WHILE the school is deemed to be sufficiently staffed and the teachers suitably qualified, teaching at Port Royal Primary is nonetheless regarded as unsatisfactory by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI).

“The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory across the school, with too many lessons deemed as failing. There is a considerable lack of understanding among teachers about how students learn,” the inspectorate said in its report on the institution, which followed an assessment of the operations of the school where the student-teacher ratio, was, up to last year, 16:1 and the average daily attendance stood at 91 per cent.

“Teaching methods lack variety and attention to the differences in levels of ability among students. In some lessons, poor planning, unclear objectives and inaccurate teaching methods undermine student progress. Assessment is not used consistently to help students improve,” the report added.

But the inspectorate noted that “despite the limited opportunities provided for students to collaborate with each other and to develop problem-solving and inquiry skills”, they are “eager to learn”.

The inspectorate also praised the school leaders who it said have made “several significant improvements to student life outside the classroom”, but noted that they have made “little impact on students’ learning and attainment”.

“The principal (Owen Speid) has successfully implemented several changes which have helped to strengthen the school’s culture and ethos, including introduction of a new school uniform, graduation and prize-giving ceremonies, the development of the extra-curricular programme, and renovation of the building,” said the report, which was informed by the observation of 24 lessons and part lessons; 11 completed interviews with members of staff, the governing body and parents; one interview with a student; and 124 questionnaires — 67 of them by students, 50 by parents and seven by teachers.

Yet, it said that “although staff meetings include some discussions on teaching methodology, there is not a programme to develop a wider range of approaches to learning”.

“Therefore their leadership has little impact on increasing standards of attainment. There is a significant split in the leadership team, which has led to limited communication within the team, and a senior teacher who has no position of responsibility. This situation is awaiting a resolution from the ministry of education and the board. Therefore, some relationships between the leadership and staff do not support the effective running of the school,” the report noted.

Speid has rubbished this assertion.

“Right now, all staff members are on board, all members agree with policies that have been put in place and we are moving full speed ahead to do what we need to do,” he told Career & Education.

He also took issue with the NEI over its conclusion that the leadership of the school was somehow lacking.

“I have moved this school so far that I now think to some extent that I have outgrown this school, quite frankly,” said a defensive Speid, who assumed the principalship in 2007.

He added that the school’s literacy rate was below 50 per cent when he took it over but said it is now at 75 per cent. He also said that this year marked the first time in more than 30 years that they had a child passing for a school of the calibre of Wolmer’s Boys.

Meanwhile, the NEI said students’ performance in English and mathematics is satisfactory, with grade one students having performed at or slightly above the national average in the Grade One Inventory Test in recent years. However, the report described as unsatisfactory the progress made in both subjects since their starting point.

“Most grade one students can repeat words as a class, but are unable to identify words such as ‘car’ and ‘card’ independently. In all grades, a high proportion of students’ reading levels are significantly below grade level. Whilst many students understand the literal meaning of texts, their ability to analyse is limited,” the report said.

“Most students’ spelling is at an appropriate level. Penmanship and sentence construction are poor in most grades. Grade four students can write letters in standard formats, but have not yet developed their writing skills for other purposes, nor do they understand the features of good writing… Most students speak confidently, although with a limited vocabulary and most with poor sentence construction,” added the May 31, 2010 report.

There is a similar reality in mathematics.

“Most students can solve basic arithmetical problems at their grade level. Students’ understanding of underlying concepts is less secure, and even after many activities many grade one students have little understanding of one-half as a fraction of a whole,” the inspectorate said.

“Grade five students are able to give the probability for some events, but some cannot explain what it represents. Students have some practical skills, and most grade five students could measure acute angles accurately using a protractor. Throughout the school there is little application of mathematical knowledge to real situations. For example, some grade four students appeared puzzled and were not able to give examples when asked to identify right angles in the classroom,” the NEI added.

