EDUCATION NEWS:MORE THAN 25,000 second-level teachers will for the first time face inspection by the Department of Education without any advance notice, under plans outlined yesterday. The move by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is seen as part of a concerted attempt to boost school accountability and performance.

Traditionally, the department has seen itself as something of a cheerleader for the teaching profession; it has also been slow to challenge the powerful teacher second-level unions.

However, last year’s OECD report, which showed an alarming drop in standards among Irish 15- year-olds, has prompted a tougher approach by Mr Quinn and by the department’s chief inspector, Dr Harold Hislop.

At present, school inspections take place under carefully controlled conditions in which the school and the teacher are given ample advance notice. Under agreements made with the teacher unions, department inspectors are not allowed to criticise the work of individual teachers.

In the past, there has been criticism that the inspection reports are too bland – although inspectors have published some highly critical reports on a small minority of schools in the past two years.

Unannounced inspections are already conducted in primary schools. A report based on these unannounced inspections was published by the department last year, just before the OECD findings were released.

This found that learning outcomes in almost 15 per cent of English and maths primary classes were unsatisfactory. The inspectors also said teacher preparation in almost a quarter of these classes was not up to a proper standard.

At the time, the department described the findings as surprising and worrying.

The department will begin talks with the teacher unions shortly on the new inspection system that it intends to introduce later this year. It says the inspection process will run in parallel with the now established programme of unannounced inspections to evaluate teaching and learning in primary schools.

The 2009 OECD report, published last December, is internationally recognised as the most reliable guide to academic standards.

Almost 4,000 Irish students were assessed in 2009.

It reported a worrying decline in the performance of Irish 15-year-olds in reading and maths. The ranking of Irish teenagers slumped from fifth to 17th since 2000, the sharpest decline in any developed country. In maths, Ireland dropped from 16th to 25th, below the average.

Mr Quinn said yesterday the unannounced inspections “will provide us with authentic information about the everyday learning experience for students in schools and they will also create excellent opportunities for inspectors to advise teachers and principals on how to improve teaching and learning”.

These inspections were “a logical component of ongoing reforms to inspection processes for primary and post-primary schools”.

Mr Quinn also emphasised the role of inspections in assuring quality in the education system.