9 SELECCIÓN E INGRESO DE PERSONAL

The participants in both the semi-structured and focus group interviews verified that there have been changes to certain school policies. These have resulted from the implementation of FEP and specifically an increase in class size. As SL1 explained:

We needed to make slight changes to school policies to accommodate these large class sizes. We now have an average of forty-eight students in grades nine and ten and forty is the average number in grades eleven and twelve. Certain school policies and practices are influenced by the number of students in the class or the number of students taking a certain subject. For example, changes were made to carefully monitor students’ movements during class time. We have had students who were present for one test and absent for another, on the same day. Students are taking advantage due to the large class sizes and because they do not have the same teacher for the whole day.

SL2 also had concerns:

We are apprehensive about the class size since we are expected to prepare grades ten and twelve students well to sit the School Certificate examination at the end of the year. The department and especially parents will be raising questions if generally the students’ examination results are poor. For this reason school policy changes are made to assessment and other relevant policies that are affected by class size. Our subject evaluations from HODs reveal that one of the reasons assessment deadlines are not met is because teachers have too many assessable pieces and that takes longer to mark. Therefore, for practical subjects, the assessment weighting is now sixty percent theory and forty percent practical. Subject departments are giving more theory compared to practical assessment, even in practical subjects.

Similarly, SL3 pointed out that change in school policies are aligned to practical assessment. The participant explained that, despite using the Outcome Based Curriculum (OBE), teachers are unable to progressively assess students as stated in the curriculum due to the large number of students and being given limited time. For these reasons, the participants in the semi-structured interviews said, policy changes are made to assessment and other school polices that are immediately affected by the number of students in each class. They noted that the increase in class size has challenged the requirements of varying the assessment types given to students. As T1 asserted:

As a department, we had to decide on assessment types and especially the kind of assessable pieces that would make marking quick and easy since most teachers in my department teach more than two classes in at least three different subjects. It may take longer to set multiple choice questions, but it becomes easy when marking over forty-five pieces, multiplied by two or three, depending on the number of classes teachers take.

T2 shared this view, stating that:

Because we need to cover all content topics before the end of the year, we do a lot more group assessment pieces because it is easier to mark when you have a large class size. We need to ensure that our marking criteria are precise to facilitate active involvement and participation by each group member so that students understand that they may not all receive the same mark even if they are in the same group.

In addition, T3 affirmed that the lack of sufficient resource materials, especially students’ text books, has forced them to stop teachers keeping class sets in the classroom. The lack of resource materials is identified here as a hindrance to effective large class management. T4 agreed that as for a practical subject teacher, the assessable pieces have become more theory and less practical oriented. This is not only because such pieces are easier to mark but also because it saves time when marking projects from a larger number of students. T5 added that they had to include sports programmes that would allow for more student participation during physical education (PE) lessons even though they lacked sufficient sporting equipment. According to T6, a change in her department policy includes teachers having to give homework worksheets once a week as a way of checking if students are keeping up with the content covered. In this way, she said, teachers in her department were able to check if students were learning.

In addition, classroom teachers are expected to effectively manage these large class sizes even though the classrooms are overcrowded. In discussing this point, T7 explained:

We have additional clauses to departmental policies to allow for more student teacher interaction. For example, our average class size is fifty and our classrooms are overcrowded. Having to check students’ work as well as homework need better organisational and classroom control skills. We have to apply firmer departmental rules to help in managing these large class sizes. The main thing is that we need to be consistent. Often it is difficult when you have more than five lessons to teach in one day to stick to these rules.

It appears then that changes to assessment types and procedures are the main focus of modification of school policies to accommodate the increase in class size. Teachers also justify the need to be able to cover all subject topics before students sit the School Certificate examination at the end of grade ten and grade twelve.

The school leaders are the first people to come under the spotlight when students, especially in grade twelve, do not win a place at a tertiary institution. In addition, it would take longer than was formerly the case if teachers were to mark students’ individual pieces since most teachers have more than three different classes to teach. For this reason more theory and group practical assessment are administered to allow effective management of class size, in relation to assessment.

5.2.1.2 Changes to School Practices

The implementation of the FEP in secondary schools has also affected certain school practices that were deemed to be either too flexible or as simply impracticable for large classes. To explore what changes are being made to school practices, the participants in the semi-structured interview were asked to describe how school practices have been influenced by FEP. The schools have seen changes to school practices in order to accommodate the increase in student numbers. SL 1 expressed her concern that:

As an all girls’ school, the safety and security of these students come first, therefore we made necessary changes to school practices that are related to their safety. For example, we need to transport a larger number of students home after school each day but we do not have the buses to transport them, all at the same time. Because we have to start moving students off campus earlier than usual, it does have an impact on how much they are able to learn within the time frame they are in school. Furthermore, eighty percent of our day students need to make bus connections to get home.

The number of students in school is identified here as a concern, especially when they travel to and from school daily. Changes in school practices in this case have affected the amount of class time these students have. Talking about other changes to school practices, SL2 said:

Change made to school practices also includes organising more school activities so students do not get into trouble because they are not participating. For example, instead of having all students play sports on one day, two afternoons are taken for sports. Because of insufficient sporting equipment and work tools, two sports’ houses play sports while the other two do work parade. We try to organise out of class activities in

a way that allows for more students’ participation. Even then, we still have a shortage of sporting equipment and working tools as there are so many students and the subsidy given by the government is not enough to cover resources and utilities that the school needs.

SL3 added:

The main change that we have made in school practices is that we added sanction clauses onto disciplinary guidelines. For example, students’ truancy and bringing mobile phones to school have become difficult to monitor. We are trying to maintain student discipline but still have problems with these issues. Because of the increase, we have many students who are struggling academically; they are disruptive; lack concentration and often do not complete work on time. These are students who skip classes because they cannot cope and as a result, with large class sizes, students take advantage when they are in a large group.

This study indicates that FEP does influence school practices that are directly affected by class size. However, participants in the focus group interview were not asked this question because school practices are initially administered by the principals and deputy principals.