2.3.1 Inspection frameworks

2.3.1 Inspection frameworks

Our inspections are underpinned by national quality standards

The year 2016 marked the publication, for the first time, of a coherent continuum of quality frameworks to underpin inspection in settings taking part in the ECCE programme, primary schools and post-primary schools. These frameworks, which are described below, set out what quality in the educational dimension of the ECCE programme and schools looks like. They are intended to support self-evaluation, make the inspection frameworks and criteria used by inspectors clear, support consistency in inspections, and promote shared discourse about the quality of aspects of educational provision in settings taking part in the ECCE programme and in schools.

Looking at Our School 2016: A Quality Framework for Schools informs the work of the Inspectorate in both monitoring and reporting on quality in schools and school self-evaluation

Looking at Our School 2016: A Quality Framework for Primary Schools (LAOS) and Looking at Our School 2016: A Quality Framework for Post-Primary Schools (LAOS) were published in 2016. This was a significant innovation as, unlike previous frameworks, these quality frameworks were designed to inform both inspection and school self-evaluation (SSE), as well as to promote shared discourse around matters of educational quality. These quality frameworks provided a unified and coherent set of standards for two key dimensions of the work of schools: teaching and learning, and leadership and management. LAOS is used to inform the work of inspectors as they monitor and report on quality in schools. It is also designed for teachers and for school leaders to use in promoting the development and implementation of the most effective and engaging teaching and learning approaches, and in enhancing the quality of leadership in their schools. The frameworks build upon materials that had been developed to support school selfevaluation in 2012, and were published following extensive input from education partners and potential users. The publications were widely welcomed. During the September 2016 to March 2017 period, the Inspectorate delivered a number of awareness-raising events on LAOS to the education partners and to school leaders.

The modified early years education inspection model provides a more holistic and inclusive evaluation framework

Early years education inspections (EYEI) were introduced in April 2016 at the request of the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (now DCEDIY), to complement the statutory inspections of early learning and care settings that are carried out by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The introduction of EYEIs followed extensive planning and development work within the Inspectorate, and widespread consultation with various partners within the early years sector. EYEIs are based on a quality framework that is informed by the principles of Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework and Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education, as well as national and international research related to early childhood education and inspection. The quality framework incorporates the key elements of best practice in early education and categorises provision under four broad areas:

■the quality of the context to support children’s learning and development

■the quality of the processes to support children’s learning and development

■the quality of children’s learning experiences and achievements

■the quality of management and leadership for learning.

The Inspectorate conducted a review of the EYEI model in 2017 and, as a result of the findings, some modifications to the model were implemented in 2018. These included broadening the focus of the inspection model to include a more holistic and inclusive evaluation framework. The revised framework50 identifies twenty key outcomes, under the four broad areas, which describe aspects of best practice in early childhood education. The focus that the framework brought to process quality in early learning and care provision was widely welcomed within the sector.

2.3.2 Developments in how we inspect

Our range of inspection models was broadened to facilitate more targeted evaluation and support

During the period to which this report refers, the Inspectorate used a broad range of inspection models from short unannounced inspections and medium-scale inspections, covering an aspect of the work of schools, to whole-school type inspections (Table 2.2). We also used specific models for inspections of alternative education provision in settings such as Youthreach centres and schools attached to Special Care Units (SCU) and Children Detention Centres (CDC). These inspection models focused mainly on two critical aspects of the work of schools: the effectiveness of school leadership and management and the quality of teaching and learning.

We broadened the range of inspection models to facilitate more targeted evaluation and support in particular contexts. The new models were designed to:

■follow through on inspections in early learning and care settings

■focus in an in-depth way on provision for particular subjects of the Primary Curriculum

■evaluate provision for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN)

■monitor the implementation by schools of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and

Post-Primary Schools 2017, and

■provide advice and support for the implementation of the Department’s guidelines for creating a safe

learning and working environment during COVID-19.

In designing these new inspection approaches and models, we engaged in a collaborative approach with the relevant education stakeholders.

The availability of a responsive suite of models and the deployment of particular inspection models reflects a strategic decision by the Inspectorate to ensure that a balanced, national evaluation programme is delivered using a proportionate, risk-based approach to inspection. This approach has informed inspection planning priorities across all three sectors and has contributed to improved inspection coverage, as well as more customised, risk-informed use of inspection nationally.

