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Standards and Quality in Secondary Schools 1995-1999: Mathematics

5. RESOURCES

Provision of accommodation and facilities

Accommodation and facilities had more strengths than weaknesses in 50% of departments and were very good in a further 30%. Weaknesses in accommodation and facilities included absence of a suitable staff base; inadequate storage arrangements; and too few classrooms dedicated to mathematics so that teachers too frequently had to teach outwith the department. In some departments, where accommodation was dispersed, it could be difficult to ensure all classes had suitable access to resources, particularly computing equipment.

Provision of resources

Provision of resources was very good in 20% of departments. There were more strengths than weaknesses in 65% of departments and some important weaknesses in 15%. Areas of weakness included:

• lack of computing equipment or out-of-date equipment;
• limited departmental stocks of scientific and graphic calculators; and
• insufficient textbooks to allow each pupil to have a copy.

Many departments used teaching materials which they themselves had prepared. Where these were well designed and used selectively in conjunction with up-to-date commercial resources, pupils benefited from the variety of learning materials. However, school-produced materials were sometimes unattractive and failed to motivate pupils.

Organisation and use of resources and space

Ten per cent of departments made very good use of resources and space and 70% showed more strengths than weaknesses. However, 20% had important weaknesses such as:

• failure to make full use of existing departmental equipment, particularly graphic calculators, computers and OHPs;
• poor use of display space; and
• inflexibility in seating arrangements in classrooms.

Effectiveness and deployment of staff

In most departments, staff worked well as a team and the allocation of teachers to classes struck a good balance between capitalising on strengths and the need to broaden the range of staff expertise. Generally, assistant principal teachers had appropriate remits and collaborated well with their principal teacher. In 65% of schools, mathematics departments had more strengths than weaknesses or were very good in these respects. Examples of weaknesses, which often stemmed from poor departmental management, included:

• a lack of teamwork among the staff;
• inappropriate or out-of-date remits for assistant principal teachers; and
• a need for better liaison with learning support teachers.

Staff development and review

This aspect was generally weak. There were more strengths than weaknesses in only 45% of departments and very good practice in only one department. Of the remainder, 10% were unsatisfactory. Professional review of some staff had taken place in only 30% of departments inspected and in fewer than 10% of departments had a full staff review been completed.

Good aspects of staff development included:

• efficient use of planned activity time to overtake items in the departmental development plan;
• effective discussion at departmental meetings, extension of expertise through formation of working teams, inviting external experts to provide input to meet specific needs, e.g. on use of graphics calculators; and
• good levels of staff participation in external courses, particularly those run by the education authority.

Overall, the provision of accommodation, resources and staffing generally had more strengths than weaknesses or was very good. The key weaknesses are shown in Box 13.

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