“School self-evaluation (SSE) is a collaborative, reflective process of internal school review. It provides teachers with the means of systematically looking at how pupils learn and helps schools and teachers to improve outcomes for learners.”
Department of Education and Skills
Circular 0039/2016 directed all Irish post primary schools to use the quality framework Looking at Our Schools 2016, to identify between 2 and 4 areas of teaching and learning that could be improved.
SSE Cycle 1:
(Team: Chris, Rebecca, Francesca and Hazel)
Between September 2017 and May 2018 3 areas of teaching and learning were analysed by staff in Bremore ETSS in terms of becoming the focus for school self-evaluation, mainly; literacy, numeracy and assessment. In order to improve focus and engagement the decision was made in August 2018 to concentrate as a whole school on improving literacy development. Data was gathered and analysed between September and December 2018 and a plan put in place in Spring 2019. Please find a summary of our first improvement plan below.
Summary of Our School Self-Evaluation Report and Improvement Plan for Literacy
September 2019-May 2021
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In the school year 2018-2019 we looked at teaching and learning, concentrating on literacy development within our school and this is what we discovered:
· 76% of students liked to read, however 86% spent less than 2 hours per week reading
· 68% of students liked to read books, while 24% liked to read online
· 57% of students would rate themselves as having slight to greater difficulty reading
· Students recognised the need to read to assist with developing literacy but 57% did not read in their spare time
· 63% said they were encouraged to develop their understanding and use of new words and language
· 82% stated that they are regularly given opportunities to discuss work with other students
· 53% said teachers encourage them to present their work clearly and accurately while 76% agree that they present their work in different formats through writing, digital texts and orally.
· 100% of teachers recognise each subject area is responsible for literacy development
· Overall students not given very much class time to read in subject areas
· DEAR Time and book club have been successful initiatives ran during the academic year 2017-2018
· All teachers engage in key word development
· Strong emphasis on presentation skills
· Developing 21st century teaching and learning skills a priority
· School is a print rich environment
· Literacy skills are developed collaborative activities, talking circles, debate, presentations, reading and comprehension activities, discussion, listening and speaking activities, peer assessment, through
engagement with podcasts, radio and media studies, through report writing, group work, AFL and AOL assessments, peer review of work, procedural writing, essay writing.
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This is what we are doing well:
· Students see themselves as learners and demonstrate this in their positive and reflective approach to class work and homework.
· Junior cycle students have attained proficiency in the prescribed key skills appropriate to their stage in the cycle.
· Highly Effective Practice - They are able to work both independently and collaboratively in a very purposeful and productive manner.
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This is what we need to improve:
· Reading, developing a culture of reading for pleasure and a love of reading amongst our students.
· Developing student’s ability to respond appropriately and affectively to the reading demands of each subject area.
· Develop students writing skills and their ability to respond effectively to the different writing demands of their subjects.
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We are going to work on the following:
1. Developing student’s engagement with reading so their comprehension and writing skills are enriched and their overall access to the curriculum improved.
2. Enhance students affective writing skills through increased use of explicit vocabulary instruction and the use of modelling.
SSE Cycle 2:
(Team: Niamh S., Nicola, Ela, Janice, Aoife and Hazel)
At the beginning of the academic year 2019-2020 we were afforded the opportunity to join Dublin City University and the Educate Together Office in engaging in a cycle of SSE where an aspect of the school’s ethos would be the focus of the review. Based on feedback from staff and student’s it was decided that we would concentrate on a core element of our ethos, a school that is learner –centred.
To date we have completed stages 1 to 3, written our report and are in the process of completing our improvement plan. Once completed this plan will be our second area of focus for improving the teaching and learning offered in Bremore ETSS and a summary will be made available here.
It is envisaged that the good practice developed through both cycles of SSE will become embedded into our practice after a period of 1 to 2 years.