Ballymoney Model Integrated Primary School

Overview

This report details a Sustaining Improvement Inspection conducted in May 2018, which was significantly limited because staff participated in industrial action and refused to cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was unable to evaluate the quality of learning, teaching, or the school’s capacity for self-improvement. A follow-up visit in September 2018 addressed safeguarding arrangements, though full evaluation remained restricted due to the ongoing industrial action.

Strengths

• During the follow-up visit, the school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements "reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education."
• Year 6 pupils reported that they "feel safe in school" and know who to contact regarding safety concerns.
• The previous inspection in 2015 had evaluated the school’s overall effectiveness as "good."

Areas to improve

• The ETI was unable to assure stakeholders of the quality of education or safeguarding due to the impact of "action short of strike."
• The school must address the health and safety issue where a mobile classroom has "no controlled access system."
• The school is designated as a "high priority for future inspection with no further notice."

Safeguarding

The report states that while the school later provided evidence that arrangements "reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education," the ETI was "unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding in the school" owing to the industrial action.