Outstanding report for Friends’ School

Principal, Elizabeth Dickson, said she and her colleagues were delighted by the outcome of the Inspection, which covered all aspects of the work of the school.

She said that the Inspection recognised the high level of pupils’ achievements, the quality of teaching, the strength of pastoral care and the distinctive character and ethos of the School.

Mrs Dickson added that the Inspectors acknowledged the ‘caring and inclusive ethos’ at Friends’, ‘the excellent working relationships at all levels’ and the manner in which the pupils ‘take pride in their school’, seeking to ensure that it is ‘friendly’ and ‘welcoming’.

In most of the areas inspected, the quality of education provided was said to be outstanding, including the quality of pastoral care, overall performance level, achievements and standards, provision and leadership and management and the school has demonstrated its capacity for sustained self-improvement.

The report found the pupils are “well-motivated, articulate and have a very positive disposition to learning; their critical thinking, research skills and ability to synthesize information from a wide range of sources are developed well through their confident and mature engagement in learning” .

It also stated: “The pupils achieve in line with their ability, and through active participation in a wide range of well-planned enrichment pursuits and extra-curricular activities, they develop very effective social and personal skills, including leadership, teamwork, and mentoring, which prepare them well for the transition to the next stage of their education and adult life.”

Over the past three years the percentage of pupils achieving seven GCSEs including English and mathematics, at grades A* to C has been five or more percentage points above the NI average for similar schools. At grades A*-B almost all of the subjects are well above the Northern Ireland average for similar schools.

The percentage of pupils achieving three or more A levels at grades A* to C over the past three years has been ten or more percentage points above the NI average for similar schools