Together Towards Improvement – Pre-school - BELB

1 Together TowardsTogether TowardsImprovementImprovementA Process for SelfA Process for Self--EvaluationEvaluationDepartment of EducationPre-SchoolCONTENTSPageForewordb yChiefInspector,Mr Stanley Goudie1-2 Terms used in this ConductingSelf-Evaluation39-45 Appendices46-541 Together Towards ImprovementFOREWORDBYCHIEFINSPECTOR,MR STANLEY GOUDIEThe Education and Training Inspectorate (Inspectorate) developed Together TowardsImprovement Pre-school Education (TTI) in 2003 as a resource to support nursery schoolsand units schools, and other Pre-school settings, in the process of self-evaluation.

2 It wasinfluenced by a similar resource for primary and post-primary staff and Improving Quality:Raising Standards (IQ:RS) which had been developed to support the self-evaluation processin Colleges of Further and Higher Education and large number of Pre-school centres have used the Pre-school version of TTI to help theirmanagement to evaluate the quality of their provision, the strengths of the school and whereimprovements need to be made. This requires rigorous and honest self-evaluation and acommitment to follow through, putting in place processes to ensure that the strengthscontinue to flourish, and taking the necessary action to address the areas for improvementthat have been centres which have used TTI in the past will find that the arrangement of thematerials has changed.

3 In the previous version, the initial focus was on creating a suitableclimate for self-evaluation, with an emphasis on the ethos in the classroom and the school ingeneral. However, in this version a much greater focus is given to the outcomes achievedby the learner and the quality of the leadership and management of the Pre-school emphasis reflects the extent to which the education service in NorthernIreland has developed its approach Towards self-evaluation. Those involved in themanagement of Pre-school centres are now expected to monitor and evaluate theeffectivenessof the work undertaken by the leaders and staff, and the extent to which this isreflected in the standards and outcomes achieved by the learners.

4 Such self-evaluationwithin the Pre-school centre should inform future planning and also reflect the direction takenby the Department of Education in its increased emphasis on achievements and outcomes,and its drive to raise standards overall, as set out in the policy Every school a Good school (Link), and the associated policies aimed at raising the standards in literacy and numeracy(Link).In addition, previous users of TTI Pre-school Education will see that, in this revisedversion, there is more detail in the section identifying the various quality indicators and thatthese indicators are based around questions to assist the user.

5 These indicators are notmeant to be exhaustive, nor indeed to be used as a checklist. The schools involved inpiloting the resource reported that they found these to be most helpful when they weredevising their own self-evaluation procedures. The quality indicators in this revised TTI Pre-school Education have been developed by inspectors and are based on observedpractice. They relate to five key questions, namely:2 Together Towards effective are leadership and management in raising achievement andsupporting learners? effective are teaching, training, learning and assessment?

6 Well do the learning experiences, programmes and activities meet the needsof the learners and the wider community? well are learners cared for, guided andsupported? well do learners develop and achieve?A key element in any self-evaluative process is the quality of evidence on which theevaluations are based. A range of sources can be used in this process including first-handobservation of learning and teaching and a thorough examination of the assessmentinformation that the Pre-school centre collates. The interrogation of such information canprovide valuable areas for further exploration when conducting an evaluation.

7 Of course,such assessment information on its own does not provide all of the answers, but it can directthose involved in the self-evaluation process to questions that need to be asked. The morerigorous and honest such evaluations are, the more useful will be the outcomes, and theseshould be used as the basis for securing more effective teaching and learning, and in raisingthe standards achieved by , when the Inspectorate conducts an inspection in a Pre-school , setting theinspectors ask the leader to share with them the findings of the organisation sself-evaluation.

8 The quality of the self-evaluation reports has improved in recent years;however, there is still room for Improvement . The most significant areas for improvementare: the extent to which the evaluations are based on good quality, first-hand evidence andthe evaluation of the quality of outcomes for learners. Judicious use of TTI Pre-schoolEducation, along with the other resources that are generally available,will help address thisimportant , I wish to re-emphasise an important point made in the earlier version of is not an end in itself.

9 It is the self-evaluation process, and the actions whichfollow this process, that is most important in raising the standards attained by the learnersand in enhancing their life chances and their learning experiences. The Inspectorate willcontinue to work with all involved to promote a culture of self-evaluation within ourpre- school centres, and will do so with the interests of the learners at GOUDIECHIEF INSPECTOR3 Together Towards ImprovementTERMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENTT hroughout this document, the following terms are used: Pre-school centre an inclusive term for nursery schools, nursery units,playgroups, day nurseries or other preschools in thestatutory, voluntary, private or independent sectorswhich provide education for children in their pre-schoolyear.

10 Staff the adults who work with the children in pre-schoolcentres, whatever their qualifications. Teaching the skill of the staff in promoting the children s learningand all-round development, and all of the tasks andactivities in which they engage as part of this process. Leader the person with overall responsibility for leading thestaff in the Pre-school centre; this may be the principalof a nursery school ; the principal of a primary schoolwith a nursery unit or the teacher in charge of thenursery unit; or the leader, supervisor or person incharge of a playgroup or day nursery.