BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS

A. i. School: Our Lady’s Girls’ Primary iii.Date of Inspection: W/B09/10/00
Belfast

ii.School Reference Number: 103-0326 iv. Nature of Inspection: Focused

B.

School Year / 1996/97 / 1997/98 / 1998/99 / 1999/00 / 2000/01
Year 1 Intake / 42 / 42 / 31 / 54 / 58
Enrolments
Primary / 410 / 383 / 342 / 331 / 333
Reception / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Nursery Class/Classes / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Special Unit / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

The enrolment for the current year is the figure on the day of notification of inspection.
For previous years it is the figure in the annual return to the Department of Education.

The calculations at C and D should be based on the total of the primary and reception enrolments only.

C.Average Attendance for the Previous School Year
(expressed as a percentage):92.5

Primary &NurserySpecial Reception Unit Unit

D. i.Number of Teachers
(including the principal and part-time teachers):16--
(Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)

ii.PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio):20.8 NI PTR: 19.9

iii.Average Class Size:23.7

iv.Class Size (Range):18-29

v.Ancillary Support:
Number of Hours Per Week: i.Clerical support:36.25

ii. Official Making A Good30

Start Support:
iii. Making A Good Start funding6

additional hours and other

classroom assistant support:

vi.Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs:-

vii.Number of children who are not of statutory school age:-

viii. Number of families in school:282

ix.Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:50+

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1.Introduction

1.1OurLady’s Girls’ Primary School is situated off the OldparkRoad in North Belfast. The area surrounding the school is a mixture of public and private housing; the majority of children attending the school come from this immediate area. The children represent a wide range of social backgrounds; a considerable number of children come from areas of social deprivation. Over fifty percent of the children are entitled to free school meals.

1.2The arrangements for the inspection of pastoral care included the completion of questionnaires by the parents as well as meetings with parents, governors and children. The vast majority of the spoken and written comments indicated that the parents and governors were very supportive of the work of the school. The most common issue raised was the limited programme of extra curricular activities; this issue is dealt with within the body of the report. A further comment indicated that some parents had not been informed adequately about the school’s procedures for pastoral care, including child protection; the inspection does not confirm this comment. Some minor issues raised, which were not relevant to the inspection, were discussed with the management of the school.

1.3The inspection focused on literacy, information and communication technology (ICT) and the school’s arrangements for pastoral care including child protection.

2.THE QUALITY OF THE PUPILS’ WORK

2.1There is a warm, hospitable ambience throughout the school. The children are very welcoming to visitors, willing to talk about their work and show what they can do. The classes are conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect; the teachers care deeply for the children and value all that they do.

2.2The behaviour of the children is of a very high standard; they co-operate well with their teachers and each other. During the inspection many examples of positive reinforcement were observed when the children were praised for their efforts in both the written and spoken word. The children’s good behaviour and effort are celebrated in the ‘Pupil of the Month’ award; the names of the winners and the wide variety of reasons for winning the award are displayed prominently in the school entrance hall. The children spoke favourably of working for and receiving these awards.

2.3The displays of the children’s work in the classrooms, entrance hall and corridors are a feature of the school. Great care is taken by the staff to make the displays interesting, bright and imaginative; the talents and achievements of all the children are appreciated through the richness of the displays; these displays also demonstrate the many links the school has with the community.

2.4The children have some opportunities to join in with extra curricular activities such as the school choir and Irish dancing; other activities are available to certain year groups. The school has identified the provision of a wider range of extra curricular activities as a priority and developments are taking place to widen the range provided.

2.5Parents are welcomed into the school for curricular evenings and school events; the principal reports that these events are well attended. The school makes very good attempts to involve the parents in the life and work of the school. A number of parents have trained with the ‘Better Reading Partnership’ to assist some children with reading; the principal reports that this initiative is very successful.

2.6The school’s programme for pastoral care including child protection is comprehensive; responsibilities and procedures are set out clearly and known by all the staff. The designated teacher and the members of the pastoral care team are proactive in obtaining relevant training in aspects of pastoral care and child protection. A range of clear and informative leaflets have been produced and distributed by the school to ensure that parents are aware of the school’s procedures for pastoral care and children protection; these leaflets also offer helpful advice on how parents may be involved in the education of their child. The school’s aim in pastoral care is to ensure that every child is valued, no matter what their background or ability; the principles behind this aim are reflected effectively in the classrooms and the promotion of the school ethos.

2.7The whole school planning for the areas under focus is thoughtful, well constructed and outlines appropriate progression and continuity; it provides a clear framework for the teachers but allows for appropriate individual interpretation in the classroom. The documents are developed after considerable discussion and input by the staff; they are up-dated as the work in progress is evaluated. The school has identified the further development of the use of (ICT) as a priority and is planning systematically to improve provision.

2.8The teachers’ individual planning is comprehensive and detailed; the expected learning outcomes and appropriate progression are outlined clearly. On a few occasions the written learning outcomes are too general and do not take appropriate account of the needs of individual children. Throughout the school the teachers plan effectively using themes and topics which are appropriate to the interests, age and ability of the children; these themes and topics are used to link skilfully together the areas of study and promote the children’s learning through a wide range of activities and teaching strategies.

