/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education and Training Inspectorate
Report of a Focused Inspection
Laurelhill Community College
Lisburn
Inspected: March/April 2003
CONTENTS
SectionPage
1.STATISTICAL INFORMATION - INTRODUCTION1-3
2.THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING4
3.MANAGEMENT7
4.CONCLUSION8
5.YOUTH TUTOR PROVISION9
APPENDIX12
STATISTICAL INFORMATION
1.1 i.School: Laurelhill Community College, v. Date of Inspection: W/C 31.03.03
Lisburn
ii. School Reference Number: 421-0201 vi.Area of Study (Focused only):
iii.Age Range: 11-18 Special Educational Needs
iv.Status: Secondary Controlled
1.2Intake/Enrolment
Year 8 Intake / 193 / 184 / 179 / 183 / 183
Total enrolment / 927 / 952 / 958 / 955 / 955
1.3Attendance
2001/02 / NI Average
2000/01
% Attendance / 93.46 / 91.85 / 90.44 / 86.85 / 88.95 / 86.96 / 92.33 / 90 / 90
1.4 / i. / Total Number of Teachers: / 63 / iii. / Contact ratio (percentage of
timetabled time in direct
class contact): / 0.8
ii. / PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio): / 15.16 / iv. / Numbers of Teachers
involved in Area of Study:
(Focused Only) / 63
Year 2002/03 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / TOTAL
Enrolment: Boys / 93 / 93 / 101 / 101 / 103 / 20 / 5 / 516
Enrolment: Girls / 90 / 91 / 69 / 84 / 83 / 17 / 5 / 439
Enrolment: Total / 183 / 184 / 170 / 185 / 186 / 37 / 10 / 955
PTR / 16.6 / 16.1 / 15 / 15.1 / 15.2 / 14.8 / 4.6 / 15.16
1.5Staying On Rate (2001/02) (Current year 13/14 as proportion of year 12 from 1/2 years previously)
Year 14 / 19.5 / NI Av / Year 14 / N/A
1.6Leavers’ Destinations (2000/01)
Total Number of Leavers / 174 / 27
Another School / 8 / 8 / 4 / 1
Employment / 8 / 15 / 11 / 22
Full-Time Further Education / 27 / 32 / 22 / 22
Full-Time Higher Education / N/A / N/A / 48 / 39
Full-Time Training / 52 / 38 / 11 / 6
Unemployed / 2 / 5 / 4 / 6
Destination Unknown / 3 / 2 / 0 / 4
1
NAME OF SCHOOL: / Laurelhill Community College, Lisburn / SCHOOL YEAR: / 2002/2003GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION (GCSE) /
2000 /
2001 /
2002
Percentage of Year 12 taking GCSE in at least 5 subjects / 92 / 91 / 93
Percentage of Year 12 obtaining Grades E or above in at least 5 subjects / 78 / 75 / 77
Percentage of Year 12 obtaining Grades C or above in at least 5 subjects / 34 / 31 / 37
Percentage of total exam entries obtaining Grades E or above in GCSE / 97 / 91 / 94
Percentage of total exam entries obtaining Grades G or above in GCSE (Non-Sel only) / 99 / 98 / 96
2
Within this report, when commenting on examination results of individual subjects, the respective Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) average is used as a proxy for the corresponding average for all pupils in Northern Ireland taking that subject.
INTRODUCTION
Laurelhill Community College is a controlled, coeducational, 1118 college situated in open surroundings on the outskirts of the City of Lisburn. There is also a recently refurbished youth wing attached to the college. The enrolment has remained constant over the last threeyears. Currently, there are 955 pupils attending the college, of whom, 47 are in the sixth form. Approximately 27% of the current year8 pupils achievedBorC grades in the transfer procedure while 23% did not participate in it. The college has identified and registered approximately 12% of the pupils in years812 at Stage1 of the Code of Practice for special educational needs (SEN) and, consequently, in need of additional learning support from class teachers.
The inspection focused on the provision for those pupils who require support with their learning across the curriculum and the college’s arrangements for pastoral care, including child protection. In addition, the quality of personal and social development being provided for young people, as mediated through the youth tutor, was also inspected.
As part of the process for the inspection of pastoral care, meetings took place with the Board of Governors (BoG), parents and pupils. In addition, the views of a sample of parents on the work of the college were sought by questionnaire. Of the 191 questionnaires issued to parents 47 were returned to the Department of Education (DE) and of those returned, 17 had additional comments. The governors and almost all of the parents were very supportive of the work of the college, the principal and the committed and caring teachers. Most of the parents agreed that the college gives attention to the wellbeing of the pupils, that written work is marked regularly and that the college has a good standing in the community. The inspection findings endorse this view of the college. A few parents would value additional information on their child’s progress, a more consistent approach to the setting of homework and consideration to be given to a broader curricular provision at key stage (KS)4. A similar number of parents were unsure of the college’s procedures to deal with matters of child protection.
