St Patrick's Primary School

Overview

The inspection was significantly limited by industrial action, with teachers refusing to cooperate with classroom observations. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) states it is “unable to assure... of the quality of education being provided” and assigns no performance levels for outcomes, provision, or leadership.

Strengths

• A small number of children observed “read fluently” and demonstrated “a good knowledge of all areas of numeracy.”
• Older pupils were “welcoming and friendly,” speaking positively about their participation in the School Council and Eco-council.
• Parents highlighted the “care and support provided by the staff” and the work of the principal.
• The senior leadership team articulates a “clear vision for the school,” and the board of governors is “highly supportive.”
• “Attractive displays of children’s work” are present throughout the school.

Areas to improve

• The “quality of action planning is variable,” with monitoring processes in many plans not “sufficiently rigorous” to measure progress accurately.
• Concerns regarding “vehicular traffic, parking and access to the site have remained unresolved.”
• Risk assessments for ongoing construction work must be kept “under review for the duration of this work.”

Safeguarding

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