The Department of Education Inspectorate evaluated the work of Scoil Mhuire through the conducting of a DEIS Evaluation in May 2023. As a DEIS school, Scoil Mhuire is required to develop and implement action plans for improvement in the following areas (DEIS themes):

• Literacy & Numeracy
• Attendance, Retention & Transitions
• Partnerships with Parents & Others

While not required by the Department of Education, Scoil Mhuire also develops and implements action plans for improvement to promote Digital Learning & Wellbeing. The main findings & recommendations of the DEIS Evaluation 2023 are as follows:

Findings

• The overall quality of DEIS action planning for improvement in the school was very good; there was a strong connection between the culture of the school, the action planning process and classroom interventions.
• The quality of literacy planning and provision was very good; pupils were generally very competent at reading and writing across the genres.
• The quality of DEIS planning for numeracy was very good; pupils engaged enthusiastically in a number of worthwhile mathematical learning experiences and programmes.
• The overall quality of action planning for attendance, retention and transitions was outstanding; the school selected actions, which encouraged pupils to come to school, to stay in school and to foster a sense of belonging to the school.
• The quality of planning for partnership with parents and others was exemplary; the school had developed robust relationships with parents and relevant agencies in order to remove barriers and support pupils’ access to school.
• The staff of the school, and in particular the principal, were commended for the very high levels of care and dedication shown to the pupils; staff were highly successful in providing supportive learning experiences for pupils.

Recommendations

• In order to further support pupils’ engagement in literacy and numeracy lessons, teachers should plan and provide tasks that are differentiated to meet the range of needs within classes. The role of the support teacher within these lessons should be further refined.

The full Inspectorate Report, published in September 2023, is available below.