Environments of Learning a case study

Background This post-primary was established in 19XX by the CDVEC. It is a co-educational school with approximately 445 students and the equivalent of 44 whole time teaching staff assisted by 15 Special Needs Assistants, with a further 8 ancillary staff. The school is located in an area of disadvantage, with very high levels of unemployment and crime. The students come from the immediate locale with many of our students from single parent families and/or families with a number of half-siblings, or are being reared by a grandparent or other family member in the absence of a parent. Significant numbers of our students arrive in this school with very low numeracy/literacy skills, some also with behavioural difficulties. Operating under the aegis of the CDVEC, the Board of Management, comprising of members of the teaching staff, parents representatives, appointees of the CDVEC and members of the local community, is responsible for the macro-management of this school. The senior management of the school comprises of the Principal, the Deputy Principal and 6 Assistant Principals. The school has clearly defined procedures in line with the Educational Welfare Act 1998 and its amendments. All second level programmes are offered (Junior Certificate, Junior Certificate Schools Programme, Transition Year, Leaving Certificate Applied, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and Leaving Certificate with a broad range of subjects provided at each level). The post-primary school has operated in tandem with a school of Further Education where a shared campus promotes the possibility of a third level facility which offers PLC and a wide range of FETAC qualifications. There is a dedicated open day for our senior cycle students. This school was awarded Delivering Equality of opportunity In Schools (DEIS) status in 20XX to cater specifically for the educational needs of students from areas of educational disadvantage as defined in the Educational Act (1998) to address the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools section 32(9). DEIS status has provided the school with access to additional resources and opportunities to enable students to achieve their potential. While the school building itself has restrictions in terms of light and space (the fabric of the building having been constructed numerous years ago) the school has consistently strived to develop its existing facilities to their best potential; recently the school has transformed dilapidated rooms and spaces into modern well equipped facilities that

have enhanced learning and created a niche ethos for our school among the school community. Our wide range of state-of-the-art facilities now include: Broadband facilities in all classrooms and the piloting of IT such as CAD Gymnasium and Sports Hall Computer/Art/Music/Technology Rooms Library with dedicated librarian on hand to offer advice and information Home Economics/Science Laboratories Interactive White Boards Student Canteen where breakfast and lunch are provided free to students and which has evolved into a concourse area for students While the aim is to upgrade and maximize the forty year old premises (including retrofitting appropriate insulation), the greater focus has been on providing clearly defined and transparent procedures and structures which facilitate and promote learning in conjunction with students, staff, parents and our other partners in education. In 2009 both the Principal and Deputy Principal of the school opted for early retirement. This has meant that the school has had its fourth Principal in a decade which might have fostered uncertainty and insecurity. Given the massive reduction in government funding and the pension levies and pay cuts inflicted on teachers who are required to work harder for less reward staff morale could well have suffered a massive blow. However, there is instead a regenerated energy and optimism among the staff of the school, although the concern is how long this goodwill can be maintained. The Way the School Operates Structures and Provisions The structures extend from the role of the subject and class teacher through the Year Head support and ultimately to the Higher Management which includes the Principal and the Board of Management. Direction, leadership and dissemination of information is provided by the senior management who meet weekly and filters through the Year Head structure to all the teaching staff and our partners in education and wider school community. Issues pertinent to each year group structure are discussed and planned on a more informal basis. Daily updates in relation to general news, in-service, activities and so on are posted on the staff and/or student bulletin boards. There is a Teacher Handbook updated annually for staff members, who receive a weekly bulletin alongside a weekly staff meeting for discussing school policy and developments. Students receive a diary with all the relevant school information and also providing an essential channel of communication between the school and the parents. General information with the parents is communicated both informally and through a regular Newsletter.

