THE results of the external reviews on four of the five Isle of Man secondary schools have been published, giving parents an insight into how well the schools are performing and where improvements can be made.

The reviews have all given encouraging views on how the schools function, how well the students are doing academically and also the relationship between teachers and students.

Four of the five schools have already published their reviews with the fifth - St Ninian’s - due at the end of July.

Once again, it was Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel which received the most positive comments, being commended as “a good school with outstanding features”.

High achievement in GCSE exams by students, top quality teaching methods, a positive attitude by students towards learning and good leadership throughout the staff, led by head teacher Sue Moore, were amongst the highlights of the review.

The report said, “There is good collaboration at all levels of leadership and, as a result, senior and middle leaders and governors understand the school’s strengths and the areas for improvement.

“Effective management systems ensure that there is collective accountability and responsibility for moving the school forward. The team agrees that the school knows itself well and has good capacity to further improve.”

The Ballakermeen High School review was also positive, showing that lessons were well planned and structured and the relationship between head teacher Adrienne Burnett, her staff and students was “very positive”.

It also highlighted good student behaviour, motivation and learning commitment. Students also said that they found the staff approachable and to “have a go” without fear of failure.

Improved results in GCSE were also noted, as was the working partnership between the school and parents which is a high priority at Ballakermeen.

The report concludes, “Ballakermeen High School is characterised by very positive relationships, teaching that is consistently good or better and a curriculum that is tailored to the needs of the students.”

The review of Castle Rushen High School accepted that the school had faced some difficulties in recent years after the previous head teacher departed from the school, but reported that there now appeared to be a “clear vision for the future.”

However, the review also said that the school had “considerable capacity for further development and improved student achievement.”

The achievements of students in examinations was described as “satisfactory” and students were said to have a positive attitude to learning.

Head teacher Andrew Cole was said to  have brought “a sense of vision and clarity of purpose” and that the school had a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and was putting plans in place to help raise standards.

The review concluded, “There is a strong determination to bring about school improvement. Much had been achieved in a short time.”

Ramsey Grammar School’s review showed that achievement levels by students were “good” and that standards at GCSE were well above UK national averages.

The review also said that the care, guidance and support for students was “outstanding” under head teacher David Trace. It also mentioned a positive attitude by students towards their learning and that the quality of teaching and learning was “satisfactory”.

In conclusion, Ramsey Grammar School received several positive comments but it was felt by the review team that “the school carefully reviews the success criteria within the SSRE framework against each aspect of provision and supports its judgements with demonstrable evidence; carefully evaluating the impact of the actions it is taking and how these are leading to improvement.

“It is recommended that closer attention should be given to the analysis of pupil performance data by gender, ability and vulnerability to check that all pupils are achieving as well as they should be in all subjects.”