Abercorn’s quality of education is described as ‘outstanding’

Principal, Sandra Saulters paid tribute to all involved in the follow up inspection process over the past two years and congratulated everyone on a remarkable achievement.

“We are extremely proud of all of our pupils at Abercorn PS and delighted with the findings of ETI,” she said.

“It is an honour to be deemed an outstanding school and we are justifiably very proud of all our pupils who are so well supported by a dedicated staff, supportive parents and governors.

“It is a fantastic accomplishment for the whole school community to receive such a positive report and very rewarding for all the staff involved.

“Since my appointment as Principal in September 2008 I have been fortunate to work alongside a team of enthusiastic, experienced and committed teachers ably assisted by caring support staff at all levels.

“Abercorn PS was officially opened in 1931. We have a well deserved reputation for placing pastoral care and high academic achievement at the heart of what we do.

“We continually strive to provide a place where the educational needs of children growing up in a multi cultural society and rapidly changing technological world are met and that they are well prepared for a creative and satisfying life.

“Our style of teaching and learning promotes a child centred educational approach with an emphasis on encouraging children to actively engage with their own learning.

“We strongly value the core areas of learning such as language, literacy and numeracy as well as developing their personal, social and thinking skills.”

The Education and Training Inspectorate carried out two interim follow up visits and a final inspection in January 2014.

In the report the inspector noted “the highly effective, committed and strategic leadership provided by the principal, supported well by the vice principal, the senior leadership team and the curriculum leadership team which has resulted in a collaborative culture focused clearly on school improvement” as well as “the rigorous process of school development planning and self evaluation.”

The inspector also reported on “the improved quality and consistency of the learning and teaching across all key stages as evidenced by the very good and outstanding lessons observed during the follow up process, two thirds of which were outstanding” and “the significantly enhanced quality of the learning experiences for the children.”

The report concluded: “In the areas inspected, the quality of education provided by this school is outstanding.”

The principal added: “We are already welcoming principals and teachers from other schools in the SELB to Abercorn PS to share our very good practice and benefit from our experiences.

“A warm invitation is extended to anyone wishing to visit Abercorn PS to witness everyone ‘Learning and Working Together’.”