Bushvalley Primary School

Overview

The inspection was significantly constrained by industrial action, as teaching staff refused 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 for the children.” The report concludes that the school is a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice.”

Strengths

• A group of Year 6 children spoke positively of the “wide range of enjoyable learning activities provided for them, both inside and outside the classroom.”
• Pupils reported a “caring and friendly ethos of the school.”
• Children noted their “active involvement in, and leadership of, aspects of school life.”
• 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 the school” and are aware of procedures for raising safety concerns.

Areas to improve

• The ETI was unable to evaluate outcomes for learners, quality of provision, or leadership and management due to the lack of cooperation.
• The report identifies a health and safety deficiency: “There is no reception/communication window provided between the office and entrance lobby as per the Department of Education’s building handbook regulations.”

Safeguarding

The report states that while 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.