In 20XX a Student Council was established in the school whereby Class Representatives are democratically nominated and elected to represent each class. The student council is facilitated by a Liaison Teacher but encouraged to develop its own agenda and internal organization, to participate in developing school policy. The Parents Council was established when the school was set up and has traditionally been very actively involved in policy making as well as a variety of school functions and events such as Maths for Fun, literacy courses, paired-reading etc. Some Targeted Specific Initiatives The school is recognized as an inclusive school which has developed a framework within which differences between individuals are accommodated and the appropriate structures are in place to enable the student to achieve his potential. This school has a dedicated Special Educational Needs (SEN) Department and as a DEIS school has a Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) allocation. The SEN collaborates with teachers to cater for students with low achievement and/or special needs by devising individualized strategies and supports to provide differentiated teaching/learning to take account of the interests, needs, experience and learning needs of targeted students. SNAs assist teachers in supporting students and participating with the other partners in education in providing for students with impediments to learning. In 19XX the school became involved in a local area Early School Leavers initiative as a forum for tackling low levels of educational performance and school completion. The central tenets of the programme provide supports to promote positive educational outcomes in terms of achievement, attendance and completion to senior cycle. This programme, now called the School Completion Programme, currently targets a cohort of 30 students through the junior school cycle. This group is strategically assisted by a host of educational, social and emotional supports that impact positively on educational disadvantage. The programme draws on the experience and expertise that exist in the wider community as a vehicle for promoting educational attainment and positive assimilation in the school. In addition to this target list, we have a pastoral care target list of 21 students. This group are less at risk of dropping out of school but are still supported throughout their tenure in the school. A Traveller Support Programme is in place (27% of our second year is from the travelling community). There is a Traveller Liaison Officer who consults with and advises the management team on matters particular pertaining to students from the travelling community. Unfortunately, there has been an 8 month gap in this service between the departure of the previous incumbent and the appointment of her successor. The school is now being briefed by the co-ordinator for Travellers in Education with a view to developing an inter-cultural approach to promote traveller completion of education. We implemented the Friends for Life programme in 20XX to help students develop coping skills for school and for life. For students who do not suffer from anxiety, this is a self-esteem building process and for those who do, the programme has been assessed as combating worry successfully in 80% of cases over the subsequent 6 years.

Supplementary to this we run a Circle Time programme to give students a forum for discussing issues, problems and challenges and to build positive inter-personal relationships. 3 students from our current intake of 1st years began the Supporting Young People in School (SYPS) programme Nov XX and an additional 3 will start Feb XX. The impact of this programme is currently being assessed and monitored by the Year Head in consultation with the parents as the outcomes may fail to merit the cost and resources involved. Delivering Pastoral Care: Challenges Faced; Policies and Programmes Our primary challenge is to deliver the best possible education to all our students in the face of generational social and educational disadvantage. This disadvantage is progressively manifest in the extreme violence linked to gang warfare, violence, drugdealing, abuse, feuds and high-profile cases of murder of late, mirroring the low-profile incidence of suicide impacting on our students. We strive to facilitate the transition from Primary to Post-Primary school by holding Information open evenings for parents. We attempt to give parents a sense of ownership of the school with a dedicated parents room. There are open days for prospective students from local primary schools to attend a Summer Programme of activities within the school, becoming familiar with the building and facilities and meeting some of the teaching staff. First year students are invited to participate in the Nurture Group to help develop a sense of belonging by one-to-one and group support sessions. There is a Homework Club with tutor support to assist with the new academic challenges of post-primary, while the Breakfast/Dinner Club provides for the more physical and social requirements. We have recently developed an excellent and rewarding relationship with XX Education Centre, which offers a specialised programme for students who are finding difficulty making the transition from primary to secondary school. In the first term of every year there is a whole school friendship week, which also focuses on antibullying policies. There is targeted policy to Support top stream classes in achieving entry into third level education through the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) There is a dedicated Home School Liaison Officer who, in conjunction with the parents and the Educational Welfare Officer, monitors and supports student attendance and achievement. Additionally, we benefit from the invaluable services of the Pastoral Coordinator of the School Completion Programme who works with some of the most challenging students and their families offering a full range of supports from the basic provision of nutritious food to uniforms, to study facilities where the students can do homework. He also interfaces with school management on behalf of marginalised students in front of the School Discipline Committee or the Board of Management. Tragically, he also presides over funerals and burials of our students and former students who have met untimely death through violent means or suicide. He

