In May, the Department of Education will begin publication of school inspection reports. The Minister, Mary Hanafin, says these reports present a 'rounded picture' of your local school. She favours these reports over 'narrow' school league tables which focus on exam results. The following is a fairly typical example of a school inspection report completed on Castleblayney College, Co Monaghan. But does it tell parents what they want to know? Read it and decide

INTRODUCTION

Castleblayney College is a co-educational, multi-denominational, second-level school governed by Co Monaghan Vocational Education Committee. The school currently has 320 students, with a gender ratio of 56 per cent boys and 44 per cent girls and employs 23.55 wholetime teaching equivalents. Of these teaching posts, 19 are permanent positions and three are wholetime posts shared with other VEC schools, while a further five teaching posts are part-time.

Separate from the positions of principal and deputy principal, there are six principal posts and six special duties posts.

The in-school evaluation work of the inspectors included classroom visits and meetings with members of senior management and middle management as well as with the student support team, the guidance and counselling team, extra-curricular teachers and all ancillary staff.

The inspection process concluded with post-evaluation meetings with the CEO, the school management, the principal, deputy principal and the teaching staff.

Health and safety issues for students arising from the operation of a split campus were noted as a matter of concern by inspectors during the evaluation.

The report states: "Students cross and recross the N2 primary route a number of times each day to access classes. A further adverse effect of the split site is the disincentive to enrolment that such an arrangement offers to prospective applicants and the difficulty for the school in balancing its duty of care to highlight what is perceived as a serious safety hazard . . ."

QUALITY OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT/CHARACTERISTIC SPIRIT OF THE SCHOOL

The school's mission statement sets out a commitment to value all students and to encourage them to realise their full potential in a school community that will promote Christian values.

The school promotes excellent examination results and the achievement of between 75 per cent and 85 per cent transfer to third-level education as the first of 10 reasons to parents choosing the college for their children.

The report states that: "A significant factor for parents in choosing the school was the excellence of the results achieved at the certificate examinations and the fact that the school catered for students of all abilities."

Members of the parents' association also reported a genuine, caring community as being a distinctive characteristic of the school and spoke highly of the level of communication between the school and parents.

The inspection found that in-school communication operated at an interpersonal level rather than in the formalised atmosphere of meetings.

"This more informal approach is made possible by virtue of the small staff numbers involved and by the quality of the relationships and social interaction evident among staff," according to the report's findings.

While the quality of communication throughout the school is commended, the report notes that consideration should be given to establishing a website to provide appropriate information and publicity on the school.

SCHOOL OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Inspectors noted the "innovative feature" of the school's board of management whereby the chair rotates on an annual basis among each of the three nominating bodies. A parents' association has also operated for over 13 years and has been effective in pursuing many school issues.

The report states the association is perceived as a "support body for the developmental aims of the school - currently the need to expedite the proposed extension to the school - and as an appropriate conduit for parents' concerns". A prominent example of the association's work is its efforts to get a resolution of the safety issue for students presented by the split site.

IN-SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

The duties of each postholder are clearly defined with a reduction of four hours per week in class contact time for all assistant principal postholders and a reduction of one class period in the class contact time for special duties teachers' postholders.

The report notes, however, that "the absence of pastoral offices and the lack of times available to year heads both impose limitations on the effectiveness with which year heads can carry out their duties."

MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES

The inspectors found an appropriate match between teacher qualifications and the deployment of teachers to subject areas.

The report notes, however, that "a difficulty faced by management in deploying staff is the late confirmation of the year's final full teaching allocation, which for the school year 2004-2005, for example, is November 11th, 2004. Earlier confirmation is required in order to achieve the optimal timetabling arrangements." In general, the report finds that classrooms and practical rooms are well maintained and the impression throughout is of a well-ordered and stimulating atmosphere supportive of teaching and learning.

"Particular difficulties arise in the maintenance and provision of resources in the 1951 building and the condition of these five rooms . . . although cleaned and maintained, are in stark contrast with the facilities available at the main campus."

