Windmill Integrated Primary School

Overview

This report details a Sustaining Improvement Inspection conducted in March 2018, noting that the previous inspection in 2015 evaluated the school as “very good”. Due to industrial action involving “action short of strike” by staff, including the principal, the inspection was severely limited in scope. Consequently, the ETI states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children” and has designated the school as a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice”.

Strengths

• The report notes that “children contribute to the life and work of the school in a variety of ways including the School and Eco- Councils”.
• Year 6 pupils described the environment as “very caring and supportive” and reported that they “feel safe and secure in the school”.
• Children demonstrated an understanding of “what to do and who to talk to if they are concerned about their safety or well-being”.

Areas to improve

• The report states the inspection was “unable to focus on evaluating the extent to which the school is capable of demonstrating its capacity to effect improvement through self-evaluation and effective school planning”.
• The ETI was “unable to evaluate... the quality of learning and teaching within the classrooms” due to non-cooperation.
• The school is identified as a “high priority for future inspection with no further notice” to address the lack of assurance regarding educational quality.

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education”, but owing to the industrial action, the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding in the school”.