An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna

Department of Education and Skills

Whole School Evaluation

Management, Leadership and Learning

REPORT

School name Malahide Community School

School address

Broomfield

Malahide

County Dublin

Roll number 91325R

Date of Evaluation: 11-05-2017

WHAT IS A WHOLE-SCHOOL EVALUATION – MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING?

Whole-School Evaluations – Management, Leadership and Learning report on the quality of teaching

and learning and on the quality of management and leadership in a school. They affirm good practice

and make recommendations, where appropriate, to aid the further development of educational

provision in the school.

HOW TO READ THIS REPORT

During this inspection, the inspectors evaluated and reported under the following headings or areas

of enquiry:

1. Quality of school leadership and management

2. Quality of teaching and learning

3. Implementation of recommendations from previous evaluations

4. The school’s self-evaluation process and capacity for school improvement

Inspectors describe the quality of each of these areas using the Inspectorate’s quality continuum

which is shown on the final page of this report. The quality continuum provides examples of the

language used by inspectors when evaluating and describing the quality of the school’s provision in

each area.

The board of management 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.

Whole-School Evaluation – Management, Leadership and Learning

INSPECTION ACTIVITIES DURING THIS INSPECTION

Dates of inspection 11-05-2017

Inspection activities undertaken

Meeting with board of management

Meetings with principal and deputy principals

Meetings 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

Examination of students’ work

Interaction with students Feedback to senior management team, board of

management and teachers

SCHOOL CONTEXT

Malahide Community School is a co-educational post-primary school under the joint patronage of the

Archbishop of Dublin and Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board. The school offers

a number of educational programmes: Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate

Vocational Programme (LCVP), as well as an optional Transition Year (TY). Currently, the school caters

for 1220 students.

SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

FINDINGS

The overall quality of school leadership and management is very good.

Leadership roles are distributed at middle-management level and very good levels of commitment are evident; however, these roles require continuous review.

There is a strong sense of community in the school and partnership with parents is central to the school ethos.

There are very effective support structures in place to provide for students’ well-being, learning and individual educational needs.

The quality of teaching and learning in the majority of lessons was good or very good; a minority of lessons were satisfactory with scope to enhance the quality of student learning.

The school has very good capacity for and commitment to improvement through school self-evaluation (SSE).

RECOMMENDATIONS

School management should continue to review the schedule of posts to ensure it meets the changing needs of the school.

Teachers should extend the use of student-centred approaches and differentiated strategies to appropriately challenge all learners in mixed-ability settings.

Subject departments should implement agreed practices in relation to the provision of formative feedback to support student learning.

DETAILED FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. QUALITY OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

1.1. School ownership and management

The overall quality of leadership and management is very good. Questionnaire data indicates a very good level of satisfaction with how well the school is run.

The board of management provides good leadership. The board is appropriately constituted, meetings are held regularly and minutes indicate good practice in recording the board’s main decisions. The board has a very good understanding of its governance role in terms of policy setting and supporting senior management. It directs financial resources towards supporting teaching and learning and is kept well informed about school life. Given the level of expertise on the board, there is scope for it to extend its oversight role; for example, in ensuring the effective follow-up from inspection reports, conducting a deeper interrogation of examination results and liaising with post-holders.

The board has revised a number of policies in consultation with relevant stakeholders. While all of the mandatory policies are in place, further work is needed by the board to address a number of policies that are in draft form or not yet ratified.

The board has established good links with the trustees and the parents’ association. It is suggested that the board also establish links with the student council as recognition of its active role.

The board has established practices for reporting on the operation of the school to the parents’ association and staff. The wider parent body is kept well informed about general school activities and events through the use of text messaging, the school website and letters. However, to enhance communication, the board should consider issuing an agreed report after meetings and an annual report to the community informing all parents of matters relating to the operation and performance of the school.

The senior management team, comprising of the principal and two deputy principals, operates very effectively. While senior management roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, the senior management team works in a very co-operative manner and takes a collaborative and consultative approach to leadership. Their commitment is clearly evident in how they carry out their duties. They promote a culture of improvement, collaboration, and innovation. Almost all teachers surveyed agreed that the core values of the school are being implemented well in the day-to-day life of the school.

Leadership roles are distributed at middle-management level and very good levels of commitment are

evident. Assistant principals play a very significant and valuable role and are highly supportive of the

senior management team. Special-duties posts cover a range of areas and support the operation of

the school appropriately. However, it was evident that the duties assigned to these roles require

continuous review so as to meet the changing needs of the school.

