Report of a Primary Inspection - Edenbrooke Primary School
DE Ref No 101-0323
December 2025
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Edenbrooke Primary School is a controlled co-educational school situated in north‑west Belfast. It is located in the original Edenderry Public Elementary School building that dates back to 1936 and is now a partially listed building. A sense of history permeates the walls of the school, and the corridors are vibrant with displays of the children’s creative and expressive work.
This part of Belfast has experienced significant challenges over decades and the school, being positioned at the centre of the community, is a beacon of light for children and their families. Over three-quarters (77%) of the children have free school meal entitlement and the school subsidises a breakfast club, offering a menu that includes cooked food throughout the school week. The enrolment has increased by 54% in the last eight years from 252 to 388 children. The primary one intake is regularly over-subscribed. The school comprises 14 mainstream primary classes, two well-established specialist provision classes, and a nurture unit. Almost one-quarter (24%) of the children have been identified as having special educational needs (SEN).
The school values highly its well-established collaboration with Queens University Belfast (QUB), the Shankill Primary Area Learning Community (SPALC) and the ten‑year Shared Education partnership with Mercy Primary School.
A comprehensive programme of minor capital works commenced in July 2025 to address areas of the school building that require refurbishment, including upgrading the toilets for both adults and children and making repairs to the roof of the school hall.
B. Views of pupils, parents and staff
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) issued online confidential questionnaires to the children in year 7, 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 representatives of the board of governors.
C. The process of inspection
ETI worked alongside Edenbrooke Primary 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 define, celebrate and embed success; and
- grows and develops an inclusive community of learning.
2. Main report
A. Setting the vision
The school community worked collaboratively during the last academic year on revising the school vision which now reads: ‘Achieving, Believing, Succeeding Together’; they are proud of it and committed fully to achieving it. The vision embodies high expectations for the children and a belief in the potential of all for success within a supportive learning environment. The associated aims address the holistic needs of the children, with a focus on them developing skills to be confident, happy, resilient and contributing members of society. In the online questionnaire, almost all of the parents (94.1%) reported that their child is happy at the school.
The vision and aims, together with the associated values, are at the core of teaching and learning in the school. In the online questionnaire, all of the teachers said they are clear about the school’s vision and feel they contribute well to achieving the vision.
The strategic decision to appoint new co-ordinators in this academic year to lead in the curricular areas of The Arts and Physical Education is a progressive move for the school that should benefit the development of the curriculum. The significant and strategic investment in the development of the external play area has helped optimise opportunities for children’s outdoor learning in this urban location, and similarly the school recognises the importance of using well the resources available in the local community such as the green space in the park, the adjacent church hall and the public library. The recent creation of a parent hub within the school is an example of the school’s commitment to its community.
The staff are in the first year of a new three-year school development plan (SDP) that includes a well-informed range of priorities and associated action plans that were informed by the views of all stakeholders, including the children and parents. The staff have identified appropriately that it would be beneficial to have a sharper focus on a smaller number of key priorities over this year.
The governors demonstrate a deep commitment to the school. They have the appropriate breadth of relevant knowledge and experience to support the senior leadership team and the staff. They have a clear understanding of the school’s needs and their responsibilities as a governing body. They speak knowledgeably about key areas such as safeguarding, teaching children with barriers to learning, recruitment and finance. The senior leadership team and governors now need to review the length of the school day to ensure time is managed to maximise learning opportunities for all and that it is in line with statutory guidance (as per Department of Education Circular 2013/09).
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
The introduction of an agreed assessment timetable demonstrates a positive move towards evidence-based practice. To achieve greater consistency in the planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning, including raising standards in the children’s oracy, the staff are beginning to gather first-hand evidence of the learning and teaching to identify the strategic priorities and identify the necessary actions, and to measure the impact of the actions taken.
The relationships for learning across the school are positive. This is evidenced by the children’s responses to the questionnaire and their discussions with inspectors, in which they reported that the teachers and other adults in the school treat them with care and respect. The children learn within a sensitive and supportive environment.
In the most effective learning and teaching, the teachers set high expectations and use purposeful questioning to extend the children’s language development and critical thinking. Success is communicated in child-friendly language which enables the children to understand and articulate their progress. Where the teaching is most impactful, the work is set at an appropriate level, including for those who require more challenge. The children have regular opportunities to collaborate with their peers to deepen their understanding. The teachers’ marking for improvement is consistent and affirming, supporting the children to know how they can improve further on their work. While these strengths are evident, there is a need to ensure greater consistency in the quality of teaching across all classes so that all children benefit from the same high-quality provision, to enable every child to achieve, believe and succeed together.
The senior leaders have identified appropriately the need to strengthen planning for progression across the curriculum, so that the intended learning is clear, specific and better aligned to the school’s vision for learning.
The recent focus on developing the children’s reading comprehension strategies through predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarising, is beginning to improve the children’s ability to interpret texts and discuss unfamiliar vocabulary. The children in year 6 also benefit from learning a modern language; in weekly French lessons, they engage enthusiastically and develop their communication skills and cultural awareness.