successfully facilitates a bereavement circle. Sadly, it appears that despite the positive impact this pastor has consistently been having with our school and community he is being relocated to another country. All our supports are structured and interdependent and promote learning and social development and form the central tenet of our Code of Behaviour. In this school we encourage all our students to take personal responsibility for their learning and behaviour. There is a Reward system that honours positive behaviour and affirmation of diligence and achievement Behaviour can be an issue which prevents effective learning and teaching and as such merits some discussion in this piece. A clearly defined Code of Conduct helps the entire school community to promote affirmative policies, procedures and practices that put positive behaviour to the forefront and encourages all participants in the learning process to work together for effectiveness and safety in the school. Through the Second Level School Support (SLSS) we have developed a whole school approach to curriculum and class room management. A review of the school rules and our code of conduct is currently being undertaken. The quality of the relationship between the class teacher and the student is crucial to positive engagement. This role in terms of education and pastoral support is enshrined in the school policy hand book and outlines the procedures for managing behaviour. The focus of it is on positive and transparent discipline. Minor infractions of our code of conduct are dealt with at this juncture, while persistent or more serious breaches are referred to the Year Head structure. We have clearly defined intervention sanctions and strategies that aim to modify challenging behaviour using such strategies as Restorative Justice, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy in conjunction with Reach Out, NBSS in-service and student shadowing and recourse to Guidance and Psychological services. The school is currently interacting with the National Behavioural Support Service and is formulating a new dynamic in teaching strategy to deal with certain types of behaviour. We have an excellent working relationship with the National Council for Special Education and the National Educational Psychological Service. Other Challenges and Limitations While the responsibilities and challenges have remained relatively stagnant, cutbacks in education funding over the past year have had serious impact on the resources available to the school. Those retiring are not being replaced and therefore posts of responsibility are not being filled. This means considerable amount of commitment on behalf of the teaching staff as Year Heads are being obliged to double-job by dividing their focus, taking responsibility for more than one year group and others taking on the responsibility of Special Duties posts without recognition or remuneration. The school currently has just one school psychologist allocated for one day a week, despite the increasing number of students in need of such support. Retiring CDVEC psychologists are not being replaced which will further strain this already stretched

resource. The process of EBD Psychological Assessment is extremely slow (currently often taking 6-8 months) leading to a severe delay in the school being in position to put an appropriate programme in place. Other challenges facing this school as an educational community are perhaps in the traditional top-down, school centered approach; in including parents who are possibly intimidated as a result of their own educational experiences/levels of literacy/ability to articulate; in dealing with parents who behave in a menacing, abusive manner with all members of staff and in front of the students; in regenerating the image of the school and in competing with the bling society, where the role models are the flash characters involved in gangs, drug-dealing and usage and violence. This school has been addressing some of these challenges by providing in-service training courses to consistently up-skill the teaching staff in developments in educational psychology for example, REBT (Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy); there are numerous literacy/numeracy and general educational programmes and courses available to all adults living and working in the area and the school has provided a dedicated Parents room with tea and coffee facilities to help make the experience as user-friendly as possible for parents; every effort is made to communicate effectively with parents and deal with everyone in a positive and respectful manner. The Unofficial Curriculum In addition to the official curriculum, the school engages in a host of other activities many of an altruistic or charitable nature. Every year, students and parents from a local primary school are invited to this school for a Christmas treat wherein JCSP students of our school provide entertainment, refreshments and care for the younger kiddies, with our older students doing Santa duties with gifts for the smaller kids; the children and parents really enjoy the experience--- nearly as much as our students and staff do! Conclusion This school has a comprehensive and varied curriculum and school support programme that facilitate all students of varying degrees of ability and aptitude progressing successfully through our school system. Over the past XX number of years the school has responded, reacted and evolved to deal with changing circumstances. Some measure of our success is reflected in the fact that some of our current teaching staff and the majority of our parents are former students of the school. In 20XX our graduating Leaving Certificate class represented in excess of 50% of those who started in First Year, comparing favourably with DEIS targets. The majority of those who left early did so to take up a trade or employment. It is a constant source o f pleasure to me and pride in the school to encounter past pupils who have made good lives for themselves and remember with fondness their days in the school.

In this assignment, I have attempted to analyse the Learning Environment of the school, by: providing the context within which the school operates; the locale, the student base, the practices and structures of the school, and the further educational opportunities available outlining the most critical practices and initiatives through which we deliver a comprehensive range of educational opportunities; implicit in which are the challenges we have faced and to which these are a response including our achievements whether educational, social, civic or sporting describing our reaction and proactive approaches to new challenges; this is a constant and on-going practice The school has a strong tradition of striving to provide proactively for the holistic welfare of the student community, catering not only for the educational needs of the students but also striving to develop the whole person and maintain our central role in the community. There is currently a strong emphasis on raising expectations and an openness to adopting new strategies and initiatives to remain in the vanguard of educational excellence in every sense in an ephemeral world.