Written answers

Thursday, 23 June 2022

Department of Education and Skills

School Inspections

Photo of Neasa HouriganNeasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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346. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the target frequency for whole school evaluations; the current average time between such evaluations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33329/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Education Inspectorate employs a range of inspection models to ensure effective quality assurance and coverage of the school system. These include short, unannounced inspections and medium-scale evaluations which cover specific aspects of the work of schools, such as, the quality of learning and teaching in subjects and curriculum areas, the leadership of curriculum and assessment, the quality of engagement with children and young people and their parents, and the provision for children with special educational needs.

Comprehensive Whole-School type inspections, including both Whole-School Evaluations and Evaluations of Action Planning for Improvement in DEIS schools, are also included in the suite of evaluation models. This ensures that the Inspectorate can respond to particular quality assurance needs across the school system and provide evidence-based policy advice for Ministers taking school size and other context factors into account. Because of their significant scope and resource intensity, Whole school evaluations (WSE) are employed strategically rather than in accordance with a specific chronological cycle.

The strategic objective is to ensure that a balanced, national evaluation programme is delivered using a proportionate, risk-based approach to inspection. This approach informs inspection planning priorities in Early Learning and Care settings and in primary and post-primary schools, and it has contributed to improved inspection coverage, as well as more customised, risk-informed use of inspection nationally.

An inspection visit is conducted in primary and special schools at least once in four years, on average. Prior to the pandemic in 2018 and 2019 when the normal inspection programme was operating, a total of 1,646 inspections, including 218 whole-school evaluations, were carried out in the 3,241 primary and special schools in the country. (See Table 1 below).

An inspection visit is conducted in post-primary schools at least once in two years, on average. In 2018 and 2019, when the normal inspection programme was operating, a total of 1,264 inspections was carried out in the 730 post-primary schools in the country. (See Table 2 below).

During the pandemic, the Inspectorate continued to achieve a high level of coverage in its inspection and advisory engagements with schools in 2020 and 2021, notably through a customised inspection programme that included inspections to support the safe provision of schooling, incidental inspections and urgent inspections such as child protection and safeguarding inspections (CPSI). In 2020 and 2021, a total of 2,542 inspections was carried out in primary schools and special schools (Table 1). During the same two-year period, a total of 1,104 inspections was carried out in post-primary schools (Table 2).

The attached document provides the full text answer and the supporting tables.

Schools Inspections

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