Report of a Post-primary Inspection - Dominican College, Portstewart
DE Ref No 342-0068
February 2026
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Dominican College is a voluntary grammar, co-educational, 11-18 school located in Portstewart town. Enrolment has remained steady over the past four years and currently stands at 675. The school ceased using academic selection since 2020 and its academic profile is all-ability.
The school is part of a global network of Dominican schools which promotes a particular ethos and vision, in terms of its educational ethos and traditions. The school has a diverse pupil body which is drawn from a large number of primary feeder schools, across a wide geographical spread, from the controlled, integrated and maintained sectors.
The proportion of pupils with free school meals entitlement (FSME) is 21% and the proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs (SEN) has increased from 9% in 2021-22 to 16% currently; 18% of whom, have a statement of SEN. A small number of newcomer pupils attend the school.
A new principal was appointed in September 2024 and the senior leadership team is relatively new.
The school is a member of the Coleraine Area Learning Partnership (CALP). The school does not currently have a formal shared education link.
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 four representatives of the board of governors.
C. The process of inspection
The ETI worked alongside Dominican College 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 Dominican ethos of ‘veritas’, or truth, comes first. It is central to everything. The school’s vision, aligned to this ethos, focuses on developing the whole child through creating a safe and welcoming environment where pupils can thrive as individuals. The staff live out the vision well meeting the pupils at their differing starting points and empowering them to become ‘the very best versions of themselves’. This is achieved effectively through relational* teaching that encourages pupil self-worth and promotes achievement in many areas, faith development and social justice. The vision acknowledges the importance of making each child see the value of their own individual talents and of feeling cared for and encouraged to be happy. Following the appointment of the principal in 2024, pupils, staff, governors and parents re‑committed to this vision, offering ownership to all through the process of refining, updating and anchoring age-old traditions to meet modern-day challenges. Consequently, this process has built trust across the school community. The responses to the questionnaires tell us that all of the staff and nearly all (93.3%) of the parents are clear about the school vision.
There is a good quality, three-year school development plan (SDP), which is supportive of realising the vision. There is a set of associated action plans capable of driving forward a coherent and ambitious improvement agenda. The plans are honest in acknowledging variability in the quality of the overall provision and are appropriately: data-informed, evaluative and action-focused. Oversight by the senior and middle leaders is systematic and incorporates well a range of effective self‑evaluative processes.
The governors and trustees, who met with us, are highly committed Dominicans bringing an appropriate range of high-level skills and experience to their roles. They are proactive in developing further their own skills and capacity, in order to provide meaningful support and appropriate challenge. They have a close and well-informed understanding of the life and work of the school.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
The teachers know their pupils well. Lessons are well planned, with clear intentions and strong links to prior learning. The pupils engage in well-chosen tasks that develop understanding and subject-specific skills. Independent work and purposeful group discussion strengthen their communication and problem-solving skills. Classroom assistants contribute sensitively and proactively to support pupil progress.
When the learning was most successful, teacher explanations are clear, the learning activities are engaging and the pace of learning is just right. The teachers’ manage the pupils’ behaviour well, and oral feedback to the pupils is often helpful and encouraging, though the quality of teachers’ written marking for improvement is not consistent. This aligns well with the views of the pupils, 82% of whom responded to our questionnaire found lessons interesting and challenging, and 89% of parents told us they were satisfied with the quality of teaching.
In the instances when learning was less impactful, teacher expectations of the pupils are too low and learning tasks lack sufficient challenge. Over-reliance on examination specifications restricts learning breadth, and adaptive teaching is inconsistent. The school acknowledges these issues and is addressing them appropriately; the inspection findings endorse this.
All pupils benefit from a broad and coherent key stage (KS) 3 curriculum, supported by well-planned, taught and co-curricular experiences that promote suitable progression into KS 4.
At KS 4, the curriculum offers flexibility and meaningful choice through well‑structured option blocks reflecting pupils’ interests and aspirations. The school meets the Entitlement Framework requirements, with a good balance of applied and general courses. Curriculum provision for pupils at post-16 is similarly broad, enhanced by enrichment opportunities that develop meaningfully a wide range of inter-personal and problem-solving skills. The post-16 enrichment provision is a strength and the pupils spoke highly about its value in offering a wide range of life skills and good preparation for their next stage of education and independent living.
The school prepares the pupils well for moving on to the next stage of their education, training or employment. Almost all (94%) of the pupils in year 14 who completed our questionnaire told us they feel well prepared for their next steps, with almost all (92%) leavers in the academic year 2024-25 progressing appropriately to further study, training or employment.
