St Mary's Aughlisnafin

Overview

The May 2018 inspection was significantly limited because staff participated in industrial action and refused to cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) could not evaluate the quality of education, teaching, or the school’s capacity for self-improvement. A follow-up visit in September 2018 allowed for a partial review of safeguarding arrangements, though full evaluation remained impossible due to ongoing non-cooperation.

Strengths

• The previous 2015 inspection had evaluated the school’s overall effectiveness as “good”.
• During the September 2018 follow-up, the school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education”.

Areas to improve

• The school must “develop a Relationships and Sexuality Education policy in consultation with staff and parents”.
• It needs to “continue to implement the appropriate planned review of policies and procedures to reflect current guidance and best practice”.
• The ETI remains unable to assure stakeholders of the quality of education and safeguarding due to the impact of industrial action.

Safeguarding

The initial inspection found no evidence that safeguarding arrangements reflected Department guidance, but a September 2018 follow-up confirmed they “reflect broadly” the required guidance, although the ETI could not fully evaluate their implementation.