Inspection praises progress made at Crumlin College

The recent follow up report, made after a follow up inspection, highlighted a number of changes which had occurred and said the school was making 'good progress'.

Earlier this year the principal Dr Annabelle Scott stepped aside after a highly critical report in which the Education and Training Inspectorate found the performance of the College was 'unsatisfactory.'

It criticised a number of areas including unsatisfactory leadership and management and serious shortcomings in the quality of pastoral care.

As a result of the report Dr Scott stepped aside to undergo training outside the school for a period of time.

For the new report the inspectors went through an intensive scrutiny of the measures taken by the College, with the support of the North Eastern Education and Library Board, to sort out the issues.

The Board of Governors were also involved in drawing up an action plan which dealt with leadership, pastoral care and the integrated ethos of the College. It also dealt with teaching and learning methods and a review of a wide range of school policies and practices. The Inspection looked at the practical progress which has been made in implementing the action plan and found that good progress is being made. The new report highlighted the improvements in working relationships among the staff plus their commitment to improvement and their raised morale.

The chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr Stanley Smith, said the real credit for the positive inspection report went to the Acting Principal, his staff and the Governors.

"They have worked extremely hard over the past months to take the school forward and it was very good to see their efforts reflected in the very positive comments in the Inspection Report about the contribution they are making to the school and in particular to the welfare of its pupils" he said.

"All of those involved with the school realise that we are only at the start of the improvement process and that all concerned must continue with their efforts. However, the report does indicate we are on the right lines and are making good progress. This is reassuring not only to the school community but also to the wider Crumlin community who entrust the welfare of their children to us.

Mr Smith continued: "This is very good news indeed. The Board of Governors in conjunction with the Acting Principal Dennis Harvey have been working hard to tackle the range of issues facing the school. The report is reassuring in that it shows we are proceeding very much on the right lines and that improvements are being made. The really important thing is that these steps are of real practical benefit to our pupils and to what they can achieve at the College."

In the report reference was made to the to positive steps taken to raise the profile of integration throughout the school and to the support for the well-being of the pupils.

It commends the increased use of data to facilitate learning and, using mathematics as an example, refers to the more positive attitude and greater engagement of pupils in the learning process.