HM Inspectorate of Education. Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools: Business Education A report by HM Inspectorate of Education

Transcription

1 HM Inspectorate of Education Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools: Business Education A report by HM Inspectorate of Education

2 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools: Business Education A report by HM Inspectorate of Education

3 FOREWORD This report is the tenth in a series of Standards and Quality reports dealing with individual subjects in the secondary school. It makes evaluations based on the published performance indicators used by HMI in all school inspections. This series should be read in conjunction with the more general survey of Standards and Quality in Scottish Primary and Secondary Schools, the latest edition of which covers the period Standards and Quality reports on secondary subjects, in addition to providing a national evaluation of the quality of work in individual subjects, can be used by departments to benchmark their own performance and review their practice. These reports also allow good practice noted during subject inspections to be shared with other departments. This report shows that there are a number of strengths in learning and teaching in business education. Almost all departments are well led. Teachers show high levels of commitment to their pupils with whom they have good relationships. Standard Grade and Higher Grade courses, and those leading to National Qualification (NQ) units are well designed. Teaching from S3 to S6 is generally of a good quality with teachers setting high expectations of behaviour, effort and achievement. In S3 to S6, arrangements for assessing and reporting pupils progress are very good. However, a number of major areas for improvement are also identified. Teachers need to improve the quality of S1/S2 courses and take more account of pupils primary school experience, to ensure that pupils make appropriate progress. More effective arrangements for assessment and recording are needed in S1/S2. The pace of work in S1/S2 needs to be increased, with teachers setting more demanding standards. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on the quality and quantity of homework in courses leading to external certification. Development planning needs to be more rigorous. This report will be of interest to a broad range of readers, including educational decision-makers at national level, education authority directorates, and senior promoted staff in schools, school boards and parents. Above all, it should help teachers of business education as they seek to improve the quality of the educational experiences and attainment of their pupils. Graham Donaldson HM Senior Chief Inspector November Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

4 CONTENTS FOREWORD 2 Page INTRODUCTION 4 SUMMARY: Key strengths and areas for improvement 6 1. THE CURRICULUM 7 2. STANDARDS OF ATTAINMENT QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING ETHOS RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE 25 Business Education 3

5 INTRODUCTION This report is based on inspections of 38 business education departments in secondary schools inspected during the period In all cases, the departmental inspection was part of a school inspection leading to a published report. The report starts with a summary of the key strengths and areas for improvement in the teaching of business education subjects in secondary schools. The sections that follow consider standards and quality in courses, pupil attainment, learning and teaching, resources, ethos and management in business education departments. The report follows on from: Effective Learning and teaching in Scottish Secondary Schools: Business Education (HMI 1997); Achievement for All (HMI 1996); and Achieving Success in S1/S2 (HMI 1997). In assessing standards and quality, HMI use published criteria in the form of performance indicators, which support our traditional analyses, based on collective professional expertise. The indicators relate judgements to four levels of performance. very good good fair unsatisfactory major strengths more strengths than weaknesses some important weaknesses major weaknesses 4 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

6 The use in this report of proportions and percentages are the same as those in Standards and Quality in Scottish Primary and Secondary Schools The following wordscale is used to assist the reader s understanding and to ensure consistency: almost all over 90% most 75-90% the majority 50-74% less than half 15-49% few up to 15% Business Education 5

7 SUMMARY KEY STRENGTHS AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT The key strengths of business education in secondary schools included: well planned Standard Grade and Higher Grade courses, frequently complemented by a wide range of National Units; good and very good teaching in most departments from S3 to S6 with teachers setting high expectations of behaviour, effort and achievement; very good arrangements for assessing and reporting pupils progress in S3 to S6 certificate courses; very good relationships between staff and pupils in most schools; effective leadership in almost all departments; committed teachers who worked well in teams; and good organisation and use of resources and space in almost all departments. The areas for improvement identified in secondary schools were: better planning of S1/S2 courses, drawing on national guidance, to build on pupils prior attainment; increased pace of work and the setting of more demanding standards in information communications technology (ICT) classes; more effective assessment and recording arrangements in S1 and S2; increased emphasis on the quality and quantity of homework issued to pupils from S3 to S6; more effective use of learning support staff to work alongside classroom teachers to support pupils; and more systematic self-evaluation by departments, and better development planning leading to more appropriate and achievable targets. 6 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

