Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 December 2013
205. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the situation where whole-school evaluation reports identify inadequacies in teaching and where the Department's inspectorate is not in a position to act on those findings for second level inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53006/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am satisfied that robust external inspection arrangements are in place that predominantly focus on evaluating the quality of learning and teaching in schools. During all whole school evaluations, inspectors provide individual teacher feedback and whole-school feedback highlighting good practice and aspects of practice that require improvement. The reports arising from whole school inspections and subject inspections are published so that there is a clear record of the strengths of the school and the areas that require improvement.
To complement these evaluation models the Inspectorate conducts unannounced incidental inspections focussed also on evaluating the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. Since the introduction of unannounced incidental inspections in November 2011 some 700 unannounced inspections have been conducted in post-primary schools. The inspectorate has also commenced specific follow-through evaluations where inspectors monitor the implementation by schools of recommendations from previous inspections and it is expected that these reports will also be published from 2014. The Inspectorate has been and continues to be engaged in an ongoing programme to review existing inspection models such as whole-school evaluation, and to develop and introduce new models of inspection and reporting on schools in line with section 13(8) of the Education Act, 1998. Responsibility for addressing shortcomings in learning and teaching in a school rests primarily with the school's board of management and its leadership team in the case of voluntary secondary and community and comprehensive schools and with the school leadership team and the relevant Education and Training Board in the case of schools run under the auspices of Education and Training Boards. This responsibility placed on schools to address any inadequacies in teaching is underpinned by the provisions of Section 24 of the Education Act and related circulars. Procedures for dealing with professional competence and disciplinary matters for teachers are in place for all schools. Under the penultimate stage of these formal procedures, boards of management are required to seek an independent evaluation of the work of a teacher where the board of school is dissatisfied with the professional standards of the teacher's work. The Inspectorate has responded to all such requests from boards of management and has conducted the requisite inspection visits and provided reports to the boards of management involved.
In the small number of schools where the Inspectorate has identified serious weaknesses in the quality of teaching and learning or in the leadership and management of schools, the Department has engaged with the patron, trustees or management of the school to ensure that the need for improvement and change is fully appreciated by the school and by those responsible for its management.
