St Malachy's Primary School

Overview

This report details an inspection conducted in November 2017, complicated by industrial action where staff refused to cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education and safeguarding being provided.” While most educational aspects could not be evaluated, the report identifies significant deficiencies in safeguarding arrangements, which were later addressed following a follow-up visit in January 2018.

Strengths

• Year 6 children “spoke positively about their learning experiences” and reported that they “feel safe in school.”
• Children demonstrated awareness of procedures to follow if they had “concerns about their safety or well-being.”
• Following the initial inspection, the school received support from external agencies and revised arrangements to “reflect broadly the guidance issued by the Department of Education.”

Areas to improve

• The employing authority and governors must plan for the “sustainability of the school provision and school budget” to address current and future needs.
• The perimeter fence “varies in height and is too low in places,” posing a health and safety concern.

Safeguarding

The report states that, based on evidence available at the time of the November inspection, “the arrangements for safeguarding the children are unsatisfactory,” requiring urgent improvements to policies, training, and risk assessments, though a January 2018 follow-up confirmed these issues had been addressed.