ONE OF the State’s best-known schools – Summerhill College, Sligo – has been severely criticised in a report published by Department of Education inspectors yesterday.
The report says morale among some members of staff is very low while the relationship between the principal and many of the teaching staff has fractured.
In a very robust report, the inspectors also state that a “significant proportion of the teaching resources allocated to the college by the department for catering for students with special needs are not currently being fully utilised for their intended purpose”.
The school principal – who has resigned his post since department inspectors visited the school last September – is the focus of much criticism.
Inspectors conclude the principal did not enjoy the trust of all members of the school board of management. “There are very significant, ongoing difficulties in Summerhill College in this regard. The inspection team found that attention needs to focus on improving the level of effectiveness with which the functions attached to the role of principal are being discharged.”
Traditionally, Summerhill College has been regarded as one of the best schools in the west of Ireland, with a strong record of academic and sporting achievement. Its alumni include former taoiseach Albert Reynolds, former EU commissioner Ray MacSharry, the tenor John McCormack and three members of the pop band Westlife – Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan.
Over 700 boys are enrolled at the non-fee-paying school.
Inspectors report that those who met them in the school spoke of “a strong spirit of care and of commitment to one another and to the college as hallmarks of the characteristic spirit of the college”. However, the report continues “notwithstanding the goodwill of the college community, these values were not consistently evident in many of the college systems and in interpersonal relationships”.
The report says teachers who met with the inspectors believe the deployment of teachers to class groups, and in some instances to subject departments, was “influenced by reasons other than those of an educational nature”.
The report makes a number of other criticisms including “the continued failure of the principal to conduct a health and safety assessment even though a number of risks have been identified”.
The inspectors note how the board of the college and the patron have made strong efforts in the past to address issues regarding staff relations and staff morale. “But it is not clear that all parties were equally committed to the processes undertaken.”
In response, the school says a detailed action plan has been formulated and is being progressed.