Tandragee Junior High School

Overview

Tandragee Junior High School is described as having a vision that “focuses appropriately on the holistic development of the pupils” and is underpinned by core values of “Care, Courtesy and Consideration”. The inspection highlights a “welcoming and inclusive ethos” where pupils are “respectful, considerate and supportive of one another”, though it notes inconsistency in teaching quality and the need for stronger self-evaluation processes.

Strengths

• Pupils are “welcoming and friendly” and actively live out the school’s core values by “supporting and helping one another”.
• There is “meaningful collaboration with the local primary schools and post-primary senior schools” which enhances the curriculum and supports transitions.
• The school is “developing well” the digital skills of both pupils and staff through a dedicated working group.
• Pupils in the Learning Support Centre are “developing well their personal and social skills” and engage enthusiastically in practical activities.
• Staff and pupils contribute to a positive environment, with pupils reporting they feel safe and value opportunities for physical exercise.

Areas to improve

• The school must “improve the consistency of the quality of planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning across all areas of the curriculum”.
• It needs to “develop effective processes for self-evaluation at all levels across the school” to better inform its improvement agenda.
• The school should monitor and evaluate standards attained by pupils at whole-school level, including using data to inform teaching.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance” and that almost all pupils feel safe and know who to contact with concerns.