8 1. THE CURRICULUM Courses During the period covered in this report there had been a number of changes in the range of courses offered within business education departments at Standard Grade, Higher Grade, and Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS). Standard Grade office and information studies was phased out in 2001 and replaced with administration in the same year. Standard Grade business management was introduced as a new subject in Higher Grade management and information studies was replaced with business management in 1999 and secretarial studies was replaced with administration in Standard Grades, Highers and Advanced Highers (AH) in accounting and finance and economics were revised. Advanced Highers were introduced in administration and business management to sit alongside those for economics and accounting and finance. In S1/S2, most departments offered or contributed to a course in ICT. These usually built upon work begun in primary schools through the implementation of National Guidelines for Environmental Studies 5 14 and Information and Communications Technology In general, the effective rate of implementation of the national guidelines had been slow although there were signs of improvement in schools inspected in session Some departments offered taster courses comprising elements of the various Standard Grade courses in business education. However, these courses generally lacked coherence and were of limited value or interest to many of the pupils undertaking them. In S3/S4, pupils could choose to follow Standard Grade courses in one or more of office and information studies (administration), economics, business management and accounting and finance. Most of the pupils who chose to study a business education subject opted for office and information studies prior to the introduction of administration in Numbers of pupils choosing to study business management have increased significantly year on year since its introduction in Less than 25% of the departments inspected taught accounting and finance, whilst the number offering economics was considerably lower. Most large departments taught pupils in mixed-ability classes in S3 and then placed them in Foundation/General or General/Credit groups in S4. In smaller departments, pupils were taught in mixed-ability classes in both S3 and S4. Business Education 7

9 The curriculum in S5/S6 included courses leading to SQA Highers in administration (secretarial studies), economics, business management (management and information studies) and accounting and finance. Departments also offered courses based on National Units at Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 in all four subjects for pupils who were unlikely to achieve Higher Grade in S5, or who did not wish to be presented for the external examinations. Quality of courses In S1/S2, 10% of courses were very good, 45% were good and 45% showed important weaknesses or were unsatisfactory. In almost half of the schools, the limited time allocation meant that the courses often lacked balance, breadth and depth. In a significant minority of the departments, the courses offered generally consisted of a series of unrelated units which provided little progression and coherence. The main areas in which S1/S2 courses could be improved are shown in Box 1. 1: The main areas for improvement in S1/S2 courses were: taking better account of pupils experiences of ICT in the primary school and in other subjects in secondary; ensuring the courses are coherent and intrinsically valuable to pupils; matching the course to 5-14 guidelines for ICT; and designing appropriate and relevant procedures for assessing and recording pupils progress and attainment. In S3/S4, 21% of the courses were very good, 74% were good and 5% showed important weaknesses. No courses were found to be unsatisfactory. In , a number of departments had successfully introduced new NQs at Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 level. One department offered Access 3 level in business management whilst another offered mixed provision in Access 3/Intermediate 1 in administration. Features of very good courses in S3/S4 are shown in Box 2. 8 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

10 2: Very good courses at S3/S4 included: well-defined course and unit plans linked to appropriate assessment and recording procedures; clear learning objectives, shared with pupils, to focus learning and teaching; well-planned opportunities for pupils to practise and develop skills in the selection and application of software to suit particular tasks; well-designed handouts to help pupils revise coursework and prepare for external examinations; well-planned, appropriate and challenging homework; and examples of pupil work that demonstrated clearly the standards that the teachers expected. In S5/S6, 39% of the courses were very good, 53% were good and 8% showed important weaknesses. Almost all Higher courses were carefully planned for examination purposes, as were National Units and National Courses at Intermediate 1 and 2 levels. Very few schools presented for the various business education CSYS courses and few had more than two or three pupils. As a result, very few of these courses had been allocated dedicated teaching time, and almost all pupils made progress through independent work with tutorial support from teachers, or on a distance learning programme in conjunction with a further education college. Details of CSYS subjects and numbers of pupils undertaking them are shown in Box 3. Business Education 9

11 3: Numbers of pupils undertaking CSYS or Advanced Higher courses Accounting and Economics Management and Business Finance Information Studies Management Almost all departments relied heavily on nationally prepared curriculum support materials, supplementary materials from the Business Education Network or those produced by local consortium support groups for courses from S3 to S6. In the best departments, these materials had been adapted or modified to reflect local needs and to relate directly to the interests and aptitudes of pupils. 10 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

