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Policy Definition in the Department and the Role of the Inspectorate

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Annual progress report on implementation in the Annual Report of the Department ... PMDS bi-annual review and planning process. December/January planning and review ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Policy Definition in the Department and the Role of the Inspectorate


1
Policy Definition in the Department and the Role
of the Inspectorate
  • Gearóid Ó Conluain, Deputy Chief Inspector
  • Emer Egan, Assistant Chief Inspector
  • INSPECTORATE DIVISION
  • Presentation to SDPI Summer School
  • 22 June 2006

2
Key drivers of the Policy formation process
  • Modernisation programme for the Irish Civil
    Service (Strategic Management Initiative SMI)
    launched in 1994
  • Delivering Better Government 1996
  • Report by the Implementation Group of Secretaries
    General
  • Greater openness and accountability
  • Efficient and fair operation of simplified
    regulation
  • Clarity on business objectives of Departments

3
Key drivers of the process
  • Public Service Management Act 1997
  • Enhance management, efficiency and transparency
    of Departments
  • Mechanisms for increased accountability of civil
    servants
  • Obligations on Departments to produce Strategy
    Statement setting out key objectives, outputs and
    how these are to be achieved
  • Social Partnership Agreements
  • National wage agreements, but more than that
  • Sustaining Progress 2003-6 provides for the
    continuation of the modernisation programme
    across the Civil Service targets for
    modernisation
  • Specific references in SP to School Development
    Planning teacher unions made commitments that
    SDP would continue to be implemented and embedded
    in the school system

4
Strategy statement
  • Strategy statement
  • Must be prepared by each department every three
    years or within six months of appointment of
    Minister
  • Led by Change Management Unit in DES
  • Outlines key objectives, strategies and
    outputs/impacts
  • Sets out the medium to long-term goals and the
    best approach to their development
  • Formal responsibility for SS lies with the
    Secretary General
  • Annual progress report on implementation in the
    Annual Report of the Department
  • In addition, a six-monthly progress report as
    part of Sustaining Progress
  • Much more focussed report on achievement of
    targets

5
Drivers of content
  • Programme for Government
  • Policy commitments given by government on taking
    up office
  • Sustaining Progress
  • Specific section on better government and public
    services
  • Themes such as stable industrial relations,
    flexibility and change, performance and
    accountability, recruitment
  • Issues included customer service, better
    regulation, e-government, performance
    verification
  • Legislation
  • e.g. legal duties of the Department or
    Inspectorate

6
Drivers of content
  • Efficient use of resources
  • Accountability
  • Freedom of Information climate
  • Open to greater critical scrutiny
  • Reform of the Department of Education and Science
  • Heavily centralised system
  • Independently managed schools
  • Over concern with provision of resources and
    services too little time for strategic planning

7
Process
  • Secretary General MAC
  • DES priorities and high level goals
  • Series of objectives identified for each High
    Level Goal
  • Unit Heads/principal officers
  • Strategies/programmes/actions and outputs
    identified
  • Business Plans for Section/Unit
  • Line managers
  • Business plans for individuals
  • Performance management system
  • Staff members

8
For staff
  • Relate the individual business plan to the
    Performance management and Development System
    (PMDS)
  • PMDS bi-annual review and planning process
  • December/January planning and review
  • July mid-term review
  • Covers work plan/training needs/skills
    development
  • Weekly/monthly return of work tracking of
    evaluation plans and reports
  • In 2007, PMDS will be linked to promotions,
    increments etc

9
Benefits
  • Effective business planning is at the heart of
    delivering strategic objectives of the DES
  • Clarity on what needs to be done, by whom, when
    and how this is to be resourced
  • Provides benchmarks to measure progress
  • Communicates priorities and progress internally

10
Critical elements
  • Focus on key objectives, outcomes and customer
    service
  • Staff have clear understanding of their role and
    role of the division/unit
  • Monitoring and tracking
  • Self-monitoring
  • Monitoring by managers
  • Aligning targets to specific dates
  • Communication within organisation shared
    commitment/new staff/decentralisation
  • Responding to emerging issues
  • Co-ordination and alignment between business plans

11
The Irish education system
  • Education budget 7.2 billion
  • Schools state aided not state run
  • Local Boards of Management
  • Centralised administration
  • Varied demographics concentrated urban / rural