The ongoing focus on problem-solving in numeracy is broadening the children’s range of strategies and fostering effective collaboration. The use of well-chosen practical materials, such as dominoes and counters, enhances the children’s conceptual understanding and enables the children to approach numerical problems methodically. The children’s questionnaire responses confirm that they feel well supported by the provision of useful and interesting resources.
The staff are increasingly making effective use of contextualised learning, for example, the children researched the historical event of Queen Victoria’s visit to Belfast which made the learning relevant, meaningful and memorable for the children.
The increased use of the Education Authority’s C2k* digital applications is enhancing digital learning and supporting the development of the children's Information and Communication Technology skills, particularly in digital storytelling and managing data. From the foundation stage, the children demonstrate independence in accessing their accounts using QR codes, supported by the recently appointed ‘Digital Buddies’. As the children progress through the school, they are able to express their ideas digitally, through the use of text, graphics and animations.
The children’s health, well-being and safety is a priority for all staff. The school provides a safe nurturing environment where children are respected and they in turn respect others. There is a deep level of care and concern that children’s pastoral needs are met. The support for the children extends to their families; the school offers discretely support and with generosity of spirit.
The children are encouraged to have a ‘can do’ attitude and are surrounded by notices providing positive affirmations. They are warmly welcomed into the school each day and registration time is well utilised, helping children to prepare for the learning of the day. The year 3 children who were observed taking part in a mindfulness session reflected that the breathing work they practise regularly is helping them to focus on their learning and feel calm.
The children have a sound understanding of online safety, reinforced through whole‑school initiatives. In conversations with inspectors, and through the online questionnaire, the children said they feel safe and they know who to speak to if they have any worries or concerns.
C. Building equity
Throughout the school, there is a strong commitment by the staff to address the diverse range of individual needs of all the children. The staff know well the children’s barriers to learning and are implementing a range of supportive and inclusive strategies to help the children overcome their challenges.
The well-established nurture provision provides the children with a safe, stable and emotionally secure environment. The ‘sunshine staff’ have established warm and trusting relationships with the children. They provide the children with ongoing effective support and have created strong relationships with the parents through workshops, ‘stay and play’ sessions and play therapy sessions. As a result of this nurturing support and well-planned transition strategies, the children are integrated successfully into their class and are making progress in their learning.
The children who have additional needs are identified early and supported effectively by the teachers and the classroom assistants. The children learn through a range of effective strategies that include the use of sensory resources, calm areas within the classroom, and use of the sensory room which help the children to manage their emotions develop their confidence and improve their social and emotional skills, so they can successfully engage and focus on their learning.
Using the school’s assessment information and knowledge of the children, the teachers identify early the children who require individual and group intervention in literacy and numeracy, to develop further the children’s mathematical skills, confidence in reading including phonics and letter recognition. The children who attend the specialist provision classes appear happy, settled and are making good progress in their learning. The staff know the children well, meet them at their individual starting points and encourage them to set targets for their own learning. The use of movement and sensory breaks, implemented strategically by the staff, help the children to manage their emotions so they can continue successfully with their own learning.
There are individual education plans (IEPs) in place for those children who require support with aspects of their learning. The school is at the early stage of including the children’s voice in relation to their learning. The strategies to support the children are not aligned consistently to the targets included within their termly IEPs and require further review, to monitor and evaluate the children’s progress more effectively.
The current action plan for SEN identifies appropriately the need for training of all staff so they can prepare to move towards the use of personal learning plans.
The small number of newcomer children are well-integrated across the school. The staff have identified appropriately the need to review their approaches to provide a consistent whole school approach of support for these children and their families.
There are children whose progress in learning is being adversely impacted by irregular attendance. The parents/carers and families are valued members of the school community and the school has identified appropriately the need to strengthen further parental/carer engagement to raise the children’s outcomes, improve attendance and encourage ambition grounded in community pride.
The school is monitoring attendance and implementing strategies and interventions to support these children which are having some impact. The school has identified appropriately in the SDP both attendance and parental engagement as priorities for the school. It will be important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed actions and the use of the new parent hub on parental engagement and children’s attendance.
D. Defining, celebrating and embedding success
The children are well-motivated, polite and ready to learn. They are welcoming, thoughtful and the staff foster a culture that empowers the children to believe in themselves, which is reflected in the pride they take in their achievements.
Across the school, the children enjoy engaging with the adults and their peers to share their learning and successes. In discussions with inspectors, they spoke about their favourite books and reading preferences. The children expressed pride in their progress and attainment in reading, demonstrating an awareness of their reading levels. They present their written work neatly and place high value on achieving the ‘Pen Licence’ in year 7.
The school’s assessment information, and the work in the children’s books, show that overall standards in oracy need to improve to enable the children to communicate their ideas more clearly, extend their responses in discussions, and support further their reading and writing development.
