Report of a Primary Inspection - Limavady Central Primary School
DE Ref No 201-6426
November 2025
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Limavady Central Primary School is a co-educational controlled primary school. The children who attend the school come from the surrounding area. There are currently 315 children enrolled in the school. Of the total enrolment, 6% of the children are newcomer children, almost 26% of the children have been identified as having special educational needs (SEN) and 9% of the children have a statement of SEN. Approximately 29% of the children have free school meal entitlement. The teaching staff includes a principal, in his third year in the post, 17 teachers including a teaching vice-principal, 28 classroom assistants and the wider staff team. The school operates a breakfast club and the HOP club (Helping Out Parents) which facilitates after school care.
A specialist provision class has opened in September 2025 to meet the needs of the children with social and communication difficulties in foundation stage (FS) and key stage (KS) 1. The school has a longstanding Shared Education Partnership with St Matthew’s Primary School and Roe Valley Integrated Primary School. In 2024 the school received the Eco School’s Green Flag award, in recognition of the school’s commitment to environmental education.
B. Views of pupils, parents and staff
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) issued online confidential questionnaires to the children in year 7, all parents and staff and governors 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
The ETI worked alongside the Limavady Central 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
Over the last three years, the principal has led an authentic, inclusive and highly consultative process focused on enabling the whole school community to reflect upon and reimagine its vision for high-quality education. This collaborative approach has led to a clearly articulated, shared vision and set of values that are well understood and are reflected in the learning experiences of the children. The vision and values now underpin the strategic direction of the school and inform well ongoing priorities as the school moves forward. Feedback from the ETI questionnaire from the school governors and the staff highlights their commitment to the school’s vision, ‘Together we nurture every child for success’. The parental/carers questionnaire responses also reflect a vision and values that are understood universally, and are visible, as they are modelled and lived out within the wider school community.
The current school development plan and associated action plans are underpinned by an extensive and ongoing process of self-evaluation and reflection. This includes: assessment information; a broad range of consultation; and a willingness to listen to and act upon the information gathered in order to enhance the experiences of the children, the staff and wider school community. The school’s commitment to meeting both the pastoral and the academic needs of each child is reflected appropriately in the current improvement priorities. These priorities are well‑considered and significant progress has been made to: strengthen the capacity for leadership at all levels; establish clear roles, responsibilities and procedures throughout the school; and to establish the commitment to vision and positive relationships that mean the school community can move forward with confidence.
The governors have helped set, with confidence, the strategic direction of the school. Through questionnaire responses and meetings with governor representatives, it is evident that the governors are kept well informed through regular meetings and monitoring activities, and all report that they believe the current school development plan and associated action plans are having a positive impact on the work and overall effectiveness of the school. The governors have availed of appropriate training opportunities to support them in carrying out their role effectively. They make an active and impactful contribution to the work of the school, in particular, through their work with co-ordinators supporting curriculum development.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
Comprehensive planning across the curriculum guides well the work of the teachers in creating meaningful learning experiences for the children. The recent and ongoing review of long-term planning for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) provides a coherent overview with clear year‑on‑year progression. This improvement work has been successful in fostering a renewed whole school focus on the teaching strategies and approaches that are most effective in promoting successful learning for all of the children.
The recent focus on developing the outdoor learning has come about as a result of feedback from the staff and the children, and the staff now make highly effective use of the outdoors to enrich all aspects of the curriculum, providing playful experiences that promote creativity, teamwork and resilience, whilst strengthening the children’s engagement in, and enjoyment of, their learning across all key stages.
Across the school, the children benefit from a climate of fairness, trust and mutual respect, which encourages them to take risks and adopt a positive “have‑a‑go” attitude. Clear learning intentions and ‘steps to success’ are used as accessible, child‑friendly guidance. These support the children in understanding what success looks like and enable them to take greater ownership of their learning. In numeracy lessons, the teachers consistently use practical resources and active learning strategies to support learning and teaching, ensuring the children are secure in their understanding of new concepts before progressing to use abstract symbols and more formal written methods of recording.
