St Dympna's Primary School

Overview

The inspection found that St Dympna’s Primary School has a “high level of capacity for sustained improvement in the interest of all the learners.” The report describes the school’s outcomes for learners, quality of provision, and leadership and management as “Outstanding.” Parents and staff reported high levels of satisfaction, noting a “safe, positive environment for learning” and “effective working relationships.”

Strengths

• Children attain “outstanding” standards, demonstrating “very positive attitudes to literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT).”
• The “very effective integration of literacy across the curriculum” is highlighted as a key strength, with clear progression from year 1 to year 7.
• Teaching was observed to be “good or better,” with almost two-thirds of lessons rated “very good and outstanding.”
• Leadership is described as “outstanding,” featuring a “collegial approach to school improvement” and a “child-centred vision.”
• The school is designated a “centre of excellence for the quality of its inclusion” by an external provider.

Areas to improve

• The report identifies a need to “review the secure access arrangements to the mobile classroom” in the health and safety appendix.

Safeguarding

The report states that arrangements for safeguarding children “reflect the guidance issued by the Department of Education” and that children “feel safe in the school” and are aware of what to do if they have concerns.