Descriptor for grade 4

Descriptor for grade 3

Descriptor for grade 2

The supervisor interferes with the normal educational process in schools. The supervisor is often not professionally competent to judge a subject/learning area/programme or an area for evaluation. Judgements lack objectivity and are based on questionable evidence. Those evaluated are not kept informed about the evaluation process or its progress. Educators and learners are sometimes treated with disrespect. The oral feedback is disjointed and confused, and the supporting evidence is not always secure. The final report is full of ambiguities. It is based on doubtful evidence, and disregards opinions expressed by those evaluated. It does not follow the Evaluation Framework properly. The supervisor does not always respect confidentiality.

Purpose: To judge whether the school can function efficiently and effectively and realise its educational and social goals.

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

The principal’s statement

The supervisor to look at the policies, procedures, regulations etc in order to judge whether they are appropriate and implemented successfully.

The behaviour of learners in lessons and around school needs to be evaluated. The supervisor needs to comment on the respect learners show their educators. The contribution the learners make to the positive learning environment in the school needs to be considered, along with their respect for the school equipment, materials, furniture and premises. For example, the level of graffiti and of damage to school property caused by learner’s needs to be commented upon.

Descriptor Grade 4: The school has well-structured policies, procedures that are clearly articulated to learners and their parents. Many are on display and readily accessible to the learners. Absence and lateness are followed up and appropriate sanctions and rewards are used to encourage an appropriate response from learners. Attendance is rarely below 94 per cent and learners are mostly on time for school and lessons. The timetable is well structured. Behaviour is good and learners are interested in the learning activities. They show initiatives in their approach to their studies and are keen to make progress. They keep the buildings and furniture in good shape. Learners take on responsibilities willingly and contribute to the positive working and caring ethos of the school. Transport is well organised and highly effective.

Policies, procedures are in place. On occasions they are drawn to the attention of parents and learners. They operate more through learners’ familiarity with what is accepted by the school than through clearly articulated procedures, applied consistently and fairly. The school is concerned about absence and lateness but a tolerance exists that does not put sufficient pressure on learners to mend their ways permanently. The timetable/school programme is satisfactorily organised. The school is satisfied with about a 90 per cent attendance rate. Behaviour is satisfactory, but there are some instances when learners challenge their educators and cause minor disruption. Learners have a sound attitude to learning. They are interested in their work, though they do little beyond what they are asked. They participate in extracurricular activities in moderate numbers. Generally, they respect equipment and furniture but examples of damage and graffiti exist. They respect the rules and school regulations, but do not always abide by them. Most learners contribute to an ethos characterised by support for one another and a willingness to do as asked. Transport arrangements are satisfactory.

The school has few well-structured procedures and regulations and they are difficult to implement. There is confusion as to what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and learners are not sufficiently checked when they go beyond the rules. Attendance is poor, often below 90 per cent and some learners are endemically late. Lessons often start late and the timetable is disorganised. Learners show limited interest. They show no interest in their own development and few participate in extracurricular activities. Learners display violent behaviour to one another, have no respect for their educators and damage the school’s furniture. A good deal of graffiti is about the school. The ethos is characterised by a lack of care and urgency to learn. Transport arrangements are poor.

Purpose: The key purpose is to assess the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

The school’s vision statement, aims, policies and management structure

School’s statistical information to show how it is performing.

The supervisor judges how appropriate the school’s vision and mission statement, aims, policies and procedures are.

The supervisor judges whether the leaders operating at various levels in the structure are making their intentions clear, and the extent to which the staff and school community understand those intentions and carry them out.

The supervisor judges whether the Principal, and the school management teams are giving clear direction.

learners to achieve high standards. Managers set example of effective working styles to others on the staff.

The school has defined its aims and policies, but the methods by which they are to be achieved are not clearly set out. The Principal gives direction to the school, but does not ensure that appropriate systems are in place to monitor to what extent the school is on course. Evaluation tends to be superficial and does not lead to modification of policies that are not working. The Principal delegates, but does not supervise this carefully enough and participative management is limited. The implementation of policies and procedures depends on the attitude of individuals and so are not always applied consistently. The Principal is committed to staff development, but it is not planned. The school’s resources are adequate, and they are shared equitably amongst the various subjects/;learning areas/programme. The management structure is adequate, though job descriptions are usually not well thought out enough to avoid overlap. There is some confusion in responsibilities. School buildings are repaired and sensible use is made of the accommodation. Links with the community and parents are satisfactory. On occasions, management operates very successfully in one area, but unsuccessfully in others. As a result, its effectiveness is not consistent enough.

