Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount spent every year for the past five years on whole school evaluations; the number of staff and inspectors employed completing whole school evaluations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47592/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Whole-school evaluation (WSE) is a model of external evaluation for primary and post-primary schools that was introduced during the school year 2003/2004. Whole-school evaluation is designed to encourage a culture of improvement and an emphasis of the quality of provision in schools. It does so by providing an external perspective on the quality of the key aspects of the school's work including its management, leadership, teaching and learning. It seeks to affirm good practice and constructively identify areas for improvement.

In the 2004-2008 period, whole-school evaluations were conducted in 241 post-primary schools as follows:

In the 2004-2008 period, whole-school evaluations were conducted in 933 primary schools as follows:

In addition, 336 Tuairisc scoile reports were issued to primary schools in 2004, and a further 90 Tuairisc scoile were completed in 2005. Whole-school evaluation replaced the Tuairisc scoile model of evaluation during the 2003/2004 school year.

Whole-school evaluations form just part of the Inspectorate's business plan in any given year. In 2007, for example, the Inspectorate carried out 303 whole school evaluations, 758 subject inspections, 23 programme evaluations, 23 evaluations of centres for education, the evaluation of 57 Irish-language summer colleges and the probation of 2,362 primary teachers (3 visits on average per teacher) and 9 thematic evaluations. The total number of inspections/evaluations carried out in 2007 was 3,535.

As the Inspectorate is part of the Department of Education and Science, all costs associated with its work are paid from the administrative budget of the Department. In addition to conducting whole-school evaluations, inspectors are also involved in a wide range of other work such as subject inspections, programme evaluations, the preparation of composite and thematic evaluation reports on aspects of educational provision in schools, participation in appeal boards established under Section 29 of the Education Act, and contribute to policy formulation and development in areas such as teacher education, special education, and curriculum and assessment. It is not possible at present to separate out the costs specifically associated with whole school evaluations from other evaluations and from other costs incurred in carrying out the wider range of duties undertaken by inspectors.

On the 1st September 2008 there were 59 primary inspectors and 51 post-primary inspectors assigned to school evaluation activities including the conduct of whole-school evaluations. However, it should be noted that the number of inspectors involved in the evaluation of schools and teachers may vary throughout any given year due to assignments to other duties, secondments, maternity leave, etc.