Isle of Man Guide

THIS week five schools – Anagh Coar Primary School, Fairfield Junior School, Manor Park Primary School, Onchan Primary School and Scoill Ree Gorree – plus the Music Service will share the comments of an external validation of their School Self Review and Evaluation (SSRE) with parents.

The process of SSRE is continuous and entails schools reviewing all aspects of their work and making judgments about what they are doing well and where they need to take action to secure improvement, explained Deputy Director of Education and Children Stuart Dobson. The possible judgments are outstanding, good, satisfactory and inadequate.

‘This process supports schools in having a clear view of how to build on their current strengths to ensure they continue to offer the best possible learning opportunities to pupils,’ Mr Dobson said. ‘The Department of Education and Children believes that this process is proving very effective in helping schools to improve their practice.’

To support schools in confirming that the judgments they have made are accurate, the process has an external element built in to it. Since September 2008 a validation cycle has been taking place in primary schools, Mr Dobson explained. It involves an external validator, together with a Department of Education and Children Adviser, spending time working with headteachers to review the evidence schools have used to make judgments and to quality assure their accuracy.

The validating company, Fieldwork Education, was chosen from a number of companies that tendered for this work.

Any areas for improvement or further dissemination of best practice are then identified in the annual School Improvement Plan and supported by the school’s link adviser.

Autumn 2009 saw validations commence in secondary schools and other aspects of the education service as well.

Mr Dobson said:

‘The main aim of the validation process is to provide professional support to schools to help them to refine their own judgments. In addition, when a school has been involved in this validation process they will take the opportunity to share key outcomes with parents by summarising them in a newsletter.’

Details of validations from Ballacloan Infants’ School, St Mary’s RC Primary School, Marown Primary School, Kewaigue Primary School and Murray’s Road Junior School were published at the end of the autumn term 2008. Click here.

They were followed in the spring term 2009 by Ballasalla Primary School, Braddan Primary School, Peel Clothworkers’ Primary School, Sulby Primary School and Victoria Road Primary School. Click here.

In the summer term 2009 it was the turn of Ashley Hill Primary School, Ballacottier Primary School, Laxey Primary School, Michael Primary School and Rushen Primary School, as well as the Pre-School Assessment Centre, to share with parents the outcomes of external validation visits. Click here.

In the autumn term 2009, SSREs were published for Andreas and Bride Primary School, Dhoon Primary School, Foxdale Primary School, Scoill Vallajeelt, Willaston Primary School, Ramsey Grammar School and Primary Modern Languages. Click here.

The outcomes of validations at Scoill Phurt le Moirrey, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh and the Manx Language Unit were published in the spring term 2010. Click here.

Earlier this term, the outcomes of validations at four more schools, Arbory Primary School, Ballaugh Primary School, St Thomas’s CofE Primary School and Ballakermeen High School, were published. Click here.

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