7.4 The Inspectorate’s practices

7.4 The Inspectorate’s practices

In the period 2016-2020, the Inspectorate took a number of steps to enhance our engagement with children and young people, and parents in inspection, and we continue to develop our practices in promoting parent voice and student voice.129 The rights-based approach of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989) to involving children and young people in decisions that affect them, and the principles of the Lundy model of participation are at the heart of the Inspectorate’s work in this area.

During inspections, the Inspectorate consults with pupils and students informally and formally

During inspections, inspectors engage with children and young people about their learning and their educational experiences in the school. For example, their views are sought on those experiences and about how they feel about school. This engagement may take place during interactions in the classroom, meetings with groups of pupils/students, or through surveys. These are important elements of how the Inspectorate elicits, listens to, and takes account of the views of children and young people. This has involved giving pupils/students information in advance of inspections to improve their ‘readiness’ to engage with inspectors during evaluations, and providing them with new ways to engage meaningfully with inspectors during inspections. The Inspectorate is also working on how it provides feedback to children and young people following an inspection.

The Inspectorate’s student voice work aims to improve its interactions with children and young people further

Since 2015, the Inspectorate has been committed to developing its practices in relation to how it takes account of the perspectives and insights of children and young people, and how it engages and works with them in partnership. In 2018, the Inspectorate decided to enact several changes to its way of working with children and young people, and to do so by September 2022. To progress this, a student voice team was established within the Inspectorate. The aim of the team’s work on student voice is to improve the Inspectorate’s interactions with children and young people in ELC settings, primary and post-primary schools before, during and after inspections.

A key output of the Inspectorate’s project has been the design of a methodology that explicitly includes the voice of children and young people in the work of the Inspectorate. This methodology, of which a key element is working with children and young people in advisory groups and focus groups, was developed with support from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (now DCEDIY).

The learning from this project informed the Inspectorate’s work with focus groups of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, it is also informing the Inspectorate’s development of materials and processes to promote more effective engagement with children and young people before, during and after inspections. These materials include:

■a set of videos (ELC, primary and post-primary) and a picture book (ELC) about the work that

inspectors do

■a compendium of children’s and young people’s reflections on the inspection process

(primary and post-primary)

■the design of a pre-evaluation information session for students (WSE-MLL post-primary)

129 In this report, the term ‘student voice’ includes reference to children in ELC settings, pupils in primary schools, and students in post-primary schools and other educational settings.

The Inspectorate convened focus group meetings with pupils and students about their experiences of returning to school after school closures

Gathering the perspectives of pupils and students became even more important for the Inspectorate when COVID-19 impacted on their lives and education. In line with our commitment to the promotion of student voice, the Inspectorate convened focus groups with pupils and students in a small sample of primary and post-primary schools in autumn 2020, when schools reopened following the first lockdown. The purpose was to listen to, learn about and understand children’s and young people’s experiences since returning to school in September with a view to:

■informing policy decisions and the provision of further guidance and supports for schools, teachers,

children and young people

■recognising good practice in schools through the lens of pupils’ and students’ experiences of being

back at school.

To facilitate the widest range of views to be heard, participants in the focus groups were encouraged to share the views of their friends and classmates, where appropriate and relevant.

The focus group research yielded important findings for the participants, schools, the Inspectorate and the Department

The engagement with children and young people during the focus groups of pupils and students in the September-December 2020 period proved very beneficial. It provided very valuable insights into primary pupils’ and post-primary students’ experiences of the return to school, and their experiences of schoolwork and learning. During the focus groups, a key message from pupils and students was that being in school, despite restrictions owing to COVID-19, was very important in terms of their wellbeing, their socialisation and their learning. Pupils and students were very happy to be in school and articulated a new-found appreciation for the work of their school and teachers. They also indicated a very strong preference for being in school rather than trying to learn from home.

The findings identified a number of areas for schools to consider generally and to develop further, where necessary, as they strove to ensure that teaching and learning experiences were as meaningful as possible for pupils and students in a face-to-face schooling context in pandemic times. In particular, they highlighted the importance of getting feedback on their work, and the value of collaborative and practical activity. They also emphasised the need to involve pupils/students in decisions that affect them. Students in Senior Cycle in post-primary schools also asked for greater autonomy to manage their work. While the number of schools, pupils and students involved in this project was small, the findings are nonetheless important for the participants themselves, for schools generally and for the Inspectorate, the Department and the public more broadly.

