Sacred Heart College

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning only the principal co-operated with inspectors. Consequently, the ETI states it is “unable to assure the quality of education” and could not fully evaluate teaching, leadership, or pupil outcomes. The report relies on available data and limited discussions, noting that future inspections will reflect this uncertainty.

Strengths

• Parents and staff who responded highlighted “strong pastoral ethos” and positive views on leadership.
• Pupils were “supportive of the teachers” and appreciated “in-class support” and enrichment programmes, including STEM opportunities.
• The staying-on rate from Year 12 to Year 13 is more than five percentage points above the Northern Ireland average.
• The school has appropriately identified the need to review the curriculum and use assessment data more effectively.

Areas to improve

• Pupils’ attainment in public examinations “requires improvement at all levels,” with results for those entitled to free school meals declining steadily.
• The gender gap in GCSE attainment has widened, with girls outperforming boys by more than twenty percentage points.
• Action plans for improvement “lack measureable and time-bound targets,” and the school needs to review examination entry policies and health and safety risk assessments.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education,” and pupils reported that they “feel safe in school,” though the ETI could not fully evaluate the outworking of these arrangements.