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50 Source: Department of Education (2018) A Guide to Early Years Education Inspections, p.16. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/68fac2-guide-to-early-years-education-inspections/

Table 2.2: Range of inspection models

Length/Intensity	Inspections in early learning and care settings	Inspections in primary schools and special schools	Inspections in post-primary schools	Inspections in other settings
Short inspections (half to one in-school day)		Incidental inspection (typically unannounced)	Incidental inspection (typically unannounced)	Incidental inspection in Centres for Education (typically unannounced)
		Supporting the Safe Provision of Schooling	Supporting the Safe Provision of Schooling
Medium-scale inspections covering an aspect of the work of the school/setting (typically one or two in-school days)	Early Years Education Inspection (typically announced)	Curriculum evaluation	Subject inspection	Evaluation of Remote Teaching and Learning (carried out remotely)
			Programme evaluation (Transition Year (TY), Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP))
		Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspection (Initial and final inspection)(CPSI))	Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspection (Initial and final inspection) (CPSI)
		Evaluation of Remote Teaching and Learning (carried out remotely)	Evaluation of Remote Teaching and Learning (carried out remotely)
Whole-school type inspections – team inspections (typically three in-school days)		Whole-School Evaluatoi n: Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE-MLL)	Whole-School Evaluation: Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE-MLL)	Evaluation of Centres for Education
		Evaluatoi n of Actoi n Planning for Improvement in DEIS schools	Evaluatoi n of Actoi n Planning for Improvement in DEIS schools	Inspection of Schools attached to Special Care Units and Children Detention Centres
		Evaluation of provision for pupils with special educational needs*	Evaluation of provision for students with special educational needs
Follow-up inspections (typically one or two in-school days)	Follow-through inspections	Follow-through inspections	Follow-through inspections	Follow-through inspections
New models in development	Under 3’s	Cross-sectoral subject evaluation	Cross-sectoral subject evaluation

Source: Inspectorate, Department of Education * This evaluation of provision for pupils with special educational needs relates to primary schools only and not to special schools.

Follow-through inspections commenced in early learning and care settings

Follow-through inspection of ELC settings that had a published early years education inspection (EYEI) report commenced in late 2017. This inspection model was designed to revisit the actions advised in an ELC setting’s most recently published EYEI report. The Inspectorate carried out 195 follow-through inspections in ELC settings in the period up to the end of December 2020.

Work commenced on the extension of the early years education inspection model to evaluate provision from birth to six years old

In November 2018, First 5: A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 was published by the then Department of Children and Youth Affairs (now DCEDIY). This strategy contains a specific commitment ‘to develop, enhance and implement standards, and reform regulation and inspection systems’. As part of this set of actions, the Inspectorate undertook to develop and pilot the extension of the EYEI to the evaluation of early learning provision for children from birth to six years of age.

In order to extend the current inspection model to include provision for children from birth to three years old, the Inspectorate carried out a review of the EYEI framework.

The review was informed by:

■the findings of two extensive literature reviews carried out by the Inspectorate on provision of early

learning and care experiences for children from birth to three years old

■the outcomes of a Listening and Learning Phase, conducted with early years educators

■Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

■Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

■national policy, for example, the TUSLA Quality and Regulatory Framework and the

Access and Inclusion Model.

At the time of publication of this report, consultation and piloting of the revised inspection model with the early learning and care sector had begun.

New models of school inspection were developed to support at-risk pupils/students and pupils/ students with additional needs

Throughout the period to which this report refers, the Inspectorate developed inspection models to support children and young people who require particular kinds of educational supports. A model to evaluate the provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) was introduced in primary schools in 2016. This was followed in 2019 by the introduction of a similar model for post-primary schools, which replaced the existing SEN subject inspection model. This type of inspection aims to ensure that there is consistency and coherence between the evaluation of provision for pupils/students with additional and special educational needs, and the special education teaching allocation model for schools that was introduced in September 2017. In this context, particular attention is paid to the school’s use of the Continuum of Support51 and its adherence to the principles and actions outlined in Guidelines for Primary/Post-Primary Schools: Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools.

In 2016, the Inspectorate also developed a model for the inspection of schools attached to special care units (SCUs) or to children detention centres (CDCs). These schools provide for children who are particularly vulnerable and experience high levels of need. The model was designed to fit the particular circumstances pertaining to the provision of education within these schools. The Inspectorate committed to a programme of annual inspections of these schools in order to quality assure the education provided for the children, and to provide advice and support to the teachers, principals and the managements of the schools. These inspections commenced in September 2016.

