Maghaberry Primary School

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was significantly constrained by industrial action, as teachers refused to cooperate with the inspection team. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was unable to evaluate the quality of learning and teaching or the school’s capacity for improvement. The report concludes that the ETI is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children.”

Strengths

• The senior leadership team cooperated with the inspection team regarding safeguarding responsibilities.
• The school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education.”
• Children report that they “feel safe in school” and are aware of procedures for raising safety or welfare concerns.

Areas to improve

• The school needs to “amend aspects of the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy to ensure that it reflects more fully the most recent guidance from the Department of Education.”
• The ETI was unable to evaluate a line of inquiry or the quality of learning and teaching due to the lack of teacher cooperation.

Safeguarding

The report states that while arrangements broadly reflect Department of Education guidance and children feel safe, the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding in the school” owing to the industrial action.