sandy bay primary and junior high school

49 Pages·2014·1.08 MB·English

SANDY BAY PRIMARY AND JUNIOR HIGH
SCHOOL

INSPECTION REPORT

Principal: Mrs. Marva Trenchfield

Board Chair: Ms. Hope Marks JP

Nat i o n a l E d u c a t i o n I n s p e c t o r a t e Report Issued: July 19, 2012
Inspection Date: February 7-9, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
Key Questions ............................................................................................................ 1
The Five-point Scale .................................................................................................. 2
Consistency in terminology ........................................................................................ 2
Profile ......................................................................................................................... 3
School‟s Demographics ................................................................................... 3
Socio-economic Context .................................................................................. 3
Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 4
Overall effectiveness of the school .................................................................. 4
Findings of School Inspection .................................................................................... 6
1) School Leadership and Management .......................................................... 6
2) Teaching Support for Learning .................................................................... 7
3) Students‟ Academic Performance ............................................................... 9
4) Students‟ Academic Progress ................................................................... 10
5) Students‟ Personal and Social Development............................................. 11
6) Use of Human and Material Resources .................................................... 12
7) Curriculum and Enhancement Programmes.............................................. 13
8) Student Safety, Security, Health and Wellbeing ........................................ 14
RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 16
Further Action ........................................................................................................... 16
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ......................................................................... 17
Appendices .............................................................................................................. 18
Appendix 1 - Record of Inspection Activities ................................................. 19
Appendix 2 - Inspection Indicators ................................................................. 20
Appendix 3 - National Test Data .................................................................... 39
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Introduction

The National Education Inspectorate (NEI) is responsible for making an assessment of the
standards attained by the students in our primary and secondary schools at key points
during their education. It is the aim of the NEI to report on how well students perform or
improve, as they progress through their schooling and learning life. The NEI is also charged
with the responsibility to make recommendations to support improvement in the quality of the
provision and outcomes for all learners.

During school inspections, our trained inspectors observe classroom lessons, interview
members of the school‟s staff, students individually and in small groups. Inspectors also look
at samples of student work and study various school documents provided before and during
the inspection. Additionally, School Inspectors hold meetings with the principal and senior
members of the staff to get clarity on their roles and responsibilities at the school.

Please see the Inspection Indicators (Appendix 2) used by School Inspectors to assist in
forming judgements about a school‟s progress.

Key Questions

The inspection indicators are structured as a set of eight key questions that inspectors ask
about the educational provision and performance of every school. These are:

1. How effectively is the school led and managed by the Board, the principal and senior
management team and middle leadership?

2. How effectively does the teaching support the students´ learning?

3. How well do students perform in national and/or regional tests and assessments?
(For infants: in relation to age-related expectations)

4. How much progress do students make in relation to their starting points?

5. How good is the students´ personal and social development?

6. How effectively does the school use the human and material resources at its disposal
to help the students achieve as well as they can?

7. How well do the curriculum and any enhancement programmes meet the needs of
the students?

8. How well does the school ensure everyone‟s security, health, safety and wellbeing?

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The Five-point Scale

Inspectors make judgements according to a five-point scale. The five levels on the scale are
defined as follows:

Level 5 – Exceptionally high quality of performance or provision

Level 4 – Good: the expected level for every school. Achieving this level in all aspects
of its performance and provision should be a realistic goal for every school

Level 3 – Satisfactory: the minimum level of acceptability required. All key aspects of
performance and provision in every school should reach or exceed this level

Level 2 – Unsatisfactory: quality not yet at the level acceptable for schools. Schools
are expected to take urgent measures to improve the quality of any aspect of
their performance or provision that is judged at this level. Action on the
inspectors‟ recommendations for improvement is mandatory

Level 1 – Needs Immediate Support: quality is very low. Schools are expected to take
immediate action to improve the quality of any aspect of their performance or
provision that is judged at this level. Action on the inspectors‟
recommendations for improvement is mandatory.

Consistency in terminology
The following terms are used consistently throughout the indicators with the following
definitions:

All 100%
Almost all 90% to 99%
Most 75% to 89%
Many 50% to 74%
Some 21% to 49%
Few 1% to 20%
None 0

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Profile

School’s Demographics

Locale: Urban
Parish: Hanover
School Code: 09030
Gender: Co-educational
School Organization: Shift
Size: Class 1V
Attendance Rate: 83%
Capacity: 565
Enrolment: 657
No. of Teachers: 24
Pupil-Teacher Ratio: 24:1
Owned by: Government

