Ballydown Primary School

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was significantly limited because staff participated in industrial action and refused to cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the ETI could not fully evaluate the quality of education or assure stakeholders of the school’s current standards. The report notes that the school is now a high priority for future inspection with no further notice.

Strengths

• Year 6 pupils spoke with "enthusiasm and pride" about their school, describing themselves as "inquisitive" and "articulate".
• Children appreciate a "wide range of learning experiences," including educational trips, music lessons, and ICT activities.
• Pupils take on roles of responsibility eagerly, particularly enjoying "reading to the younger children".
• The School Council has made a "positive impact on the school environment," such as acquiring ‘buddy huts’ and fundraising for sports equipment.
• The new principal is taking a "systematic approach to reviewing and updating policies" in line with Department of Education guidance.

Areas to improve

• The ETI was unable to evaluate the "quality of learning and teaching within the classrooms" due to staff non-cooperation.
• The inspection could not assess the school’s capacity for improvement through "self-evaluation and effective school planning".
• The ETI was unable to fully evaluate the "outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding" in the school.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements "reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education" and that pupils feel safe, though the ETI could not fully evaluate the outworking of these arrangements due to industrial action.