An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna

Department of Education and Skills

Whole School Evaluation

Management, Leadership and Learning

REPORT

Ainm na scoile /

School name Ennis Community College

Seoladh na scoile /

School address

Harmony Row,

Ennis

Co Clare

Uimhir rolla /

Roll number 70830N

Date of Evaluation: 18-10-2016

Whole-School Evaluation – Management, Leadership and Learning

INSPECTION ACTIVITIES DURING THIS INSPECTION

Date of inspection 18 October 2016

Inspection activities undertaken

Meeting with board of management

Meetings with principal and deputy principal

Meeting(s) 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 (lessons provided on the Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs) were not included in this evaluation)

Examination of students’ work

Interaction with students

Feedback to senior management team, board of management and teachers

SCHOOL CONTEXT

Ennis Community College is a non-denominational, co-educational post-primary school under the

auspices of Limerick Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB). Mainstream provision for junior cycle

and senior cycle students takes place in both an English-medium school and an Irish language Aonad,

known as Gaelcholáiste an Chláir. A unit to cater for students with mild general learning disabilities

(MGLD) has recently been established. Ennis College of Further Education, which provides Post

Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses, forms part of Ennis Community College and is co-located with it. One

board of management is responsible for the full school.

Ennis Community College participates in Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), the

action plan of the Department of Education and Skills for educational inclusion. Total enrolment stands

at 522, 120 of whom are PLC students. The school caters for over thirty different nationalities and

ethnic groups.

In this report, Gaelcholáiste an Chláir is referred to as ‘the gaelcholáiste’ and the English-medium

mainstream school is referred to as ‘the community college’.

The board of management of the school 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.

SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

FINDINGS

The board of management and senior management display a good working relationship. However, they need to plan more strategically to meet the needs of the school.

The quality of teaching was good or very good in the majority of the lessons observed.

There is scope to develop the quality and the effectiveness of in-school communication, of communication between senior management and board of management and of communication with parents.

The majority of teachers show high levels of commitment and initiative, both in their classroom practice and in fulfilling their assigned duties, some of which are done voluntarily.

Students were well behaved and respectful for the duration of the evaluation but there was evidence that a review of how behavioural issues are addressed and communicated is needed.

Good support systems were in place for students with special educational and other needs though the absence of a whole-school guidance plan at the time of the evaluation meant that provision of support for some students was unclear.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Meaningful collaboration should take place with all relevant stakeholders to strategically plan towards realising the long term and short term priorities identified to meet the needs of the school; the inclusion of plans in this process to achieve all stated DEIS targets and to ensure the implementation of the new junior cycle are particularly necessary.

The principal and deputy principal need to further develop their leadership roles; this should include, but not be confined to, setting high expectations for all aspects of teaching and learning, reviewing assessment practices and ensuring that initiatives implemented for improvement are monitored and reviewed.

Communication channels between key stakeholders need to be strengthened to enable more meaningful engagement in relation to all school developments.

A whole-school assessment policy needs to be developed, agreed and implemented across the community college and the gaelcholáiste.

Building on the current initiative regarding behaviour management, the code of behaviour should be revised to meet the needs of the full student population and to achieve agreement on the practices to ensure consistent whole-school implementation of the code.

A whole-school guidance plan should be developed to ensure the supports available benefit all students in a cohesive, inclusive and developmental way.

DETAILED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

1.1. School ownership and management

The overall quality of management and leadership is satisfactory. The board of management is appropriately constituted and in its second year of operation. The board members bring a range of experience to Ennis Community College. The work of school management is supported by the LCETB which provides training, whole-school initiatives and templates as well as support for many of the human resource and financial responsibilities. There is room for the board to further develop its role of overseeing and managing some aspects of school business as well as communicating better with stakeholders. Senior management needs to improve its role in leading learning, forward planning and ensuring that the systems in place are fit for purpose, monitored and communicated clearly to all.

The board has identified a number of developmental priorities for the school. These are all important and relevant. However, at the time of the evaluation, it was not clear how the board was working towards achieving its DEIS targets or the timeframe for when they would be completed or reviewed. There is a need to include priorities to support improvement for all of the identified DEIS targets. Strategic action planning needs to be undertaken which is reflective of the whole school’s needs,

including those of the gaelcholáiste, and built upon meaningful input from the entire school community. It should contain specific, time-bound targets for improvement and it should be followed through upon in ways that will ensure effective implementation.