51The Continuum of Support (Primary) is available at: https://www.sess.ie/special-education-teacher-allocation/primary/ continuum-support-primary and The Continuum of Support (Post-Primary) is available at: https://www.sess.ie/specialeducation-teacher-allocation/post-primary/continuum-support-post-primary

The child protection and safeguarding inspection model was designed to support schools in implementing the revised Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools

To complement the introduction by the Department of revised Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, the Inspectorate conducted a major overhaul of inspection arrangements for the monitoring of child protection procedures in primary and post-primary schools. In early 2018, the Inspectorate introduced revised arrangements for the monitoring of child protection procedures in all inspections. These revised arrangements involved the carrying out of checks for compliance with key aspects of the child protection procedures. The level of compliance checks conducted depended on the type of inspection being undertaken:

■Level one checks were undertaken in the course of incidental

inspections, curriculum evaluations, subject inspections, programme evaluations, evaluations of provision for learners with special educational needs, supporting the safe provision of schooling visits and follow-through inspections.

■Level two checks were undertaken in the course of whole-school evaluations

(WSE), whole-school evaluation - management, leadership and learning (WSE-MLLs), Evaluation of Action Planning for Improvement in DEIS Schools, Evaluation of Centres for Education (Youthreach) and Evaluation of Schools at SCUs and CDCs.

The Inspectorate also developed the child protection and safeguarding inspection (CPSI) model as a standalone model of inspection to evaluate in an in-depth way a school’s compliance with the 2017 child protection procedures. The inspection model involves level three compliance checks as well as developmental aspects. The development of the model involved considerable collaboration with stakeholders. Each CPSI comprises an initial and a final inspection. A Guide to Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections was published in 2019, at which point a programme of CPSI inspections commenced in primary and post-primary schools. Further information on the development of this model and the outcomes of these inspections is available in Chapter 9.

A new model of inspection was designed to support schools in implementing the Department’s guidelines for the safe and sustainable operation of schools during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the safe and sustainable operation of schools was a national priority. To achieve this, the Department issued detailed guidance52 to all schools and centres for education. In collaboration with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and schools, the Inspectorate developed an inspection model, supporting the safe provision of schooling (SSPS), that monitored the efforts that schools were making to provide safe working and learning environments and provided a way in which inspectors could advise school leaders of best practice in providing a safe learning and working environment while dealing with COVID-19. Department of Education circulars 0040/2020 (Primary) and 0041/2020 (Post-Primary) set out how in the 2020/21 school year the Inspectorate would engage with schools to support teaching and learning and also to support the safe operation of schools using the SSPS inspections. As part of the wider national monitoring of safe work practices, the outcomes of SSPS inspections were reported regularly to the HSA and to the Department of An Taoiseach.

52 The suite of guidance documents provided by the Department to support the safe and sustainable provision for schools is available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a0bff-reopening-our-primary-and-special-schools/

Inspectors’ central involvement in the probation of newly qualified teachers drew to a close

At primary level, inspectors’ central involvement in the probation of primary teachers drew to a close following a long transitional phase. Full responsibility for the induction of newly-qualified teachers into the teaching profession was transferred to the Teaching Council during the school year 2020/2021, and the Council’s Droichead programme became the sole induction route available to these teachers. Previous Chief Inspector’s Reports had noted that the provision of probationary inspections had had a disproportionate effect on the ability of the Inspectorate to deliver a balanced and adequate inspection programme. A review of the inspection data from the 2016-2020 period demonstrates that the reduced probationary workload facilitated a considerable increase in other types of inspection and advisory work by inspectors in primary schools.

2.3.3 Our advisory and support role

The Inspectorate continued to support schools in their implementation of the school self-evaluation process

As outlined above, LAOS 2016 provided a quality framework to inform school self-evaluation (SSE) and inspection. The quality framework sought to assist schools to embed self-evaluation, reflective practice and responsiveness to the needs of children and young people in their classrooms and other learning settings. In particular, the teaching and learning dimension of the framework was intended to support schools as they engaged in the school self-evaluation process.

Following the initial phase of SSE from 2012 to 2015, the Department published a series of circulars that outlined the requirements for primary and post-primary schools in their engagement in the second phase of SSE between 2016 and 2020. Unfortunately, industrial action by teachers in primary schools, which was unrelated to inspection or school self-evaluation, delayed the implementation of these circulars. When the industrial action was resolved, the minimum requirements for SSE that had been outlined previously in Circular 0039/2016 were amended. In the period March 2018 to June 2020, schools were required to select either one or two curriculum areas or aspects of teaching and learning, based on the domains and standards of LAOS 2016, as the focus of their self-evaluation process (rather than the two to four areas/aspects that had been required by Circular 0039/2016).

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At post-primary level, Circular 0040/2016 advised schools to continue to use the SSE process to implement national initiatives, and to identify and work on aspects of their own teaching and learning practices that required development and improvement. It was anticipated that, typically, most schools would use the process to assist them in introducing and embedding relevant aspects of the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015). It was also expected that schools would use the process to maintain a meaningful focus on literacy and numeracy.

