St Canice's Primary School and Nursery Unit

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was conducted in January 2020, but the evaluation was severely limited because teaching staff did not co-operate with the inspectorate due to industrial action. Consequently, the ETI was unable to assess the quality of learning and teaching or the school’s capacity for improvement, stating it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children.” The school is designated as a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice.”

Strengths

• Year 6 pupils spoke positively about their “enjoyment of school” and the opportunities to develop leadership skills through roles such as ‘Information and Communication Technology leaders’ and ‘playground friends’.
• Children reported appreciating their participation in art and animation lessons, noting that this led to some pupils “teaching children in another key stage”.
• Pupils highlighted the “inclusive opportunities” they have to participate in a range of sporting activities.
• Children feel safe in the school and are “secure in their knowledge about how to keep safe online”.

Areas to improve

• The report states the ETI was “unable to evaluate” the quality of learning and teaching or the school’s self-evaluation processes due to non-co-operation.
• The school has identified a number of “health and safety and, accommodation matters” which are being progressed by relevant stakeholders.

Safeguarding

The school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education,” and children report feeling safe, though the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements” due to the industrial action.