St Nicholas' Primary School

Overview

This Sustaining Improvement Inspection was conducted in May 2017 following a previous evaluation of the school as “good”. Due to industrial action involving “non-co-operation with the Education and Training Inspectorate”, the inspection was limited to documentary evidence and pupil feedback. Consequently, the report concludes that the ETI is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children”.

Strengths

• The school development plan is “underpinned by action plans which are well-constructed” and features “systematic cycles for monitoring and evaluating the quality of learning and teaching”.
• Children with additional needs are “identified early” through “excellent communication with local pre-school providers” and “rigorous analysis of the school’s internal assessment data”.
• Most children make “good progress in their learning”, with “almost all of the children demonstrating significant progress” in literacy and numeracy following recently implemented support programmes.
• There is evidence of a “notable range of links and partnerships with others to support the children in their learning”.

Areas to improve

• The report states the ETI was “unable to evaluate” the quality of learning and teaching within the classroom or the effectiveness of coordinators due to staff non-cooperation.
• The ETI was “unable to evaluate fully, the outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding in the school”.

Safeguarding

The school provided evidence that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance issued by the relevant Departments”, and children reported they feel safe and know what to do if they have concerns, though the ETI could not fully evaluate the implementation of these arrangements.