10.3.2 Successes and challenges

10.3.2 Successes and challenges

High expectations and the promotion of collaboration were key factors in achieving successful outcomes in schools and Youthreach centres

Effective leadership during the period of school and centre closures was underpinned by high expectations of staff and students, as well as the promotion of collaboration. From inspectors’ discussions with principals and centre co-ordinators, it was evident that some had clear oversight of the quantity and quality of their teachers’ engagement with pupils and students, and were cognisant of the value and importance of keeping open channels of communication within, and across, the school community. In setting and communicating very clear and high expectations to teachers in relation to engaging with pupils and students, a number of principals and centre co-ordinators, while acknowledging the challenges involved in delivering online learning, stressed that pupils and students were entitled to continue their learning and led their communities as they worked to build connectedness, upskill as necessary, and maintain continuity of learning. Some principals reported that they were capitalising on the expertise of specific staff members and facilitating the sharing of this expertise with others.

Schools and Youthreach centres experienced considerable success in making online learning available; however, a high proportion of children and young people had issues with access to broadband and devices

During the initial period of school closures, almost all primary schools, post-primary schools and Youthreach centres reported that they had made contact with their pupils or students and made assigned work available to them. Over 99% indicated that learning and teaching in their setting were being supported through the use of digital technology.

A significant majority of schools (61.5%) and an even higher proportion of Youthreach centres (79.4%) reported that they were aware of children and young people who did not have access to devices or broadband. However, a similar proportion of schools (61.2%) and Youthreach centres (79.4%) reported that they were in a position to provide devices to pupils and students.

As schools adapted to a new way of working, provision for pupils/students evolved, but some challenges emerged

A survey of parents, conducted by the Inspectorate in collaboration with the National Parents’ Council (Primary) in April 2020, elicited the views of parents of pupils in primary schools and students in postprimary schools on the remote teaching and learning experienced by their children during the initial period of school closures. Overall, the survey results indicated that parents felt that the majority of primary and post-primary schools had engaged well with the challenges of distance teaching and had provided continuity of learning for their children.

One particular area of challenge reported by parents was the provision, by schools, of regular and practical feedback to pupils and students on their work. When asked if their child received regular and practical feedback from their teachers on work completed, almost a quarter (24%) of surveyed parents of post-primary students indicated that they did not. A further 6% did not know. The responses at primary level were more striking, with over half (55%) of surveyed parents indicating that their child did not receive regular and practical feedback on their work. A further 1% did not know.

Another area of concern that emerged from the survey at primary level was the need for schools to maintain more regular contact with their pupils. In particular, it was noted that 39% of respondents indicated that their child did not use digital technology to engage with the school with regard to their learning during this period of school closures.

A further area of concern to emerge from the post-primary parents’ survey was the high proportion of students who had not established a good daily routine for keeping up with their school work at home. The need to provide further help and guidance to those students, a high proportion of whom were following the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme, was particularly evident.

During the initial weeks of school closures from March to June 2020, as well as

using digital technology to support learning, primary and post-primary

principals reported that hard copies of work were provided to pupils and students where this was considered necessary to mitigate the impact that a shortage of devices in the home might have. Other practices included the assignment of basic tasks, the provision of recorded and/or live lessons and the provision of feedback on pupils’ and students’ work. Many principals reported that they administered surveys to elicit parental satisfaction with approaches adopted by them, and that they used online platforms to facilitate communication between staff and boards of management. It was clear that some schools found the transition to distance learning somewhat easier than others where it took some time to adjust and put arrangements for distance learning in place.

There were also differences between primary and post-primary schools. Many postprimary schools had a pre-existing infrastructure that allowed them to adapt quickly, while many primary schools found it more challenging, at least in the initial phases of school closures. Principals indicated that, as the period of school closures continued, there was increased usage of some learning platforms and that the provision of experiences and tasks designed to develop new learning was more prevalent across both primary and post-primary schools. In both sectors, principals also reported an increased focus, as the period of school closures continued, on ensuring that there were arrangements in place to provide feedback to pupils and students.

Principals identified a number of challenges in relation to engaging pupils and students in an online environment during the period of school closures in 2020. A key challenge was engaging with pupils and students considered to be at risk of educational disadvantage. In particular, principals reported that it was difficult to make contact with some pupils and students for whom English was an additional language, and also with members of the Traveller community; a small number of schools reported that they had not established or maintained contact with some of these pupils and students. As the period of school closures continued, principals also indicated an increased concern for the safety, welfare, and mental health of specific cohorts of pupils and students, especially those who had become more vulnerable during the period.