The school’s vision for the future needs to be revisited to take account of current educational developments and requirements. Senior management need to ensure it is fully aware of the contents of Circular 24/2016 and subsequent circulars relating to the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015). Although there was evidence that the subject departments and teachers were implementing and planning for change, management has yet to consider the whole-school implications of the new junior cycle. Subsequent strategic long-term and short-term planning, which should include collaboration with the entire school community, will ensure the best outcomes possible for the students of Ennis Community College. In line with the approach used for school self-evaluation, collaboration should include gathering and analysing data.

There is significant scope to improve communication from the board to all stakeholders as well as the quality of the principal’s report to the board. Board members should be fully informed of challenges, initiatives and the ongoing teaching and learning work of the school. In the interest of generating a unified approach to improvement, the board should ensure all relevant stakeholders are kept informed and are included in decision making.

Strong leadership qualities are evident among middle management post holders, some of whom are working in a voluntary capacity. The commitment, diligence and dedication shown by the majority of the middle management team has a very positive impact on the school and sees many of the school’s needs addressed. The pending review of posts should result in agreed, fairly distributed and clearly defined duties relevant to the school’s needs. Annual reporting by post holders to senior management and the board is recommended as good practice.

1.2. Effectiveness of leadership for learning

The principal and deputy principal operate an open door policy and work well together. The principal has been in the role for over four years. The deputy principal is in her first year of appointment having worked in an acting capacity for a number of months last year. Much of their time is spent on the day-to-day duties of managing the school; the quality of their engagement concerned with teaching and learning is fair.

The use by teachers of innovative and creative teaching and learning methodologies is facilitated. Many individuals avail of opportunities to vary classroom practice. This is good but there is a need to monitor the impact of these initiatives on learning and where benefits are identified, these should be shared and implemented school-wide. Management should be more aware of the quality of teaching and learning and support improvement of provision where necessary. There were a few lessons observed during the evaluation where the quality of practice was less than good.

Management supports teachers’ participation in continuing professional development (CPD) and the school regularly avails of training opportunities and initiatives provided by the LCETB. For maximum benefit, management should put systems in place so that all subject departments record the training opportunities availed of, implement the strategies learned, and review their effectiveness. The good practice of sharing specific methodologies among the entire staff should be extended to include relevant subject and programme inspection recommendations.

A broad curriculum is provided. The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) is available to

community college students and this year, all first year students have been included. An optional

Transition Year (TY) is offered by the gaelcholáiste. The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme

and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) are available to all students. Through the

commitment and diligence of the co-ordinators, deliberate efforts are made to meet the needs of the

student cohort and, where possible, programmes are tailored to meet individuals’ needs.

Students with special educational and other needs are well supported in the school. Links with outside

agencies, primary schools and parents are maintained to ensure that issues and needs are clearly

identified when students enrol in the school. The student support team, an LCETB initiative adopted

by the school this year, holds weekly meetings. This facilitates an integrated approach to supporting

students with the most complex needs. Year heads and class tutors are actively engaged in student

support and the practice where year heads remain with the group from first year to sixth year has

been very successful. The school completion programme (SCP) team provides additional valuable

support to the school by gathering information, working directly with students and planning curricular

interventions to maximise learner outcomes.

The SEN co-ordinator works very hard to ensure that all teachers are kept informed of the needs of

students and she has also been successful in ensuring that team teaching is provided by subject

specialist teams, where possible. Time is spent collecting and collating very good quality information

on the needs of incoming first years. The collection of information requires testing and liaising with all

the relevant agencies as well as linking with primary schools and parents. Most of the co-ordinator’s

timetabled hours are spent in class which leaves very little time to provide added support to the many

mainstream teachers who are teaching classes with students who have a vast range of abilities and

needs. Three periods per week are allocated for SEN co-ordination which includes making applications

for special needs assistants (SNAs) and reasonable accommodation at the certificate examinations

(RACE) as well as coordinating support for students with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). To ensure

there is consistency of practice and continuity in provision, it is recommended that a core SEN team

be put in place.

