Bunscoil Cholmcille & Naíscoil Dhoire

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, with staff refusing to cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided.” The report notes that “no performance level [is] available” for outcomes, provision, or leadership, and the school is designated a “high priority for future inspection.”

Strengths

• Year 6 pupils reported “good relationships” with staff and peers and stated they “feel safe in school.”
• Children spoke positively about the “extra-curricular activities available to them.”
• Pupils indicated they “know what to do if they have any concerns about their safety or welfare.”
• Safeguarding arrangements were found to “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education.”

Areas to improve

• The school must “review aspects of the school’s policies for safeguarding and child protection, in line with the most recent DE guidance.”
• The employing authority and governors must “plan for, and manage, issues related to the sustainability of the school provision and school budget.”
• Accommodation remains “inadequate,” with outdoor toilets and uneven paving slabs constituting “safeguarding risk[s]” and “health and safety hazard[s].”

Safeguarding

The report states that while arrangements “reflect broadly” Department of Education guidance, a policy review is needed, and full evaluation was impossible due to the strike, though pupils reported feeling safe.