Dean Maguirc College

Overview

This Sustaining Improvement Inspection was significantly limited by industrial action, with only the principal cooperating 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 pupils.” The report notes that the ETI could not fully evaluate the impact of school improvement actions or safeguarding arrangements due to this non-cooperation.

Strengths

• Pupils “continue to achieve highly at both GCSE and post-16.”
• The school is “appropriately keeping under review its GCSE/Essential Skills examination entry policy” to ensure pupils achieve their full potential.
• Priority is given to reviewing assessment quality at Key Stage 3, with staff training focused on matching assessments to the “wide range of abilities and needs of the pupils.”
• Pupils spoke “highly of the school community” and the support received from teachers.
• Students reported positive experiences regarding “extra-curricular activities,” targeted mentoring for Year 12, and work experience for Year 11.

Areas to improve

• The report does not list specific areas for improvement but states the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking and impact of the identified actions” due to industrial action.
• Future inspection activity is required to properly assess the quality of education and safeguarding.

Safeguarding

The school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflects broadly the guidance from the Department of Education,” and pupils reported feeling safe, though the ETI could not fully evaluate these arrangements due to the industrial action.