Donegall Road Primary School

Overview

Donegall Road Primary School is undergoing significant staffing changes while striving to establish a vision where ‘all children are valued, nurtured and celebrated in a safe environment’. The report highlights a committed staff and leadership team focused on building a culture of respect and engaging with the community, though it notes challenges in planning consistency and initial safeguarding compliance.

Strengths

• Staff and children are ‘committed to living out the value of respect’ and understand the revised school rules.
• The new leadership team places ‘great value and importance on engaging with staff, children, governors and parents’ to inform priorities.
• Children report that they ‘feel safe and know what to do if they have any concerns about their safety and wellbeing’.
• The school benefits from strong community links, including a breakfast club and partnerships supporting health and well-being.
• Staff are ‘dedicated to meeting the children’s needs’ through tailored strategies for those with additional learning requirements.

Areas to improve

• Review long- and medium-term planning to ensure all children make progress in line with their abilities.
• Review the length of the school day to maximise learning opportunities and adhere to statutory guidance.
• Establish and review pastoral care policies and risk assessments to fully embed a culture of keeping safe.

Safeguarding

Although initial arrangements ‘do not align sufficiently to the current statutory guidance’, a subsequent progress inspection confirmed that processes for recording, reporting, and risk assessment now ‘align to the current statutory guidance’.