There is a strong sense of community in the school and partnership with parents is central to the school ethos. Parent questionnaire responses indicate strongly that they feel welcome in the school. The parents’ association is highly engaged with the school. Parent representatives are involved in numerous school events and are consulted regularly as part of the policy review and development process.

Valuable efforts are made to foster student leadership through the prefect system, student council, head boy and girl and the TY mentoring programme. The student council has been consulted on school policies and endeavours to represent the student voice through attending assemblies, meeting with management to raise students’ concerns and running initiatives to raise awareness of various

organisations. However, questionnaire data shows that more than half of the general student body do not agree that they have a say in how things are done. It would be worthwhile to facilitate further ways for the council to engage directly with the student body.

1.2. Effectiveness of leadership for learning

The quality of leadership for learning is very good overall. The senior management team demonstrates

a commitment to excellence by promoting improvement and ensuring high-quality care and welfare

of students. They share a common vision to create an environment that is safe, inclusive, and where

student achievement is celebrated.

Teachers are deployed according to their qualifications and expertise. Both the board of management

and senior management team place particular value on supporting teachers’ continuing professional

development (CPD). There is a high level of engagement among staff members with whole-school and

subject-specific CPD. For example, the school is moving to one-hour classes in the forthcoming

academic year and in preparation the senior management team has facilitated staff to engage with

CPD to support this transition. It was noted that some staff meetings are used to share and highlight

various pedagogic practices; this is very good practice. In addition, an induction and mentoring

programme is in place to support new staff.

Very good communications between the management and staff is a hallmark of the school. Collaborative work practices are valued and subject department planning is well structured. The senior management team makes concerted efforts to build leadership capacity amongst staff. Staff members are encouraged and afforded opportunities to initiate, develop and lead projects. Outside of the post structure, teachers have taken on a range of additional responsibilities which provide for and support a wide educational experience for students. In teacher questionnaires, almost all agreed that the views of teachers are valued in the decision-making process in the school.

The school provides instructional hours in compliance with DES circular M29/95. A very good range of subjects and programmes is available and deliberate efforts are made to ensure that the curriculum meets evolving student needs. Currently, however, sixth-year students are offered a choice between Physical Education (PE) and study class. This practice should be reviewed to ensure that sixth-year students have access to PE in accordance with the Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools.

The school also supports learning through the provision of after-school and Saturday morning supervised study. A commendable range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities is provided to support students’ holistic educational development.

Students are provided with a very good choice of subjects and subject bands are based on their preferences. First-year students have the opportunity to sample subjects between September and December before making their subject choices. Whilst the current arrangement supports students in making subject choices, the school should assess the effectiveness of the length of time being allocated to subject sampling.

The TY programme is well established and very popular. It provides students with an extensive range of learning experiences. The programme also facilitates students to follow their own interests, for example through work experience, involvement in a musical and charity work. Assessment of TY is undertaken through the use of an electronic portfolio which empowers students to take greater responsibility for their learning. Senior-cycle students also have access to LCVP; a core team is in place to coordinate the delivery of the programme and it does so in an effective manner. Good use is made of an online learning platform to monitor, assess and provide feedback to students.

New Junior Cycle subject specifications for English, Business and Science are being implemented.

However, no subject learning and assessment review meetings have taken place. The reason for this

was reported to be industrial action. Teachers should implement all aspects of the new specifications

and engage in subject learning and assessment review meetings.

There are very effective support structures in place to provide for students’ well-being, learning and individual educational needs. Curricular provision of Guidance, Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is very well coordinated, though the contents of the RSE programme should be communicated to parents. Regular meetings and effective lines of communication between the senior management, year heads, chaplaincy and guidance services help ensure an integrated approach to supporting the care needs of students. Following a recent in-school review, a very comprehensive whole-school guidance plan has been devised. It reflects a highly co-ordinated approach to delivering personal, educational and vocational guidance to students.

A good system of induction is in place for first-year students. Very good links are made with the local primary schools; the guidance counsellor and year head visit schools to speak with sixth-class pupils. There is also an induction day and open evening for parents. In addition, TY students act as mentors to first-year classes and support their transition by attending their SPHE lessons, tutor time and assemblies regularly.

There is a consistent approach taken by all year heads to the management of students in their care.

