Whole School Evaluation

School Self-Evaluation Report

Evaluation period: Sept. 2014 to June 2015

Report issue date: 30/9/2015

PART 1 – LITERACY

1. Introduction

1. The focus of the evaluation

Year 1 of the School Improvement Plan for Literacy was implemented during the period September 2014 to June 2015.

This is a report on the implementation of that plan.

1.2 School context

St. Patrick’s is a large school with 797 pupils currently on roll.
We have co-educational Infant classes and girls only from 1^st to 6^th Class.
As we have in excess of 24 mainstream classes, the school has an administrative Deputy Principal.
The school serves two parishes in Bray – Holy Redeemer & Queen of Peace.
As a result the catchment area is very large and runs from the Dargle River at the north of the town to the Southern Cross Road to the south.
The school receives more applications than it has places to offer annually.
The wide catchment area ensures that the children hail from a broad range of family and socio-economic backgrounds.
Approximately 14% of the children in the school are from other countries, particularly China, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. This percentage is increasing annually and brings the issue of language development into sharper focus.
The school is under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin and under the trusteeship of the Loreto Education Trust
As a consequence, the school’s ethos and philosophy of education derive from the Loreto tradition.

2. Summary of school self-evaluation findings

2.1 School Strengths

Staff are very committed to a school wide focus on the key areas of
- Oral language development
- The listener/speaker relationship
- Pre-teaching vocabulary
- Promoting reading for pleasure
- Sharing good practice
Attainments in Standardised Reading tests remain consistently high year on
There is an ongoing focus on reading comprehension through building bridges of understanding which should continue to impact positively on reading attainments.
Consistent investment in reading materials for both classroom and school libraries has ensured that there is a wide and attractive range of books available to all children in the school.

2.2 Targets for improvement:

To increase the number of discrete oral language lessons offered in each class grouping
To ensure relevant CPD is provided to staff in the area of Oral Language and with specific reference to discrete oral language lessons
To ensure a focus in Year 1 on “Book Talk” and promoting reading for pleasure
To explore the use of the tools available to assess different aspects of Oral Language development
To provide greater guidance to parents in how to support their children’s learning in the area of oral language

3. Progress made on previously identified improvement targets

– An increased number of discrete oral language lessons were planned and delivered at all class levels.

– Caroline Quinn provided CPD for the staff on the planning and delivery of discrete oral language lessons and locating this within the wider context of oral language development

– The ways in which parents can promote oral language development were addressed during P/T meetings and in the end of year school reports

– The school participated in inter-school debating competitions in the senior classes and hosted the finals of the Loreto debates.

– While it was not an identified target, the percentage of children performing above the 50PR and the 85PR increased.

4. Ongoing targets for Year 2

To maintain the increased focus on discrete oral language lessons offered in each class grouping
To explore the use of the tools available to assess different aspects of Oral Language development and to use one of those tools
To provide greater guidance to parents in how to support their children’s learning in the area of oral language

PART 2 – MATHEMATICS

1. Introduction

1. Focus for the year

Year 2 of the School Improvement Plan for Mathematics was implemented during the period September 2014 to June 2015.

This is a report on the implementation of that plan.

2. Summary of school self-evaluation findings

2.1 Our school has strengths in the following areas:

Staff are very committed to a school wide focus on the key areas of
- Mental maths
- Accurate mathematical language
- Activity based learning
- Problem solving strategies
- eLearning opportunities
Attainments in Standardised tests in Mathematics have improved year on year for the last four years
There is a wide range of resources and concrete materials available throughout the school which facilitate a greater focus on activity based learning.
The school’s IT infrastructure facilitates the provision of eLearning opportunities which are complimented by a subscription to Mathletics for all the children from 1^st to 6^th Class.

2.2 Targets for improvement:

To increase the percentage of children performing at or above the 50^th percentile rank to 70%
To enable the children to develop a more positive attitude to mathematics and a more positive perception of their own mathematical ability
To explore the assessment data available in greater depth in order to identify areas for development and to inform practice
To target a strand unit at each class group level with which pupils are experiencing difficulty in order to improve competence and confidence
To provide greater guidance to parents in how to support their children’s learning in the area of mathematics
To seek opportunities to involve parents in maths related activities in school.

3. Progress made on previously identified improvement targets

The percentage of children performing at or above the 50^th percentile rank has exceeded the 70% target identified (73%)
The pupil survey with regard to attitudes to mathematics was re-administered at the beginning of the school year and immediately after Maths for Fun week. There was an appreciable difference in the results arising from both surveys with greater numbers of children being positively disposed to Maths.
“Sampling” has been used by all class groupings, in conjunction with the school’s information management system, to record and analyse test scores and to produce a more comprehensive picture of student attainments in specific strand units.
Extra time and resources were allocated to the problematic strand units and alternative methodologies were explored. Some improvements were noted with regard to the attainment of learning objectives through teacher observation and teacher designed tasks.
P/T meetings and end of year school reports were used to provide greater guidance to parents in how to support their children’s learning in the area of mathematics

4. Ongoing targets for Year 3

To sustain the percentage of children performing at or above the 50^th percentile rank
To further explore the assessment data available in greater depth in order to identify areas for development and to inform practice
To target a strand unit at each class group level with which pupils are experiencing difficulty in order to improve competence and confidence
To continue to provide guidance to parents in how to support their children’s learning in the area of mathematics
To seek opportunities to involve parents in maths related activities in school.

PART 3 – 3^rd CURRICULAR AREA

Having discussed the issue with the School Self-Evaluation committee, the wider staff and the Board of Management, it was decided that the focus for our 3^rd curricular area would be on Physical Education which would complement the health promoting school agenda that the school is hoping to pursue. It was also agreed that focus for the evaluation would be on Learner Experiences.

PART 4 – LEGISLATIVE & STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

1. The SSE statutory and regulatory checklist was completed by the Board in November 14.

2. Child Protection

The Child Protection audit was completed.
The Protection Policy and Guidelines were reviewed and updated.
Whole staff training in Child Protection was delivered in conjunction with Barnardos.

3. The Anti-Bullying Policy Audit was completed by the Board.

Read our Deptartment of Education and Skills Whole School Evaluation Report 2012