant, domains, standards, and statements of practice in Looking at Our Schools 2016. Good quality monitoring and evaluation helps in the identification of successes but also the strategies that are not having the desired impact, and there is a clear openness to going back to the drawing board when the latter happens. A refocusing is advised at this point. Management is advised of the need to produce and circulate annual reports to parents relating to identified priorities.

The School’s Capacity for Improvement

Review and evaluation is a well-embedded practice in the school, and such work is informed by both a desire and a capacity to foster enhancement and improvement.

5. CHILD PROTECTION

Confirmation was provided that the board 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.

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;

Appendix

SCHOOL RESPONSE TO THE REPORT

Submitted by the Board of Management

Published April 2018 / Foilsithe Aibreán 2018

Area 1 Observations on the content of the inspection report

Response (Observation On the content of the Inspection Report)

The Board welcomes this very positive report and its recognition of the high quality of teaching and learning in Christ King Girls' Secondary School and the provision of very good quality student supports. The Board of Management recognises the contribution of the WSE MLL in maintaining standards of excellence in our school. The Board is particularly pleased that the findings clearly identify:

The strong learning culture among management, teachers and students

The outstanding quality of teaching and learning in a significant number of lessons

The very good development of leadership capacity in the school

The high levels of collaboration among teachers in the sharing of approaches that enhance students' learning

The overall very good quality of lesson planning and preparation of lessons which was also noted, at times, as being of the highest quality

The very good quality of the school's self-evaluation process and capacity for school improvement

The highly dedicated and cohesive leadership in the school

The renewed focus on the promotion of student wellbeing in line with Junior Cycle requirements

The successful promotion of a development agenda in teaching and learning

The readiness of staff to engage with initiatives that enhance students' learning experiences

The broad range of curricular options available in the school and the continuous support offered to students and parents

The school’s prioritisation of provision of personal, educational and vocational guidance

The ongoing professional development of teachers which is very well facilitated in the school

The very active involvement of the Parents Association and the active nature of the Student Council and the very good provision of student-led programmes in the school

The comprehensive programme of co-curricular and extracurricular activities continuously being provided in response to emerging needs

Area 2 Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to

implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection.

The school has begun a review of its policy on the accommodation of PME students and this is to be in place for the academic year 2018/2019.

The school has put a system in place to notify parents on a daily basis as to their child's absence.

All the teaching and learning initiatives are now aligned with the school self-evaluation process.

Advice on timetabling considerations will be taken into account in the timetable for 2018/2019 and further years.

The school has begun the process of undertaking a curriculum review in light of the new Junior Cycle Framework.