Meanwhile, overall mastery for the Grade One Inventory Test was at 45 per cent in 2007. In 2009, overall mastery for the Grade Four Literary Test was 58 per cent, with 12 students having done the exam.

In the 2009 sitting of the GSAT, which 12 students took, there was an average of 54 per cent passes for science, 57 per cent for mathematics, 58 per cent for social studies, 60 per cent for language arts and eight out of 12 for communication tasks.

The report also raised some red flags over security, noting that while the grounds were adequately maintained and the students and staff bathrooms were kept clean most of the time, “procedures to address safety and security are informal and lack rigour”.

“There are no formal safety, security or health policies. Neither are there any written emergency or crisis management plans. Fire and earthquake drills are conducted infrequently. Many students are not fully aware of the procedures for fire and earthquake drills,” it said.

“At break times, students are left unsupervised on the playground. A breach in the perimeter fence behind the building is a security risk for both staff and students. Some debris such as old furniture and unused boards are stored on the compound. This is a potential safety hazard for students,” the report added.

In responding to this, Speid said the school has, since last year, established a relationship with the Jamaica Defence Force and the Fire Brigade, formed a safety and security committee and formulated a safety and security plan.

Yet, based on the findings of the NEI, Port Royal Primary would seem to have a number of features to recommend it. These include provisions for students’ well-being, which are satisfactory.

“Students said that teachers are helpful and concerned about their welfare. The students are comfortable confiding in teachers or each other. Teachers are able to handle behavioural issues quickly and so disruptive behaviour is quite low,” the report said.

“Good attendance is encouraged. A record of late arrivals is kept and this is a deterrent to late coming of students. Thus, this system enhances punctuality. Dropouts from school and suspensions are minimal occurrences, with just one student suspended within the last two years.”

In addition, students’ personal and social development is good, as well as their civic understanding and spiritual awareness. Further, the inspectorate noted that students’ economic awareness is satisfactory while their environmental understanding is good.

The NEI has recommended that the school:

* develop a team approach to leadership, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and a focus on instructional leadership; and

* improve the quality of teaching to ensure that all lessons have their clear objectives that are shared with students, and used in ongoing assessment to ensure that students know what to do to improve.

The inspectorate has also suggested an improvement in the quality of teaching to “develop differentiation in all classes to provide challenges for the most able students and to support students with learning differences” and to foster “links between subjects, including the use of information and communication technology across the curriculum”.

The increased involvement of parents in their children’s learning is also recommended.

“The school sends written reports to parents twice a year. There are opportunities for parents to talk with teachers about their children’s learning, but few parents participate,” the report noted.

“There is a parent-teachers’ association with approximately six active members who willingly support the school with fund-raising as well as maintenance of property. However, most parents have little contact with the school and little involvement in their children’s learning,” it added.

Speid insists that the school is doing well, showing improvement with the passage of each year. That is helped, he suggested, by the action plan they produce each year. He also alluded to the development plan for 2007-2010 which served the school well and the other which started 2011 and will serve until 2015.

At the same time, he noted that he was only recently appraised by the board and the ministry of education, which saw him scoring 4.57 of five.

“The NEI needs to look at where schools are coming from and look at where they are now and give credit where credit is due; that is what the NEI needs to do,” he told Career & Education. “They need to look at the resources that the school has… and make recommendations to the ministry as well; to make recommendations to the schools alone is really rubbish.”

The principal added that he was proud of the progress of the past year. For the first time in the history of the school, a child got an average of over 90 per cent in an external exam while another received 100 per cent in communication tasks.

“At this school, before I came, they were playing dolly house… I am very humbled to have taken this school to where it is now,” Speid said.

Port Royal Primary’s strengths

* The good behaviour of most students and their positive attitude towards learning.

* The good relationships between students and teachers, and between students.

* The extra-curricular programme which includes sporting and cultural activities.

* Some after-school support and an Early Work Programme.

* New initiatives including sports day, updated uniforms, prize giving and graduation, which contribute to a positive ethos and pride in the school.