Incidental Inspections in Primary Schools
- Published: 27 May 2021
Circular 0040/2020 which issued in June of 2020, informed schools of the range of advisory, research and evaluative work that inspectors would be conducting in schools in the 2021/22 school year. The circular stated: ‘It is envisaged that advisory, research and evaluation work will continue in the second and third terms of the school year 2020/21 and the Inspectorate is also planning for a carefully phased recommencement of a limited programme of normal inspection work in this period.’ Circular 001/2021 which issued in January 2021 drew schools attention to Circular 40/2020.
In planning for the phased recommencement of normal inspection work, the primary objective of the Inspectorate is to resume these very important inspections in a way that benefits children, teachers, other school staff and parents whilst minimising the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
In selecting the most appropriate inspection model for the current term, our emphasis has been and will continue to be on how best to advise and support schools to enable all the children attending them, particularly the most vulnerable, to continue to progress in their learning. Accordingly, a very small number of incidental inspections have been undertaken in schools since 16 April 2021.
All of these incidental inspections, other than in very exceptional circumstances, are notified in advance to the principals of the schools concerned, which allows for arrangements to be put in place to carry out the visits safely. The focus of these visits is on providing advice to teachers and schools on aspects of teaching and learning in a context where pupils have missed a great deal of face-to-face instruction in Term 2 of the current school year. These inspections also provide the Inspectorate with important information on the impact of school closures on student learning and on how teachers and schools are responding to pupils’ needs in the pandemic context. Feedback from schools and inspectors on the inspections carried out to date has been positive overall and principals have generally welcomed the opportunity to engage in professional dialogue with inspectors on the work of their school in the pandemic context.
As outlined in the circulars above, the Inspectorate is also continuing to conduct urgent follow-through inspections, Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections (CPSI) and Supporting the Safe Provision of Schooling (SSPS) inspection visits.
Incidental Inspections in Primary and Post Primary Schools