2.9The teachers work closely as a team. There have been considerable changes in staffing during the recent past; the new members of staff are incorporated effectively into the school. The teaching observed during the inspection was never less than satisfactory and often excellent. Many examples of outstanding lessons were observed which engaged the children fully, promoted a high level of interest and participation and resulted in work of a high standard. The teachers are very aware of the wide range of abilities within the class; activities are often planned carefully to allow each child to participate fully and produce their best work. The teachers’ expectations of what the children can achieve are realistically high.

2.10The children respond very well to their teachers; the vast majority engage enthusiastically in class discussions and activities. They take pride in producing their best work and the standard of presentation throughout the school is exceptional. In class discussions and group activities the children co-operate well and are very supportive of the other children in the class.

2.11The stock of ICT equipment is being increased and a substantial programme of staff training in ICT has taken place. The library is being developed, appropriately, as a central point for the information network within the school. All of the children have access to ICT in the classrooms. In key stage 1 (KS1) the children make use of ICT to play games, as part of the programme for structured play; they also use word processing to present their work. The teachers ensure that the children’s experiences in these and other areas are recorded. In key stage2 (KS2) the children are being involved, progressively, in more sophisticated usage of ICT. The work at this level includes useful opportunities for data handling and presentation, the wider use of graphics, fonts and borders, and research from a good range of ICT information sources. Work on the monitoring and recording of the children’s developing ICT skills in data handling and word processing, is well advanced.

2.12Structured play contributes effectively to the children’s learning in many areas of the curriculum. The wide and varied range of practical activities available during these sessions support the children’s learning and is linked thoughtfully into current class topics and themes. The regular sessions of structured play are well organised, enjoyable and rich in language opportunities; there is quality interaction between the adults and the children, at times it is outstanding.

2.13The development of all aspects of literacy is a feature of the school; the attainment targets are integrated effectively and aspects of grammar are taught and developed through the interesting and wide ranging activities and discussions. Other areas of study are used effectively to promote literacy and allow the children to use their acquired skills in relevant situations. The displays, attractive libraries and reading areas promote an interesting and stimulating learning environment to promote literacy. The use of talking and listening to introduce topics or discuss novels is a feature of the school. The quality of questioning by the teachers is generally very high; the questions and discussions are probing, thought-provoking and challenging to the children. Talking and listening strategies are used effectively to help the children explain and understand what they are doing and what they have found out. The children are taught to read systematically in KS1; they learn a wide range of strategies for the deciphering of unfamiliar text and use these strategies with confidence and understanding. As they progress through the school the children are introduced to a wide range of texts, fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The children have good opportunities to read for pleasure, research and personal interest; they turn readily to books and other sources of information to use their reading skills. The children write in a wide range of formats and styles. Their writing is imaginative and well-constructed; they often have good opportunities to choose their own formats and methods of presentation. There is very good support in the form of word-banks, dictionaries and thesauri to help the children to write; they turn to and use readily these sources. The standards achieved by the children in literacy are commensurate with their ability and are often of a very high level.

2.14The principal has been in post for only a short time but she has made considerable progress in developing the areas of the curriculum under focus. She provides good leadership and has a clear vision for the school which is shared by the staff. The school’s targets and areas for development are set out clearly. She is ably supported by the vice- principal. The co-ordinators for the subjects under focus are enthusiastic and well-informed; they have produced considerable useful documentation and provide advice and support for the teachers.

2.15The curriculum and the achievements of the children are monitored through a wide range of strategies such as class visits by the principal, key stage leaders and co-ordinators as well as scrutiny of the children’s books. The outcomes of the monitoring and evaluation are shared with the staff at an individual and general level; priorities for action are identified effectively through this monitoring and evaluation.

2.16The school policy for special needs is clear and appropriate; the roles and responsibilities, of all of the teaching staff involved, are well defined. The children who are in need of additional support are identified through a combination of teacher observation and through more formal testing. On the basis of this identification of needs a small number of children in KS1 are involved in the Reading Recovery programme while others are working with adult tutors on the ‘Better Reading Partnership’; one receives support from the Core Skills Centre. A similar number of children in KS2, who have various learning needs, are helped through a range of support structures, which can include withdrawal, in-class support or participation in the ‘Better Reading Partnership’ scheme. Despite recent changes in staffing the work in this area continues to be developed; in the lessons visited the work was purposeful and productive.

2.17The teachers mark regularly and constructively the children’s work, in accordance with the school’s policy. The teachers’ comments are often highly effective in helping to build the self esteem of the children as well as identifying the strengths of the work and possible areas for improvement. Written reports are sent to parents each year and meetings are arranged to enable parents to discuss the progress of their children.

2.18The teachers have participated in a good range of school and centre-based in-service training (INSET) activities in recent years. These have been aligned appropriately to the topics identified for development in the school development plan. The staff have worked closely together in various team groupings to ensure that the benefits of such activities are shared and that they enhance the learning experiences of the children.

2.19The ancillary staff are part of the school team. The classroom assistants support effectively the class teachers and have undertaken further training to enhance their work. The school secretary has trained under the ‘Better Reading Partnership’ to support children with their reading. The caretaker is part of the school enhancement team and works with the teacher members to ensure a bright, attractive learning environment.

2.20The quality of education provided in this school in the areas under focus is very good. The needs of the children are being well met.

APPENDIX

Health and Safety

1.Tiles are missing from the floor in a year 4 classroom; the missing tiles make the floor uneven and hazardous.

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