They monitor student behaviour, attendance and academic progress effectively. A weekly timetabled

meeting provides an opportunity to meet with management, the guidance counsellors and chaplain

to discuss current needs of year groups and future planning. Year heads have established close links

with class tutors. The role of the tutor contributes significantly to the support and care of students.

Learning support is well coordinated and designated hours for students in need of additional support

are used for their intended purpose. The school benefits from the services of a number of special

needs assistants. There is a core special educational needs (SEN) team, all of whom have relevant

qualifications and experience. It is good practice that there is a weekly formal meeting of the SEN

department. The main modes of delivery of learning support are individual or small-group withdrawal.

It would be worthwhile exploring other options such as co-operative teaching teams to include in-

class support or team teaching which could lead to enhanced student outcomes. Good planning and

tracking of student development and progress were evident for a specific cohort of students. These

practices should be extended to allow the school to document progress and needs over time for all

students in receipt of learning support.

The admissions policy sets out clear procedures and criteria for enrolment. It is good practice that this

policy is reviewed regularly. Visits to local primary schools, open evenings and assessment days

support the enrolment process and parents are informed of their rights and responsibilities.

The school rules are communicated clearly to the school community. During the evaluation, classroom

management and student behaviour were of a very high standard. Staff have received advice and

specific training on restorative approaches. When reviewing the code these elements and the

promotion of positive behaviour should be highlighted.

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

Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools without modification and that the school is

compliant with the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary

Schools.

1.3. Management of facilities

School facilities are maintained to a very high standard. Classrooms and the wide range of specialist rooms are well resourced to support learning and teaching. There are very good displays of student work, projects, achievements and photographs in classrooms and on notice boards. The school has a very active Green School Committee, well supported by two liaison teachers, and it has undertaken a number of projects to promote environmental awareness such as a photography competition. The school has been awarded their fourth Green Flag recently for environmentally friendly transport and travel.

Learning and teaching are supported by the provision of very good information and communication technology (ICT) resources in all classrooms. Over the past five years, the school has integrated the

use of a learning management system to improve collaboration and communication to support technically enhanced learning. All students are equipped with a Wi-Fi enabled tablet device. Staff have undertaken an extensive range of CPD in this area, ably supported by the IT coordinator and a core team, and they continue to embed this technology as a learning tool. In addition, the library provides a very good resource centre and learning space.

2. QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

The quality of teaching and learning in the majority of lessons was good or very good. A minority of lessons were found to be satisfactory with scope to enhance the quality of student learning by extending the use of student-centred approaches and differentiated strategies.

Very positive interactions between staff and students were observed and a supportive, respectful atmosphere prevailed in all lessons. All students have a tablet device and they reported that access to online resources, which teachers upload on the school’s learning platform, is very supportive of their learning.

Teachers’ preparation for most lessons was very good in terms of resources, materials and equipment utilised to engage students. These resources included worthwhile demonstrations using models, electronic presentations and well-designed worksheets. Appropriate video clips were used in a number of lessons to stimulate discussion or consolidate learning. The use of this type of resource was most effective where students were given pre-identified tasks to challenge them to engage actively and to analyse the content. Greater use could be made of this approach in other lessons.

The most highly effective lessons were very well structured, engaged students and ensured that they were challenged by the range of tasks and strategies deployed. Learning intentions and success criteria were shared with students and gave them a clear understanding of what they should know or be able to do. In these lessons, students were highly involved in the learning process through the range of collaborative strategies deployed or the opportunities afforded to them for personal reflection, particularly when tasks were differentiated and appropriate to the level of students.

While some good examples of student-centred approaches were observed, in a third of lessons the dominant pedagogical approach observed was teacher-led delivery of information and whole-class oral questioning. Students were not afforded adequate time when questioned to respond or to demonstrate the full extent of their knowledge and understanding. Often, students were observed to be inactive and were not required to assume sufficient autonomy over their learning through, for example, reflective or collaborative work. To accommodate the varying learning styles in a mixed-ability setting, it is recommended that teachers plan for differentiated strategies and for the inclusion of student-led activities to challenge all learners appropriately and to provide a greater level of learner autonomy.

In accordance with the schools’ SSE priorities, good attention was paid to the development of students’ literacy and numeracy in lessons.

