One inspector for 40 primary schools ‘unacceptable’

PRIMARY schools can not be adequately supervised with just one inspector for every for 5,600 pupils, Fine Gael claimed yesterday.

Department of Education figures show there are 82 inspectors covering the country’s 3,284 primary schools and their estimated 460,000 pupils.

With just one member of the department’s inspectorate available for every 40 primary schools, Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes described the situation as unacceptable.

“It’s simply not good enough that, in the critical area of school inspection, the inspectorate is so thin on the ground,” he said

“I regularly hear from teachers that inspectors are only seen in school when inspections on trainee teachers are taking place.

“But the question should be asked, how can inspectors be in every school when there are so few of them nationally?” he asked.

In the last five years, the number of primary inspectors has risen by 10 but they also have one-third more probationary teachers to examine in their first year working after college.

With the increase in teaching jobs available in Irish schools and more graduates emerging from teacher training, the numbers rose from 1,343 in 2003 to 1,836 last year.

Mr Hayes asked how 82 people could ensure that a robust national inspectorate is in place for a primary education system with more than 460,000 pupils.

“Given the radical growth in the number of trainee or probation teachers which require inspection and the pressure on inspectors to conduct whole-school evaluations, where is the time for proper communication and inspection with existing teachers?” he asked.

“Where is the help for teachers and principals delivering the new curriculum and when do the inspectors ever get time to work on teacher practice in schools?”

Mr Hayes called on Education Minister Mary Hanafin to immediately look again at the number of school inspectors.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said it has always supported the role of inspectors for the valuable contribution they make to primary education.

However, a spokesman said there is an overemphasis on the evaluation role and their work with probationary teachers, and that a broader focus would be welcomed.

“Primary teachers would like more support from inspectors in terms of advice on curriculum development. There is major potential to use their expertise to guide schools and teachers on day-to-day issues,” he said.

Since February 2006, more than 1,400 school inspection reports have been published on the Department of Education website.