School Self-Evaluation

School Self-Evaluation (SSE) was initiated by the Department of Education and Skills in 2012 as a ‘collaborative, reflective process of internal school review’ by which schools look at their work and select areas on which to concentrate improvement efforts. Gonzaga College SJ has engaged in SSE from its inception, and our past concentrations have included numeracy, literacy, wellbeing and assessment.

 

The current focus for SSE is on Students Reflecting on their Learning, which involves students completing monthly self-assessments in their Journals and teachers further integrating reflective learning in their planning, teaching and feedback. This concentration is especially appropriate given our ethos, and our emphasis on student reflection provides a solid foundation on which to build. We survey our progress regularly, drawing on responses from stakeholders and reporting to the Board of Management as part of our School Improvement Plan.

 

In addition, we are looking at three other areas as we reflect on our learning and teaching:

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• computer literacy and the standardisation of online work

• peer observation and collaboration among members of staff

• the inclusion of differentiated learning in our classrooms and planning materials

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Gonzaga is committed to the development of SSE as a useful tool to improve practice and provide our students with an authentic, meaningful learning experience.

 

I would like to thank parents for their support in this vital initiative and their continued interest in our work.

 

Lar Duffy

Co-ordinator, SSE/Learning and Teaching,