BASIC INFORMATION SHEET (BIS) - PRIMARY SCHOOLS
A. i. School: Straidbilly Primary, Ballymoney iii.Date of Inspection: W/B 10/01/2000
ii.School Reference Number:301-0804 iv. Nature of Inspection: Focused
B.
School Year / 1995/96 / 1996/97 / 1997/98 / 1998/99 / 1999/2000Year 1 Intake / 11 / 5 / 13 / 10 / 3
Enrolments
Primary / 54 / 50 / 58 / 61 / 59
Reception / 0 / 2 / 4 / 0 / 5
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):97.54%
Primary &Nursery Special Reception Unit Unit
D. i.Number of Teachers
(including the principal and part-time teachers):3.8--
(Full-time equivalent = 25 teaching hours)
ii.PTR (Pupil/Teacher Ratio):16.8 NI PTR: 19.9
iii.Average Class Size:16
iv.Class Size (Range):13 to 18
v.Ancillary Support:
Number of Hours Per Week: i.Clerical support:6½
ii. Official Making A Good10
Start Support:
iii. Making A Good Start funding5
additional hours and other
classroom assistant support:
vi.Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs:0
vii.Number of children who are not of statutory school age:5
viii. Number of families in school:44
ix.Percentage of children entitled to free school meals:11%
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1Straidbilly Primary School is situated just outside the village of Liscolman, approximately four miles south of Bushmills. The enrolment has increased gradually over the last few years. The school serves a wide rural area. All of the children are transported to and from school by car. One-ninth 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 comments indicated that parents and governors were very supportive of the work of the school. The only issue raised was the danger to the children caused by the lack of a proper setting-down area at the school. The inspection report confirms the views expressed.
1.3The inspection focused on the work in mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT).
2.SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
2.1A strong family ethos pervades the life and work of the school. The teachers know well the children and their backgrounds; this knowledge is used sensitively to support the teaching and the learning. The children enjoy school. They are friendly and courteous. In most classes, the teachers make appropriate use of praise to encourage the children and foster their self-esteem. The children develop independence and self-reliance in response to the good opportunities they are given to take responsibility for their learning.
2.2The teachers have created an interesting school environment, through the display of the children’s work and other materials, which promotes the children's learning and celebrates their achievements. The children’s experience is enhanced by planned educational visits and by visitors who come to the school to talk and work with them.
2.3The governors and parents provide strong support and encouragement for the work of the school. They participate in fund raising and assist in a wide range of extra-curricular activities and school events. The school plays an important part in the life of the local community.
2.4The school is implementing the guidance outlined in the Department of Education’s Circular 1999/10, "Pastoral Care in Schools: Child Protection".
2.5The school has an appropriate development plan which includes a major emphasis on aspects of mathematics. The detailed policy for mathematics has yet to be consistently implemented across the school. The mathematics scheme of work promotes a broad and generally balanced experience for the children in line with the Northern Ireland Curriculum (NIC). The school has appointed recently a co-ordinator for ICT who is working with representatives from a cluster of neighbouring small schoolssupported by the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB). She has developed a draft policy for ICT in collaboration with the other members of staff. Increasingly the staff are including references to ICT in their planning for teaching and learning.
2.6The quality of teaching is always sound; frequently it is very good and, on occasions, it is excellent. The teachers prepare well for their lessons. They use a wide range of teaching strategies; for example,good use was observed ofpractical activities, group work, investigations, discussion and review. Appropriate resources promote the children’s interest and understanding. The children’s mathematics is frequently set in realistic and relevant contexts; for example, the older children have a good understanding of aspects of measure and data handling through their study of the traffic by the front of the school. The work is well matched to the needs and the range of abilities of the children. There are, however, insufficient opportunities, in the early years, for the children to talk about their learning and to learn through their talking. The classroom assistant provides good support for the children’s learning.
2.7The children engage in their learning with motivation and enthusiasm. They co-operate naturally and effectively with their teachers and with each other in a climate of respect. The standard of presentation of their work is consistently good and reflects the appropriately high expectations set by the teachers.
2.8The standards in mathematics are generally good. The children develop confidence in mental and written calculations. They have a sound understanding of shape and measure and they respond well to the opportunities given to investigate concepts and explain their findings. By year seven, the children know, understand and use a broad range of mathematics. They enjoy challenging tasks and they can cope effectively with familiar and unfamiliar contexts in their mathematics.
2.9In key stage 1 (KS1), there is appropriate use of the concept keyboard to help the young children begin to express their thoughts in written form. The children also undertake some basic word-processing, data-handling and modelling using the Roamer. The older children demonstrate good ICT skills within a wide range of ICT experiences which are integrated appropriately into their learning.
2.10The school enrols six children who are under compulsory school age in a composite class of reception, year 1 and year 2 children. The provision for the reception children is generally in keeping with the advice offered by the Department of Education’s Circular 1990/27. The children enjoy their activities, are well settled and have many good experiences which provide them with a sound foundation for their learning.
2.11The youngest children have regular sessions of structured play. The activities undertaken are often useful. However, they are not sufficiently well planned to provide systematic support for the children’s learning across the curriculum.
2.12The children’s work is marked consistently well, often with supportive comments which lead towards improvement. Good communication is maintained with the parents who are well informed about their children’s progress.
2.13The principal provides sensitive and effective leadership, notably by example in her own classroom practice. She is well supported by the conscientious and hard-working staff. Useful links have been developed with other schools. Two-weekly planners have been introduced as a record of the work covered; the teachers should consider how this initiative could be developed further to provide a basis for more effective and efficient monitoring of teaching and learning.
2.14The staff are deployed flexibly and creatively to provide a broad curriculum and maintain relatively small classes for most of the week. The use of the dining hall for the morning lessons of the year 3 class results in disruption during the preparation time immediately before lunch; it also precludes indoor physical education for all the school during the morning. The ancillary staff make an important contribution to the caring ethos and the educational provision.
2.15The school is well-resourced for mathematics and ICT. There is no staff room and insufficient accommodation for administration. The standard of cleaning and caretaking is good. The lack of any parking space at the front of the school represents a serious safety hazard, particularly as the children arrive at and leave school. The parents and governors are rightly concerned about this issue; although discussions have been held with the relevant agencies as yet no satisfactory outcome has been agreed.
2.16The school has significant strengths such as the strong family ethos;the support of the governors and the parents; the enthusiastic children who are developing independence; the quality of teaching which is often good and, on occasions, excellent; the generally good standards in mathematics; the effective leadership of the principal supported by a team of conscientious staff; and the good provision of resources for mathematics and ICT. The inspection has identified issues such as the need for more systematic planning for structured play; the further development of oral language in the early years; the deficiencies in the accommodation including the inadequate parking provision. These issues need to be addressed if the school is to meet, more consistently, the needs of all the children.
HEALTH & SAFETY APPENDIX
There is no parking space for the setting down or picking up of the children. All of the children travel to and from school by car. The current provision is dangerous and represents a serious safety hazard for the children.
There is inadequate accommodation for physical education.
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