Phase 3: Post Evaluation
The post-evaluation phase takes a number of weeks, culminating in the
issuing of the WSE report to the school principal and the board of
management. During this period the evaluation team drafts the
whole-school evaluation report. The reporting inspector has overall
responsibility for the drafting of the report.
When a draft report is prepared, the reporting inspector arranged
the dates and times for the post-evaluation meetings with the school
principal. During the post-evaluation phase a meetings is held with the
teaching staff and with the board of management. An agenda is issued to
the chairperson of the board of management before the meeting.
Typically, both post-evaluations meetings are scheduled for the same date.
Post-Evaluation Meeting With the School Staff
At the meeting with the school staff, the reporting inspector and
members of the evaluation team make an oral presentation of the main
findings and recommendations of the WSE. The inspectors present the
report under its component headings and sub-headings. Teachers should
have the opportunity to discuss the WSE and to clarify any information
with the WSE team.
Post-Evaluation Meeting With the BOM
At the meeting with the BOM the reporting inspector and members of
the evaluation team presents the main findings and recommendations of
the WSE, including the evaluation of the implementation of the board's
plans and policies. Time is allocated for discussion, and the issues
raised are recorded. A record of the issues discussed at the
pre-evaluation meeting with the parents' association is provided to the
board. The agenda for the meeting, issued in advance to the
chairperson, is similar to that of the pre-evaluation meeting with the
board:
Agenda for the post-evaluation meeting with the board of management
1. Welcome
2. Discussion of the main findings of the WSE under the following headings
- Management
- Planning
- Curriculum provision
- Learning and teaching
- Support for pupils
4. Summary comments
5. Close
Factual Verification of the Report
The Inspectorate Secretariat will send a copy of the evaluation report to the school principal, and the chairperson of the school's board of management. A factual verification form will accompany the report. The principal and the chairperson are invited to draw the attention of the Inspectorate to any errors of fact in the evaluation report, using this form.
The factual verification form should be returned to the Inspectorate Secretariat by the principal or by the chairperson of the board of management within twenty school days of the date of issue of the report.
Factual errors drawn to the attention of the Inspectorate will be amended, as necessary, normally within five working days.
In the absence of the principal, his or her duties may be undertaken by the deputy principal. In the absence of the chairperson of the board of management, his or her duties, as described in these guidelines, may be undertaken by an acting chairperson.
The WSE Report
The WSE report is issued to the chairperson of the board of management and the school principal. The board is required to make the report available to all staff members (Education Act 1998, section 13 (9)), including any staff members who may have left the school in the period between the evaluation stage and the issue of the WSE report. It is open to the chairperson to provide a copy of the report to other members of the staff. No person is named in a WSE Report.
Publication of the WSE Report
If no response is received in respect of factual verification of the report, it will be assumed that the school is satisfied that the report is accurate. The report will then be prepared for issue to the school for school response.
The Inspectorate Secretariat will send a copy of the report to the school principal and to the chairperson of the BOM. On receipt of the inspection report, the chairperson of the BOM or an authorised person provides a copy of the report to each of the following:
- each teacher affected by the inspection.
- each member of the board of management
- the school's patron or trustees.
School Response: Options Available to the BOM and Teachers
Any of the following actions may be taken.
OPTION A
The board of management of the school may accept the report without comment and record this intention by returning the pro-forma inspection report response form to the Inspectorate within twenty school days of the date of issue of the inspection report.
OPTION B
The board of management may respond formally to the findings and recommendations of the report by using the pro-forma inspection report response form. This must be done within twenty school days of the date of issue of the inspection report. Normally, if the board exercises this option, the school response will be included as an appendix to the published report.
OPTION C
The board of management or any individual teacher affected by the inspection may request a formal review of the inspection under the Procedure for Review of Inspections on Schools and Teachers under Section 13 (9) of the Education Act, 1998.
Publication
If the board of management has exercised option A or option B as described above, the Inspectorate will publish the inspection report unless option C has been availed of by a teacher in the school. Usually, publication will take place within ten school days of receipt of the completed response form from the school. Normally, the school response will also be published by the Inspectorate (if a response has been supplied).
If the board of management or a teacher in the school has sought a review of the inspection or the inspection report (or both), the Inspectorate will adhere to the Procedure for Review of Inspections on Schools and Teachers under section 13 (9) of the Education Act, 1998.
The inspection report will not be published until the review has been completed and, if appropriate, any recommendations arising from the review have been addressed. On the completion of this process the publication of the final school inspection report will proceed in accordance with option A or B above.
On publication, a printed copy of the inspection report and the school response will be issued to the school patron or trustees, the chairperson of the board of management and the principal.
The Inspectorate will publish the inspection report and the school response (if relevant)on the web site of the Department of Education and Science (www.education.ie).
If no response is received from the board of management of the school, and if option C has not been availed of by a teacher within the time limit (twenty school days from the date of issue of the report to the school), a null response is assumed, and the report will be published by the Inspectorate within a further ten school days.
School Response
The purpose of the school response is:
- to allow the board of management of the school to respond to, and make observations on, the contents of the inspection report
- to allow the board of management to set out how it will use the report in the context of the school’s ongoing programme of self-evaluation, planning, and improvement
The school response must be submitted to the Inspectorate by the chairperson of the board of management.
Other than in exceptional circumstances, the school response will be published in its entirety, with the exception of the signature of the chairperson, at the same time and in the same format as the school inspection report. If, for any exceptional reason, the Department decides not to publish the school response, the Inspectorate will inform the BOM of this decision and the reason or reasons for it.
School inspection reports and the accompanying school responses (where relevant) will be available on the Department of Education and Science web site (www.education.ie).
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