12 2. STANDARDS OF ATTAINMENT HM Inspectors made three judgements about pupils attainments: the quality of classwork; performance in relation to national examinations; and the overall quality of attainment, taking into account classwork, attainment in relation to national targets and examinations, the quality of pupils learning; and how well their needs were being met. In the period of the inspection survey, HMI did not make specific evaluations using performance indicators at S1/S2 in relation to national targets, but took progress towards national attainment levels into account in evaluating the overall quality of attainment as described above. Standards of attainment in S1/S2 Standards of attainment in coursework at S1/S2 were very good in 3% of departments, good in 86%, and had important weaknesses in 10%. Taking into account national 5-14 attainment levels, and other factors related to meeting pupils needs in learning, the overall standard of pupils attainment at S1/S2 was judged to be good or very good in 62% of departments. Elsewhere there were important weaknesses. In general, poor course planning meant that pupils had major gaps in their knowledge, understanding and skills. Areas for improved attainment are set out in Box 4. 4: Main areas identified for improving pupils attainment in S1/S2 were: better planning of S1/S2 courses, drawing on national guidance, to build on pupils prior learning; increased pace of work and greater challenge in tasks set; and improved approaches to assessing and recording pupil achievement, and an increase in direct teaching. Business Education 11

13 Standards of attainment in S3/S4 The quality of coursework was good or very good in 95% of departments, and had important weaknesses in 5%. National performance of pupils in Standard Grade business education examinations between 1996 and 2001 is shown in Box 5. Over this period, on average around 5000 pupils were presented annually for Standard Grade accounting and finance examinations, comprising around 8% of the S4 cohort. The equivalent figures were around 1300 (2%) for economics and 15,000 (25%) for office and information studies. The average number of pupils presented for Standard Grade business management during the period was 2700 (4% of the cohort). Numbers being presented rose sharply from 875 candidates in 1999 to 4357 in Standard Grade administration had 8759 (14%) candidates in its first year of presentations in Over the six-year period, presentations for Standard Grade accounting and finance fell from 9% to 7% and in economics from 3% to 1% of the S4 cohort. The decrease in economics presentations can be viewed against the increase in presentations in business management from 1% to 7% over the period Presentations in office and information studies fell from 28% in 1996 to 26% in The small numbers for office and information studies in 2001 combined with presentation numbers for the new Standard Grade in administration in 2001 led to the percentage remaining constant at 25%. The overall quality of attainment at S3/S4, taking into account a range of factors, including comparison of examination performance with national averages and with the performance of pupils in their other subjects in the school, was very good in 11% of departments, had more strengths than weaknesses in 66% and showed important weaknesses in 24% (see Box 6). Pupils attained best when teachers planned lessons effectively and kept pupils fully occupied in carrying out purposeful and suitably challenging tasks. 12 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

14 5: Standard Grade Performance Award as a % age of presentation Office and Accounting Business Administration Economics Information and Finance Management Studies Grades Grades Grades : Where the overall quality of pupils attainment in S3/S4 had significant weaknesses, improvement could be made in the following areas. The quality, quantity and frequency of homework. Pupil retention of previously learned knowledge and understanding. Expecting pupils to explain orally the key ideas and skills covered in lessons. Ensuring expectations of pupils attainment were appropriately high. Ensuring that able pupils were sufficiently challenged. Pupil demonstration of knowledge, understanding and evaluation skills in extended written answers. Teachers showing pupils how to improve the quality of work prior to submitting it for marking. Better standards of pupils written work, which would serve as a useful record of work for assessment and revision purposes. Business Education 13

15 Standards of attainment in S5/S6 Standards of coursework at S5/S6 were very good in 17% of departments and good in 83%. The national performance of S5 and S6 pupils in Higher business education subjects are shown in Box 7. 7: S5/S6 Higher Performance Award as a % age of presentation Administration Secretarial Accounting Accounting Management Business Economics Studies and Finance and Finance and Information Management Studies Band A Band A-B Band A-C Compensatory Award No Award Overall, the number of presentations in business education subjects at Higher Grade has remained fairly constant since However, presentations in Economics have fallen by around 44% over the period whilst those in management and information studies and business management increased by around 62% (see Box 8). 8: Presentations in Higher Grade Subject Secretarial Studies 3,965 4,208 3,935 3,710 2,742 5 Administration ,955 SCE Accounting and Finance 2,989 3,034 2,754 2, HS Accounting and Finance ,100 2,701 Management and Information Studies 3,576 3,824 4,221 4, Business Management ,935 5,776 Economics 1,977 1,702 1,608 1,425 1,267 1,113 Total 12,507 12,768 12,518 12,277 12,493 12, Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

