Department of Education
Department of Higher and Further
Education, Training and Employment
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Education and Training Inspectorate
Report of a Follow-up Inspection
in
St Joseph’s Primary School
Glenmornan, Strabane
June 2000
Chair of Board of Governors
St Joseph’s Primary School
Glenmornan
82 Moorlough Road
Glenmornan
Strabane
Co Tyrone
BT820ERAugust 2000
Dear Reverend Fr J Doherty
FOLLOW-UP TO THE FOCUSED INSPECTION OF StJoseph’s primary School
The focused inspection in February1999 highlighted strengths in the friendly and positive relationships at all levels, the quality of teaching and learning, the effective leadership of the principal and the strong support of the staff, and identified the need for improvement in the following key areas:
- the need to establish a consistent approach to marking across the curriculum;
- the need to develop provision to support, more effectively, the children with learning difficulties, and to review the deployment of staff involved in this work;
- the need to make more effective use of the outcome of testing carried out in the school to help develop the process of monitoring and evaluation.
In the interval since the inspection, the following changes which affect the work of the school have taken place:
- the school has involved the Western Education and Library Board advisory service more fully, to support its curriculum development;
- members of staff have attended a range of appropriate INSET sessions;
- the classes have been re-organised to provide a better balance of ages and abilities.
The Education and Training Inspectorate carried out a follow-up inspection in June2000. The following are the most important improvements which have been implemented since the original inspection:
- a marking policy is now in place and is implemented consistently;
- the test results are collated and presented in a way which provides a clear picture of individual pupil’s learning strengths and weakness;
- the education plans, written for children with learning difficulties, identify targets which are clear, precise and appropriate.
The school has made good progress in addressing the key areas for action, and plans are underway to develop further the current system of monitoring the children’s’ work. The parents and the broader community can have confidence in the school’s commitment to improvement.
Yours sincerely
T J Shaw CBE
Chief Inspector
CROWN COPYRIGHT 2000
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.
Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website: