St Kevin’s ‘did not put the needs of students first’

St Kevin’s Community College, Clondalkin

JOB-SHARING arrangements for teachers at a school where there is concern about education standards did not put the needs of students first, inspectors said.

It is among criticisms around “poor” timetabling, deployment of teachers and curriculum provision at St Kevin’s Community College that were having a “negative impact” on pupils.

Inspectors stated that “overall, student attainment across many subjects is cause of concern”, adding: “Evidence suggests that facilitating a positive student experience and optimising student attainment are not the key drivers of the timetabling process.”

New enrolments at the 341-pupil co-educational school suffered a “significant fall” last year. St Kevin’s, which is covered by the DEIS scheme for schools in disadvantaged communities, operates under the trusteeship of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board. Inspectors’ concerns include how a group of last year’s third-year pupils were advised not to sit a particular subject in the Junior Cert due to their poor performance in the ‘mocks’.

They also criticised the withdrawal of Italian for senior cycle students who had taken it for Junior Cert and even though a qualified teacher was on the staff.

“It was the only foreign language they had studied in junior cycle and they are now at a significant disadvantage,” the report states.