16 Performance in CSYS, Advanced Higher, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 is shown in Boxes 9, 10 and 11. 9: S5/S6 CSYS/AH Performance Award as a % age of presentation CSYS AH CSYS AH CSYS AH Accounting Accounting Management Business Economics Economics and Finance and Finance and Information Management Studies Band A Band A-B Band A-C Compensatory Award No Award : Performance in Intermediate 1 Award as a % age of presentation Accounting Administration Business Economics and Finance Management Band A Band B Band C No Award : Performance in Intermediate 2 Award as a % age of presentation Accounting Administration Business Economics and Finance Management Band A Band B Band C Compensatory Award No Award Business Education 15

17 In judging the overall quality of attainment in each department at S5/S6, HMI took into account the way in which pupils needs were met by the presentation policy of the school and the range of courses available at Higher, CSYS/AH and in National Units, as well as the quality of learning and performance in coursework. The overall quality of attainment in S5/S6 was judged to be good or very good in 81% of the departments, and to have important weaknesses in the other 19%. In those departments, a significant factor was the number of pupils attempting a Higher course without appropriate levels of prior attainment. The introduction of a wider range of NQs at Intermediate 1 and 2 levels was beginning to address this problem with pupils being directed into more appropriate avenues of study. Pupils who had encountered problems relating to the written papers at Standard Grade were able to undertake units which gave a greater prominence to practical activities in which they were more likely to succeed. Features of best performance in courses and main areas for improving pupils attainment in S5/S6 are set out in Boxes 12 and : Features of best performance in courses at S5/S6 were seen when: pupils were placed on courses at which they could expect to succeed and in which they were interested; staff had high expectations of pupils and pupils were fully involved; lesson began punctually with all pupils present; pupils could, and were expected to, justify and explain key ideas and concepts orally; pupils had well-developed essay skills including the justification of conclusions with relevant evidence; and staff showed pupils how to improve the work submitted for marking. 13: Main areas for improving pupils attainment in S5/S6 included: ensuring pupils had achieved an appropriate level of prior attainment before undertaking their course of study; increasing homework and practice in examination technique; sharing of outcomes of lessons with pupils; increasing pace of work in lessons; ensuring appropriate balance being set between taking dictated notes, reliance on handouts and free note taking; and too low standards being set by staff who tended to accept answers that were too brief or inaccurate. 16 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

18 3. QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING This section draws together HMI judgements about four major aspects of learning and teaching. Each is covered by a separate published performance indicator. The Quality of Pupils Learning: motivation and engagement; progress in learning; independent thought and activity; collaboration with other pupils. The Quality of Teaching: the variety of activities; presenting ideas; explaining; questioning; giving instructions; interacting with the class, groups and individual pupils. Meeting Pupils Needs: the appropriateness of tasks for pupils interests and abilities; pace of work; and the quality of support to develop strengths and to overcome difficulties. The Quality of Assessment as Part of Teaching: teachers responses to pupils work in class and through marking; identification of strengths, development needs and next steps; effective use of assessment information; appropriate use of 5-14 targets, SQA criteria or marking schemes. The quality of learning and teaching In the schools inspected, the quality of pupils learning from S1/S2 was very good in 3% of departments and was good in 83%. There were some important weaknesses in 14% of departments. The quality of pupils learning from S3/S4 was very good in 5% of departments and was good in 79%. There were some important weaknesses in 16% of departments. The quality of pupils learning from S5/S6 was very good in 11% of departments and was good in 78%. There were some important weaknesses in 11% of departments. From S1 to S6, the quality of teaching was very good in 16% of departments; showed more strengths than weaknesses in 83% and was fair in 1%. HMI saw better teaching in certificate courses than in S1/S2 school programmes. This was partly due to the better motivation of pupils but also to the improved planning of courses by teachers. Whilst work in most classes was purposeful, questioning by teachers was occasionally perfunctory or directed at only a few pupils. In the best lessons, teachers challenged pupils through well-organised activities that developed their knowledge and understanding and performance skills. Teaching in these sessions set appropriate and high expectations of the pupils. Business Education 17

