Policy Developments 1990-2004 - Centre for Early Childhood ...

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Section 4Policy Developments 1990-2004Management, in-schoolmanagement, staffing andorganisation, accommodation,parental involvement);2. General Curriculum Issues (schoolplanning, teacher’s planning,principles and methodologies,resources, assessment);3. Curriculum Areas (Irish, English,Maths, SESE, Arts education,Physical education, SPHE) (DES,2002d:7).As an aid to assisting schools in conductingself-evaluation and self-review and to“…further assist school communities infulfilling their quality assuranceobligations,” the DES published Lookingat our School - An Aid to Self-Evaluation in Primary Schools (DES,2003a). As is stated within the Foreword:Quality in schools is a matter for allconcerned with, and involved in, theeducation of our children. (DES,2003a:V)In addition, the report goes on to say:The maintenance of the quality ofeducation in individual primaryschools is a major aim of educationpolicy in Ireland. (DES, 2003a:VII)For the purpose of conducting such anevaluation, five core themes are addressed,with each further broken-down into amyriad of aspects and components:1. School management;2. School planning;3. Curriculum provision;4. Learning and teaching in curriculumareas;5. Support for pupils (DES, 2003a:IX).Schools are encouraged to look at thesethemes either individually or collectively, oreven to focus on particular tenets withinthe themes, while there is also a facility tosubmit other themes that may relate to anindividual school context. The view of theInspectorate is congruent with that of muchof the literature regarding quality, that “…itmay be useful to think of a qualitycontinuum consisting of a number ofreference points representing stages ofdevelopment in the improvement process.”(DES, 2003a:X)In 2003, the Primary School Inspectoratealso published a National EvaluationReport on Preschools for Travellers(DES, 2003b). The review focused on manyaspects of the functioning of the Travellerpreschools, including:Management;Pupil admission, registration andattendance;Accommodation;Funding;Staff and staff training;Teaching and learning;Making linkages (DES, 2003b).The Report concludes by affirming thepositive aspects of the Traveller preschoolsand the need to recognise and amelioratecertain aspects that may be reducing thequality of services:The important role played byTraveller pre-schools in theprovision of early childhoodlearning experiences to TravellerChildren should be acknowledgedand steps taken to further enhancethe quality of the experience forpresent and future cohorts ofchildren attending these pre-schools.(DES, 2003b:75)30
Section 4Policy Developments 1990-2004Implications for the National Framework for Quality -DESDefining Quality:1. Quality is a difficult concept to define and is viewed by stakeholders in the systemfrom a variety of perspectives. This diversity of perspectives is seen as a positiveaspect of the ECCE sector and should be supported.2. There can be no one single definition of quality; rather a set of core criteria should beidentified, which settings can work towards attaining.3. The suitability and flexibility of the curriculum or programme in place is animportant characteristic of quality.4. The quality of the service provided impacts upon the nature and duration of thebenefits to the child.5. The quality of the personnel working in early years settings impacts significantly onthe quality of the services provided.6. Effective management and leadership structures must be in place to ensure thesetting performs to its maximum potential.7. Parental and community involvement and the establishment of positive home schoollinks are a key characteristic for quality.8. It is imperative to acknowledge the evolving and dynamic nature of quality in settingsto ensure that quality remains attainable in the contemporary context.9. Definitions of quality must include Input, Process and Outcome elements such aschild indicators, staff indicators, physical environment indicators, social indicatorsand natural indicators.10. Adult-child interactions are seen as being an integral characteristic to high qualityservices.11. Quality must be regarded as a continuum with a number of reference points that canbe worked towards either individually or collectively.12. The provision of an intercultural curriculum is seen as an important support for theeducation of Traveller children.13. Curricular guidelines must be flexible to accommodate the capacities and dispositionsof all pupils, including those with special needs.Assessing Quality:1. Careful inspection and evaluation of settings are a key element to ensuring thatquality is achieved and maintained. Such evaluation should incorporate widereducational stakeholders, including parents, teachers and management.2. Assessment must include both self-assessment within settings and externalinspection to ensure quality is achieved.3. Legislation underpinning the assessment of the education system affords a statutorybasis to the evaluation of the system as a whole.4. The proposed QE mark should assess all aspects of the ECCE setting, includinghealth and safety and also educational elements within a single inspectionframework.31
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