In 2016, the Inspectorate published revised SSE Guidelines that took account of Circular 0040/2016 and the feedback received from schools and the education partners. These guidelines, School Self-Evaluation Guidelines 2016-2020 Primary and School Self-Evaluation Guidelines 2016-2020 Post-Primary were designed to support primary and post-primary schools in their engagement with the second phase of SSE between 2016 and 2020.

At both primary and post-primary levels, SSE underpinned the implementation of new initiatives, including those relating to wellbeing and digital learning. The Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice 2018-2023 included the intention that all schools would use the SSE process to initiate a wellbeing promotion review and development cycle by 2023; this has been extended to 202553. The Digital Learning Framework (2017) complements the SSE process in relation to embedding digital technologies into teaching and learning.

The second cycle of SSE had been intended to last for four years but, because of the considerable challenges faced by schools in the 2020/21 school year, it was extended initially until June 2021 under circulars 0040/2020 and 0041/2020 and subsequently to June 2022, in light of the additional challenges faced by schools in the pandemic context. While the focus remained firmly on teaching and learning, the second cycle differed from the first cycle in that it allowed schools more flexibility and choice in how they managed and focused the SSE process.

The purpose of each visit was to affirm good practice and to provide practical advice about how schools could advance their internal evaluation structures through engagement with SSE.

During the period September 2016 to December 2020, 2,293 advisory visits to schools were conducted. Of these visits, 1,418 were undertaken at primary level, with the remaining 875 visits carried out at post-primary level. This represents a decline in the number of visits in the period covered by the previous Chief Inspector’s Report (2016), where inspectors conducted more than 4,750 advisory visits to schools. The difference between the two periods can be explained by the significant time and resources invested by the Inspectorate in supporting the initial introduction of SSE in schools during the period of the previous Chief Inspector’s Report (2016).

The Inspectorate has undertaken advisory visits to schools participating in a range of Department-funded and national initiatives

Since 2018, the Inspectorate has undertaken advisory visits to schools participating in a range of Department-funded initiatives. These include the School Excellence Fund (SEF), the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme and the Step Up Project (Figure 2.1).

In the SEF, the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme and the Step Up Project, schools are expected to use the SSE process to support the implementation of the relevant initiative. There were 419 School Excellence Fund – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) and 10 Step-Up advisory visits undertaken during the period to which this report refers. There were 526 advisory visits conducted in primary and post-primary schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme. Many schools also availed of advisory visits to support their implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020. The resources provided to schools, such as the Digital Learning Framework (DLF) and the planning materials for digital learning, are closely aligned to the SSE process.

Developments and innovations in advisory and inspection work that came about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are outlined in Chapter 10.

53 See Department of Education Circular 0032/2021 https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/db6f3-arrangements-for-inspectorateengagement-with-primary-and special-schools-20212022-school-year/ (primary) and Circular 0033/2021 https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/94384-arrangements-for-inspectorate-engagement-with-post-primary-schools-and-centres-foreducation-20212022-school-year/ (post-primary)

To support schools in their engagement with SSE, the Inspectorate offered advisory visits to schools each year.

Figure 2.1: Department-funded initiatives supported by Inspectorate advisory visits to schools

The School Excellence Fund is an initiative in the Programme for Government 2020 to encourage and recognise excellence and innovation in schools. Funding enables schools to collaborate, in some cases with higher education institutions and enterprise, on innovative solutions and gives them the freedom to experiment with new projects and find creative solutions to complex problems. Successful approaches are disseminated across the early years, primary and postprimary school sectors. The School Excellence Fund: DEIS, piloted in 2017, supports schools to work together to identify innovative solutions to issues that are context-specific and are aimed at tackling educational disadvantage and improving learning outcomes for students.

The Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme was launched in 2017 as part of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The main objective of the Policy is to provide a high quality and relevant Irish-medium education for young people in Gaeltacht schools and, in this way, to support and encourage the use of Irish in Gaeltacht communities. Under the Policy, schools located in Gaeltacht language-planning areas were given the opportunity to express interest in participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme. In order to achieve recognition as a Gaeltacht school, schools are required to operate fully through the medium of Irish (with the exception of the English curriculum and other languages), as set out in the Policy’s languagebased criteria and the Department’s circulars on the Scheme. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in the Scheme have been given an extended period of time, up to the end of the school year 2023/24, to gain recognition.

The Step Up Project was launched in 2018. The overarching aim of the project was to support schools already at an effective level of implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) to move to a highly effective level. The project, which involved nine schools, was led by the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) support service. Three link inspectors provided professional advice to schools as they developed and implemented their projects.

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