Concerns at health and safety issues relating to the engineering room were brought to the team's attention during the evaluation and it recommends that the incident and hazards described be processed through the reporting procedures detailed in the school policy on health and safety at work.

QUALITY OF SCHOOL PLANNING - THE SCHOOL PLAN

While acknowledging that the school has undertaken a number of action plans, policy formulations and policy reviews, further key areas are identified in the report as essential steps in modernisation and changes at the school.

"Prominent among these is the creation of a collaborative culture between teachers and students as a pre-requisite for effective teaching and learning to take place."

It speaks directly of the need for the school to adopt new approaches in "the task of winning the hearts and minds of students". This need is identified as a matter of urgency.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHOOL PLAN

The report finds that systematic monitoring and evaluating of the school plan is provided for in the specific role assigned to the deputy principal.

The report finds, however, that the reduction in time for planning, following on the adoption of the standardised school year is a considerable brake on collective policy formulation and review.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

MATHEMATICS

The inspector with responsibility for assessing mathematics found that classwork and lesson content were appropriate to syllabus and level, and class preparation was evident.

However, the report notes: "In all cases, work presented on worksheets would have been more effectively explained by working through each step on the board . . . it is recommended that expertise be built in a range of teaching methodologies (for example investigative learning)". The report adds that a range of classroom resources, which engage students more actively in maths and ensure that they are learning with understanding, could be used.

"Teachers showed dedication in attending to individual students' mathematical needs. However, care needs to be taken that teachers 'do not work for' the students."

GEOGRAPHY

The inspection process found a very positive and supportive relationship between the teachers and their students, short-term and long-term planning was very comprehensive and that the quality of teaching and learning was of a "very high standard".

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The subject is strongly supported in the school, and teaching observed by inspectors was reported as being of a very high standard.

However, indoor facilities for the teaching of physical education were said to be limited and while an excellent resource document was presented during the evaluation process, the report states that "there was no indication as to when an aspect of an activity was being taught at a specific time in each year. There was no evidence of progression from year to year."

POLICY AND PROVISION FOR STUDENTS FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS AND MINORITY GROUPS

The college does not have designated disadvantaged status and is also without a home-school community liaison provision. The school has, however, attempted to provide such a service, particularly as the other second-level school in the town qualifies for both.

Economic disadvantage has been a declining feature among the families of students in the school, with the percentage of families exempt from paying the fees for the certificate examinations, dropping from a figure of 60 per cent to the current 25 per cent. However, the school recognises "emotional disadvantage" among students as a growing phenomenon.

"This is a sensitive area for students and parents and may include the sharing of information regarding personal circumstances such as single parenthood, marital difficulties, emotional difficulties, or conditions such as alcoholism."

In regard to the attendance of students, detailed records are maintained and the scale of the challenge facing the school is gleaned from the returns to the National Educational Welfare Board.

Their figures confirm that 98 students (one in three) have equalled or exceeded 20 days' absence in the course of the year.

Daily monitoring of attendance and a student of the month award have resulted in 37 per cent of students recording a full attendance in the first term of the school year under review by the inspectors.

PASTORAL CARE

The report finds that the achievement of a gender balance in the pastoral care team would be a desirable outcome, especially where the majority of the students (56 per cent) are boys.

"Thus, for example, there is currently a very low representation of male teachers among the year heads, class teachers, guidance counsellors, and teachers of social, personal and health education that together implement the pastoral care programme."

POST-EVALUATION MEETINGS

In total, four post-evaluation meetings were held between inspectors, the VEC, the principal, members of the board of management and the teaching staff. Both the principal and CEO of Monaghan VEC welcomed the inspectors' report.

A number of points of concern and clarification were raised with the inspectors as part of the question-and-answer session at the meeting with staff.

These included support for class teachers, time for planning of subjects, challenges for the school in the future posed by falling enrolment, the split campus and health and safety issues in the engineering room.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The report recommends that senior management and individual postholders should engage in an annual formal review of duties that provides opportunities for development in the following year.

It also advises that collaborative planning in individual subject areas be included in future school development planning and a comparison of outcomes be made with national norms.