The school may have aims but they do not influence its activities sufficiently. The school has gaps in its policies and procedures and implementation is ineffective. The Principal either shows little interest in or is incapable of giving clear direction to the school. A management structure may be in place, but it lacks clarity and it is left to individuals to cover for inefficiencies. Morale is low and this affects the way learners and parents view the school. Relationships with parents and the community are poor and little encouragement is given to them to support learners. The management team does not think through decisions and so the school is run inefficiently. Decisions are not transparent. The upkeep of the accommodation and provision of resources is often below a required level. Learners suffer as a result. The Principal does not support and on occasions obstructs the development and training of the educators and so many show little interest in improving their skills. The Principal often shows little enthusiasm for innovation and does not deal with conflict.

Purpose: to assess the effectiveness of the governing body in giving the school clear strategic direction

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• The school’s aims and mission statement
• Recent minutes, reports from the school governing body’s meetings and learner representative councils
• The school budget and financial plan
• Discussion with selected school governing body members ors and learners
• The school development plan.

The supervisor will need to look at the constitution of the governing body and any terms of reference, establish whether the governing body has appropriate committees, and to establish whether it has complete membership.

The supervisor will have to judge whether the school governing body’s policies are appropriate, helping the school improve, and whether the school governing body members’ plans contribute to the school’s resources being used efficiently?

The supervisor will have to judge to what extent the school governing body members know what is happening in the school and what systems they have in place to enable them to collect the evidence to help them make their judgements

The governing body has full membership. It has appropriate committees to help it carry out its work and it meets regularly. Meetings are properly minuted and decisions recorded. The governing body is involved in formulating policies in cooperation with the school’s management and supporting the school management team in implementing them. The school governing body members do not interfere in the day-to-day running of the school but have sound systems in place for monitoring and evaluating how well the school is doing. For example, some school governing body members visit the school, talk with learners and educators, and observe some of the school’s activities. They usually report on what they have seen at the school governing bodies’ meetings. They help draw up the budget. Relationships with the Principal are good. Together, they seek to ensure that the school’s policies and resources are used efficiently and in the interests of the learners. There is a clear policy on language and approaches to multi-culture.

The school governing body has appropriate aims and policies, but they play only a limited role in their formulation or implementation, for instance in drawing up the budget. They rely greatly on the leadership of the Principal and other staff in formulating policies. They support the Principal and staff and the school’s policies, but do not get closely involved in monitoring or evaluating their success. They rely on reports from the Principal more than on their own observations and evidence. They do not stand out as strategic leaders, but can be called upon by the Principal to offer support at critical times. They carry out most of their legislative responsibilities and do not knowingly break the law. The governing body has more or less full membership and meetings are held and properly recorded. They make themselves available to the local community and parents if there are any concerns about the school. The policy on language and multi-culture is satisfactory.

The governing body has not been involved in establishing the school’s aims or policies and shows little interest in directing the school’s development. The governing body does not have a full complement of governors and often has difficulty recruiting new governors. One or two governors may be highly committed and supportive of the Principal, but the governing body as a whole has little interest in carrying out its responsibilities properly. Attendance at meetings is often spasmodic and proper records are not kept. Legal requirements are not always met and some of the key problems at the school are not tackled. The school governing body has few or no systems in place to monitor the school’s performance and they provide only very limited support and direction. They neglect important aspects of their role, such as the repair and maintenance of the buildings and rely on others to ensure that efforts are made to improve working conditions for educators and learners. They do not provide the clear direction the school probably needs and do not ensure that resources are used in the interests of the learners. There is no policy on language and multi-culture.

The Purpose: to estimate the quality of teaching and the educator development

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• Lesson observation

learning area policies and programmes, educators’ plans, educators’ assessment policies, educators’ records of learners, learners’ notebooks, examples of homework, displays of learners’ work, a record of the educators’ initial qualifications and subsequent training.

Supervisors will need to decide how closely the educator is following the learning programme and learners are covering all the relevant work. They will need to assess whether the educator plans lessons effectively and has appropriate expectations for all children, including LSEN

The supervisor needs to have a record of the educator’s qualifications and experience and of any subsequent training. The supervisor evaluates the extent of the educator’s subject/learning area/programme knowledge in lessons.

