Ballycastle Integrated Primary School

Overview

Ballycastle Integrated Primary School fosters a “nurturing and caring ethos” where children are described as “happy, pleasant and well mannered.” The school is currently at the “early stages of review” regarding its vision, with leadership beginning a “journey of change and improvement” to better support learning outcomes.

Strengths

• Children are “respectful and well-mannered” and “engage readily in their learning,” working effectively both independently and collaboratively.
• The school maintains “effective partnerships” with parents, local businesses, and other schools, including a well-established Shared Education programme.
• Children with special educational needs are “supported effectively with appropriate strategies” to help them progress.
• Initiatives promoting physical and emotional wellbeing, such as mindfulness and the ‘Daily Mile’, have impacted positively on children’s “self-awareness” and readiness to learn.
• Achievements are celebrated through weekly assemblies and “Wow Walls,” helping children feel “proud” and raising their aspirations.

Areas to improve

• Staff require professional learning to develop leadership roles and support the school’s development planning processes.
• Planning and teaching need further development to ensure “progression in learning and appropriate levels of challenge for all of the children.”
• Medium- and short-term planning requires more detail to include meaningful ICT and connected learning opportunities.

Safeguarding

The report states that “arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance.”