St Columban's Primary School

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, with staff refusing to co-operate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was “unable to assure... of the quality of education” and could not evaluate outcomes, provision, or leadership. The school is designated a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice.”

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education.”
• A group of Year 6 pupils spoke “enthusiastically about their learning experiences.”
• Pupils reported that they “feel safe in the school” and are “aware of what to do if they have any concerns.”

Areas to improve

• The ETI was unable to evaluate the quality of education, so no specific improvements were identified in the main report.
• The school must “carry out a risk assessment on the secure access to the suite of mobile classrooms.”
• The employing authority and governors must “plan for, and manage, issues related to the sustainability of the school” regarding provision and budget.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements broadly reflect Department of Education guidance and that pupils feel safe, but the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements” due to the industrial action.