A review of students’ homework journals and copybooks indicated that homework is appropriately assigned. Students in many lessons were provided with oral feedback on this work. It is advisable that students are requested to take note of suggestions given by teachers and to follow-up on improving their work. It was evident in a small number of subject areas that the school’s online learning platform is being used as a mechanism for the assessment of students’ work and to provide students with written feedback on their learning tasks. The most helpful feedback gave directional advice to enable students to make improvements, and support learner autonomy. In some cases, however, little or no written feedback was provided to students. It is recommended that each subject department should implement agreed practices in relation to the provision of formative feedback and that additional use be made of self-assessment and peer-assessment opportunities to support learning.

Subject departments are well established with long-term and short-term plans available in all subject areas. Schemes of work have been developed which align learning outcomes, methodologies, and resources. The uptake at higher level in both junior and senior cycle is very good overall. Very good reflective practices were evident in some subject plans where student outcomes in state examinations were used to inform discussion at planning meetings. In addition, a few subject departments have developed action plans to guide improvement. There is scope for all subject departments to engage in such action planning.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS

3.1. Management

Good progress has been made in implementing the recommendations from previous inspection reports. This has resulted in a review of Guidance provision and procedures and an updated plan being implemented and regular timetabled meetings of the student support team.

3.2. Learning and teaching

The subject departments and teachers involved have made good progress in the implementation of

recommendations that related to teaching and learning. Recommendations from previous reports

focused on improvements in the area of planning, analysis of results, homework, formative feedback,

questioning strategies and the promotion of active learning. As observed in lessons, there is scope to

further develop some of these recommendations at whole-school level.

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

The school has actively engaged with the SSE process and the senior management team, with the

support of the board of management, has strong leadership capacity to continue to improve. Effective

processes have been implemented including the administration of questionnaires and the facilitation

of regular feedback from parents and students. Strategies within the areas of literacy and numeracy

are well underway and there is a clear commitment to ensuring that the evolving needs of the student

cohort are at the core of the decision-making process.

The next strand of SSE will focus on enhancing teaching and learning through incorporating

assessment-for-learning (AfL), extending the use of the online learning management system and

providing more effective feedback to learners. To enhance outcomes in the next cycle of SSE, the

school is advised to follow through fully with the planned measures for monitoring progress. In

addition, the board of management should communicate progress in SSE, in an accessible way, to the

school community.

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 and staff of Malahide Community School welcome the extremely positive and affirming WSE-MLL report. We are delighted that the report both acknowledges and validates the commitment and hard work of all stakeholders: students, parents, staff and management.

In particular, we are pleased with the following findings: The quality of leadership for learning is very good and there is a commitment to excellence,

to promoting improvement and to ensuring high quality care and welfare of students. The most highly effective lessons were very well structured, engaged students and ensured

that they were challenged by the range of tasks and strategies deployed. There are very effective support structures in place to provide for students’ well-being,

learning and individual educational needs. The core values of the school are being implemented well in the day-to-day life of the school. There is a strong sense of community in the school and partnership with parents and the wider

community is central to the school ethos. A commendable range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities is provided to support

students’ holistic development. Very positive interactions between staff and students were observed and a supportive,

respectful atmosphere prevailed in all lessons. The uptake at higher level in both Junior and Senior Cycle is very good overall. Valuable efforts are made to foster student leadership.

The findings of the report correctly reflect our endeavours to imbue an appreciation of lifelong learning in our students through the use of innovative pedagogical practices.

Part B: Follow-up actions planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to

implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection

The Board is fully committed to the implementation of the recommendations and suggestions in this report, all of which will be addressed over the coming years. In the short term:

A review of the PORs has commenced and all post holders have been asked to provide a statement of aims and objectives for the year. This will ensure that the changing needs of the school are addressed.

The BOM will share an agreed report with the relevant stakeholders in the school community and will have a more focused oversight on school planning and all aspects of School Self-Evaluation.

As part of School Self-Evaluation, the use of AFL and Differentiation by all teachers is a priority. Further CPD at staff level has already occurred. Since 2012, many teachers have received training in student centred approaches and these pedagogic practices will continue to be shared at staff meetings. There has also been whole school training in innovative pedagogy to allow for a greater level of learner autonomy.

The duration of subject sampling in First Year has been reduced. All staff are now fully engaged with the Junior Cycle. The RSE programme for each year group will be communicated with parents and guardians

early in each academic year. A common school wide programme for tracking and analysis of results has already

commenced. A focus group will be established to embrace the values and integrate the language of

Restorative Practice in our Code of Behaviour.

Published September 2017 / Foilsithe Meán Fómhair 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. 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;