BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS
A. i. School: St Malachy’s Primary iii. Date of Inspection: W/B 28/02/00
Camlough
ii.School Reference Number: 503-6064 iv. Nature of Inspection: Focused
B.
School Year / 1995/96 / 1996/97 / 1997/98 / 1998/99 / 1999/2000Year 1 Intake / 23 / 41 / 29 / 37 / 35
Enrolments
Primary / 213 / 212 / 219 / 220 / 222
Reception / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Nursery Class/Classes / 46 / 36 / 42 / 41 / 47
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):95.79%
Primary &NurserySpecial Reception Unit Unit
D. i.Number of Teachers
(including the principal and part-time teachers):10.641-
(Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)
ii.PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio):20.86 NI PTR: 19.9
iii.Average Class Size:24.55
iv.Class Size (Range):15-34
v.Ancillary Support:
Number of Hours Per Week: i.Clerical support:30
ii. Official Making A Good
Start Support: 0
iii. Making A Good Start funding
additional hours and other
classroom assistant support: 0
vi.Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs: 2
vii.Number of children who are not of statutory school age: 0
viii. Number of families in school:144
ix.Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:36.9%
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STATISTICAL INFORMATION - NURSERY SCHOOLS
School: St Malachy’s Primary School, CamloughRef No: 503-6064
Date of Inspection: W/C Monday 28 February 2000
Number of teachers (including Principal and part-time teachers): 10.64
(Full-time equivalent = 32.4 hours)
Number of nursery assistants (including part-time assistants): 1
(Full-time equivalent = 30 hours)
Total Enrolment:
Number of children attending full-time:
Number of children attending part-time:
Average attendance for the previous school year: (this should
be calculated from the date when the intake is complete)
Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:
/
47
-
47
89.27%
Duration of sessions:
/
Full-time:
Part-time:
/ 2.5 hours
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1.INTRODUCTION
1.1St Malachy’s Primary School, is situated in the village of Camlough, approximately three miles west of Newry in County Armagh. All of the children come from the village and surrounding rural area; the enrolment has increased slightly in recent years and currently stands at 269; 47 of these children attend a dual-day nursery unit attached to the school. Almost 37 % of the children are entitled to free school meals.
1.2Prior to the inspection all of the parents received a confidential questionnaire seeking their views about the school; almost two-thirds of the questionnaires were returned to the Department of Education. The vast majority of the responses were very positive about the life and work of the school; many expressed their confidence in the education which their children are receiving; in addition, much reference was made to the good level of communication which the school provides.
1.3During the inspection inspectors held separate meetings with representatives of the Board of Governors and with the parents in order to hear their views about the work of the school; all expressed their confidence in the school. In addition, the inspection team held discussions with small groups of children in years 4 and 6; they said that they felt safe, were happy and enjoyed their experiences at school.
1.4This inspection focused on provision in science and technology, information and
communication technology (ICT), and provision within the nursery unit.
2.SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1Sound policies are in place for pastoral care. In addition, the school has procedures in line with the guidance given in the Department of Education’s Circular 1999/10 on Child Protection. The principal provides excellent pastoral leadership to the staff, the children and their parents. A caring ethos is a strong and very obvious feature of the school.
2.2The relationships between the children and the teachers are very good. The children are very well behaved, welcoming to visitors, highly responsive and well motivated in class. Throughout many parts of the school the teachers have created stimulating and imaginative learning environments.
2.3The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to excellent and is generally good. The vast majority of the teachers are very conscientious in their planning and resourcing for lessons. At the early stage of key stage 1 (KS1), the generally small class sizes are advantageous to the children’s learning; in other areas of the school, teachers cope well with larger classes and with the composite classes. The teachers cope well with the range of ability and good support is offered to individuals and groups of children.
2.4The school policy for science and technology provides a helpful overview of the content to be covered and gives guidance on important principles of the area of study. It does not, as yet, give a clear indication of progression in the development of the skills of investigating and making. Further, across the school, the co-ordination and monitoring of this area of study is not sufficiently effective.
2.5Teacher’s individual planning is generally good and identifies clearly the intended learning outcomes and the skills to be developed. The preparation for lessons in science and technology is thorough; suitable resources are readily available and are used well to give the children opportunities for practical investigations. Teachers monitor the children’s work carefully during the lessons and in many instances give encouragement and advice to enable the children to develop further their ideas. Throughout the science programme much attention is given to health education and as a result the children are very aware of the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle.
2.6At the early stages of KS1 the children are introduced to scientific ideas through structured play and through interesting topics related to their own lives and to their environment. At this stage, the young children engage enthusiastically and with a sense of enjoyment in the good range of activities provided for them in structured play. They learn to work co-operatively, explore materials, observe similarities and differences and share resources. The staff are successful in encouraging the children to think and talk about the activities and to learn through the play. Play activities are used very effectively to extend learning in science and technology and ICT. The topic work on various themes is planned carefully and resourced well; through this work the teachers place a strong emphasis on the development of appropriate language, on practical activities and on recording the findings in various ways. Interest tables on related themes stimulate talk and encourage observation and the children’s work is collated and displayed in an interesting and attractive manner. Towards the end of KS1 the children continue to engage in investigative work and to talk about their findings. By the end of KS1 some of the children are capable of reaching a higher standard in the recording of their work in science. In some lessons, too much time is devoted to the organisation and management of practical work and too little attention is given to reflecting on the findings and recording the outcomes of the activities.