The supervisor needs to look at the educator’s plans to see if there are any strategies for evaluating the lesson, discuss with the educator how s/he intends to gauge the success of the lesson and what will be done as a result of the findings

Educators have well-structured schemes of work. They have plans, which show how they intend to teach the knowledge, skills and understanding over a year, term and a week. Plans have clear objectives and a good range of strategies. Teaching strategies are chosen according to the content to be covered, the resources available and the levels of achievement of the learners. Educators organise and manage learners effectively, creating a good ambience for learning based on mutual trust. They mark learners’ work regularly and monitor their progress carefully. They keep detailed records and use these for planning. They use homework and visits to places of interest well to enrich the curriculum. They have high expectations, work hard and have systems of evaluation in place to judge to what extent they have been successful. Classrooms are clean. Learners usually achieve well.

Educators have schemes of work and plan what they intend to cover in the long-terms, medium-term and short-term. Plans show mainly what knowledge they intend to cover, have little on skills and understanding. Plans have outcomes but they are not always clear enough and the teaching strategies, though they enable progress, rarely stimulate excitement or motivate learners. Educators control their classes in an orderly manner and deal with any disruptions effectively. Learners know what is expected of them and behave accordingly. Educators follow the homework timetable, but rarely set work, which is stimulating and demanding. They mark work regularly and give encouragement, but do not comment in sufficient detail to show how learners can improve their work. Educators tend to do little evaluation of the success of their teaching or use assessment to aid their planning. Their learners usually achieve satisfactory results. The classroom is tidy but has little display.

Educators rarely plan conscientiously and rely on others to provide them with an overview of what has to be covered. They have plans, but they have not thought them through carefully. As a result, objectives are unclear and the strategies employed are unsuitable. They rarely provide tasks suited to the different levels of ability or ensure that they are completed to a satisfactory level. Educators show only a modicum of interest in their work and this is communicated to learners. Lessons are boring and this sometimes leads to educators losing control of the class. Educators often leave learners’ work unmarked and assessment and recording is either omitted or is not systematic. Their expectations are low and learners are not challenged to produce work of quality. Almost anything will do. As a result, learners achieve results below their potential.. The classroom is dirty and display is poor.

A judgement has also to be made on the range and quality of other activities that enhance the curriculum.

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• The school curriculum
• The school’s managerial plan
• The whole-school curriculum plans
• Learners notebooks, tests and other records
• Reports and minutes of learning area meetings
• The assessment policies and results of periodic assessments, including any analysis
• Discussions with the Principal, educators and learners

The supervisor will need to investigate the criteria used by the school in deciding the curricular offer and judge their quality, the balance between the national and local curriculum, and if parents, community members, educators have been properly consulted. They also need to see that it is equitable for all learners, including LSEN.

Supervisors will need to cross-check with area No viii (School infrastructure) to see that the school has the resources required to enable educators to teach the curriculum effectively.

The school provides learners with a well-balanced curriculum, observing the ratio of the different subjects/learning areas/programme. The curriculum is well designed and considers the ages of the learners, their assessed standards of attainment, and the school’s circumstances. It also reflects the school’s previous record and experience. The overall curriculum caters for equal opportunities and the educational development of all learners well. The timetable for classes is devised so that the curriculum is effectively implemented. The curriculum is regularly and effectively evaluated to ensure it is continues to provide for the needs of various stakeholders and the national interest well. A good range of extra-curricular activities is provided in order to enrich the curriculum. Educators devise and observe their plans (projects), short-, mid- and long-term, with their colleagues and work in line with the requirements of the agreed curriculum. The school has sufficient resources to enable educators to present the curriculum in interesting and varied ways that reflect the diversity of cultures in the country positively.

Learners are provided with a balanced curriculum that has appropriate elements of the national and local curriculum. The design of the curriculum takes into account the previous experience of the school and the needs of the learners, though it is not always planned systematically. The effectiveness of the curriculum is occasionally evaluated, but the basis of any revision is not always sufficiently justified or articulated. The timetable/school programme is satisfactory and implements the planned curriculum. Educators have appropriate plans for the long-, mid- and short-term, though these have not always been agreed with colleagues and so good continuity and progression is not assured. There are extra-curricular activities, but their contribution to the curriculum is not exploited and only a few learners are involved. Resources are usually suitable to sustain learning and teaching, and may reflect diverse cultures

The curriculum of the school is not balanced; it does not take into account the needs, wishes aspirations, or capabilities of the learners. There is very little consultation with the parents’ representatives. The local curriculum is established mostly in response to the wishes of the educators and is randomly designed. The timetable for classes has anomalies, such as the bunching of periods for certain learning areas at particular times of the week, and does not always provide for effective learning. Educators’ timetables/work programmes/school programme are not well thought out and the strategies and objectives they adopt fail to meet the requirements of the curriculum. The curriculum does not provide a satisfactory education for the learners and is not enriched by a suitable range of extra-curricular activities. The acquisition of resources had not been matched to the curriculum and no plans exist to enable resources to be changed as the curriculum is modified. The diversity of cultures in the country is not reflected.

