St Patrick's Primary School

Overview

The inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning teaching staff did not cooperate with inspectors. Consequently, the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) was “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided” and could not evaluate most aspects of the school’s performance.

Strengths

• A group of older pupils spoke “very positively about their enjoyment of learning” and the “supportive and friendly approach taken by the staff.”
• Children reported having opportunities to participate in a “wide range of extra-curricular activities, sports and trips.”
• Pupils stated they “feel safe and happy in the school” and are aware of procedures if they have safety concerns.
• Safeguarding arrangements were found to “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education.”

Areas to improve

• The report states the school “needs to continue to update its policies” for safeguarding in line with Department of Education guidance.
• Appendix A identifies that using a resource area as a classroom for Year 5 is “inappropriate” and highlights an “urgent need for alternative accommodation.”
• The ETI notes it was unable to evaluate curriculum quality, teaching effectiveness, or leadership due to the lack of cooperation.

Safeguarding

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