PLANS to introduce unannounced inspections in the country’s 730 second-level schools could face opposition from teacher unions.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn wants a system like that already operating in primary schools to begin at second level by the end of the year.
Unions have said they will enter consultations with his department’s inspectorate about proposals on how the system would operate.
However, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) convention in April passed a motion opposing the introduction of unannounced classroom inspections. The union’s deputy general secretary Diarmaid de Paor said the union does not believe another inspection system will make any difference to the quality of teaching in secondary schools.
"Our members are already inspected and scrutinised by whole school evaluations and subject inspections and other arrangements. We also recently agreed complaints procedures for teachers who are having difficulties," he said.
"The real problem in the education system at the moment are to do with resources and class sizes," said Mr de Paor.
Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) general secretary Peter MacMenamin said officials will be engaging with this matter and will bring the concerns of members to the consultation process.
Representatives of the ASTI and TUI, second-level school management bodies and the National Parents Council-Post Primary have already been briefed by senior inspectors on the plans for incidental inspections but more detailed consultations are planned.
The proposals are for short, one-day, unannounced inspections to monitor the quality and effectiveness of learning and teaching. They are also intended to provide advice to teachers, principals and boards about the quality of education in their schools and assess how Department of Education regulations are implemented.
The Joint Managerial Body, which represents the boards of almost 400 secondary schools, welcomed plans to consult on incidental inspections but said it wants clarity on their specific purpose, how feedback will be given to schools, and how schools can respond.
A similar system was introduced for the country’s 3,300 primary schools in 2009, when 196 were visited unannounced by inspectors, and 419 such inspections took place last year.
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This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, June 16, 2011