Over the three years ending in June2002, in the majority of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects, the proportion of pupils obtaining gradesA*toC was within, or above, five percentage points of the respective Northern Ireland (NI) average for nonselective schools. In nearly all GCSE subjects, the proportion of pupils obtaining gradesA*toE was within, or above, five percentage points of the respective NI average for nonselective schools. The number of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at gradesA*toE is above the NI average for similar schools. More details about the results for each subject are provided in the Appendix.
The college has a small number of pupils in sixth form and offers courses at General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced (A) level in Biology, English Literature and History and three courses in the Advanced Vocational Certificate in Education (AVCE). In the 2002 examination session, all of the 31 pupils in year14 who completed their courses achieved the equivalent of three ALevel passes at gradesAtoE. The college has conducted a number of analyses of their examination results. More effective use could be made of the Computerised Local Administration System for Schools (CLASS) and other bench-marking data to generate more meaningful analyses.
2.THE QUALITY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
2.1Relationships between the teachers and the pupils, and among the pupils themselves are generally good. The teachers are supportive of the pupils and when they set good standards of work and behaviour and have realistically high expectations, the pupils are mostly motivated, well behaved and present their work well. In interviews with pupils from years8and12, the pupils showed their loyalty to the college and spoke with appreciation of their college experiences and of the extensive extracurricular provision. In most classrooms very good examples of the pupils’ work are displayed well, while other teachers use commercial posters widely; some teachers also make good attempts to brighten up the long and unattractive corridors.
2.2The college provides a wide range of extracurricular activities which enrich the pupils’ learning experiences. Recently, the college experienced much success with its latest musical production. Many of the staff give considerable time and effort to the organisation and management of these activities.
2.3There is a strong commitment amongst the staff to the wellbeing of the pupils. A clear line of referral has been established for dealing with issues relating to the pupils’ academic or personal welfare. The roles of the form teachers and the heads of year are clearly defined. These members of staff play an important role in the pastoral care, guidance and support of the pupils, including the daily monitoring of the pupils’ homework diaries, their attendance, punctuality, behaviour, personal appearance, academic work, presentation of work, and in liaising with the pupils’ parents. Further links with the parents could usefully be established through an extended use of the homework diaries for twoway communication purposes.
2.4The personal and social education (PSE) programme in year 8 covers a range of important themes, and good modular programmes in years9to12 provide opportunities for discussion and learning about relevant and sensitive topics such as relationships and drug awareness. In year 9 a citizenship module has recently been introduced to the programme. A more precise overview is required of the progression of the pupils’ experiences across all areas of the programme.
2.5Individual teachers motivate the pupils and promote good behaviour and standards of work by using effective reward systems; this practice is inconsistent. It is appropriate that the college development plan identifies the need to review procedures to promote positive behaviour and to celebrate more consistently the pupils’ successes. The outcome of this timely review will contribute to a more coordinated approach to the development, monitoring and evaluation of PSE across the college.
2.6The college has established procedures in line with the guidance given in the Department of Education’s circular 1999/10 on “Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection”.
2.7The college development plan highlights SEN as an area for further work. Literacy and numeracy coordinators have been appointed as part of the college’s improvement strategy. Part of the coordinators’ role is to identify pupils with learning difficulties in English and mathematics, to inform the other teachers of the pupils’ stages of development and to guide them in the use of this information to improve teaching and learning. A further responsibility for the coordinators is to encourage the sharing of the good teaching practices which already exist in the college.
2.8Each department has made a start in discussing and preparing guidance booklets of strategies to be used to support the pupils requiring help with their learning. These strategies need to be developed further and integrated more consistently into ongoing planning at departmental and individual teacher level. The quality of planning for those pupils who require additional support varies within and across departments. In the best practice, appropriate resources are provided to meet the pupils’ needs and specific learning and teaching strategies are identified. It would be beneficial for departments to work and plan collectively, and to ensure that their planning is based sufficiently on reflective monitoring and evaluation of the pupils’ previous achievements, knowledge and understanding, so that there is continuity and progression in the work and achievements of individual pupils.
2.9The quality of teaching seen was always satisfactory; in the majority of lessons observed it was sound or better and sometimes very good. In the best practice, the teachers outlined the learning outcomes at the beginning of the lesson, the good pace of the lessons helped to motivate and engage the pupils, the teachers used a good range of teaching approaches when the pupils could work as individuals, in pairs or groups and a reflective time at the end of lessons supported the consolidation of learning. The less effective teaching, in a significant minority of lessons, lacked pace and the narrow range of activities did not challenge or motivate the pupils sufficiently.
2.10The departmental documentation for English presents an appropriate rationale and highlights the department’s emphasis on provision for pupils with SEN. Individual teacher’s planning is focused on units of work, many of which are based on interesting and stimulating literary and nonliterary materials. Units of work for SEN pupils in particular, require further development to incorporate intended learning outcomes, strategies for achieving these outcomes, including strategies for team teaching and appropriate assessment arrangements, if all pupils are to achieve the standards of which they are capable.
2.11The quality of teaching in English lessons observed during the inspection was satisfactory; in some instances it was very good. The more successful lessons were characterised by successful integration of the attainment targets for English, good classroom organisation, lively exchanges between pupils and teacher, a variety of activities and clear expectations communicated well to the pupils. In the less successful lessons, the pace was slow and the activities emphasised language work in isolation from the children’s reading experiences. In developing further the work of the English department it will be important that all pupils are given the opportunity to develop a sufficiently wide range of reading writing and oral skills and that current good practice is more widely disseminated.