Management needs to ensure that work to produce and complete a whole-school guidance plan is

prioritised. Most of the guidance counsellor’s time is taken up with the senior cycle groups, including

the TY students from the gaelcholáiste. She also has responsibility for the guidance needs of the Post

Leaving Certificate (PLC) students. Junior cycle counselling requirements are met by an external

counsellor who is part of the School Completion Programme (SCP) team. The plan should help

integrate and streamline all the existing supports available, ensure there is a support network for all

students and provide clear guidelines for referrals and follow through on issues identified.

The whole-school guidance plan should include an outline as to how some of the curricular elements

of the guidance programme are delivered through subjects such as social, personal and health

education (SPHE) and civic, social and political education (CSPE). During the evaluation, there was

evidence to show that the profile of both of these subjects needs to be raised. Both subjects have

considerable untapped potential to contribute to students having a better understanding of

themselves and others and further developing their self-management skills. Although timetabled, as

required, for junior cycle students, it was found that SPHE classes were also used for general

administrative purposes and due consideration was not given to how the subject plan would be

delivered when it was decided that SPHE lessons would be used to introduce a new initiative to

students. Due to the high number of teachers timetabled for SPHE, it is particularly important that the

subject plan is used diligently to ensure the entire programme is delivered to all in a consistent

manner.

The deputy principal is currently leading an initiative to identify and record behavioural issues which

occur among students. This commendable practice should be formalised and form the basis of a

review of the code of behaviour. Details of the reward systems in place for junior cycle students should

be included. Consideration to extend these positive measures to all students is recommended. Input

from all stakeholders should be included in the review. When the code of behaviour is reviewed, work

will be needed to agree practices that will be adopted on a whole school basis to ensure effective

implementation of all aspects of the code.

There is a democratically elected student council; members avail of training annually and meet

regularly. Although representative of the student body, it is not operating as effectively as it could be

as a voice for students. Not all students were aware of its existence and others were not sure of the

role it plays within the school. The student council was proud of its involvement with the 1916

celebrations and members are also involved in open nights annually. While this is very positive, there

is a need to raise the profile of the student council among those they represent. It is recommended

that the council has more meaningful engagement with all relevant aspects of school business and is

provided with opportunities to achieve certain targets during their term of duty. Opportunities to

collaborate with the board and parents’ associations should be identified and facilitated.

Traditionally, the parents of the community college and the parents of the gaelcholáiste have seen

themselves as two separate groups. Within the last few years, the home school community liaison

(HSCL) team has successfully encouraged and supported parents from the community college to form

a parents’ association. The long standing parents’ association of the gaelcholáiste also provided advice

and support. There has been some collaboration between the two associations for whole-school

events. The parents’ association for the community college is affiliated to the National Parents’ Council

Post Primary (NPCpp). It was reported that the gaelcholáiste parents’ association chose not to be

affiliated. It is recommended that the collaborative relationship be strengthened and that

management ensure both associations are given a more meaningful role in whole-school development

and decision making.

Confirmation was provided that the board of management has formally adopted the Child Protection

Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools without modification. There is a need to ensure that

up-to-date records are available in relation to participation by staff in child protection training.

1.3 Management of facilities

Plans for a new building on-site, to replace some of the existing classrooms and increase accommodation capacity, were progressing at the time of the evaluation. Work was expected to begin in 2017.

The school’s website provides up-to-date information on successes, activities, initiatives and trips as well as details of subjects, courses, requirements and supports available to students. It has a commendable translation function. There is scope to further develop its potential as a means of communication with the wider school community by the parents’ association, the board and the student council.

During the evaluation, details of comprehensive risk assessments were provided. It was evident that some risks which had previously been brought to the management’s attention had not been rectified. Management needs to ensure that procedures are in place so that identified risks are rectified in a timely manner and possible hazards avoided. This will be particularly pertinent as the school grounds accommodate construction works in the near future.

2. QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

In the majority of lessons, the quality of teaching was good or very good. In the best lessons, teachers set high expectations for students’ work and behaviour. Learning environments were inclusive and orderly, and an atmosphere of mutual respect, affirmation and trust was evident. Student-focused learning tasks and activities were well prepared in advance, suitable for the specific learning intentions of the lesson or series of lessons and matching the learning needs of the students. Many instances of effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a pedagogical tool were observed in both the community college and the gaelcholáiste. The quality of learning was good or very good in the majority of lessons. Students demonstrated high levels of engagement when approaches were adapted to their needs. When suitably challenged and experiencing elements of success to reach clearly understood and attainable learning intentions, students enjoyed their lessons and behaved well. Collaborative learning was evident in some lessons where students worked together and supported each other’s learning. In the small number of lessons where quality was satisfactory, the learning would have been greatly enhanced if these practices had been facilitated. Differentiation to ensure all students can experience elements of both challenge and success should be included in planning for all lessons. The overall quality of assessment across the community college and the gaelcholáiste was satisfactory. In some lessons, although the quality of teaching and learning was good or very good, teachers’ practice was not supported by good assessment procedures. There was scope to expand the practice of providing written formative feedback, evidence of which was found in a small number of lessons. A whole-school examination of assessment is recommended to facilitate the sharing of existing good practice and to ensure a range of assessment approaches is further developed to include more self and peer assessment. It is recommended that this work culminates in the production of a whole-school assessment policy, with input from students, parents and teachers, and as is good practice for all policies, it should come under regular review. It is a fitting time to work on expanding and improving assessment strategies as the new junior cycle continues to be rolled out nationally. Changes to assessment practices can help support and create opportunities to modify classroom practice. A range of questioning strategies was used effectively to elicit prior knowledge, to support, scaffold and assess learning as well as to monitor progress. Students were regularly verbally affirmed and guided towards improvement. The quality of the use of ICT as a pedagogical tool ranged from good or very good in most instances to weak in a few lessons. Students benefited from innovative use of ICT to introduce and revise topics, to consolidate learning, to provide a range of relevant examples and to communicate with their teachers off site. It is recommended that support be provided to upskill teachers who are less proficient in ICT use and to ensure practice and policies are aligned.

The sample of subject department plans which was examined during the evaluation provided evidence of very good quality planning. The best plans consisted of clear learning intentions which were linked to methodologies and modes of assessment. Up-to-date records of continuing professional development (CPD) were kept as well as minutes of departmental meetings which included action planning for improvement and discussion about methodologies used. The best plans included detailed strategies for differentiating lessons and supporting students with special educational needs (SEN). These details, combined with particulars of the literacy, numeracy and school improvement targets,

provided comprehensive and cohesive information to support effective lesson planning. Based on analysis of certificate examination results, which were analysed both collectively and separately to recognise the differences between the community college and gaelcholáiste cohorts, achievable targets were set by the teachers to improve uptake and attainment. Evidence of engagement with subject-specific inspection recommendations was seen in many of the plans and was also evident in some classroom practice. It is recommended that opportunities to discuss and share planning practices be fully utilised. Where relevant, individual subject departments have engaged with the specifications for the new junior cycle specifications.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS

Subject departments and programme co-ordinators have made good progress implementing many of

the recommendations of previous evaluations. Subject departments’ active engagement with

recommendations such as discussing methodologies, improving formative feedback practices and

enhancing learning using ICT was evident in departmental plans and during lesson observations.

It is good practice to share recommendations made for specific subjects and programmes among all

departments. Many are relevant and applicable to all subject areas and would provide good guidance

for influencing improvement on a whole-school basis. Senior management should monitor progress

and identify when support is needed. Whole-staff collaboration in sharing good practice was

previously recommended and scope for this remains.

One main recommendation made during the previous whole-school evaluation remains outstanding.

It was recommended that a whole-school guidance plan be produced and no evidence was found

during this inspection that the process had been initiated. The recommendation made during a

programme evaluation to establish a core team for the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP)

has been achieved and has added to the success of the programme.

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

The school has been engaged in action planning for improvement for a number of years, producing

separate DEIS and SSE plans. The DEIS plan targets the learning needs of specific groups of students;

the SSE plan focuses on whole-school approaches. There has been some correlation between the

literacy and numeracy actions in both plans. Feedback on progress in these areas has been gathered

from teachers. While this is valuable, gathering a broader evidence base for evaluating progress will

be necessary, including learner surveys, samples of students’ work, parents’ views and relevant

information from external services who provide support. To date, formal evaluation of data has not

been a feature of the DEIS plan. It is recommended that this element of utilising the data gathered

becomes practice; it is a Department requirement.

