Cape Town - Disrespectful learner behaviour, late coming, dirty classrooms and a downward trend in the pass percentage of the National Senior Certificate are some of the challenges facing West Bank High School in Wesbank.
These were some of the issues identified by the Schools Evaluation Authority (SEA) in its newly released reports for how well some schools in the Western Cape are performing.
The SEA independently evaluates Western Cape schools and develops reports which are published for parents and communities to know how well the schools in their areas are performing.
The evaluations, which was conducted on 2 and 3 March 2020, provide an independent and external examination of school practices and include recommendations on what should be improved.
The schools are assessed on:
- Learner Achievement: To evaluate the knowledge and skills learners have acquired, progress made by learners over a period and recognition of learners.
- Teaching and Learning: To evaluate the quality of teaching and learning.
- Behaviour and Safety: To evaluate the level at which the school creates a positive learning culture, good behaviour and a healthy, safe and secure environment for everyone.
- Leadership and Management: To evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school.
- Governance, Parents and Community: To evaluate the effectiveness of the governing body in fulfilling its key roles and responsibilities, including financial duties, and the effectiveness of the school in building good relationships with its stakeholders.
West Bank High
According to the SEA report, the schools were rated out of 4 according to the above criteria – 4 being Outstanding, 3 being Good, 2 being Requires Improvement and 1 being Inadequate.
West Bank High received 1 for Learner Achievement, 2 for Teaching and Learning, 1 for Behaviour and Safety, 1 for Leadership and Management, and 1 for Governance, Parents and Community.
The overall performance for the school was rated 1.
The report found that there is a downward trend in the pass percentage in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam over the past four years.
It decreased from 94% in 2016 to 65.3% in 2017, to 56.4% in 2018 and to 55.8% in 2019. The pass percentage in three subjects were all below 50% and four subjects had a pass percentage of 0%.
The percentage of Bachelors’ passes was described as “inadequate” as it was 4% in 2017, 15.4% in 2018 and 17.4% in 2019.
“All learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) band have chosen Mathematical Literacy, and their shortcomings in Language, especially vocabulary, hamper their understanding and progress in the said subject,” the report said.
It further mentioned that some classrooms at the school were dirty, with papers strewn on the floor, and that in many classrooms, the desks were not arranged in a conducive manner for teaching and learning.
“In most of the classes, the learners do not get the opportunity to participate in the teaching and learning processes. Many are disinterested, and only some of them asked and answered questions during lessons.
“The questioning of learners is not frequent and thought-provoking. There is little evidence of differentiation in teaching. Teaching activities and tasks are on the same level for all learners. In only a few classes, the pace of teaching was adjusted to match the learners’ understanding,” the report said.
"Some learners complete only a scant amount of work in their books and do not hand in tasks and assignments on time.
“Teaching and learning are negatively affected by the loss of teaching time. Between 10 and 15 minutes per period are lost due to learners and a few teachers coming late for class and wasting time by taking long to settle down. Five minutes per lesson equate to a few hours of lost teaching time per week,” the report said.
In the report, a teacher mentioned that she felt threatened by learners when she tried to implement school rules.
“Many learners do not adhere to the school rules and these transgressions continue without any repercussions. Although learners were not observed to be rude to teachers, they were disrespectful by not following instructions to remove items of clothing or accessories that are not allowed.
“Many learners feel unsafe despite the presence of two law enforcement officials and members of the ’Walking Bus’ project. Unauthorised persons previously entered the premises by jumping over the fence, but this has improved and hardly takes place despite parts of the fence being damaged,“ the report said.
Learner attendance is good, but the school was criticised for late coming as the “school does not have effective procedures in place to curb the late coming of learners”.
The recommendations that the SEA made were:
- The school management team (SMT) must conduct an in-depth analysis of the results to establish the reasons for the downward trend in the NSC and the WCED systemic tests. Special attention must be given to the seven subjects with a pass rate below 50%.
- The SMT must take the lead in developing an action plan to improve the results. The district office must monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and interventions regularly.
- The SMT urgently needs support and mentoring in understanding its roles and responsibilities. Well-defined job descriptions will assist in the management of the school.
- Teaching time must be protected. The academic performance of the school is negatively affected by teaching time lost due to the late coming of learners and teachers at the start of the school day and between classes.
- The toilets for the learners need urgent attention. Broken water taps and other minor repairs must be dealt with immediately.
- The governing body is willing to play a more prominent role but needs training in all aspects of governance.
- The Representative Council of Learners must be supported to become functional. Learners must also be involved in compiling the programme for extra- and co-curricular and cultural activities.
The full report can be found at: http://seawc.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/School-Evaluation-Report-Westbank-HS-21-January-2021.pdf
Cape Argus