The follow-up report to the Standard Inspection of Lisneal College

An initial visit was carried out by the Inspectorate in May 2010 after the action plan was received. The Inspectorate carried out one interim follow-up visit on 8 April 2011.

In the interval since the original inspection the school has received good support from the Curriculum Advisory and Support Service of the Western Education and Library Board and the Regional Training Unit in the following areas: leadership and management; whole school development planning; English and science; Learning for Life and Work; finance and human resources.

In the interval since the inspection, the following actions which affect the work of the school have taken place. Three new assistant principals (teaching and learning, pupil support and standards and achievements) have been appointed, and a new head of science has been appointed.

The standard inspection in March 2010 highlighted strengths in: the quality of just under half of the lessons observed during the inspection which was good or very good; the good provision in mathematics, in particular, the development of a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which engage the pupils actively in their learning; the good quality of learning and teaching for those pupils in the Learning Support Centre and also for those identified as requiring additional support in the mainstream classes; the effective links between the special educational needs co-ordinator and key pastoral staff when supporting pupils who are experiencing social and emotional difficulties; and the structured staff development programme provided for all subjects, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland Curriculum and other current educational initiatives.

The inspection identified the need for improvement in the following key areas: to improve the standards achieved by the pupils, in their ongoing work, in public examinations and, in particular, in English and science; for the senior management team to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate provision in a more strategic and collegial way in order to build the capacity of many of the middle managers and to ensure that all work has a more positive impact on learning and teaching; and to review the School Development Plan in light of the inspection findings including the development of an effective communication strategy and building more systematically on the work on target-setting at departmental and whole-school level

The quality of education provided both in English and in science was evaluated as inadequate.

The action plan originally produced by the organisation in response to the inspection findings was adjusted in light of feedback given by the Inspectorate at the time of the interim visit; it will require further adjustment, following the findings of this follow-up inspection, to focus more sharply on the main priority of improving teaching and learning in order to raise standards.

The following are the most important improvements since the standard inspection: the successful implementation of a consistent approach to pupil behaviour, within and beyond the classrooms, which is enhancing the learning throughout the school; the quality of the provision in Science, which is now satisfactory; the improvement in the standards achieved in Science, which are well-above the NI average for non-selective schools; the confidence and effectiveness of many of the teachers in bringing improvement in teaching and learning; and the effective use of tracking and target-setting in year 12 to raise standards in public examinations in some areas.

The standards achieved in English have fallen since 2010 and are well below the NI average for non-selective schools. There is currently no effective strategic plan which will direct all staff to work towards improving and maintaining standards.

Overall, the quality of education provided by the school remains inadequate; the significant areas for improvement outweigh the strengths in the provision.

There are important areas for improvement, (which were identified in the 2010 Standard inspection) in standards, in learning and teaching and in leadership and management, which remain inadequate and need to be addressed urgently if the organisation is to meet effectively the needs of all of the learners.

The areas for improvement are: the need for the Principal and the extended Senior Leadership Team to provide strategic direction, which will guide and direct the work of the newly appointed assistant principals, and of key members of the middle management; to draw up an action plan which is focused more sharply on the need to improve teaching and learning and raise standards; and to put in place rigorous arrangements for monitoring, evaluation and feedback on a regular basis in order to ensure that improvement is taking place.

The Inspectorate will carry out a further follow-up inspection within 12 months and a report will be published.