St Francis' Primary School

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning teachers did not cooperate with classroom observations. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) states it is “unable to assure... of the quality of education being provided” and could not evaluate key areas such as literacy outcomes or teaching effectiveness.

Strengths

• Children were “friendly and welcoming” and spoke positively about extra-curricular activities and leadership roles.
• Leadership and staff “work highly effectively in the best interests of the children,” with governors offering “effective challenge and support.”
• The parent association is “very supportive,” having funded playground extensions and ICT resources.
• Middle leadership is developing, with coordinators becoming “increasingly more effective at robust self-evaluation.”

Areas to improve

• The school needs to “update the positive behaviour policy to reflect better the practice of the school.”
• Stakeholders must plan for the “sustainability of the school provision and school budget” to address current and future needs.

Safeguarding

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