12
System change and development
  • Social partnership model for social and economic
    development
  • Education legislation
  • Education Act 1998
  • Education Welfare Act (2000)
  • Teaching Council Act (2001)
  • Education for Persons with Special Educational
    Needs Act (2004)
  • Clarification of functions and responsibilities
    of stakeholders
  • Establishment of agencies for effective delivery
    of services
  • Public Sector Management Reforms Strategic
    Management Initiative (SMI)

13
System improvement initiatives
14
Questions Discussion
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?
?
15
The Inspectorate
  • A centralised Inspectorate primary and second
    level
  • A division of the Department of Education and
    Science
  • Statutory remit under the Education Act 1998
  • Programme of inspection in schools
  • Promoting compliance with regulation and
    legislation
  • Advisory role for schools and for the Department
  • Contribution to policy development

16
Emphasis on compliance or building commitment
  • A policing model of external inspection
  • Locates control and development outside the
    school
  • Requires significant personnel resources
  • Dealing with unsatisfactory teaching seen as an
    external QA function

or
  • Promoting internal control and development
  • Recognises that change must be fostered within
    organisations
  • Based on a vision of school as a professional
    organisation
  • Sees inspectors and school personnel as
    co-professionals

17
Our dominant philosophy is formative
  • Purposes of Inspection
  • Assure quality in education system
  • Provide an external perspective on the work of
    the school
  • Affirm good practice
  • Constructively Identify areas for improvement
  • Facilitate school self-evaluation
  • Recommendations provide a platform for
    development

18
Transparent processes
  • Publishing of criteria and explaining procedures
  • Consultation with partners
  • Publication of Looking at Our School
  • evaluation criteria
  • Evaluation procedures fully explained in
    Guidelines for Subject Inspection and
    Whole-School Evaluation
  • Code of Practice
  • Appeal Procedure

19
Publication of reports Ministers decision
  • In summary, the Minister decided that
  • Wider availability of Inspectorate reports will
    benefit the system
  • Reports should be available in an easily
    accessible format
  • Reports should be published in their entirety
  • Inspectorate consulted with the education
    partners
  • Inspectorate to publish school evaluation reports

20
Evaluation findings a wider audience for reports
  • Reports for schools following WSE, Subject
    Inspection, Thematic and Programme Evaluations
  • National trends from major Thematic Evaluation
    Reports
  • Composite reports of Subject Inspections and WSE

Supporting schools and the system to respond
where areas for development are identified
Findings have implications for schools and
for services and agencies supporting schools
21
Policy Support Subdivision
  • Five policy support business units supporting
    policy
  • Evaluation Support Research Unit (BU6)
  • Teacher Education (BU7)
  • Qualifications, Curriculum Assessment (BU8)
  • Special Education/Travellers/International
    students (BU9)
  • Corporate Services / International linkages
    (BU10)
  • An Ghaeilge (undertaken by BU4)
  • Responsible for
  • contributing to the development of Departmental
    policy across a range of areas
  • for supporting inspection/evaluative activity
    generally
  • for operational services for the Inspectorate

22
Objective 4(a)Teacher Education
  • Contribute to policy development
    implementation
  • Advise TES on teacher education.
  • Initial teacher education
  • National Pilot Project on Teacher Induction
  • Continuing professional development
  • Teaching Council
  • Qualifications/registration
  • Sections 24, 28 and 29
  • Under-performing teachers
  • Induction and probation looking to the future

23
Objective 4(b) Policy Support for QCA
  • Advise sections in DES
  • Ongoing advice
  • When needs arise
  • NCCA approx 44 committees
  • PISA national committee and point of contact
    for ERC
  • Equivalences of international school leaving
    qualifications
  • Languages initiatives at primary and
    post-primary levels

24
Objective 4(b)Guidance
  • Advise sections in the DES
  • Liaise with outside bodies e.g. NCGE, IGC
  • Composite report on inspections of guidance
  • Guidance Forum
  • Guidance in Youthreach and for adults

25
Objective 4(c)Special Ed, Travellers
International students
  • SPECIAL EDUCATION
  • Inspections
  • Publications
  • CPD for teachers
  • TES, SESS, Colleges, Inspectors
  • Policy support
  • Special Education other sections
  • NCCA Committee work
  • Legal cases
  • North-South international work
  • Liaison with NCSE and NEPS

26
Objective 4(c)Special Ed, Travellers
International students
  • TRAVELLER EDUCATION
  • Advise on policy
  • Assist Administration with Implementation Plan
    for Traveller Education Strategy
  • INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (non-nationals)
  • Process applications for teachers
  • Revision of guidelines

