PRIMARY INSPECTION 2014-15
Kilmaine Primary School,
Bangor, Co Down
Report of an Inspection in
April 2015
Education and Training
Inspectorate
Quantitative terms
In this report, proportions may be described as percentages, common fractions and in more
general quantitative terms. Where more general terms are used, they should be interpreted
as follows:
Almost/nearly all
-
more than 90%
Most
-
75%-90%
A majority
-
50%-74%
A significant minority
-
30%-49%
A minority
-
10%-29%
Very few/a small number
-
less than 10%
Performance levels
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) use the following performance levels in
reports:
DESCRIPTOR
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Satisfactory
Inadequate
Unsatisfactory
Contents
Section Page
1. Inspection method and evidence base 1
2. Focus of inspection 1
3. Context 1
4. Overall findings of the inspection 2
5. Achievements and standards 2
6. Provision 3
7. Leadership and management 4
8. Conclusion 5
Appendix
1
1. Inspection method and evidence base
The key questions and quality indicators which guide inspection and self-evaluation of
primary schools, which were applied to this inspection, are available in the Education and
Training Inspectorate’s (ETI) publication Together Towards Improvement: a process for
self-evaluation at:
http://www.etini.gov.uk/index/together-towards-improvement/together-
towards-improvement-primary.htm.
Inspectors observed teaching and learning, scrutinised documentation and the children’s
written work and held formal and informal discussions with children, teachers and staff with
specific responsibilities.
The arrangements for this inspection included:
• a meeting with a representative from the governors;
• a meeting with a group of children; and
• the opportunity for the parents, teaching and support staff to complete a
confidential questionnaire.
Thirty-seven of the parents and a majority of the staff, teaching and non-teaching, responded
to the questionnaires. The responses to the parental questionnaires indicated very high
levels of satisfaction with the life and work of the school and nursery unit. In particular, the
parents highlighted their appreciation of the welcoming atmosphere of the school, the
support offered to parents and the range of after-school activities. The staff responses were
very positive; they emphasised the dedicated and conscientious staff, and the
well-resourced school. The ETI has reported the results of the questionnaire, including any
comments, to the acting principal and the representative of the governors.
2. Focus of inspection
The inspection focused on:
1. the children’s achievements and standards in literacy and numeracy, in
particular, how the school is addressing low attainment and underachievement
where applicable;
2. the quality of provision for literacy and numeracy in the school; and
3. the quality of leadership and management.
3. Context
Kilmaine Primary School is situated on Lyndale Drive, in Bangor, and has a wide catchment
area. The enrolment is currently 613 with an additional 55 children attending the nursery
unit. There is currently an acting principal and an acting vice-principal managing the school.
The school has an extensive network of outdoor play areas and equipment to accommodate
all the key stages. The nursery unit is located in the grounds of the primary school; it
operates two part-time sessions. The morning session has a temporary increased
enrolment for the current academic year and there are an increasing number of children with
a wide range of additional needs.
2
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
615
618
615
613
52
52
53
55
96.9% 96.5% 96.8% 96.9%
9%
13%
11%
12%
12%
13%
13%
13%
* * 9 16
*
*
*
*
Source: data as held by the school.
* fewer than 5
4. Overall findings of the inspection
Overall Performance Level Very Good
Achievements and Standards Very Good
Provision Very Good
Leadership and Management Very Good
Nursery Unit Very Good
5. Achievements and standards
• The behaviour of the children around the school is exemplary; they are
courteous, kind and mature in their engagement with each other and with adults.
In lessons, they demonstrate positive dispositions for learning; they are
highly-motivated, work well independently or in collaboration with their peers and
take pride in their work.
• The school’s performance data shows that most of the children, including those
who require additional support with aspects of their learning, make very good
progress in mathematics and English in line with their ability or above
expectation.
• Throughout the school, the children talk confidently about their learning and
share willingly their views with their teachers and peers. In discussion with the
children, they expressed an enjoyment of reading and spoke knowledgably about
a wide range of books. Across the key stages, the children are able to write in
different forms and for a variety of purposes; in key stage (KS) 2 the children
have very good opportunities to write in a range of contexts, however, they would
benefit from more opportunities for extended creative writing. A notable strength
of the school is the quality of the children’s handwriting and the presentation of
their work.
1
The term ‘FSME Percentage’ refers to the percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals.
3
• In mathematics, the children apply their thinking skills maturely to enable them to
make choices and decisions in their mathematical learning and to explain the
calculation strategies they are using. By year 7, the most able children are
secure in their knowledge of number facts and place value, and demonstrate a
very good working knowledge of key concepts across the areas of mathematics.
• In the nursery unit, most of the children are making good to very good progress
in most areas of the pre-school curriculum. In particular, the children are
developing well their oral language, listening skills and their understanding of
early mathematical concepts and the use of associated language. They are also
developing very well their social skills and display positive attitudes and
dispositions to learning. Their imaginative, exploratory and creative play is less
well developed for the time of year.