Purpose: to assess the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that learners have acquired

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• Samples of learners’ work and in primary schools listening to a sample of learners reading
• Educators’ assessments and records and any learners’ self-assessments
• Interviews with learners about their work
• Discussions with educators about learners’ work
• Any wall display of learners’ work
• Results from any competitions entered by learners or extracurricular activity such as sports, cultural activities, drama and debates
• Evidence collected from observations in the classroom and outside the classroom
• The school’s public examination and test results

Supervisors should seek to establish learners’ performance indicators, which will be judged on the basis of the expected level of performance at the end of Grades 3, 6, 9 and 12. Performance indicators in other grades will be judged on the basis of whether or not they will reach the expected levels of performance at the end of Grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. Supervisors to judge how well learners can read, speak, listen and write in the language of teaching and learning and one additional language and how well it helps or hinders achievement in other subjects. They need to evaluate how easily learners handle numbers, calculate mentally and with electronic aids, apply them to solve problems in different learning areas, and helps or hinders their other studies. In all learning areas, supervisors need to judge what outcomes the learners have achieved in relation to national expectations. Supervisors need to establish whether learners with special educational needs and those with exceptional abilities are reaching expected levels of performance.

Supervisors need to judge whether learners are learning at an appropriate pace in lessons and by looking at learners’ previous work. Supervisors need to consider learners of different ability – very able learners and those with learning difficulties – when making this judgement. Supervisors will have to be satisfied that learners of all ability are being appropriately challenged and learning at an appropriate rate for them.

Learners read and write fluently in the language of teaching and learning and in the other additional language. They have sufficient skill to enable them to communicate clearly and concisely in other learning areas. They speak well and confidently, answer and ask questions and express their ideas. They are curious and often challenge the teacher for further information. They are willing to express a point of view. Learners have good listening/receptive skills, being able to use what they hear to further their learning. They show good capacity to solve problems. They use effectively what they have learned to cope well with new learning. They have good skills in research, ordering information and producing well-formulated solutions. Learners can use information from different subject areas in tackling new learning. They are able to make good progress with minimal supervision. They participate in group work, cooperate effectively and respect others’ cultural values and opinions. They achieve good levels of performance for their age and ability.

Learners read and write at a reasonable standard in the language of teaching and learning and in the mother tongue and another additional language. They make mistakes, but can correct them fairly quickly. Te level of their communication skills does not hinder their learning in other learning areas. They answer questions, generally without expanding beyond a short response. They rarely ask questions other than to ask how to tackle a task. Learners can listen/decode and extract the basic message that is being passed on to them. They rarely extrapolate, but when probed by the educator will express ideas. They reach acceptable levels of performance in numeracy in relation to their ability. Learners can use the new knowledge they acquire, but need almost continuous guidance from the educator. They frequently seek help when they meet a problem. The level of cooperation when in groups is often hesitant. Learners have a basic knowledge in each learning area, but rarely make a cross reference in order to improve their learning. They reach average levels of performance in their grade examinations and progress at a satisfactory rate.

Learners read, write or communicate in the language of teaching and learning and their mother language, slowly and with many inaccuracies. They struggle to understand because of their poor literacy skills. Learners may listen, but do not fully understand or use the knowledge to tackle problems. They rarely show confidence in their knowledge or oral skills and answers to questions are simplistic or inaccurate. Learners don’t absorb or internalise new knowledge easily. Their numeracy skills are low. They have difficulty retaining knowledge from one lesson to another. Often, learners leave a learning task uncompleted. They achieve below average levels of performance. Their progress is often slower than expected in relation to their ability/disability.

Purpose: to evaluate the extent to which the school knows about legislation and implements it; to check that the school is secure and the learners are safe; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s disciplinary procedures.

