Arvalee School and Resource Centre

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning teaching staff did not co-operate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children.” The evaluation relies solely on evidence made available by the principal and vice-principal, alongside pupil feedback.

Strengths

• The school has conducted a “strategic review” of leadership roles to prioritise “monitoring and evaluation of learning and teaching.”
• An “alternative curriculum” for pupils with challenging behaviour includes “enjoyable practical activities” and “purposeful life-skills sessions.”
• Internal data indicates improved “attendance, motivation and engagement” and a “reduction in the instances of challenging behaviours.”
• Pupils report enjoying activities such as Maths, Art, and PE, and value opportunities to develop “leadership capabilities” through school councils.
• Pupils state they feel “happy and safe in school” and know “who to go to if they have worries or concerns.”

Areas to improve

• The ETI was “unable to evaluate fully” the “lines of inquiry” and the “quality of learning and teaching within the classrooms.”
• The inspectorate could not fully assess the “outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding” due to staff non-co-operation.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education,” though full evaluation was prevented by industrial action.