19 In weaker lessons, although appropriate activities were undertaken, teaching approaches were often narrow, and learning objectives were unclear. There was insufficient guidance to extend pupils; the emphasis was too often on what pupils had to do rather than on how they could achieve it, and on activity rather than on learning. On occasion, lessons were ineffective because of a lack of time limits on the tasks set and because the work was unchallenging and repetitive. In departments where learning and teaching displayed significant weaknesses, there was not enough variety in the learning and teaching process. In particular, there was insufficient direct, whole-class and small-group teaching to explain key learning points, and to complement individualised IT-based learning. In some classes, teachers spoke for too long without pausing to ensure that pupils had understood key concepts. Pupils were too passive and spent most of the lesson copying notes. These lessons were not effective because teachers did not involve pupils in their learning. As a result, pupils found the lessons uninteresting and they switched off. Teachers did not challenge pupils enough by setting personal performance targets for individualised learning activities and by encouraging performance at the highest standards. Meeting pupils needs Teachers generally worked effectively with pupils of varying levels of ability. In S1/S2, pupils needs were very well met in only 3% of departments. In 59% there were more strengths than weaknesses in responding to the range of needs and there were important weaknesses in 38%. In S3 to S6, pupils needs were very well met in 13% of departments. In 68% there were more strengths than weaknesses in responding to the range of needs and there were important weaknesses in 18%. Teachers made better provision where courses led to certification. In these cases, classes were generally set by ability and learning outcomes were clearly defined by syllabuses and arrangements for external certification. A major weakness in S1/S2 was the excessive use by some staff of open and flexible learning materials to deliver IT-based courses. This prevented them from undertaking direct teaching of the whole class or small groups of pupils. Too often pupils in these classes were left struggling over simple problems which could have been resolved by teachers bringing pupils together for problem-solving sessions or exploring common difficulties. Often tasks were not well matched to pupils needs, the pace of learning was slow and teachers had low expectations of what pupils could achieve. Too many pupils in S1/S2 were undertaking school devised courses which consisted of taster units comprising elements of the different Standard Grade courses offered 18 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

20 within the department. These frequently lacked coherence and were of little relevance or interest to some pupils. Too often teachers paid insufficient attention to pupils prior learning in ICT and did not provide courses that would allow them to develop skills and knowledge in line with 5-14 attainment targets. Assessment as part of teaching Assessment as part of teaching was very good in 29% of departments and good in 68%. There were important weaknesses in 3% of departments inspected. Most of the weaknesses in assessment were found in school-designed courses, especially at S1/S2. Few teachers had demonstrated confidence in implementing advice about assessment and recording in line with national advice for pupils in S1/S2. This resulted in great variations in and between classes. Some assessments were not administered appropriately. Some teachers offered pupils too much assistance during formal assessments leading to an inaccurate picture of pupils knowledge, understanding and skills. From S3 to S6, teachers used key coursework assignments, formal tests and examinations to diagnose weaknesses and to give feedback to pupils to help them improve. Most teachers marked pupils work quickly and pupils were given good feedback on formal and informal assessments. In a few departments, teachers gave too little written feedback to pupils. The lack of written comments made it difficult for pupils to identify where they had gone wrong and how they could improve on their performance in their next piece of work. Assessment instruments were generally in line with SQA requirements and provided valid and reliable evidence of pupil performance and achievement. Almost all departments operated good internal moderation systems. However, a number of departments had difficulty in coping with the length of time required to complete the internal assessments for Intermediate level units. The use of National Assessment Bank (NAB) items varied according to how the courses were delivered and there was no one consistent approach as to whether assessments should take place throughout the units or at the end. Over the period of the report, better whole school planning and a more flexible approach by departments ensured that assessment hotspots which occurred towards the beginning of the period were greatly reduced. In a few departments, clearly defined marking schemes were not available and in some departments there were instances of over-assessment. Business Education 19