Socio-economic Context

The Sandy Bay Primary and Junior High School serves communities spanning a radius of
5.95 kilometres. It has its origin on lands owned by the Methodist Church. In 1957, the
government constructed a new structure to accommodate 400 students. The enrolment grew
and the shift system was introduced. In 1993, the School Community Outreach Programme
for Education (SCOPE) collaborated with the Tryall Resort and erected a new block. In 1998,
under the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) Programme the school was reclassified
as a Primary and Junior High School. This programme provided the Grades 7 to 9 students
the benefit of a common curriculum as other students in secondary schools. This programme
has dwindled to the point where the school has only one class of Grades 7 to 9 students. It
has abandoned the practical aspect of the ROSE curriculum. The school now houses two
centres for the Alternative Secondary Transition Education Programme (ASTEP) students.
The community‟s main economic activities include farming, fishing, construction and tourism.
There are 377 students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education
(PATH).

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Executive Summary
Overall effectiveness of the school

The overall effectiveness of the Sandy Bay Primary and Junior High School is
satisfactory

Leadership and management is satisfactory

There is a shared vision and working relationship between the stakeholders. The school
enjoys good governance and community relations which boost the ethos and culture of the
school. However, the negative behaviour of some students is cause for concern.

Teaching and learning is satisfactory

The teachers display satisfactory knowledge of the subjects they teach and understanding of
how best to teach the students with their varying learning styles. Students‟ progress is
assessed and documented and in most cases is used to inform instruction. Where classes
are well managed, the students are motivated to learn and participate meaningfully during
lessons.

Performance in English and mathematics is unsatisfactory

The school is performing below the national and regional averages and has challenges
meeting the national target.

Progress in English and mathematics is satisfactory

Documents and lessons observed show that students are making progress from their
starting point, over time and during lessons.

Overall, students’ personal and social development is satisfactory

Although some students display undesirable behaviour, most students attend school
regularly and are culturally and spiritually aware. They understand the economic situations of
their community and country and are knowledgeable of environmental issues.

The school’s use of its human and material resources is satisfactory

The school is adequately staffed with qualified teachers who are appropriately deployed.
There is also a satisfactory amount of material resources however they could be better
utilized to enhance the teaching learning process.

Curriculum and enhancement programmes are satisfactory

While the prescribed curricula are used in the school, there are critical gaps in modification
throughout the school as well as an under-resourced junior high programme that limits the
subject offering to the Grade 9 students. Nevertheless, the students have access to several
extra-curricular activities to enrich their development.

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Provisions for safety, security, health and wellbeing are satisfactory

The school puts measures in place to ensure everyone‟s safety and security. The students‟
wellbeing is catered to in positive ways.

Inspectors identified the following key strengths in the work of the school:

 Governance is highly supportive
 There is good community involvement
 The school has adequate resources to function at a high level
 The stakeholders are aware of the schools goal for development and its strengths
and weaknesses

How effective is the school overall?
The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory

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Findings of School Inspection
1) School Leadership and Management

How effectively is the school led and managed by the Board, the principal and
senior management team and middle leadership?

Overall, the school is satisfactorily led and managed

School-based leadership and management is satisfactory

The Principal displays a humble and caring disposition. She believes in leading by example
and endeavours to model such qualities for her staff and students. There is a shared vision
for the school where emphasis is placed on students‟ development so that they can function
in society. There are established committees and teams which share responsibilities for
effective teaching and learning as well as students‟ social and emotional development.
Teachers‟ professional development is enhanced by regular workshops organized by the
school or by the Ministry of Education. The school showcases a pleasing aesthetic
appearance and satisfactory school community relations exist.

The Principal shares responsibilities with her School Management Team (SMT). They mark
lesson plans, observe teachers and do appraisals. They also arrange in-house training to
address weaknesses and share best practices. There is good working relationship between
the administration and the Board and some members serve as mentors to students.
Documentation on students‟ personal data and educational performances are kept.
However, instructional leadership is insufficient and school leaders are not as visible as is
necessary to reduce the prevalence of poor deportment and behaviour among some
students which is having a negative impact on the school.

Self evaluation and improvement planning is satisfactory

The administration is aware of the school‟s strengths and weaknesses. The national as well
as teacher-made tests are analyzed and individual teachers make action plans to deal with
the respective situations. Classes are visited and observed weaknesses are treated by way
of giving sticky notes to teachers, workshops using the skills of the school‟s resource
teachers, Ministry of Education staff and personnel from Jamaica Teachers „Association
(JTA). Evaluations of teachers are done using the guidelines established by the Ministry of
Education. Weaknesses are identified and the analysis and documentation of students‟
performances as well as the inconsistency of staff evaluation are done.

