Report of a Post-primary Inspection - Craigavon Senior High School
DE Ref No. 521-0282
November 2025
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Craigavon Senior High School is a controlled, co-educational, non-selective school which caters for pupils aged 14 to 16. The school is situated in Portadown and operates within the two-tier system of post-primary education known as the ‘Dickson Plan’ where, at the end of key stage (KS) 3, the pupils transfer from four junior high schools to one of three senior high schools.
The school previously operated over two sites, one in Lurgan and one in Portadown, and has been fully operational on the single Portadown site since September 2024. The school shares its canteen facilities with the Southern Regional College (SRC) Portadown Campus.
The school draws almost all its pupils from the wider Craigavon area and enrolment currently stands at 736 pupils, increasing by 14% over the last five years. Twenty‑three percent of the pupils have been identified as having a special educational need (SEN), 42 of whom have a statement of SEN. Just over one-fifth of the pupils have free school meals entitlement (FSME) and there are 55 newcomer pupils in the school.
There have been recent changes in the senior leadership of the school; the principal was appointed in November 2024 having previously held the position of vice‑principal in the school and two vice-principals were appointed in September 2024 and March 2025. In addition, a restructure of the pastoral team took place in September 2025 to include a newly appointed senior leader and an additional four year head positions.
The school is a member of the Craigavon Area Learning Community (CALC) and works closely with the other six post-primary schools in the Dickson Plan. This collaborative work includes aspects of curriculum development and staff professional learning (SPL). Just over one-third (253) of the pupils across the two-year groups currently attend timetabled classes in the SRC Portadown campus and 41 pupils in year 11 attend either YMCA Lurgan or YMCA Portadown for bespoke curriculum programmes.
The accommodation has been updated over the last two years to include: 12 new modular classrooms, including two science labs; an additional external toilet block; refurbishment of staff room facilities and three classrooms converted to Information and Communications Technology suites. The school has recently received a further two modular classrooms which will be operational by December 2025.
B. Views of pupils, parents and staff
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) issued online confidential questionnaires to the pupils, parents and staff in advance of the inspection.
The responses to the questionnaires are referenced, where relevant, within the main body of the report. A high-level summary of the questionnaire responses, including any concerns raised, was shared with the principal and two representatives of the board of governors.
C. The process of inspection
ETI worked alongside Craigavon Senior High School to consider how well the school:
- has identified and articulates its vision;
- prioritises actions to achieve the vision;
- overcomes the main challenges it faces;
- monitors and reviews progression to identify, celebrate and embed success; and
- grows and develops an inclusive community of learning.
2. Main report
A. Setting the vision
The school’s shared vision ‘Valuing all our young people to shape them positively for their future’, inspired by the school’s unique context, was created through meaningful consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including pupils, staff, parents, governors and the community. All staff told us through our online questionnaires that they are clear about the school’s vision, and almost all (95.9%) feel they contribute to it, furthermore almost all (90.7%) parents told us that they know about the school’s vision. Craigavon Senior High School’s vision for its pupils is well understood.
Through a comprehensive evaluation of the previous three-year school development plan (SDP), which includes a wide range of first-hand evidence, the leadership has identified key priority areas for development for 2025-2028, which are well-informed by the needs of the pupils. These priorities are appropriate and are linked closely to the school’s vision and include: well-being, nurture and inclusion; learning and teaching and pupil outcomes; and cultivating the school community and ethos.
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.
The knowledgeable and committed governors are well informed about the school’s work through regular updates from the school leadership. They have managed successfully the significant challenge of moving the school to the single site and provided strategic direction through the restructuring and expansion of the senior leadership team. The governors who met with us emphasised the high priority the school places on securing the right pathway for all pupils and how they offer appropriate support and challenge to the school’s leadership.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
In the lessons where learning was most effective the teachers have developed successfully a shared understanding of how to structure the pupils’ learning effectively. In these lessons the impact of recent SPL is evident, notably in the teachers’ use of retrieval practice to build on the pupils’ previous learning. The teachers use relevant ‘hooks’ to engage the pupils, alongside a range of active learning strategies including paired and group work which enhance the pupils’ understanding and help them develop thinking, interpersonal and communication skills. The teachers assess the extent of the pupils’ learning through astute questioning and follow-up prompts which enable the pupils to give extended oral responses and, if required, improve or correct their initial answers. In these lessons, the teachers have high expectations for the pupils’ behaviour and for the standards they achieve: as a result, the pupils engage readily, grow in confidence and appreciate the progress they are making in their learning. These effective verbal approaches to assessment are complemented by constructive marking in the pupils’ books.