The school has prioritised appropriately improving the careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) within the SDP. The review of CEIAG is well planned to enable greater coherence and consistency to the pupils’ learning experiences; inspection findings support this as an area for action.
The preventative curriculum is responsive to current issues, equipping pupils effectively with the skills and attitudes to support emotional well-being and safety. The school is delivering the statutory elements of relationships and sexuality education (RSE), enhanced by strong external partnerships. The pupils are well supported to make informed decisions and in our questionnaires, most (80.7%) told us they find the RSE provision useful.
Health, well-being and safety of pupils and staff are promoted effectively through strategic planning and strong professional relationships. The school’s participation in the Education Authority’s (EA) Being Well, Doing Well programme enhances staff and pupils’ well-being.
C. Building equity
The school’s rich diversity underpins an inclusive culture, where pupils are valued as individuals and are supported to belong and be ready to learn. The Dominican ethos and nurturing environment enable pupils to integrate well and flourish individually, and supports sustained personal and academic progress. Our questionnaire responses confirm that all the staff believe everyone is respected regardless of background or identity and nearly all parents (91%) are satisfied with the pastoral care. The staff respond sensitively to pupils’ needs, supported by initiatives such as the pre-loved uniform shop and daily breakfast club, which is free to all.
The school uses flexible, well-co-ordinated strategies to support pupils with emotional-based school non-attendance (EBNSA). These include strong liaison with parents, the EA Education Welfare Officer, and a dedicated in-house EBNSA group, who know their pupils well. The continual focus on fostering positive relationships is central to the school’s drive to improve attendance, with some pupils now re‑engaged in learning. The staff should consolidate and extend these effective practices to secure sustained improvement in attendance, particularly in the year groups where attendance is low.
Data is used effectively by the staff to identify pupils experiencing barriers to learning and target interventions, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Small-group support, peer mentoring and after-school provision are improving outcomes for pupils with SEN, while increasing confidence and practical life-skills. The staff have identified appropriately through effective use of data that its small group interventions for pupils are more effective than one-to-one support, enabling a greater number of pupils to benefit from targeted assistance. Greater collaboration between literacy and numeracy teams will enhance further the identification and sharing of effective practice across all departments.
The school has introduced personal learning plans (PLPs) for all pupils that include detailed input from parents and pupils, providing valuable insight for setting targets and planning support. There is some inconsistency in the targets in the PLPs, which reduce effective monitoring of progress. Where practice is strongest, strategies are clearly defined, implemented and evaluated effectively by teachers and classrooms assistants. A more systematic review of PLPs that evaluates the extent to which individual pupils are meeting their agreed targets would strengthen impact and consistency.
The staff have engaged in relevant staff professional learning (SPL), including training in autism, trauma-informed practice, attachment and bereavement. A small number of staff have accessed additional SPL through CALP. This emerging SPL programme is effective in building expertise in SEN. The school has identified inconsistency in practice and stronger strategic co-ordination will ensure consistently high-quality support for pupils facing barriers to learning; the inspection findings endorse this.
D. Embedding success
The pupils are exceptional young people: they are well-motivated, friendly and respectful. Their behaviour is excellent and they engage positively in their lessons. The pupils demonstrate a sense of belonging; the senior pupils are especially articulate and are loyal to their school. Most (84%) of the pupils tell us that they are proud of their school; these sentiments were echoed in our discussions with the pupils. There is positive teaching and mutual respect between staff and pupils, which is characterised by praise, encouragement and embedding success in lessons, in the corridors and through informal encounters. This underpins the school’s objective, where the Dominican ethos and the school’s vision should move ‘from the walls to the halls’ in daily behaviours and professional relationships.
The pupils make good progress from their starting points, supported by individual, departmental and whole-school target-setting, which is informed well by detailed analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Almost all pupils (92%) reported through their responses to our questionnaire that they are encouraged to set their own learning goals. The staff use strategic interventions, including mentoring and provision of homework clubs, to enhance outcomes and embed success further for the pupils.
In 2025, most year 12 pupils (83%) achieved five or more GCSEs, including English and mathematics, at grades A* to C, with 80% achieving seven or more. These are in line with the school’s targets. At post-16, the school is focusing appropriately on closing the gap between the proportion of pupils attaining two or more A level (or equivalent) qualifications at grades A* to C (93%) and those attaining three or more A level (or equivalent) qualifications (65%).
