School Self-Evaluation at Scoil Pól Kilfinane
Working Together to Improve Our School
At Scoil Pól Kilfinane, we are committed to continually developing and improving the educational experience of every student. School Self-Evaluation (SSE) is an important part of this work. It is a collaborative process through which we reflect on what we do well, identify areas for development, gather evidence and agree on actions that can make a meaningful difference to teaching, learning and student wellbeing.
SSE is about asking questions, listening to our school community, examining evidence and taking action. It gives our students, parents and guardians, staff and wider school community an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of Scoil Pól.
Our SSE Journey
Our SSE journey has evolved through consultation, collaboration and a strong focus on student voice and evidence-informed improvement. We have gathered feedback from students, parents and guardians and staff through surveys and focus groups, analysed the information collected and used these findings to identify priorities for school improvement.
Our current School Self-Evaluation work focuses on two key areas:
Teaching & Learning
We are developing a consistent approach to learning intentions across our school on a phased basis beginning with our First Year students. Our focus is on ensuring that students understand what they are learning and why, with learning intentions presented in clear, student-friendly language. This work is being supported through staff collaboration, resources and opportunities to share effective practice.
Attendance & Wellbeing
We recognise the strong link between attendance, engagement, learning and wellbeing. Our work in this area focuses on improving attendance, ensuring accurate and timely recording of attendance, raising awareness of the impact of missed school days and promoting a whole-school approach to attendance and pastoral care.
Our Current SSE Priorities
2026–2027: From Evidence to Action
Following consultation with our school community and analysis of the evidence gathered through our SSE process, we have identified a number of key actions for the current school year.
Teaching & Learning – Learning Intentions
Our focus is on developing a consistent and meaningful approach to learning intentions, beginning with our First Year classes.
We are working towards:
- Supporting teachers to begin lessons with one or two clear learning intentions.
- Ensuring learning intentions are communicated in student-friendly language.
- Helping students to understand what they are learning and why.
- Developing practical resources and guidance to support teachers.
- Sharing effective practice and building consistency across the school.
- Gathering student feedback to evaluate how effectively learning intentions support learning.
Our aim is to move beyond simply displaying learning intentions and ensure that students understand, engage with and can reflect on their learning.
Attendance & Wellbeing
Regular attendance is fundamental to student learning, progress, relationships and wellbeing. Our attendance focus aims to develop a whole-school culture where attendance is valued and supported.
Our actions include:
- Improving the accuracy and timeliness of attendance recording.
- Raising awareness of the impact of every missed school day.
- Strengthening the role of Pastoral Care in promoting positive attendance.
- Encouraging all staff to reinforce the importance of attendance.
- Supporting students to monitor and reflect on their own attendance using our updated student journals.
- Using attendance information and data to identify patterns and areas for support.
- Continuing to promote student wellbeing alongside positive attendance.
Through this work, we aim to ensure that students are present, engaged and supported to participate fully in school life. Our target is to increase the average student attendance from 83.5% to 90% by the end of this academic year.
Student Voice at the Heart of SSE
A key feature of our SSE journey has been student voice.
We believe that students should not simply be the recipients of school improvement — they should have a meaningful role in shaping it. Their experiences, views and feedback help us to understand what is working well and where positive change can be made.
Through surveys, focus groups, classroom feedback and student-led initiatives, we continue to create opportunities for our students to have their voices heard and see their feedback translated into action.
How We Measure Our Progress
SSE is a cycle of reflection, action and review.
As we implement our improvement actions, we will continue to gather evidence from a range of sources, including:
- Student voice and feedback
- Parent and guardian feedback
- Staff feedback
- Attendance data
- Learning and teaching observations
- Surveys and focus groups
- School records and other relevant data
- Feedback on the impact of our actions
We will use this evidence to evaluate what difference our actions are making and to identify our next steps.
Our SSE Cycle
Listen → Gather Evidence → Identify Priorities → Take Action → Review Impact → Plan Next Steps
In this way, SSE is not a once-off exercise. It is an ongoing process that supports a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and shared responsibility.
Senior Cycle Redevelopment (SCR)
Senior Cycle in Ireland is changing, and Scoil Pól is proud to be part of it. Under the national Senior Cycle Redevelopment, our current Leaving Certificate students are the first group to complete new Additional Assessment Components (AACs) in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Business. Each AAC is worth 40% of the final grade and gives students the chance to show their learning through investigation and practical work, not only in the June exams. The redevelopment is built around eight Key Competencies set out by the NCCA: thinking and solving problems, managing learning and self, being creative, cultivating wellbeing, communicating, participating in society, working with others, and literacies and numeracy. To help families stay involved, we send parents a monthly Senior Cycle Update with coursework tasks and deadlines for each subject, and a full calendar of Senior Cycle assessment dates for 2026/27 is available from the school.
Read Senior Cycle Key Competecies by clicking here
Senior Cycle Assessment Dates
Click here to view dates
