‘SCHOOL NOT WELL RUN’-TEACHERS
TEACHERS DID NOT FEEL THEIR VIEWS WERE VALUED IN DECISIONS
ISSUES surrounding management in a second school in Faughart parish have been highlighted in the Whole School Evaluation report for Scoil Eoin Baiste, Fatima, following a visit by a Department of Education inspector last October.
The report, which was published on the Department’s website last week, found that most teachers did not agree that the school is well run and didn’t feel that their views were valued in the decision-making process.
It recommended that ‘ the Board of Management should ensure more effective structures of communication are established between school management and teaching staff to address teacher concerns and it should also oversee the collaborative review of all curriculum and organisation policies to better inform day to day practice in the school.’
And answers to a questionnaire which forms part of the evaluation revealed that ‘ a majority of teachers did not agree that the in-school management system is effective or that their views are valued in decision-making process.’
The school, like the troubled Scoil Bhride in the same parish, is under the patronage of the Catholic Cardinal of Armagh, and has 185 pupils, and a staff of an administrative principal and thirteen mainstream class teachers.
Overall, the report found that the quality of teaching was satisfactory as was the overall quality of pupils’ learning, although there was scope for improvement in a number of areas.
‘ The overall quality of teaching is satisfactory, with some good and very good teaching observed in a minority of learning settings,’ according to the report, which noted that ‘where practice was less effective, there was a discernible imbalance between teacher input and productive pupil participation.’
While the overall use of planning was good, the report found that ‘in some instances teachers do not make explicit use of differentiated learning objectives to fully cater for the varying needs and abilities of pupils.’
The assessment of pupils’ work was found to be good overall, there were aspects which needed improvement.
The support provided for pupils’ well-being was praised as being ‘commendable’ and, in the questionnaires given out as part of the evaluation, the majority of pupils agreed that they felt safe in their classrooms and get on with the other children.
However, data from the questionnaires also indicated that ‘a significant minority of teachers and a few parents do not think that discipline is good in the school.’
The work of the home school community liaison co-ordinator was praised as being ‘very effective’ and the report found that home-school communication was good and that the Parents and Friends Association provides ‘valuable support’ to the school.
While the quality of leadership and management was satisfactory overall, the report found that there was ‘scope for development in certain aspects.’
The majority of teachers did not agree that whole-school policies inform day to day life in the school.
‘ Teaching resources and other aspects of school management need to be improved,’ according to the report. ‘ Teachers reported that they were not sufficiently clear about their allocation to different teaching settings.’
The report advised that in advance of the next school year, class allocation policy be devised in consultation with staff,
It also said that ‘ the practice of deploying support teachers as substitute teachers for teacher absences should cease.’
At the time that the report was carried out, an acting principal had been appointed the previous month, but The Argus understands that the permanent principal has since resume her duties.
‘ There is evidence that some teachers are dissatisfied with aspects of school life,’ noted the report.
And when filling in a questionnaire which forms part of the evaluation, ‘most teachers did not agree that the school is well run.’
‘A majority of teachers did not agree that the in-school management system is effective or that their views are valued in decision-making process.’
The report recommended that these findings should be explored further at school level.
‘ There is need for more effective communication between school leadership and teaching staff and a need to establish very clear procedures for how staff concerns are addressed.’
It was also found that the Board of Management did not fulfil the minimum requirements of five meetings in the previous school year and that ‘ the recording and maintenance of board minutes require further improvement.’
In their response to the report, the Board of Management said they welcomed and fully accepted the recommendation and were ‘working with staff to formulate and then implement a strategic plan that will examine and full address on all the recommendations contained in the Whole School Evaluation report. This plan will guide the future development of Scoil Eoin Baiste.’