The detailed examinations analyses and reviews across subject areas drill down into outcomes by gender, SEN and FSME, to identify where there are gaps across specific cohort of pupils. The staff know where gaps exist within these cohorts and are working to reduce these.
The provision for digital skills is a strength, evident in robust information and communication technology (ICT) learning and teaching, infrastructure and pupil attainment at all levels. The pupils’ digital skills are developed progressively through discrete ICT lessons at KS 3 and applied creatively through digital media, research and presentation. At KS 4, over one-half of the pupils study a digital skills course. Most pupils (83%) report that digital technology supports their learning. A clear digital strategy, aligned with NAACE standards and ongoing SPL, underpins sustained investment in the digital technology and has resulted in high quality classroom practice.
The school promotes and celebrates effectively pupil achievement through a well‑considered communication strategy, which drives excellent engagement levels across its social media platforms. The school’s internal analysis shows very high numbers of views and high levels of engagement with the content, much of which promotes, showcases and celebrates achievement.
E. Growing a community of learning
The school demonstrates a strong and sustained commitment to effective collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, agencies and partners, resulting in clear benefits for pupils’ learning experiences and outcomes. Collaborative networks are a key strength of the school’s provision.
The pupils engage enthusiastically in a broad range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities, including competitive and recreational sports; cultural and arts‑based events; and business and enterprise opportunities. The pupils report highly on the impact of these opportunities on their physical health, emotional well‑being and confidence. The pupils’ sporting successes are notable, with the senior Gaelic football, camogie and netball teams achieving highly at Ulster level. Drama, music and clubs in art and coding showcase the pupils’ talents while developing teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills. The biennial musical and drama productions are particularly prized by pupils. The pupils’ achievements are further recognised through the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Dominican Awards, which emphasise service and social justice. The pupils value these opportunities and describe Dominican College as a welcoming community of learning that offers, “something for everyone”.
The school’s ethos values pupil voice and learner participation. The pupils told us in discussions that their voices are valued, listened to and acted upon, with the school council influencing meaningful changes. The pupils are encouraged to be proactive and independent in organising their own clubs, groups and events. The ‘Salt and Light’ faith group is a good example of a pupil-led initiative that has developed into a thriving co-curricular offering, where pupils benefit within faith formation.
The strong partnerships with parents, carers and the wider community are positive and built on trust and care for each child. In our questionnaire returns, nearly all of the parents told us: their child was happy in school (96%), they were making good progress (95%) and they would recommend the school to others (92%). Most of the pupils (79%) told us that their school was an important part of the community.
SPL is resourced appropriately and responsive to meeting the needs of pupils and staff. The questionnaires indicated that nearly all (92.7%) of teachers believe their professional skills are valued and that they have opportunities to share them with others. The key priority of improving learning and teaching further, and the provision of the Department of Education’s funding through TransformED and its associated policy support for SPL have given the school the necessary resource to improve further the quality and impact of SPL in the school.
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
Dominican College, Portstewart demonstrates a clear commitment to ‘creating a safe and welcoming environment where pupils can thrive’, thereby living out its vision well. This inspection found the school to be inclusive and nurturing, where the Dominican ethos, which is displayed on the walls, is tangibly lived out daily in the halls. The school is well placed to move forward ‘renewing its Dominican commitment to adapt, in order to remain relevant, dynamic and vibrant’.
As identified in the school’s own self-evaluation, the next steps for Dominican College include the following areas for action:
- to develop a consistent whole-school approach to meeting pupils’ needs through a strategic SPL programme, including the consistent use of inclusive adaptive teaching strategies to support pupil progression; and
- to develop further the careers provision to ensure there is a more coherent and planned approach to the pupils’ learning experiences.
The District Inspector will monitor the school’s progress in addressing the areas for action, as part of ETI’s routine monitoring processes.
Inspectors identified aspects of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspects of practice which should be shared more widely are:
- how well the Dominican vision creates a thriving learning environment that values the development of each child’s individual talents and character, leading to highly effective relational teaching and excellent pupil dispositions; and
- the highly effective collaborative networks and enrichment provision.
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
There is a lack of control over access to the school site, which creates a risk to pupil and staff safety; there is no robust controlled security system for the range of access points to the main building and the outlying accommodation buildings. The school has identified the risks and intends raising this issue with the Education Authority.
Appendix 3: Notes
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relational*
Relational teaching is an approach that emphasises the quality of relationships between teachers and pupils as the foundation for effective learning.
It’s based on the belief that pupils learn best when they feel known, respected, and valued and that trust, empathy, and mutual respect are as important as subject knowledge or pedagogy.