Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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257. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding school inspections (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39064/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Inspectorate of my Department uses a range of inspection models in primary and post-primary schools and centres for education including short unannounced inspections, inspections of the provision for specific subjects and the work of subject departments, and a number of whole-school type evaluations. This ensures that inspection may be tailored to suit the particular circumstances and needs of the school and its learners, that broad coverage of the school system is achieved, and that inspection resources may be effectively deployed. Some inspections may be relatively short and focused exclusively on classroom practice, while at other times it may be appropriate to spend a longer time in the school to examine additional aspects of the work of the school, including its leadership and management.

In 2013, the Inspectorate conducted over 700 unannounced inspections in primary and post-primary schools and over 950 announced inspections. In addition, inspectors conducted unannounced visits to almost 2,000 teachers on probation. Notification periods for the announced inspections ranged in length from 2 days to 3 weeks depending on the inspection model.

It is necessary to give advance notice to schools where whole-school type inspections and subject inspections are being carried out in order to allow for the scheduling of meetings between the inspectors and important groups in the school such as the parents' association, the members of the board of management, the in-school management teams and specific groups of teachers such as those with dedicated responsibility for special educational needs and subject department personnel. Some advance notice is also necessary when inspectors require schools to make available certain records and other information about the school during subject, programme and whole-school type inspections.

The Inspectorate is engaging in a continuing programme of reform and development of the range of inspection models that it employs, in fulfilment of its role under section 13 of the Education Act 1998. In 2013, for example, it introduced a new model of unannounced inspections of High Support Units and Children Detention Centres and in recent years it has reduced the notice period for some other types of inspections. It will continue to review the types of inspection models it deploys and the notification period for each model on a regular basis.