School Evaluation

Last updated: 16th February 2023

School Self Evaluation

All schools are obliged to engage in a continuous process of School Self Evaluation. School self evaluation (SSE) empowers a school community to affirm good practice, to identify areas that merit improvement and to decide on actions that should be taken to bring about improvements in those areas. It gives teachers and schools the opportunity to tell their own story. SSE enriches the learning and the teaching experience for the benefit of all concerned. SSE is primarily about schools taking ownership of their own development and improvement.

Members of the Board of Management should ensure that:

  • The school has the skills and capacity to engage in SSE. This may require professional development for some or all teachers

  • Suitable arrangements are in place to enable the teaching staff to engage in the SSE process

  • An atmosphere is cultivated over time so that management, principals, teachers, parents and pupils can make honest and helpful contributions to the SSE process

  • SSE is on the agenda of each board meeting to enable board members to ask questions about progress and to affirm achievements

  • A summary SSE report and summary school improvement plan are provided to the school community each year. These will be short documents outlining the areas of focus for SSE in the school, the strengths identified and the areas that the school will be focusing on for improvement

  • The legislative and regulatory checklist is used annually to evaluate the extent to which the school is adhering to its obligations. Action should be taken where requirements are not met

The Board must also be cognisant of the role of the Inspectorate of the Department of Education as set out in the Education Act, 1998, Part 111.

The Inspectorate may visit schools, evaluate the organisation and operation of the schools, including the quality and effectiveness of individual teachers, evaluate the provision of special educational needs, assess the implementation of regulations made by the Minister and report to the Minister or to the Board of Management, parents of students and teachers as appropriate.

Background to SSE

In the first cycle of SSE, 2012-2016, schools were encouraged to develop and implement improvement plans for teaching and learning with a particular focus on literacy and numeracy.

Teaching and learning continued to be the focus in the second cycle of SSE, 2016-2020. Schools were encouraged to use Looking at Our School 2016: A Quality Framework for Primary / Post-Primary Schools to support their engagement with the SSE process. In this second cycle of SSE, schools had a degree of flexibility in selecting the curriculum/subject areas or aspects of teaching and learning on which they wished to focus.

In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in schools, the completion of the second cycle of SSE was extended from 2020 to 2022. In this extended second phase, schools were encouraged to use the SSE process to help them to address challenges arising from the pandemic, to complete remaining work on SSE, and to address areas identified by the school as a priority.

In August 2022, the Inspectorate issued the arrangements on the third SSE cycle for schools and its own arrangements for its engagement with schools  

Subject Inspection

Subject Inspection is the most frequent form of evaluation in second level schools which focuses on teaching and learning in a specific subject. Other inspections include Programme Evaluations, Incidental (unannounced) Inspections in primary and post-primary schools and in centres for education. Board members should familiarise themselves with the contents of DES publications dealing with the Inspectorate.

Whole School Evaluation – Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE-MLL)

WSE-MLL is carried out from time to time in all schools. WSE-MLL evaluates the school in the following key areas:

  • Quality of School Management and Leadership

  • Quality of learning and teaching in a range of subjects and levels

  • The implementation of recommendations from previous evaluations

  • The school's self evaluation process and capacity for school improvement

A brief synopsis of the WSE process together with complete guidelines on WSE-MLL for Post Primary Schools is available on the Department of Education website.

An evaluation report with appropriate recommendations is issued to schools following all inspections. These reports are published on the DES website and are publicly available.

National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)

The Board should also be aware of the role of the  National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) which was formally established as an administrative agency of the Department of Education on 1st September, 1999. This agency is dedicated to the delivery of a psychological service to schools and other recognised educational institutions.

NEPS psychologists work with both primary and post-primary schools and are concerned with learning, behaviour, social and emotional development. Each psychologist is assigned to a group of schools.

NEPS psychologists work in partnership with teachers, parents and children in identifying educational needs. They offer a range of services aimed at meeting these needs, for example, supporting individual students (through consultation and assessment), special projects and research.

The role of psychologists or of others with equivalent/similar qualifications is set out in the Education Act, 1998. In particular, this role includes the following functions:

  • to assess the psychological needs of students and to advise as appropriate;

  • to advise schools on policies and strategies for the education of children with special educational needs;

  • to advise the Minister for Education and Skills on any matter relating to the psychological needs of students in schools;

  • to assist in the creation of a school environment which prevents or limits obstacles to learning.

Links and Circulars

Please note the following circulars have been issued by the DE Inspectorate and are available on www.gov.ie or at the links below.

Circular 0056/2022: School Self Evaluation & Circular 0058/2022: The Arrangements Regarding Inspectorate Engagement with Schools in 2022/23.

