1. Leading Teaching and Learning through School Self-Evaluation
name and Name
Date
Purpose of presentation?
What we have been doing…
AN CHIGIREACHT

2. Purposes of the Session
To reflect on your school’s progress with SSE to date, and to consider your school’s next steps in SSE
To explore how Looking at Our School 2016 can be used to support and inform the six-step SSE process
To revisit some of the key messages with regard to SSE and to prepare to re-engage with the process

3. Some fundamental principles of school self-evaluation
All schools are on a journey of improvement.
SSE is a way for schools to identify their priorities and engage in school improvement.
SSE is a collaborative process of whole-school reflection.
The context for each school is different – so SSE will look different in each school.
Improving learning – every classroom, every teacher, every day
SSE provides a process which schools may use to manage change.
Eg Primary Language Curriculum
Emphasis also
SSE is a whole-school process focused on teaching and learning
Every classroom
Every teacher
Every day
SSE requires buy-in (wantivation) not compliance (mustivation).
SSE should focus on classroom practice, not on paperwork.
SSE is a cyclical, developmental process.
The SSE process should be used by schools to manage change
e.g. curriculum change, DEIS, Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme, Resource Allocation Model

4. Critical questions in school self-evaluation
Critical SSE Questions
How well are we doing?
What are our strengths?
What are our areas for improvement?
How can we improve?

5. Reflection / Discussion
In your school in the past:
What worked well with regard to SSE?
What impact, did SSE have on teaching and learning?
What would you change / do differently?

6. The school self-evaluation process

7. Second cycle of school self-evaluation 2016-2020 – Circular 0039/2016
Continue to focus on teaching and learning
Looking at Our School 2016 to inform the SSE process
Flexibility to focus SSE on curricular areas or aspects of teaching and learning
Continue to monitor progress in literacy and numeracy
Schools will use the SSE process to assist in introducing and embedding national initiatives e.g. Primary Language Curriculum

8. Circulars 0039/2016
In DEIS schools, the DEIS planning process is SSE – the DEIS plan is the school improvement plan
Annual brief record of SSE in a combined SSE report and SIP and BOMs to complete an annual policy and legislative checklist
Communicate summary SSE report and SIP to school community each year

9. Where are we now? Circular 0016/2018
Circular 0016/2018 has issued
Amends but does not replace circular 0039 / 2016 – most aspects remain the same
Communicates revised expectations
Schools should conduct self evaluations and plan for improvement in either one or two curriculum areas / aspects of teaching and learning between now and June 2020
Period between up to June
Reflect on and review previous SSE work – embedding practice and maintaining improvement
Identify first area of focus and engage in the investigative phase (Steps 1 – 4)
Ready to commence the implementation phase early in the 2018 / 19 school year

10. Looking at Our School 2016:

11. A quality framework for schools
Provides a unified and coherent set of standards for two dimensions of the work of schools
teaching and learning
leadership and management
Supports meaningful dialogue about quality in schools
shared professional language
shared understanding of what effective teaching, learning, leadership and management practices look like
Informs school self-evaluation and external evaluation

12. Looking at Our School 2016 – Key Principles
Holistic view of learning – broad, balanced, challenging, responsive to learners’ needs
Pupils’ well-being intrinsic to learning – outcome and enabler of learning
Quality teaching as a powerful influence on achievement – career long professional development
Pupils as active agents in learning
Schools as dynamic learning organisations – individual and collective work to build capacity towards improvement
External and internal evaluation as complementary contributors to school improvement
Leadership and management inseparable
Leadership encompasses both formal roles and teacher leadership

13. Key Principles – Task Look at the eight principles
Discuss them with those around you
Which one(s) resonate immediately with you?
Which one(s) are more challenging?

14. DIMENSIONS DOMAINS STANDARDS Teaching and Learning Leadership
Learner outcomes
Learner experiences
Teachers’ individual practice
Teachers’ collective/ collaborative practice
Leadership
and Management
Leading learning and teaching
Managing the organisation
Leading school development
Developing leadership capacity

15. Thinking about the domains of teaching and learning
DIMENSION
DOMAINS
Teaching
and
Learning
Learner outcomes
Learner experiences
Teachers’ individual practice
Teachers’ collective/ collaborative practice

16. Standards for Learner Outcomes
Pupils demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding required by the primary curriculum
Pupils enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn, and expect to achieve as learners
Pupils have the necessary knowledge and skills to understand themselves and their relationships
Students attain the stated learning outcomes for each subject, course and programme
Learner
outcomes

17. Four standards in each domain
Provided in participants’ pack

18. The language of evaluation drawn from Looking at Our School
Highly Effective
Effective

19. Statements of practice for each standard

20. Helping schools to sharpen their focus
Critical SSE Questions
Rephrased using Looking at our School 2016
How well are we doing?
How close is our practice to the statements of effective practice?
What are our strengths?
What areas of our practice are highly effective?
What are our areas for improvement?
Where are we not yet reaching effective practice?
How can we improve?
How can we work towards (highly) effective practice?

21. Using Looking at Our School in the six-step SSE process: Workshop

22. Step 1: Identify Focus

23. Task
Area of focus is defined: Learning outcome 4 (Gaeilge)
For Discussion:
Identify Focus:
How can the domains help you to think about the area of focus?
Gather Evidence:
Which standards would you use to focus your evidence gathering?
Analyse and make judgements:
How would you use the statements of effective and highly effective practice to make judgements about your school?

24. STEP 4: WRITE AND SHARE REPORT AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN

25. STEP 5 and 6 Every classroom Every teacher Every day Monitoring
Evaluate Impact and change if necessary

26. Other Examples: Scenario Schools
Scenario Schools presented in Update 8 and 9
Primary
Oakleaf Primary School – focus on Oral Language (Primary Language Curriculum)
Ballymartin National School – focus on Digital learning
They explore how the quality framework might be used to support the SSE process - Steps 1 to 4 of the process are explored in detail
Other scenario in preparation for the SSE website

27. Inspectorate Supports to Schools
SSE Advisory visits
Requests through SSE website and
Materials already sent to primary schools in March
Hard copy of the amending circular 0016/2018
Hard copy of circular 0039/2016
Hard copy of SSE update 10
Materials being sent to all primary schools in April
An additional hard copy of the SSE Guidelines
An additional had copy of Looking at Our School 2016

28. SSE Website and Social Media
SSE website –
Videos
Webinars
Templates
Samples of good practice
The SSE Update – twice yearly
SSE Twitter feed
SSE Facebook feed

29. Joining the dots School self-evaluation: a process
Looking at Our School 2016: a framework
A set of clear, definable standards in two dimensions:
teaching and learning
leadership and management
School self-evaluation: a process
A process of internal review
A way of working that enables schools to focus on implementing change and effecting improvement in teaching and learning
Circular 0063/2017:
a model of leadership
Distributed leadership
Flexible - to ensure responsibilities match school priorities
Focused on pupil/student learning – experiences and outcomes