St Comgall's Primary School

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was conducted during industrial action involving ‘action short of strike’, meaning teachers did not co-operate with inspectors. Consequently, the ETI could not evaluate classroom teaching or selected lines of inquiry, and stated 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

• Year 6 pupils reported they ‘enjoy coming to school’ and ‘feel supported in their learning’.
• Children described having ‘many opportunities to develop leadership capabilities’ through roles such as playground peer mediators and Eco-councillors.
• Pupils agreed that the school’s reward system ‘motivates them and reinforces positive behaviours’.
• Leadership co-operated with the inspection team regarding safeguarding responsibilities.

Areas to improve

• The school needs to ‘continue updating the relevant policies to reflect accurately the DE guidance and the school‘s practice’.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements ‘reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education’ and that pupils ‘feel safe in school’, though the ETI was ‘unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements’ due to the industrial action.