Circular 0056/2022 outlines the SSE Next Steps 2022-2026 School Self-Evaluation (www.gov.ie)

In this 3rd cycle of SSE:

  • During 2022/23:

    • Identify and reflect on impact of Covid-19 on students’ educational experiences and outcomes, their wellbeing, their motivation to learn, and their engagement in learning.

    • Take stock of effectiveness of SSE process to date developing and consolidating it as necessary to ensure it is collaborative, inclusive and impactful.

  • During 2022/25:

  • During 2023/26:

    • Schools have the autonomy to choose the focus of their SSE, subject to having a concise three-year SSE plan that enables them to address:

      • Context-specific school priorities related to teaching, learning, equity and inclusion.

      • National wellbeing goals.

      • National curriculum goals relating to the junior cycle and senior cycle.

      • Other national strategies, for example, the Digital Strategy for Schools and the National Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development.

 

Notes:

  1. In DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools, the SSE process is the DEIS action planning process. In schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Process, SSE facilitates planning for and strengthening of the quality of immersion education.

  2. Inspectorate will continue to support schools (apply via email to SSE@education.gov.ie) with advisory visits during Sept-December 2022. All other supports and relevant publications are available on www.gov.ie

  3. PISA (8th cycle) is due to take place in 2022. 170 post primary schools have been selected on a representative basis to participate between 17th October and 18th November. These schools have been notified earlier this year.

Circular 0058/2022 outlining the arrangements for the Inspectorate’s engagement with schools for Sept.-Dec. 2022

From September 2022, the inspection programme will include the following:

  • Incidental inspections.

  • Subject inspections.

  • Child protection and safeguarding inspections (CPSI) that monitor the

  • Evaluations of provision for students with additional and special educational needs.

  • Follow-through inspections to monitor and support the implementation of recommendations arising from previous inspections.

  • Priority inspections in a small number of schools as required.

  • The completion of inspections that commenced in the 2021/2022 school year.

  • Advisory visits and other activities that will include school self-evaluation advisory visits, visits to schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme and other advisory visits.

From September 2022, the following three aspects of the Anti-Bullying Procedures will be monitored:

  • Anti-bullying policy and annual review.

  • BOM minutes re: record of Principal’s report (see record template) (once per term).

  • School’s anti-bullying policy is published on its website/made available to the school community.

From November 2022, the inspection programme will include:

  • Special Care Units.

  • Programme Evaluations of TY, LCA and LCVP.

From January 2023:

  • All other types of inspection, including whole-school evaluations and evaluations of DEIS action planning will recommence.

From January 2023 (Re anti-bullying):

  • The school has appropriate initiatives in place to promote a positive and inclusive school culture and environment.

  • All teachers visited report that they have read the school’s policy on anti-bullying and that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing and tackling bullying.

The inspection programme will be kept under review in the light of public health advice in relation to Covid-19.

Looking at our School 2022, A Guide to Inspection in Post Primary Schools, Code of Practice for DE Inspectorate and the Procedure for Review of Inspections.

 Additionally, the following documents have been updated and are now available on www.gov.ie

  1.  Looking at our School 2022 (www.gov.ie)

    While the structure and content of LAOS 2022 remain substantially the same as in the 2016 publication, the framework has been updated to reflect recent educational reform, thinking and developments in areas such as:

    • child safeguarding,

    • anti-bullying,

    • inclusion,

    • student participation,

    • parent participation,

    • creativity,

    • education for sustainable development (ESD),

    • support of student transitions,

    • Cosán, the national framework for teachers’ learning.

    There are also strengthened references to aspects of learning and teaching that became all the more significant as schools responded to the needs of their students in the context of Covid-19. These aspects include:

    • digital competence,

    • approaches to remote learning and teaching,

    • the role of assessment and feedback in supporting progression in learning,

    • the development of students’ independent learning skills.  

  2.  A Guide to Inspections in Post Primary Schools (www.gov.ie)

    Appendix 1 of this guide provides an outline of each of the inspection types used in post primary schools:

    •   Incidental inspection.

    • Subject inspection.

    • Whole-school evaluation - management, leadership and learning (WSE-MLL).

    • Whole-school evaluation (WSE).

    • Programme evaluation.

    • Evaluation of provision for students with additional and special educational needs.

    • Evaluation of action planning for improvement in DEIS schools (DEIS).

    • Evaluation of schools attached to Special Care Units and Children Detention Centres.

    • Child protection and safeguarding inspection.

    • Supporting the safe provision of schooling.

    • Evaluation of remote teaching and learning.

    • Follow-through inspection.

  3.  Code of Practice for the DE Inspectorate (www.gov.ie)

  4.  Procedure for review of inspections carried out by DE Inspectorate S13(9) for Ed Act 1998 & relevant Inspection Request Review Form. Procedure for Review of Inspections on Schools and Teachers under Section 13(9) of the Education Act 1998 (www.gov.ie)

ACCS Info Bulletin

The above information is also available in ACCS Info Bulletin 19/22