27
Objective 4(e)An Ghaeilge
  • Official Languages Act 2003
  • Exemptions from Irish
  • Irish in Primary Schools National Trends in
    Achievement 1985-2002 (Harris)
  • The SCG (Qualifying Examination in Irish)
  • Ardteastas i dTeagasc na Gaeilge
  • Inspection of Irish Colleges
  • Provision of resource materials

28
Objective 5North/South International
  • European Schools
  • Inspections
  • Administration
  • Curriculum and In-service provision
  • Extension of European Schooling
  • Centre for European Schooling at Dunshaughlin
  • European and international bodies
  • Supporting International Section. examples
    include.
  • OECD at CERI and other networks
  • EU Future objectives e.g. peer learning on
    teacher education
  • EU Network of Policy Makers EFLUSL CSEP
    Projects
  • Inspectorate co-operation N. Ireland, Scotland,
    SICI

29
Questions Discussion
?
?
?
30
Teacher professional development
  • Teacher Education Section
  • Established May 2003
  • Function
  • To provide a range of Teacher Education and
    Development Programmes spanning the continuum
    from initial teacher education to induction to
    continuing professional development - covers
    curricular change and specific areas relating to
    teaching and learning at primary and post-primary
    levels.
  • Links with Inspectorate which has a remit to
    provide policy advice

31
Scope of activities
  • Initial Teacher Education
  • Colleges of Education funding
  • Education Departments in Universities
  • Induction
  • National Pilot Project on Teacher Induction
    2002
  • In-career development programmes move towards
    CPD
  • Linkage with system priorities and initiatives
  • Management of Education Centre network
  • Teaching Council

32
Current system some strengths
  • Incremental growth in models of provision a
    range of models
  • Direct involvement of teachers in design,
    delivery management of most activities
  • Considerable professional development
    opportunities for teachers involved
  • High level of support from participants for
    support service activities
  • Cadre of high quality trainers with generic
    skills in the system
  • Active partnership between stakeholders
  • Significant voluntary effort at Education Centre
    level
  • Infrastructure of Education Centres
  • Growth in TNPs and clustering arrangements
  • Inspectorate evaluation of impact at school level

33
Current system some challenges
  • Timing of in-career development activities
    disruption caused by teacher absence (mainly
    second level)
  • Teacher replacement experienced teachers joining
    SSs
  • Time for collaborative school planning and team
    development
  • System essentially centrally driven
  • Turnover of teachers in subjects such as
    CSPE/SPHE
  • Accreditation of courses
  • Access

34
Current system some challenges
  • Fragmentation independently functioning support
    services
  • Meeting system needs while also meeting the
    professional development needs of schools and
    teachers
  • CPD a right and a personal responsibility?
  • The development of practice to cover the three Is
  • Capacity of system to embrace a new model
    colleges, schools, Education Centres
  • Use of e-learning models/ICTs
  • Challenge associated with development of Teaching
    Council

35
Questions Discussion
?
?
?
36
Special Education Recent History
  • Establishment of special schools/classes
  • SERC report 1993
  • Salamanca statement and framework for Action on
    Special Needs 1994
  • Circulars 07/02 and 8/02 and allocation of
    resources
  • EPSEN ACT 2004
  • Establishment of NCSE 2005
  • NCSE guidelines on IEPs
  • All roads leading to greater integration of
    students

37
Special Education Issues and Challenges
  • Special Education Services
  • Visiting teacher services
  • Grant-aid for assistive technology
  • Special transport
  • Reasonable accommodation in state examinations
  • Exemption from the study of Irish

38
Legislation Governing Special Education
  • Education Act 1998
  • Equal status Act 2000
  • Education Welfare Act 2000
  • Education for persons with SEN Act 2004

39
Features of the EPSEN Act
  • Duties of BOM
  • Enrolment of SEN children
  • Content of educational plans
  • Implementation of education plans
  • Role of principal in relation to Educational
    Plans/assessment
  • Parental rights

40
SEN Post-primary Guidelines
  • Will deal with
  • Whole school planning and organisation re
    inclusion
  • SEN teamwork in the school
  • Whole-school approaches to assessment, selection
    and planning
  • SEN teaching strategies
  • Guidelines on IEPs

41
Questions Discussion
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?
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