Principal welcomes consistent inspection praise in all areas

Mr Anderson believes the school got the result it deserved from an ETI Inspection in February. In the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by the school was said to be very good.

“The school is meeting very effectively the educational and pastoral needs of the learners; and has demonstrated its capacity for sustained self-improvement,” the inspection found.

The Principal thanked his staff for their “high expectations and standards”, pupils for their “engagement to their own learning” and especially thanked the school’s parents for their support.

The inspection of the school, of which the building celebrates its 50th anniversary next year but has a Lisburn heritage going back to 1886, found that by the end of KS2, all of the children, including those who require additional support with aspects of their learning, make very good progress in English and Mathematics and achieve in line with their ability; almost half the children achieve above expectation.

The standards achieved by the children in English are said to be “very good”.

The report said: “The school extends and nurtures the children’s enjoyment of and interest in reading and has developed a comprehensive approach to the development of literacy skills ensuring measured progression for the children.”

The school leadership is described as “highly effective and focuses clearly on improving learning and teaching, raising standards and on the holistic pastoral care of the children”.

The report continued: “Leadership and management at all levels work in a collaborative and systematic manner to implement change through a well-paced approach.”

The inspection found there are very good learning opportunities in all aspects of the pre-school curriculum; especially the development of the children’s personal, social and emotional well-being.

The quality of the staff’s interactions is “highly skilled” and consistently very good with many “outstanding examples”. In discussions with the inspectors, children reported that they feel secure in school and know what to do if they have any concerns about their safety and well-being.

The quality of the provision for the children who require additional help with their learning is very good. The quality of the teaching was of a “high standard with three-quarters of lessons observed being very good to outstanding”.