Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of hits that have been recorded on her Department's website in relation to the publication of the 65 school inspection reports as indicated in her press release of 17 January 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6066/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since 6th February 2006, school inspection reports, such as WSE and Subject Inspections, are published on the Department of Education and Science's website at regular intervals throughout the school year. There are now 1,466 school inspection reports on the website, representative of 891 schools or centres for education.

Whole School Evaluation reports comment on the school's management, planning and management of resources, the effectiveness of teaching and learning, its arrangements for student assessment, supports for students, provision for minority groups and home-school links. Depending on the size of the school an inspector or team of inspectors visit the school for a period of time to evaluate management and planning, teaching and learning and supports for pupils.

Following this evaluation phase of WSE, Inspectors discuss the findings and recommendations with school management and members of teaching staff. This is followed by a period for factual verification of the report and a timescale is built into the process for the school to respond to the WSE report. At the end of this process the WSE and School Response are published simultaneously on the Department's website.

Subject Inspection reports evaluate the teaching and learning of specific subjects in second-level schools. A number of subjects can be inspected as part of a WSE or a school can have a stand alone subject inspection.

On 17 January this year 65 inspection reports, relating to 50 schools or centres for education, were published on the Department's website. The exact number of hits on each individual inspection report is not available. However, available statistics show that between 22 January and 13 February there were over 4,000 hits on the web pages through which the new inspection reports are accessed.