Inspection Summary Report - Craigavon Senior High School

Craigavon Senior High School

DE Ref No 521-0282

Inspection Summary Report - November 2025

The school’s shared vision ‘Valuing all our young people to shape them positively for their future’, inspired by the school’s unique two-year context, was created through meaningful consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.
The middle and senior leadership have used self-evaluation processes robustly starting with honest, accurate and evaluative baseline positions using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative information, which results in sharply focused action plans.
Pupil well-being, nurture and inclusion are key priorities for the school with a focus on the early identification and support for pupils at risk of disengaging from learning, embedding positive behaviours in line with the school’s core values and raising attendance; the inspection endorses this important work.
Staff professional learning is integral to the school’s drive for improvement and is aligned clearly with the school’s priorities for learning and teaching, positive behaviour, restorative practice and developing a nurturing provision.
There is variation in the quality of the planning, teaching and assessment which is impacting on the quality and consistency of the pupils’ learning experiences across the school.
The pupils benefit from a comprehensive preventative curriculum to promote their health, wellbeing and safety; they understand how to make informed choices through their relationships and sexuality education.
In 2025, a majority (74%) of year 12 pupils achieved five or more GCSE (or equivalent) qualifications at grades A* to C and, for a significant minority (43%), this included English and mathematics. The pupils will benefit from further refinement of the curriculum to ensure that their subject choices are better matched to their abilities, needs and interests.
There is a well-structured approach to careers education, information, advice and guidance which is mapped appropriately across the curriculum, highlighting appropriate links to individual subjects.
Staff use a wide range of academic data to set challenging targets and to inform tailored interventions that enhance pupil attainment.
The targets in the personal learning plans and individual education plans are succinct and manageable; when teachers deploy a range of strategies skilfully, the pupils with special educational needs make progress and experience success.
The pupils’ academic and wider successes across, and beyond, the school are well embedded and celebrated through online media, assemblies, trips, shows and prize-giving events.
Effective collaboration with a range of external partners from the Lurgan and Portadown communities is valued highly by the pupils, staff and governors to support pupil progression and smooth transitions.
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the school demonstrates that the arrangements for child and adult protection align to the current statutory guidance.

Next steps

Through Craigavon Senior High School’s comprehensive evaluation of the previous three-year SDP, the leadership has identified appropriate key priority areas for development which are well informed by the needs of the pupils and linked closely to the school’s vision ‘Valuing all our young people to shape them positively for their future.’

The inspection has highlighted areas for action which will enable Craigavon Senior High School to achieve its vision more fully, which are to improve:

the quality and consistency of the planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning; and
the pupils’ wider attitudes and dispositions, including punctuality, attendance and behaviour for learning.

ETI will monitor the progress of Craigavon Senior High School in addressing the areas for action. There will be a progress inspection.