21 Reassessment arrangements varied widely between departments. Most departments undertook less reassessment in their second year of presenting pupils for new NQs. This was mostly due to staff becoming more familiar with the course content and the assessment demands. In a majority of departments, staff used some of their free time and pupil non-contact time, to conduct reassessment. Features of very good learning and teaching are set out in Box : Where the quality of learning and teaching was very good, teachers: were in the classroom prior to the arrival of pupils and started lessons promptly; planned lessons carefully and shared the learning outcomes with pupils; set high expectations of what pupils could achieve; used a variety of approaches including direct teaching of classes, groups and individuals; provided planned opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning; set interesting and challenging homework which consolidated and extended pupils understanding; ensured pupils had frequent opportunities to write at length; ensured a brisk pace of learning; made good use of pupils own experiences or of relevant contemporary issues; and identified and used opportunities to integrate assessments and to plan for next steps in pupils learning. 20 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

22 4. ETHOS Ethos was good or very good in over 90% of departments. In departments with more than one teacher there were almost always very good relationships and teamwork among teachers. Sole teachers in departments were almost all very enthusiastic about their subject. Most felt they were well supported by their senior managers. Most teachers gave freely of their time to help pupils who were experiencing difficulties in any of the subject areas. A feature of many departments was the number of pupils who were to be found working at breaks, lunch time or after school in the department either on tasks related to business education or using equipment to process work for other subject areas. In almost all departments, relationships between staff and pupils were good or very good. In the best departments, pupils responded well to teachers expectations of behaviour and effort, and were given clear encouragement to achieve to the best of their abilities. Almost all pupils showed enthusiasm for the range of activities they undertook when working on ICT-related activities. In some schools, staff had difficulty motivating some pupils in S1/S2 who did not regard the taster courses as important or relevant to their needs and aspirations. However, the best departments overcame these difficulties by ensuring that the topics covered and that the range of work undertaken was both interesting and challenging. Business Education 21

23 5. RESOURCES Provision of accommodation and facilities Accommodation and facilities for business education were very good in 21% of departments and good in a further 66%. There were important weaknesses in 14% of departments. These generally related to: insufficient space for pupils to work comfortably at their computer; chairs which could not be adjusted for height and which did not give appropriate back support; poor access and facilities for disabled pupils; poor sound-proofing, ventilation and temperature control; inappropriate and unimaginative room layout which inhibited the learning process; and staff being required to teach in different rooms where they had difficulty in accessing and transporting resources. In many departments, there were suitable work areas for teachers, which allowed them to prepare for classes and store their resources in an accessible manner. Many departments had open-plan areas for the delivery of IT courses and these were almost always bright, spacious and furnished to a high standard. Provision of resources Provision of resources was very good in 18% of departments. There were more strengths than weaknesses in 79% of departments and some important weaknesses in 3%. Almost all departments had very good provision of learning materials, including those developed by their own staff, as well as those produced by the Business Education Network or through partnership agreements at education authority level. Almost all departments had a sufficient number of computer systems but in a minority of cases a significant number of these were near the end of their useful working lives. In a minority of departments, there were inconsistencies in the version of particular software packages between rooms. This resulted in problems for pupils wishing to carry on working outwith their base room. A few departments had insufficient numbers of printers to cope with the quantity of pupil work. In a minority of departments there was good access to specialist technician support to maintain and monitor the computer systems and departmental networks. Audio-visual and ICT facilities in classrooms were 22 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

24 occasionally inadequate for whole class teaching. In a small number of departments, projectors linked to the teachers computer meant that lessons were made even more effective and pupils learning and understanding were enhanced. Organisation and use of resources and space In 61% of departments, resources and facilities were well used, and they were very well used in a further 39%. All departments organised resources well or very well so that teachers and pupils had easy access to them. Most made very good use of attractive and stimulating displays of pupils work to support learning and teaching. Effectiveness and deployment of staff In 97% of departments, staff were effective and committed to the subject. Weaknesses in deployment occurred when there were insufficient numbers of specialist staff to meet the needs of pupils and this resulted in split classes or the deployment of non-specialist staff. In a minority of departments, effective use was made of learning support staff to help design pupil materials and to work alongside pupils in the classroom. Staff development and review Arrangements for staff development and review were good or very good in 56% of departments. Forty-three percent of departments had important weaknesses. Opportunities for subject-specific staff development varied across the country in the earlier part of the inspection period. This was directly related to whether or not an education authority had an adviser or subject leader in place with specific responsibility for business education. This situation has improved in recent years as a consequence of sustained involvement in new curricular initiatives. In general however, most departments did not base their staff development needs clearly on a thorough audit of needs. Too often staff attended courses that they had identified as being desirable but which were not essential or relevant. Often the amount of time business education staff could allocate to in-school development activities was limited by their commitment to service the ICT development needs of other members of staff from outwith the department. Features of good staff development are listed in Box 15. Business Education 23