2.7In KS2 much of the work in science is of a high standard. In all of the classes the children work very well together, they are challenged constantly by the teachers to think for themselves and they persevere to complete a task. They are confident and knowledgeable in talking about their work and they have regular opportunities to record their own findings; they are very aware of current environmental issues and they have a good understanding of the importance of ‘a fair test’ in their investigations. Some of the older children have the ability to become more involved in planning their own investigations and in deciding on the best way to record their findings.
2.8The work in technology is often linked closely to other subjects or to topics which are being studied. The younger children use construction toys and scrap materials to make various objects and the older children have made models using a range of materials. The development of skills in planning, making and evaluating are not yet planned for progressively across the seven years and although some good work is in evidence there is the potential for more to be achieved in the technology aspect of the programme of study.
2.9The school development plan identifies ICT as a priority and in the last twelve months much has been achieved. The school’s view of ICT is suitably broad, including the use of the computer and other audio-visual aids to support teaching and learning across the curriculum. For example, in addition to the use of computers, the school has a good range of audio-visual resources, including school broadcast materials, video and audio tapes; these are often used effectively by teachers to extend and enhance the children’s learning across the curriculum. The teacher leader for ICT, with the help of other members of staff, has produced an ICT policy which provides a useful framework for the development of computer-based work in the school including a strong emphasis on staff development; the present policy is under review. In-school support and peer training is assisting teachers in the use of computers and is leading to better learning experiences for the children; this good practice should now be extended.
2.10Following a recent audit, the teachers have identified opportunities for the use of ICT within their classes; further planning and monitoring of this nature should focus more on ensuring continuity and progression in the children’s learning. In KS1, commercially produced programmes are used to reinforce the children’s skills in English and mathematics. In both key stages the children word-process some of their work and make captions for displays; they are introduced to data handling, using databases to record and analyse the outcomes of class surveys. In KS1 the measurement and control strand of ICT is developed effectively through the use of ‘the Roamer’. In KS2, the children have some experience of the modelling strand of ICT, using games involving decision-making and they extend their work in measurement and control, drawing patterns on the screen using LOGO. The older children have good opportunities in the communication and data handling strands of ICT, for example, to draft their written work on the computer and to use its editing facilities; in addition, increasingly effective and selective use is being made of the CD-ROM and Internet to access information.
2.11THE NURSERY UNIT
2.11.1There are 47 children enrolled in two part-time sessions in the nursery; 18 of these children will have two years in nursery. The pattern of attendance needs to be kept under review to ensure that there are sufficient children in the area requiring pre-school places to justify the continuation of two part-time sessions. Planning for the work of the nursery is detailed; it does not, however, identify the intended learning outcomes or indicate how the children’s progress will be monitored. A range of materials is laid out in preparation for the beginning of each session but there is insufficient variation in the type of activity to promote learning progressively across the main areas of the pre-school curriculum.
2.11.2The staff know the children well and create a caring atmosphere. The children are well settled in the playroom; the standard of behaviour is generally good. Both nursery sessions are organised to allow time for group activities and for whole class participation in stories, rhymes and songs. For most of the time the organisation for play is over-directed by the teacher and does not provide the children with the opportunity to choose activities, to use their imagination to become involved in play situations which they have created for themselves or to develop more fully their social and personal skills. Although there are some opportunities for investigation and observation the activities on offer do not promote adequately early learning in science or an interest in the environment. The children enjoy their story and music sessions and most participate well in these activities. The staff work well together in the interests of the children; at times, however, they are insufficiently involved in promoting the children’s learning through the play. The current programme does not provide for regular periods of outdoor play or for physical development.
2.11.3More needs to be done to ensure that records of the children’s achievements in the nursery are maintained, that the parents are informed about their children’s progress on a more regular basis, and that better links are established with the primary school. This inspection has identified some important aspects of the nursery provision which are not entirely satisfactory and which need to be addressed with a sense of urgency.
2.12The principal is well supported by his vice-principal, both provide forward thinking management and leadership. The teachers and ancillary staff work hard and have developed well as a team. Closer monitoring is required by senior management and key stage and area of study co-ordinators to ensure progression and consistency in the children’s learning experiences. The standard of caretaking is high, the internal and external environment is attractive and very well maintained.
2.13The school has strengths such as: very good relationships at all levels, the caring ethos and the strong emphasis which is given to both pastoral care and child protection, the friendly, responsive and well behaved children, the good quality of much of the teaching and its committed principal and all of the teaching staff. The inspection has identified a number of issues including: the need to review aspects of the nursery provision; the need for more effective co-ordination in the science and technology area of study and the need to promote even more fully the use of ICT to enhance the children’s learning. These issues should be addressed if the school is to meet, more consistently, the needs of all of the children.
APPENDIX
HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS
Security at the nursery is inadequate.
The movement of vehicles and parking at the front of the school are a potential hazard to the children and adults.
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