Governance is good

The Board is fully constituted and meets once per term. In addition, some members make
regular visits to the school and are involved in some of the school-based activities. They are
involved in the hiring of staff and the monitoring of the school‟s record keeping activities.
They seek to protect the ethos of the school by setting standards for vendors. Members of
the Board are also involved in providing mentorship for some students. They also assist in
making the needed linkages with community groups and agencies who serve to assist the
school with its development. Some members have been serving on the Board in various
capacities and have become knowledgeable of their roles and responsibilities. They express
satisfaction in the leadership of the school and hold the school accountable for the students‟
performances and discipline. They request reports on all aspect of school life and share the
vision with the stakeholders.
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Relationship with parents and the local community is good

There is an open line of communication using several media including the telephone, visits
to the home, monthly meetings and reporting days. Parents make commitments to cooperate
with the school by signing commitment forms upon admission of their children. They
participate in combined worship at Churches in the communities the school serves. The
construction of a perimeter wall is an example of one project undertaken by parents. The
school provides opportunities to enhance their parenting skills through workshops and
presentations on parental issues. Recognitions for involvement are done. LIME
Telecommunication Company and the local Baptist Church are agencies with which the
school partner in executing some projects.

How effectively is the school led and managed by the Board, the principal and senior
management team?
Grades 1-9
School-based leadership and management Satisfactory
Self-evaluation and improvement planning Satisfactory
Governance Good
Relations with parents and community Good

2) Teaching Support for Learning

How effectively does the teaching support the students’ learning?

Overall, teaching in support of learning is satisfactory

The teachers’ knowledge of the subjects they teach is satisfactory

Most teachers demonstrate sound content knowledge and many demonstrate adequate
knowledge of how best to teach. This is demonstrated by revision of previous knowledge,
discussion of current objectives and interaction through questions and answers. Singing and
recitation of songs and poems are effectively used to introduce lessons and provide focus.
The practical approach taken in some lessons helps students to understand the concepts
being taught. In a review lesson on polygons, for example, the teacher and the students used
their bodies to show angles and lines. However, there is not enough differentiation of
instruction to cater to the needs of some students. Poor class control negatively affects the
quality of teaching in some classes from Grades 1 to 4.

Teaching methods are generally satisfactory

Lesson plans are mostly well written, with clear, measureable objectives, matching activities
and procedures for assessment. Textbooks, hand-outs, manipulatives and other resources are
available and utilized to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Effective questioning
techniques and interactions with students through role play and dialogue enable teachers to
obtain meaningful responses from students and engage their thinking processes. In a Grade 3
integrated studies lesson, for example, students and their teacher discussed rules that are
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applicable to various situations. Students are motivated through group work and singing,
which encourage students‟ participation.

The use of a variety of activities to engage students and commendation in class through
applause and comments in notebooks are also motivating factors. Appropriate teaching
strategies such as, discussion, demonstration, role play and dramatization, promote students‟
learning. Students are placed in ability groups on the basis of the Grade One Readiness
Inventory, and some effort at differentiated instruction is made accordingly, but not specifically
for the ability groups within classes. Consequently, some students are not motivated to
participate in lessons, and do not pay attention.

Assessment of student learning is satisfactory

Assessments are used as part of teaching and learning. Teachers conduct oral reviews, allow
students to do practice exercises on the board and through written exercises in workbooks
and notebooks. Assessment of students‟ knowledge is informative when, for example,
students make up their own sentences on the basis of the content of lessons, and are called
on to use higher order thinking skills as in a Grade 1 class where they were asked, “What do
you think the hawk will do?”

Lesson plans show that some teachers review lessons and use the data to inform planning for
future lessons. Students‟ workbooks, portfolios, and journals as well as teachers‟ assessment
records and action plans show that assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning.
Most teachers have records of students‟ grades from monthly and end of term tests. At Grade
9, assessment information is used to identify strengths and weaknesses for students to be
placed in learning groups. Students also self-evaluate and provide information for future
planning by putting „smiley faces‟ or „frowns‟ on their work.

Student learning is satisfactory

Where classes are well managed, many students are motivated to learn, show a positive
attitude and participate meaningfully. However, some are disruptive, speak out of turn and are
disrespectful to teachers. Some pay no attention and waste time. Group work as seen in many
classes, encourages collaboration, and helps to get better participation from many students.
Reference to real life situations, as in the case of the Grade 1 discussion of danger, the Grade
3 application of rules and one Grade 9 poetry lesson, adds relevance and provides motivation
to learn. Limited provision is made for training in inquiry, research and problem-solving skills.
How effectively does the teaching support the students´ learning?
Grades 1-9
Teachers´ subject knowledge and how best to teach the subject Satisfactory
Teaching methods Satisfactory
Assessment Satisfactory
Students´ learning Satisfactory

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