2.12The planned programme for pupils who require support in mathematics is in line with the NI programme of study, and the mathematics department has developed schemes of work for these pupils. In most of the lessons observed, the teachers were well prepared, set high standards of behaviour, shared the learning outcomes with the pupils, set clear and appropriate tasks, paced the lesson effectively and concluded the lesson well with appropriate praise and encouragement. In the lessons seen, the team teaching approach was productive and well managed. The opportunities to work independently motivated the pupils and afforded time for individual support when it was required.
2.13The college is participating in the SouthEastern Education and Library Board’s (SEELB’s) numeracy strategy and good use is made of the Curriculum Advisory and Support Service (CASS) to demonstrate useful approaches and strategies to reinforce mental mathematics. Given the difficulty some pupils face in learning and retaining mathematical knowledge, the mathematics department should consider the further use of strategies such as mathematical games, visual and practical materials and information and communication technology (ICT).
2.14An important link has been established with feeder primary schools through a Literacy and Numeracy summer school. Through participating in a range of enjoyable literacy and numeracy activities, a significant number of pupils from years6 to 8 have the opportunity to extend their understanding of, and gain confidence in, these areas of their learning.
2.15The pupils are well motivated and interested in their scientific studies. They clearly enjoy their practical sessions and the standards they achieve are mostly commensurate with their ability.
2.16The quality of the departmental guidance for science is variable. The planning for the KS4 examination courses is generally good. A particular feature of this planning is the extent to which the learning objectives for each lesson, or small group of lessons, are identified clearly. The teachers are in the process of reviewing the planning for KS3; at the time of the inspection the planning was heavily reliant on commercial texts and did not reflect appropriately the individual learning needs of the pupils in the classes. Over the last few years, the teachers have put a great deal of time and effort into the production of a range of written resources to support teaching and learning within the subject at KS3 and KS4. Many of these resources are good; there is, however, inconsistency in the way they are used. There is a need for the science department to review the range and quality of these resources and to reach agreement on how they are to be used so that the pupils’ literacy skills may be consistently and progressively developed within and across all science classes.
2.17Most staff have undertaken inservice training (INSET) in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. To date, most of this training has focused on raising the competence of staff to use computers and develop their confidence in the use of the technology in a classroom situation. The college is well equipped with modern computer hardware and, when these resources are increased still further as planned, there will be adequate resources to provide each subject department with an appropriate level of computers. The pupils in years9 to 12 are taught ICT skills as modules within the PSE programme. In the main, these skills are taught in isolation from a suitable curricular context.
2.18The ICT coordinator has a clear vision for the development of ICT throughout the college and has produced a comprehensive development and action plan. This plan identifies appropriately the need to review the effectiveness of the discrete ICT modules within the PSE programme, to develop a more structured programme for all year 8 pupils and to integrate ICT applications more systematically within subjects and across the curriculum. A good start has been made to this integration by the introduction of an ICT KS3 accreditation package. The key departments that contribute to this programme are English, science, mathematics and, technology and design.
2.19The careers education and guidance policy is in the process of being updated. All the pupils in years10to14 have modules of timetabled careers lessons each year within the college’s PSE programme and the pupils prepare a personal career plan which is incorporated into their National Record of Achievement. In the course of their final years in the college, the pupils have experiences of the recommended six core components of a careers programme. The quality of the careers teaching observed was good. Appropriate teaching strategies were used to engage the interest of the pupils who responded well to the topic being taught and the majority voiced their opinions with confidence.
2.20Through the arrangements for the pupils’ work experience and the mock interviews, the careers department has built up extensive links with the local community and with the local careers adviser from the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).
2.21The pupils have access to careers information through the computerised programs available in the careers department and in the public library based at the college. Access to the careers computer programs is limited within the college. The pupils should have other opportunities, outside the timetabled careers periods, to develop as independent learners in their use of ICT to access and research careers information.
3.MANAGEMENT
3.1A number of useful strategies to support those pupils requiring special support are in place. The number of pupils in the lower band classes is reduced significantly and in addition, specialist support, through team teaching is provided in English and mathematics for a number of classes. The literacy and numeracy coordinators also provide the pupils’ parents with helpful guidance on how to support their children’s learning. The coordinators meet weekly with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) and they write education plans for those pupils who are at Stage5 of the Code of Practice; there is no written record of the pupils’ learning needs at the other four stages and no obvious system in place to show how the pupils progress from Stage1 to Stage5 of the Code of Practice. As yet, there are no clear guidelines or processes in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the provision for those pupils who require additional support with their learning.
3.2Departments are asked to provide subject specific action plans for the pupils who have a statement of learning needs. The quality of the action plans scrutinised during the inspection varies; in the main, the targets set for individual pupils are insufficiently focused on their specific learning needs. While the staff have had some professional development to support them in their provision for pupils with learning needs, further professional development on using suitable teaching strategies to support the needs of all the pupils is required.