Circular 40/2016 sets out the requirements for continuing engagement with SSE of teaching and

learning from 2016-2020. It explains that the school’s DEIS action plan is its school improvement plan

for the purposes of SSE, and no additional or separate improvement plan is required. In bringing

together what have historically been distinct planning processes, it will be important that the school

ensures that there is a focus on teaching and learning when planning for improvement in literacy,

numeracy, educational attainment, attendance, retention and progression in partnership with parents

and others.

The outcomes of the school’s self-evaluation process have been communicated clearly to teachers.

They should also be communicated clearly to the board and to parents at least once annually. Sharing

the plans with students to help improve learning would also be good practice.

Overall, the school’s capacity for improvement is potentially high. Effective leadership and

management will be needed to guide and support the work required to realise the aims and objectives

of strategic planning for improvement once that planning is completed.

Appendix

SCHOOL RESPONSE TO THE REPORT

Submitted by the Board of Management

Part A Observations on the content of the inspection report The Board of Management acknowledges the support of the Inspectorate during the WSE-MLL process and welcomes the publication of this report. The report acknowledges the quality of the school experience and provides useful signposting for further development under a recently appointed new management team. The Board and School Management have commenced the implementation of the recommendations. The Board acknowledges the Inspectorates affirmation of the following in particular:

The high quality of learning and teaching in Ennis Community College/Gaelcholáiste an Chláir.

The use by teachers of innovative and creative methodologies including ICT.

The very good quality subject planning by teachers and departments.

The provision of a broad curriculum.

The strong leadership and qualities evident amongst middle management.

The high quality work of programme coordinators.

The high quality supports offered to students by the SEN team, the SST team, the year heads and tutors and the SCP.

The support that exists for high quality CPD.

The good working relationships between the Board, senior management and within both.

The supports offered by LCETB.

The work which is ongoing in relation to the new build and development at the school.

The schools high capacity for improvement. Part B Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection. Ennis Community College/Gaelcholáiste an Chláir has already commenced or will undertake the following actions to address the recommendations of the Inspectorate:

An extensive review of the DEIS plan is underway.

An evaluation of the existing Whole-School Guidance Plan is underway with the involvement of all stakeholders aimed at clarifying and maximising the supports available to students.

As part of the School Self Evaluation process which includes all stakeholders the school’s vision for the future is being revisited so that it takes account of the current and future educational needs of the community that it serves.

Changes to the timetable throughout the school in line with circular 24/2016 and subsequent circulars will take effect from the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year.

The new Junior Cycle is being implemented in full and this will continue as more elements come on stream.

The profile of subjects such as SPHE and CSPE is being raised with the aim of unlocking the considerable potential of both, particularly in the context of wellbeing in the new Junior Cycle Framework.

Senior management are committed to leading learning and teaching across the school and to facilitating and enabling all students to reach their maximum potential.

The school is involved in initiatives to support learning and teaching such as the Leading Learning & Teaching project with LCETB amongst others.

Senior management are committed to setting high expectations for all (including themselves), to systematically review practices, to strategically plan for change that supports learning and teaching and to continually monitor and review initiatives so as to maximise the schools effectiveness.

Work to strengthen communication amongst all stakeholders has begun and will continue to be built upon. For example, the Board now issue an agreed statement following each meeting. In addition, meaningful consultation on the operation and direction of the school is planned.

Work on the development of a whole-school assessment policy which is agreed and implemented across the school will begin in the coming months.

Following on from the recent commendable work on the analysis of behavioural issues an evidence based review of the code of behaviour will take place over the coming months.

Work on establishing an SEN core team has begun and this will be in place for the coming academic year.

Staff CPD in the areas of child protection, assessment for learning and data management are planned for and will take place in August 2017.

A risk management programme to remedy identified risks is now underway.

Published May 2017 / Foilsithe Bealtaine 2017

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 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. Overall, learners have access to a basic level of provision. 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;