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• The school’s policies and regulations concerning the welfare and safety of learners.
• The procedures for dealing with learners in difficulties and those who are causing difficulties.
• Records of any accidents, breaches of security and any emergency practices.
• The sanctions used in relation to learners.
• Any code of conduct for learners.
• Health and safety measures and those named as being responsible.
• Regulations regarding the supervision of learners on school visits.
• Any regulations and procedures related to child protection.
• The procedures and regulations associated with boarding if relevant.
• Discussions with learners, staff, parents and other welfare services associate with the school
• The school’s security systems are good

The supervisor needs to evaluate whether the school has suitable procedures and how well they are implemented, for example, how well specific cases of child abuse, if there have been any, are identified and have been dealt with.

An evaluation of the safety regulations in laboratories, workshops and other areas of the school need to be made and to what extent proper safety regulations exist. The quality and effectiveness of emergency procedures needs to be judged, and how well learners and staff know procedures

The school complies fully with the regulations and legislation in force regarding the state and safety of the buildings, learners’ rights and their protection, particularly with regard to health and safety. These issues are a regular feature on the agenda of the governing body and the learner representative council, which have a responsibility to discuss and revise them. The school has good policies, procedures and regulations regarding learners’ health and safety and for monitoring and evaluating how well it implements them. Records are thorough. The laws and regulations are displayed in suitable places (clipboards, laboratories, and classrooms) and guidance is provided for learners and educators. The school ensures that staff and learners know what is expected, and that they consistently apply them. Staff fulfils health and safety duties in accordance with a roster conscientiously. Regular monitoring for weapons and drug substances occurs. Boarding learners’ accommodation is of a good standard; the children feel safe. They recognise that the school is taking care of them. The services the school provides are of good quality and are regularly available. Disciplinary procedures are good and implemented consistently, with the result that behaviour is good and learners are safe. Regular practices occur in relation to emergency procedures., especially regarding transport.

The school complies with the legislation and regulations in force to a satisfactory level. It has sound systems and procedures in place for monitoring and evaluating its procedures and regulations. These are discussed from time to time by the learner representative council and governing body and occasionally revised. A member of staff is designated as health and safety officer. The regulations and procedures are displayed in certain parts of the school, especially in laboratories, but other than giving staff and learners an initial briefing on their application, little is done to ensure that they know them well. Monitoring for dangerous substances and weapons is done, but not systematically and records are not complete. The school offers acceptable accommodation to boarding learners, but there is no regular provision of medical care. Child protection procedures are satisfactory, though the school is more reactive than proactive in identifying and dealing with instances of abuse. The school has disciplinary procedures that are implemented, but not always consistently, with the result that there is occasional misbehaviour. The school is generally orderly and sanctions are used against learners who disrupt. Transport safety regulations are satisfactory.

The school does not comply with all the legislation and regulations in force. It adopts systems and procedures that have not been checked to see if they satisfy the law and many of them are slipshod. A number of procedures are omitted from the school’s documentation and much is left to chance. Practices in emergency procedures occur, but they are irregular and what may have been learned is not always recorded to help improvement. Its regulations on health and safety are such that learners may be placed at risk. Staff and learners are mostly oblivious to legislative requirements, especially in relation to health and safety and child protection. Accommodation for boarders is dirty and cramped and does not provide decent living conditions in line with general requirements. The senior management does not give sufficient importance to the state of the school and the threats to learners’ health and safety. Transport regulations are not satisfactory.

Purpose: To assess to what extent the school has sufficient and appropriate staff, resources and accommodation for its purpose. Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

• The school’s record of its educators, including qualifications, experience and training
• The school budget, income and expenditure
• The number and range of books in the library and elsewhere
• The amount and suitability of equipment, including computers and audio-visual aids
• Observation of the accommodation and premises
• any reports on them held by the school in order to check sufficiency of accommodation and state of repair.

The supervisor will need to look at the school’s income, how well it is controlled, and how it is spent, to judge whether sound decisions are being made about the use of financial resources. S/he will have to judge provision of the following and how effectively they are used:

The supervisor will have to judge to what extent managers know what is happening in areas for which they are responsible. Do managers monitor and evaluate? How are funds allocated and who monitors how they are spent? Do the governors monitor the school’s performance in any way?

