Lismore College

Overview

The report states that due to industrial action by teaching unions, the ETI was “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education provided for the pupils.” Consequently, the inspection could not fully evaluate the impact of school improvement actions or safeguarding arrangements. The school was previously evaluated as demonstrating the capacity to identify and bring about improvement.

Strengths

• Post-16 attainment has risen significantly, with the proportion of pupils achieving three or more A-levels at grades A* to C now “well above the NI average for similar schools.”
• The school has prioritised “capacity building and professional development of middle leaders,” with data analysis focused on pupil progress and attainment.
• Key policies, including Leadership for Learning and Behaviour for Learning, were developed through consultation and underpin a new school development plan.
• Careers education provision has been reviewed and improved, featuring a “specifically tailored CEIAG programme for each year group” and industrial placements for post-16 pupils.
• Pupils expressed enjoyment of school life, valuing support for their well-being and opportunities to develop “interpersonal and leadership skills.”

Areas to improve

• The report does not list specific areas for improvement, as the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking and impact of the identified actions” due to the industrial action.

Safeguarding

The report notes that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education” and that pupils feel safe, though the ETI was unable to fully evaluate their outworking due to the strike action.