• The children demonstrate high levels of competence in information and
communication technology (ICT) and there are many displays of their skilful work
throughout the school.
6. Provision
• In the most effective practice, the lessons are informed by clear evaluation of the
children’s previous learning, the teachers incorporate active learning strategies
and differentiate appropriately. The teachers use a range of qualitative and
quantitative data and in-class support by the special educational needs
co-ordinator, (SENCO), to set targets, and celebrate the children’s attainments.
• The provision for the children who require additional support with aspects of their
learning is very good. The school prioritises the early identification of need and
liaises effectively with the parents and a wide range of education and health
professionals to agree on, and facilitate appropriate support. Effective individual
education plans outline measurable targets and they are thoroughly monitored
and evaluated to plan for progression. The children, who have wide-ranging
barriers to their learning, are supported skilfully both in class and in withdrawal
sessions by the teachers, SENCO and classroom assistants.
• The school’s programme for language and literacy, in the foundation stage and
KS1, is of a very high quality and outlines progression in talking and listening,
reading and writing. A key strength of the school’s provision is the well-planned
guided reading programme where children develop effectively their fluency and
enjoyment of reading using a wide range of banded reading books, class novels,
guided reading activities and visits to the local library. In a significant minority of
the upper KS2 classes, the children spend too much time on de-contextualised
grammar and comprehension exercises; the staff need to provide the children
with more opportunities for independent, creative writing across the curriculum.
• The whole school programme for mathematics is comprehensive, provides broad
and balanced coverage across the areas of mathematics, and outlines clear
progression in the mathematical concepts. A key feature of the numeracy
provision is the portfolio of applied tasks that extends the children’s thinking, and
creates opportunities for them to apply their mathematical learning in everyday
contexts. Across the key stages, well-focused mental mathematical activities are
used as an introduction to lessons to consolidate the children’s previous learning
and to promote their use of the associated mathematical language. In the most
effective practice, the teachers use a range of practical resources, including the
use of ICT, to engage the children’s mathematical curiosity and to deepen their
mathematical understanding.
4
• The nursery unit’s staff plan conscientiously to provide a wide range of
interesting experiences for the children with a particular focus on the
development of the children’s language, fine motor skills and early mathematical
experiences. The children’s use of the outdoor area for a broader range of
learning is a particular strength of the provision. The staff are caring and
supportive and, in the best practice, they listen to the children and build
effectively on their ideas to extend their thinking and learning naturally through
the play activities. The staff’s observations of the children’s responses to the
play activities are well used to identify and inform the excellent support provided
for individual children with additional needs and to keep the parents informed of
their children’s progress. The staff have identified appropriately the need to take
further account of individual children’s needs when planning the play
programme. The quality of the provision for pastoral care in the school is
outstanding. It is characterised by an inclusive and respectful ethos and there is
a consistent promotion of positive behaviour throughout the school. The
children’s learning is enriched by the use of well-conceived creative and sporting
events and their involvement in raising funds for children less fortunate than
themselves. The extended curriculum broadens the children’s experiences and
development, and regular opportunities are used to celebrate their success in a
wide range of extra-curricular events. The highly effective school council allows
the children to develop their understanding of democracy through debate and
decision–making roles.
• The school and nursery unit give very good attention to promoting healthy eating
and physical activity which encourages the children to adopt healthy lifestyles.
7. Leadership and management
• The acting principal and acting vice-principal manage an effective leadership
team with an appropriate focus on the development of key curriculum areas, and
understanding and using data to improve the children’s learning and attainments.
A comprehensive and appropriate school development plan has been produced
from wide ranging consultation. There is a need for the leadership team, working
with middle management, to evaluate a greater range of first-hand evidence to
assess the provision and disseminate the best practice for learning and teaching.
• Curricular responsibilities have been re-organised recently for key co-ordinators.
The co-ordinators are knowledgeable about their areas of responsibility and
there is a newly established emphasis on a team-approach for each of the key
curriculum areas, with members of the teams monitoring and evaluating practice
from the year groups in which they teach. The leadership team has identified
appropriately the need to build further the capacity of the co-ordinators to lead
and develop their areas of responsibility including the nursery unit.
• Based on the evidence presented at the time of inspection, the ETI’s evaluation
is that there can be a high degree of confidence in the aspects of governance
evaluated. The governors provide rigorous scrutiny of the school development
plan, policies and school finance, and provide an appropriate challenge function
for the senior management team.
5
• On the basis of the evidence available at the time of the inspection, the school
and nursery unit have comprehensive arrangements in place for safeguarding
children. These arrangements reflect the guidance issued by the Department of
Education. In discussions with the inspectors, the year 6 children reported that
they feel safe in school and know what to do if they have any concerns about
their well-being.
8. Conclusion
In the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by this school and nursery unit is
very good. The school and nursery unit are meeting very effectively the educational and
pastoral needs of the children; and has demonstrated its capacity for sustained
self-improvement.
6
APPENDIX
Health and safety
• There is a need to repair the water ingress from the school roof into the ICT suite and
the assembly hall where the wooden floor has been damaged.
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