Inspectors concerned over school staffing

Inspectors found the management of the school 'unsatisfactory' - the lowest grade a school can be given.

The report, carried out by the Department of Education, said the SELB and the school's board of governors should work together to address the problems as a 'matter of urgency'.

The inspection found that the principal had been on extended sick leave for five years and the vice-principal for four.

A senior teacher who had been acting as principal had been on leave for over a year.

And the only permanent teacher left was managing the school as acting principal and still teaching.

In the inspection the staff were praised for the 'excellent' set of results achieved with the pupils, despite the staffing problems.

Staff said important curricular developments had to be postponed because of the temporary nature of the staffing and the long-term absences of the three senior members of staff, but they were wholly supportive of the remaining teacher's performance as the acting principal.

The report said: "The acting-principal has worked hard to maintain the smooth day-to-day running of the school and to sustain the school’s programme of extra-curricular activities; she has been willingly and effectively supported in this work by the other teachers and the support staff.

"As the only remaining permanent member of staff, the acting-principal now holds responsibility for management, literacy, special educational needs, assessment and child protection, in addition to her teaching responsibility."

Parents, the report said, valued the caring family atmosphere in the school and the hard working teaching and support staff.

However, they also expressed concerns over the prolonged absence of the principal and vice principal and the high percentage of temporary teachers in the school.

In the report the governors expressed strong appreciation for the work of the school; in particular they praised the acting-principal and the temporary staff for their professionalism and commitment to sustaining high standards for the children through very difficult circumstances.

They expressed extreme concern over the protracted staffing issues and the effect these are having on the school’s development and standing in the community.

The report said the strengths of the school outweighed the weaknesses: "The lack of continuity of leadership combined with the high percentage and turnover of temporary teachers has had an adverse effect on the provision for learning and on the development of key areas of the curriculum over the last five years.

"This has resulted in a situation where the overall leadership and management of the school is unsatisfactory.

"The governors need to work in conjunction with the SELB to resolve these staffing and curricular issues as a matter of urgency."

It recommended: "The governors to work in conjunction with the SELB, as a matter of urgency, to resolve the current management, staffing and curricular issues in order to ensure continuity in the provision for the children and to safeguard the future development of the school."

The report said the department would be monitoring the school’s progress in addressing the areas for improvement.