25 15: Good staff development featured: effective use of departmental meetings and planned activity time to meet development priorities; good contacts with other schools, local networks, Business Education Network, national bodies and associations to review and improve departmental practice; effective departmental and school support for probationer teachers; heads of departments ensuring that the staff development needs of all staff were identified and addressed, including needs arising from changes in the curriculum and work place practice; well-publicised information for staff on the external courses available; and attendance at in-service training courses to meet recognised development needs and effective arrangements for informing colleagues. 24 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

26 6. MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE Effectiveness of leadership In almost all of the schools inspected, responsibility for the subject lay with a principal teacher of business education. The leadership skills of the principal teachers seen were very good in 26% of cases; there were more strengths than weaknesses in 69% of cases; and important weaknesses in 6%. Characteristics of effective leadership are shown in Box : Effective leaders: had a vision of the future development of the department; displayed a high degree of professional competence in the subject area; demonstrated good teaching abilities; communicated clearly; set appropriate priorities and paced developments; monitored the overall quality of the work of their departments; were proactive and involved in local and national subject-related initiatives; created and maintained good relationships with colleagues, pupils and parents; provided support and guidance to their staff; had excellent organisational skills; and displayed good management skills. Self-evaluation The extent to which teachers systematically evaluated the quality of their work was very good in 11% of departments. In over one-third of departments there were important weaknesses. Where there were important weaknesses, staff did not use quality indicators effectively to investigate possible areas of concern, and subsequently to make changes to teaching methods, assessment requirements or course planning. Departments inspected towards the end of the period covered by this report showed a stronger commitment to self-evaluation, and most were using nationally published quality indicators. Whilst most departments considered and Business Education 25

27 discussed pupil achievement as part of their course monitoring and review procedures, they concentrated too frequently on achievement at the level of the individual pupils and did not review whole class or year cohort performance across the subject areas. Only a minority of departments reviewed achievement in ways which allowed rigorous comparison with previous years or which concentrated on individual elements within subjects. Lack of in-depth subject review meant that they did not always quickly identify specific gaps in pupil knowledge and understanding. Features of very good self-evaluation are set out in Box : Self-evaluation was very good when: examination and assessment results were analysed systematically to identify improvements in courses or teaching and to monitor individual pupil s progress from S1 to S6; heads of departments monitored the work of classes through observing lessons, looking at pupils work and discussing the outcomes with class teachers; departmental meetings were used to discuss key issues; all staff regularly and formally reviewed courses and sought the views of pupils to identify areas and aspects of the courses which were particularly good or required improvement; and staff made good use of nationally published quality indicators. Development planning No departments were noted as being very good at development planning whilst 59% of departments showed more strengths than weaknesses. There were important weaknesses in 41% of departments. Where departments demonstrated strengths in development planning, there was clear evidence that all staff had been fully involved in the planning process and they were fully committed to the priorities identified. Staff had carried out a thorough and comprehensive audit of existing provision and had reflected their findings in a well-organised plan which included a clear and easy to read summary of aims and action. Targets were clearly set out with clearly defined success criteria. All priorities in the plan had been clearly costed in terms of staff, time and resources required and there were procedures for monitoring progress towards achieving these. 26 Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools

28 Features of important weaknesses are set out in Box : Development planning tended to have important weaknesses when: no effective audit had taken place to identify gaps in provision; there was a lack of a clear focus on what the department wished to achieve; action plans were not effective in allowing the department to implement its priorities; targets within the plans, tasks and timescales lacked clear definition; success criteria tended to be very general and no clear guidance was given as to how they would measure successful implementation; resources, including staff, time and development needs, had not be properly costed; timescales were not clear and had not been set to ensure successful implementation of targets; and there was a lack of commitment by members of the department arising from insufficient involvement of them when drawing up the plan. Business Education 27

29 HM Inspectorate of Education Further copies of this report may be obtained from The Stationery Office Bookshop 71 Lothian Road Edinburgh EH3 9AZ Telephone: I SBN B /02