St Malachy's Primary School

Overview

St Malachy’s Primary School and Nursery is described as a nurturing environment where the shared values of ‘Love, Care, Share’ are deeply embedded, creating a culture where all members feel safe, valued, and heard. The report highlights that the school leader has implemented “transformational improvements” to the physical and digital learning environments, resulting in a collaborative community where children are happy and achieve well.

Strengths

• The school’s core values underpin “respectful relationships” and a “nurturing, supportive learning environment,” with children describing the school as ‘one big family’.
• Planning in the nursery is of a “high quality,” being “exceptionally detailed and coherent” with clear progression in knowledge and skills.
• Staff effectively utilise the “unique skills and talents” of the community to broaden learning experiences, including sports, languages, and digital literacy.
• There is a “consistent approach to planning” across the primary school, with a recent focus on mental mathematics having a “positive impact” on children’s confidence.
• Strong, positive relationships with parents are supported by “effective communication” and high satisfaction with pastoral care.

Areas to improve

• Implement planned monitoring and evaluation of children’s work to identify and share effective practices.
• Develop progression in long- and medium-term planning, particularly regarding children’s thinking skills.
• Review the language in the behaviour management policy to better align with the school’s nurturing ethos.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance.”