Olwyn Enright
Question:234 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science his plans to provide a role for parental participation in the whole school evaluation system. [19236/02]
Written Answers. - Whole School Evaluation System.
Bodies representing parents of pupils at first and second levels have contributed significantly to the development of the whole school evaluation, WSE, model since 1996. As part of the 1998-99 pilot project on WSE, parent members of the board of management were consulted at the stage of pre and post-evaluation meetings in each pilot school.
The report on the pilot project acknowledged the need to explore further how best to incorporate parents' perspectives within the evaluation process and in a school's WSE report. In particular, the report concluded ways should be found to provide the general parent body in a school with opportunities to express their views. The development of such opportunities will constitute part of the preparation for the introduction of WSE to all schools and has already been the subject of extensive consultation with the National Parents' Council both at primary and second level.
Olwyn Enright
Question:235 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of new inspectors which will be employed by his Department if the whole school evaluation system is extended to all schools. [19237/02]
The whole school evaluation model of external evaluation of schools has been developed by the inspectorate in response to its statutory evaluative obligations under section 13 of the Education Act, 1998, in respect of the quality and effectiveness of first and second level education.
The capacity of the inspectorate to carry out these statutory functions has improved incrementally over recent years. Overall staffing has increased from 117 in 1997 to 162 in 2002 and further staff will take up duty before the end of 2002. As with all sections of the Department, staffing numbers and resource requirements in the inspectorate are kept under continual review.
The imminent establishment of the examinations commission will remove from the inspectorate its existing and very extensive responsibilities for State examinations. Similarly, in anticipation of the establishment of the special education council, the inspectorate has been relieved of wide-ranging and time-consuming demands on its resources in the matter of special education provision. These changes will allow a fully focused role for the inspectorate on its core evaluative function within the education system. As additional inspectors are recruited, whole school evaluation will be implemented on a gradual basis within the first and second level school sectors.