When the learning was less successful, the teachers’ planning does not make the intended learning clear, the tasks are not sufficiently challenging, and the full lesson time is not used purposefully enough: the result is disengagement and low-level disruption which limits the pupil’s learning and progress. The evidence of the inspection endorses, as a priority for whole-school improvement, the senior leaders’ work to effect greater consistency in the quality of learning and teaching.
Over the last three years, the curriculum planning and review process has been a strategic priority for the senior leadership. Effective progress has been made in working in partnership with the Dickson Plan schools to design a broader and more flexible curriculum at KS 4 in response to the changing abilities, interests and career aspirations of the pupils from the four feeder junior high schools. In 2025, a majority (73.8%) of year 12 pupils attained five or more GCSE (or equivalent) qualifications at grades A* to C, and for a significant minority (43.0%), this included GCSE English and mathematics. While most of the pupils attain well, the low outcomes achieved by a minority indicates that further refinement of the curriculum will benefit these pupils by ensuring that their subject choices are matched better to their abilities, needs and interests.
The pupils benefit from a comprehensive preventative curriculum to promote their health, well-being and safety. They explained to us how they promote their well‑being through physical activity, healthy eating, breathing techniques and managing exam stress through revision strategies, including mind maps, talking partners and music. Almost all (97.8%) of pupil questionnaire responses highlighted that they have regular opportunities to exercise. With over one-quarter (28.7%) of pupils saying, through our online questionnaires, that they are not encouraged to eat healthily, it is important that the Education Authority (EA) Catering Service facilitates greater access to healthy lunch options.
The school’s effective links with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Youth Justice Agency equip the pupils well to recognise threats to their safety in the community and the importance of making better choices even when a mistake occurs. They are well informed about protecting themselves from the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse and by staying safe online using the “Stop, block, tell” approach. In discussion with the pupils, they told us how they have gained in confidence to make good decisions, irrespective of peer pressure and how to play an active role in addressing bullying behaviours.
The pupils understand how to make informed choices through their relationships and sexuality education; they spoke to us about the importance of trust and communication in promoting healthy relationships and explained the impact of coercive control in unhealthy ones. They clearly understand the school’s procedures in place to keep them safe which are highlighted across the school. In discussions with us, all pupils told us that they feel safe in school and know whom to talk to if they have a concern, including access to counselling.
C. Building equity
Pupil well-being, nurture and inclusion are key priorities for the school and underpinned by ongoing SPL, including in relation to nurture and restorative practices, and the strategic review of the pastoral structure and provision. The inspection endorses the school’s ongoing improvement work which focuses 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, including punctuality to class, and raising attendance which, in 2024-2025, was 85%.
The lack of continuity in external support when pupils transfer from the junior high schools into year 11 creates an additional barrier to learning for pupils in need of additional support. In response, working alongside the EA support services, the school-based care team has secured additional support for these pupils.
There are individual education plans (IEPs) for the pupils in year 12, but these have been replaced by personal learning plans (PLPs) for pupils in year 11. The views of parents and pupils as to how individual needs can be met are used well to inform the PLP and IEP targets which are succinct and manageable. When teachers deployed a range of strategies skilfully, in the effective practice observed, the pupils with SEN made progress and experienced success.
The school has worked successfully with EA’s Statutory Assessment and Review Service, and in consultation with parents, to convert classroom assistant hours to teaching hours. This has resulted in the recently established Personalised Opportunities for Development Department (PODD) which is a bright, welcoming and nurturing learning environment where pupils in year 11 with a statement of SEN receive small group support from a teacher for literacy and numeracy linked well to their learning in the mainstream classes. Pupils told us that this provision is helping them make progress and feel more confident. The PODD can also be accessed by pupils who need some time out or a quiet space to talk to a key adult.
Classroom assistants whom we met told us that they enjoy working with the pupils, have benefitted from SPL to support the holistic development of the pupils and delight in seeing the pupils grow in confidence, become more independent and experience success.
D. Embedding success
A majority of pupils are well motivated and work well independently. They play an active, purposeful role in paired or group tasks, demonstrating communication and interpersonal skills. In discussions with inspectors, the pupils spoke about the range of leadership roles they have in school which help them to develop life skills, particularly confidence, teamwork and responsibility, through being prefects, house and sport captains, and members of the school council and charity committee. Pupils in leadership roles engage actively in fundraising activities and are collaborating with the senior leadership team to create a manifesto addressing key issues that are important to them, such as toilet facilities, canteen provision, and mental health support. In addition, pupils participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including school shows, football, volleyball, drama, craft, choir and gaming, which further enrich their personal development. The pupils’ academic and other successes across, and beyond, the school are well embedded and celebrated through online media, assemblies, trips, shows and prize-giving events.
