St Columban's Primary School

Overview

This Baseline Monitoring Inspection was significantly constrained by industrial action, as teachers and leadership refused to cooperate with the evaluation process. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was unable to assess the quality of education or the impact of improvement actions, stating it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided.” The school is designated a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice.”

Strengths

• Questionnaire responses from year 7 children indicated “appreciation of the support provided by the staff” and enjoyment of learning activities.
• Year 6 pupils spoke positively about their experiences, noting that “arrangements were made for everyone to get to know one another and to settle in.”
• Children reported feeling “part of their new school” and expressed pride in the eco-council’s creation of a sensory garden.
• Staff respondents agreed that they “work well together to plan for the children’s learning” and benefit from professional development opportunities.
• Parents’ responses were “largely positive,” with most indicating that the amalgamation is being “well-led and managed.”

Areas to improve

• The report states that “no other key findings can be reported” due to the non-participation of teachers and senior leadership.
• The school failed to demonstrate “if and how the actions taken have led to improvement for the learners.”

Safeguarding

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