The majority of the children are achieving expected outcomes or above in numeracy. As the children progress though the school, they develop their problem-solving skills and increase their competence in mental mathematics.
The children’s achievements, both inside and outside of school, are acknowledged and celebrated in assemblies, and through a range of awards which the children value highly. The children share their interests and achievements attained outside of school during celebration assemblies whilst learning assemblies provide an opportunity for them to share their class work and success across each year group. Their individual achievements are acknowledged and celebrated across the school in a variety of ways, including ‘Pupil of the Week’ and ‘Buddy of the Month’. The staff make good use of photographs and share the children’s learning, achievements and individual work through beautifully presented displays.
Throughout the school day the children are praised informally by all staff which is impacting positively on their motivation, behaviour and attitudes to learning. In the year 7 questionnaire responses, all of the children acknowledged that their achievements and talents are recognised and celebrated which contributes to their enjoyment of school. The children who met with inspectors also value the range of trips and extra-curricular activities available to them.
E. Growing a community of learning
The children have a range of opportunities to develop their leadership skills through, for example, the school and eco councils, and the digital leaders and buddies initiatives. They embrace these responsibilities with enthusiasm and, during their engagement with inspectors, highlighted the pride they have in assuming these roles, including the value the key stage 2 (KS 2) children place on supporting the younger children. Learner participation is having a positive impact on developing the children’s wider skills and dispositions. The year 7 children have been pivotal in planning, setting up and managing a new school tuck shop which is developing well their financial capability, confidence and decision-making skills. The staff recognise the importance of consulting with the children on the curriculum and have begun to seek their views on how they learn best to enrich further their learning.
Effective partnerships with the local and wider community, businesses and other schools enhance the provision and learning experiences for the children and develop their skills and confidence. For example, the children in year 6 are working currently with a QUB medical student through the ‘Medics in Primary Schools’ programme*. All of the children observed in the session were engaging well with each other on a range of health-related topics of interest, selected by each class. The school has introduced an Inspire Day for the children to learn from and about a range of careers through their engagement with local businesses and external partners.
There are well-established links and transition programmes in place with the local pre-school and Sure Start providers, and post-primary schools, which support the children’s smooth transition, both as they begin and continue their education journey.
The parents/carers and families are valued members of the school community. The school welcomes parents/carers into the school for Stay and Play/Read afternoons and other celebratory events such as learning assemblies and choir performances.
The school is very proud of the well-established Shared Education partnership with Mercy Primary School which includes their current participation in the Community Relations Schools ‘Buddy Up’ programme. The children and staff from both schools have benefitted previously from a range of shared initiatives including work with the Northern Ireland Forest School Association for the children to explore Clandeboye Estate together, play and make new friends. The year 3 children who met with inspectors delighted in sharing their positive experiences of sharing snack and play time with their friends from the other school during a ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ in the local park.
Staff professional development is a high priority for the school, as is sharing with and learning from the professional expertise within SPALC. The children, staff and governors across the SPALC have benefitted from a range of shared professional learning opportunities which includes: a middle leadership development programme led by QUB; a local heritage programme for the children about the Shankill graveyard; and an induction programme for new primary and post-primary teachers to provide insight in the local community context. The staff spoke with pride and enthusiasm about the opportunities to learn from and with staff from the SPALC schools at a ‘sharing good practice’ conference in August 2025. This collaboration has informed the school’s current focus on restorative practice* and is expanding the staff’s knowledge and skills to support effectively the children.
The staff are also involved actively in several SPALC cluster groups which provide bespoke professional learning such as a focus on outdoor play for the year 1 cluster group. The principal plays an active role in the wider Greater Shankill Principals’ Group, which includes post-primary and primary principals, benefitting from their mutual support and, in turn, sharing resources and expertise.
F. Child protection
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the school demonstrates that the arrangements for child protection align to the current statutory guidance. The ETI will monitor the progress in addressing the following area for action:
- to revise and update a number of policies, including the policies for addressing bullying and online safety, and to make these available to the school community.
3. Next steps
Edenbrooke Primary School staff are committed to the school vision of Achieving, Believing, Succeeding Together, working collegially for the benefit of all children and their families within an empowering, vibrant and caring environment.
ETI will monitor the school’s progress in addressing the following areas for action:
- to achieve greater consistency in the planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning, including raising standards in the children’s oracy; and
- to revise and update a number of safeguarding policies, including addressing bullying and online safety, and to make these available to the school community.
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
A health and safety issue was identified during the course of the inspection which has been raised with the relevant officials within the Department of Education.
Appendix 3: Notes
Page 4
C2k*
C2k (Classroom 2000) refers to Northern Ireland's education technology network providing ICT services to schools.
Page 6
‘Medics in Primary Schools’ programme*
The Medics in Primary Schools programme at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is a community outreach initiative where senior medical students teach children about health and the human bod, fostering early engagement with science and medicine.
Page 7
restorative practice*
Restorative practice is a relational approach focusing on building community, repairing harm, and resolving conflict by emphasizing empathy, accountability, and positive relationships.