The Principal wisely uses the financial resources of the school and in a transparent way. The school has a generous learners to educators ratio, perhaps 20:1, and educators are suitably qualified, experienced and trained. The management team supervises the maintenance and the good operation of the buildings, including any recreational areas. Buildings and premises provide a good environment for learning and are in good repair and clean. Learners and educators have a good supply of appropriate books, materials and equipment, all of which are used effectively to help learners progress. Even where there is a shortage of books and equipment, and the school buildings have been planned poorly, the Principal manages them well and in such a way that learners are still able to make progress in their learning. Good support is given to the library, and it contributes well to learners’ learning. The school’s finances are used efficiently and in the interests of the learners. They are well ordered. The Principal strives with some success to provide good conditions to help learners reach high standards and teachers to be effective, and their work is well monitored and evaluated.

The Principal uses the school’s financial resources according to legal requirements and in a satisfactorily transparent way. S/he seeks to provide sufficient basic materials and equipment for learners and educators. The school has enough suitably qualified and experienced educators. The management team has a satisfactory oversight of what happens in the school, but does not have systematic methods of checking on the state of buildings or teaching and learning resources. As a result, learners and educators experience some shortages in books, materials and equipment, which are not explained merely by limited funds. Similarly, some areas of the school are in need of repair, but no systematic records or plans for their improvement are kept. Even so, the school is clean and tidy, and generally is maintained satisfactorily. The school copes as well as can be expected with any shortages and strives to provide educators and learners with appropriate working conditions.

The Principal does not fully observe the law in relation to the management of the school’s funds and does not keep careful financial accounts. The budget allocations are not transparent. As a result the school’s accounts are not well managed and the school funds are not related to a school development plan. The maintenance and organisation of the buildings and teaching areas are not planned and this leads to some neglect, which may lead to deterioration in working conditions. Resources may or may not be scarce, but they are not used in the best interests of the learners. The management team shows little interest or expertise in acquiring new resources or equipment or of updating the library. Even where resources are plentiful and the accommodation good, a needs improvement rating will result if their use is not properly planned and they are not used in the best interests of the learners.

Purpose: to gauge the extent to which the school encourages parental and community involvement in the education of the learners and how it makes use of their contributions to support learners’ progress

Sources

Criteria

Descriptors

Discussion with the departmental officials and others involved in contact with parents

The supervisor needs to find out how often the school communicates with parents and in what form. Consideration needs to be given to the way the school responds to parents’ complaints and suggestions

The supervisor needs to assess links with the community that help learners see what career opportunities exist. The extent to which the school’s facilities are made available for the use of the local community needs to be considered. The supervisor needs to discover and comment on the range of joint activities undertaken by the school and community in the interests of the learners

The school ensures very good communications with the parents. On a regular basis written reports on learners’ progress are sent to parents. Information about the school’s activities is also sent home. The parents are given good advice about their children, the way they are progressing and their potential for the future. The school manages to ensure an education partnership and sees itself as co-responsible with the family. The school responds well to parents’ suggestions and proposals and encourages them to make a good contribution to its plans for the future. Parents make a good contribution to the school through helping teachers when they can. They often raise money for the school. Representatives from the community serve the school effectively through membership of the governing body. The school has established good partnerships with local services e.g. the police service, fire service, labour and social security departments and their representatives come into school to talk about their work. The school makes good use of the local cultural institutions (museums, theatres, and libraries). It also guides its learners on career opportunities effectively. Parents are welcome but within clear guidelines.

The school provides an acceptable level of communication with the parents. There are written reports on individual learners, which are sent home, but they are not sufficiently detailed to enable the parent to see what help their child needs. Information is sent on the school’s activities in a straight forward, unimaginative way. Advice is offered to parents, but they often have to take the initiative if they want to know about their children’s current performance and their future potential. The school recognises that it is in educational partnership with the family, but is not as pro-active as a good school. Generally, the school is receptive to the parents’ suggestions and proposals, but does not make systematic use of what they have to offer. The school uses the cultural institutions in the local community satisfactorily to improve learners’ education and calls on the various services in the community to give advice to learners from time to time. None of this is planned in a thorough or systematic way, however. The information it collects on local career opportunities is sound, but local contacts are not fully exploited. Parents feel they can visit if they wish.

The school rarely communicates with the parents. The school randomly sends parents reports on school activities and the progress made by individual children. The school does not manage to establish a partnership with the family and does not regard this as important. The suggestions and proposals coming from the parents are often neglected. The school does little to encourage material, financial or human support from the parents and on occasions resents any contribution they wish to make. Little or no advice is provided for learners about local career opportunities. The school’s work is not promoted in the community. The contribution to the governing body of members of the local community is limited and the school does little to improve this situation. Little or no use is made of local services to broaden learners’ educational experiences. Parents feel unwelcome, and are sometimes disruptive.