GRANGE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL INSPECTION REPORT Acting Principal: Mrs. Elizabeth Harvey Board Chair: Mr. Eldon Mulai National Education Inspectorate Report Issued: September 19, 2012 Inspection Date: February 6-10, 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 National Education Inspectorate © May 2013 ii School Inspection Report 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? 1 National Education Inspectorate © May 2013 School Inspection Report 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 2 National Education Inspectorate © May 2013 School Inspection Report Profile School’s Demographics School: Grange Hill Primary Locale: Urban Parish: Westmoreland Region: 4 Gender: Co-educational School Code: 10022 School Organization: Shift Size: Class V Attendance Rate: 90% Capacity: 695 Enrolment: 1395 Number of Teachers: 43 Pupil-Teacher Ratio: 35:1 Owned by: Government Socio-economic Context Grange Hill Primary School was founded in 1924 in Sterling (formerly Stirling), Grange Hill. It was later relocated to its present site at Causeway about 2.5 kilometres from the town centre en route to Little London. Grange Hill Primary School is situated on eleven acres of flat lands, almost surrounded by sugar cane cultivation. Grange Hill, a medium sized rural township in Western Westmoreland, is steeped in an interesting history. It was once noted for horse rearing. Local folks commonly refer to the area as „Kushu Walk‟; a corruption of the word for the cashew plant which used to grow in abundance there. A former Governor General of Jamaica, Sir Clifford Campbell, once served as Principal of the school. Another notable individual associated with the area, was Henry Morgan, the notorious pirate, who became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and after whom the Morgan‟s River, a tributary to the Cabaritta River, was named. Of interest, the local police station is named Morgan‟s River Police Station and not Grange Hill Police Station as would be expected. The people of the community strive for independence and self-sufficiency. Most of the employed find work in either of the two large industries– sugar or tourism. Others are small or medium sized business operators and farmers. There are over 580 students on the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) who receive lunch five days per week. 3 National Education Inspectorate © May 2013 School Inspection Report Executive Summary Overall effectiveness of the school The overall effectiveness of Grange Hill Primary School is satisfactory Leadership and management is satisfactory The Principal embraces a team approach to leadership as she builds on the strengths of the school. However, instructional leadership is not rigorous enough to secure the best outcomes for all the students. Key stakeholders make input in the development of the school improvement plan (SIP) which identifies critical area for focus and development. The Board constantly monitors the school; however the management does not set performance targets collectively. There is a well-developed system of communication between home and school. The Parent Teachers Association (PTA) gives limited support to school initiatives. Teaching and learning is satisfactory Most teachers have a sound knowledge of what they teach, especially in mathematics and science, and are able to motivate students and stimulate thinking. Most teachers prepare lesson plans with clear objectives and procedures and most are vetted and evaluated. Most students especially in the upper school are confident and motivated. Performance in English and