St John's Primary School Dernaflaw

Overview

The inspection was significantly constrained by industrial action, as teachers refused to cooperate with the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). Consequently, the ETI states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children.” The report notes that the school is a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice.”

Strengths

• Year 6 children spoke positively about opportunities for leadership roles, such as “digital leaders” and “eco-committee” members.
• Pupils expressed enjoyment of reading and motivation through the school’s reading programme.
• Children reported developing technology skills by researching and presenting work using “digital applications.”
• The school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education.”
• Children report that they “feel safe in the school” and know what to do if they have safety concerns.

Areas to improve

• The school needs to “review its child protection and safeguarding policy to reflect more fully the current guidance issued by the Department of Education.”

Safeguarding

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