Teacher deployment in Clarecastle school in urgent need of review

A WHOLE-school evaluation of Clarecastle National School carried out on March 25 last has determined that the manner in which the teaching staff has been deployed by the board of management is in urgent need of review.

In his evaluation report, a Department of Education inspector noted, “In recent years, the school’s learning-support teacher and the resource teacher for Travellers (RTT) have been deployed as mainstream class teachers. The board of management should ensure that it is fulfilling its obligations under the Education Act 1998, Section 9(a) and (b): it should ensure the appropriate deployment of all teachers to provide an education that is appropriate to the abilities and needs of all students.”
In relation to the provision of teaching support for pupils with special educational needs, the inspector said that the school has an allocation of 77 supplementary teaching hours for this purpose.
“This equates to an entitlement to three full-time and one part-time learning support/resource teacher (LS/RT) posts. Currently, only two full-time and one part-time post are used for this purpose. The other LS/RT post has been assigned for mainstream class teaching purposes. As a consequence of this allocation, a significant cohort of pupils does not have access to the level of additional support to which they are entitled,” the report stated.
The inspector also found that the provision for Traveller pupils in this school is inadequate.
“Currently, 16 pupils from the Traveller community are enrolled in the school. These pupils are well integrated with their peers in the day-to-day life of the school and some are making acceptable progress.
“However, in other instances, individual attendance and attainment give cause for significant concern. The school has been allocated a resource teacher for Travellers post to cater for the educational needs of Traveller children.
“At present, two members of the LS/RT team provide support in literacy to Traveller pupils in the senior classes but this is not proportionate to the level of resources available to the school or to the level required to secure better learning outcomes for these pupils.
“No targeted additional support is provided for Traveller pupils in the infant classes where the need for prevention of learning difficulties and early intervention strategies is greatest. In articulating his vision for the school, the principal has identified the inclusion of Traveller pupils as one of his priorities.
“As a means of realising this vision, it is recommended that the school’s policy on the education of Traveller pupils be clearly documented in the school plan. The school should liaise with the Visiting Teacher for Travellers Service (VTTS) in developing a whole-school policy for Traveller education.
“The policy should delineate the school’s strategy for meeting the educational welfare needs of Traveller pupils, in terms of promoting school attendance, retention and progression; ensuring equality of opportunity and supporting inclusion and access to all areas of the curriculum,” the inspector said.
The report also said that the board of management members are highly committed to the school and fulfil their roles in relation to the maintenance of the school, the management of accounts and the provision of resources efficiently. In addition he found that the principal has a clear vision for the development of the school and the teachers are hardworking and committed to maximising pupils’ potential.
In response to the report, the board of management said that follow-up actions were planned or undertaken since the completion of the inspection activity to implement the findings and recommendations of the inspection.
“The recommendations of the inspectors are currently being addressed by the board of management,” they said.