The staff use a wide range of academic data effectively to monitor pupil progress. Pupils, along with their teachers, set challenging targets informed by baseline tests and these targets are reviewed through regular assessments and external examinations. In response to our questionnaires, almost all (93.4%) of the pupils told us that they are encouraged to set their own learning goals. Comprehensive quantitative data analysis and departmental planning ensure that tailored interventions, particularly for those at risk of not achieving at least a grade C in GCSE English and mathematics and pupils with FSME, are targeted precisely and monitored effectively. This work is having a positive impact on pupil attainment, with the majority of pupils supported attaining at least a grade C. The staff have identified appropriately the need to supplement the use of academic data with pastoral information to support further the pupils in addressing barriers to learning and engaging fully in education.
There is a well-structured approach to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) which is mapped appropriately across the curriculum, highlighting appropriate links to individual subjects. Most (87.5%) of the pupils who responded to our online questionnaire told us that they get useful careers advice. Staff engage actively with the junior high schools to support transition from year 10 to year 11, complemented by initiatives such as the year 10 CALC careers fair. During discussions with us, year 12 pupils indicated that earlier peer-to-peer discussions about the content and assessment methods of subjects offered would be beneficial prior to choosing subjects for KS 4. In year 12, every pupil receives an individual CEIAG interview, supported by the Department for the Economy careers advisors and careers class teachers. Work experience is offered to all pupils at appropriate times in year 11 or year 12, with interview skills training facilitated by a wide range of local and regional employers. The school reports that feedback from these experiences is highly positive and almost all (91.9%) pupils told us through our online questionnaire that they are being prepared well for moving on to the next stage of their education, training, or employment. In 2025, around one-half of the pupils in year 12 progressed to a level 3 course in a post-primary school or the local college of further education (FE). Almost 30% of the pupils transferred appropriately to a level 2 course in FE or training organisation and around 16% to part-time education or in part-time or full-time employment.
E. Growing a community of learning
The school’s vision of ‘Valuing all our young people to shape them positively for their future’ is demonstrated well through effective collaboration with external partners from the community, SRC, local employers, CALC, and regular communication and departmental links with their counterparts in the junior high schools to support pupil progression and smooth transitions. Subject leaders play an active role in the Curriculum Mapping Project across the seven schools in the Dickson Plan. This shared initiative enables teachers from the respective schools to plan for progression and continuity in developing the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary at KS 4. Importantly, the school has forged stronger links with the junior high schools to align their provision better for pupils transferring at the end of KS 3. It is evident, however, that this work needs to be extended in order to close gaps in the pupils’ learning and to respond, as early as possible, to the pupils with low attendance and pupils who have newly identified or emerging SEN.
The well-established partnership between the school and both Lurgan and Portadown YMCA demonstrates effective collaboration within these two local communities to give pupils hope, raise aspirations for those most at risk of disengaging and work with those who need the most support both during and beyond the school day. The effective collaboration with the range of external partners from the Lurgan and Portadown communities is valued highly by the pupils, staff and governors.
SPL 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. In response to our questionnaires, almost all teaching (94.3%) and classroom support staff (92.9%) agreed that they have benefitted from opportunities for recent professional learning. Through strategic working groups, staff share their research-informed practice which includes feedback from pupils. Additionally, teachers collate their own professional learning journals which enable them to reflect on, and measure progress in, their own professional development. This work includes school improvement projects, including for example, the analysis of pupils’ views on a smartphone-free school to inform the whole-school approach. While there is a sound structure in place for SPL and for identifying the most effective practice in teaching and learning, it still needs to be embedded fully and consistently across the school.
The community of professional learning within the school is developing well through the use of the external InnerDrive initiative and internal Trusted Colleague Network which has enabled teachers to share with, and learn from, one another and engage in research. This important work is complemented well by SPL through CALC for all staff and further exemplified by those staff who complete accredited qualifications through, for example, Stranmillis University College and the Chartered College of Teaching.
The pupils have been consulted about the school’s vision and values. Subject teachers and the learning and teaching working group take cognisance of pupil views through end-of-unit and end-of-year surveys which give pupils opportunities to comment on how subject content is delivered and what helps them learn most effectively. It is appropriate that the school are developing further the pupils’ participation in wider decision-making, in particular through the school council.
F. Child protection
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.
3. 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.
4. Appendices
Appendix 1: 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%
Appendix 2: health and safety/accommodation
During the inspection there were a number of accommodation concerns raised following the move onto the single site:
- the reconditioned external toilet block is in poor condition, including insufficient heating and burst pipes resulting in flooding;
- the accommodation has insufficient capacity to bring pupils indoors during the split lunch and the sports hall is not always available resulting in the pupils spending most of their recreation time outdoors;
- during external examination periods, provision for physical education is only available outdoors; and
- the school shares canteen facilities with the SRC resulting in the need for high levels of staff supervision as part of the school’s mitigation measures to safeguard the pupils.