This work was complemented by surveys of pupils and students130 in a sample of primary schools, post-primary schools and Youthreach centres during the lockdown of early 2021. The purpose of the research was to learn from children and young people about their experiences of remote teaching and learning during the period of school/centre closures in January and February 2021. The perspectives of the pupils and students provided valuable insights into the challenges associated with remote learning, and into their wellbeing during this exceptional time.

Inspection is placing greater emphasis on engaging with parents during inspections

During the period covered by this report, the Inspectorate has worked to improve how it involves parents in inspection processes, and to find ways of communicating inspection findings to ensure they can be clearly understood by all. We are mindful that the provision of information to parents about the quality of

130 Inspectorate, Department of Education (2021) Remote Teaching and Learning: Report on a survey of pupils in primary schools, February 2021; Remote Teaching and Learning: Report on a survey of students in post-primary schools, February 2021; Remote Teaching and Learning: Report on a survey of students in Youthreach centres, February 2021. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/de987-remote-teaching-and-learning-reports/

schools and settings can strengthen parents’ voice in the education setting. To this end, we have established a parent voice project team to examine and improve the ways in which the experiences and opinions of parents are accessed, analysed and reported on. The team has also examined current practices and procedures in relation to the writing and publication of inspection reports, and how clearly report findings are communicated to parents.

Recommendations from this project will inform the development of inspection practices over the next three-year cycle of inspection work.

The Inspectorate sought the views of parents in relation to schools’ provision for remote learning during COVID-19

The importance of parental views in the evaluation and inspection process was most obvious during research and evaluation work conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown periods, and in the periods in advance of, and following, school re-openings. In April 2020, the Inspectorate conducted surveys of parents of primary pupils and post-primary pupils in collaboration with the National Parents Council- Primary. At that time, schools had been closed for a period of three weeks. The purpose of the survey was to elicit parents’ views on their children’s experience of remote teaching and learning during the initial period of school closures. It was also designed to give an insight into how schools were engaging with their pupils and students in a difficult and unprecedented context. In addition, the survey was conducted to inform the Department’s plans, actions and supports for the continuity of learning of pupils and students.

The surveys highlighted the need for all schools to consider a range of issues as they continued to ensure teaching and learning for their pupils/students in the remote teaching-and-learning environment. Areas for consideration included the provision of feedback to pupils/students on their work and maintaining regular contact with them, seeking feedback from parents, and encouraging pupils and students to be physically active during the day. At primary level, the findings highlighted the need for schools, which were not using digital technology for distance teaching and learning, to engage with the support agencies for practical advice.

In October 2020, the Inspectorate carried out a series of surveys to identify successes and challenges experienced by schools during the September to October 2020 period when schools had reopened. The survey questions were based on four key themes: experience of school, teaching and learning, wellbeing and implementation of COVID-19 measures. To elicit the views of the key stakeholders, surveys were again administered to parents, as well as pupils/students, principals and teachers in a sample of primary, post-primary and special schools across the country. The findings from the surveys of parents complemented those from the other stakeholders in providing a comprehensive insight into the experience of the return to school period. These are shared in Chapter 10.

Figure from page 221

The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill reflects the Department’s commitment to promoting schools’ engagement with students, parents and the whole school community

In recent years, the Department has placed increased emphasis on enhancing and supporting communication with parents and students at school level. This is reflected in its commitment to the development of a Student and Parent Charter. The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, which was published in September 2019, has been passed by the Seanad and, at the time of the publication of this report, is awaiting a date for committee stage in the Dáil. It is expected that the Bill will be re-named the Education (School Community Charter) Bill. The overall aim of this legislation is to improve the school community’s level of engagement by inviting feedback, comment and observations from students and parents, and by further developing a listening culture in our schools. This legislation will provide greater clarity for students and their parents on what they can expect from schools, and will help ensure that schools, students and parents continue to work effectively in partnership together. Once the Bill is passed and following consultation with education stakeholders, the Minister for Education will publish charter guidelines to inform how schools will consult with, seek feedback from and respond to students and their parents. The Charter legislation and guidelines have potential to support parental engagement in school self-evaluation (SSE) in schools, and will continue to inform the Inspectorate’s developmental work in engaging with parents more effectively in inspection processes.