Where planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning are most effective: work is matched well to the individual needs and abilities of the children, learning is connected well across the curriculum, and the children engage enthusiastically in practical activities. The co-ordinators have identified appropriately the need to share best practice more consistently across the school.
The teacher evaluations of learning are regular, focused and attentive to the children’s well-being alongside the progress they are making in their learning. Both evaluations and assessment information are used well by the teachers to inform the next steps in the learning for each child. The curriculum co-ordinators have clear roles and responsibilities and work collegially to strengthen planning and ensure appropriate progression for every child.
The health and well-being of the whole school community is promoted very effectively. A dedicated and very passionate well-being team, supported by the staff, ensures that the wide range of initiatives established are well embedded and impactful. The school’s commitment to, and active engagement in, the Education Authority’s (EA) ‘Being Well, Doing Well’* programme is supporting actively these whole school objectives. The children’s views and ideas are influential in shaping initiatives such as the ‘walking bus’ which supports healthy lifestyle choices and ‘calm corners’ within classrooms to support the well-being and emotional regulation of every child. The wider community are also engaged through a range of events including opportunities for physical exercise in the ‘Move Well, Feel Well’ CrossFit programme, for example, as well as weekly opportunities for local parents and toddlers to visit and use the school facilities for their group activities.
Healthy eating is promoted consistently through the healthy breaktime routines and the children who spoke with inspectors understood the importance of eating well and being active to look after their health. The school’s commitment to catering for the diverse interests and needs of all the children is exemplified in the development of a well-equipped, fully inclusive playground area. The development of the areas surrounding the school also supports the physical health and emotional well-being of the children, providing a safe and stimulating environment designed to engage the children in a wide range of enjoyable activities that support the development of their physical skills, imagination and ability to play co-operatively at break and lunch times.
All of the children who spoke with inspectors and all those who responded to the ETI questionnaire agreed that they feel safe in school; are happy at school; and are clear that there are many adults in the school they can talk to if they are worried or have a concern.
C. Building equity
The commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion underpins the school’s ethos and is at the heart of the school community. Each child’s distinct identity, ability and experiences are recognised, responded to and valued. The school’s inclusive ethos is apparent in the daily interactions between the staff and the children; the children are treated with respect and kindness which is reflective of the school’s values, and they are supported well to reach their full potential.
The provision for the children with additional needs and those who experience barriers to their learning is highly effective. Through meticulous analysis of an extensive range of assessment information, including teacher observations and professional judgement, the children requiring additional support are identified at an early stage and are supported well through appropriate, targeted interventions which are responsive to their needs. The Individual Educational plans (IEPs) identify the children’s strengths and outline clearly the nature of the need. The targets set are realistic and achievable, equipping the children to experience success. The children benefit from quality in-class and withdrawal support. The support provided is tailored to, and meets, the child’s individual needs; it is having a very positive impact, enabling the children to make very good progress in their learning and development. During the inspection the withdrawal sessions observed were well resourced, and the children were engaged in and enjoying learning and were developing well their confidence and social skills.
The children are also supported very well by the school at key transition points, for example, from pre-school settings or moving to new year groupings within the school. Sharing of information, transition records, visits to the new class, production of quality information packs and resources for the children and their parents enables the children to transfer smoothly and successfully to the new setting.
The staff work in partnerships with a range of external agencies, that include for example, speech and language therapist, RISE NI*, EA pupil support services, occupational therapists and the Dry Arch Hub* to support the children in overcoming their difficulties and ensure that their needs are met.
The recently established specialist provision class for Social Communication caters for children in FS and KS 1. The class is well resourced and a highly valued aspect of the school’s provision. The dedicated staff know the children well, have an excellent understanding of the complexity of their needs and work diligently as a team to remove barriers to learning. They provide meaningful, personalised learning experiences for the children and foster a sense of belonging. The children are thriving in the uplifting, inclusive, nurturing environment provided, that enables them to build positive relationships, supporting well their learning alongside their social and emotional development.
D. Defining, celebrating and embedding success
The celebration of success is central to the vision of this school community. It is reflected strongly in the culture of positivity that pervades all aspects of the school life, including the physical and emotional learning environment created for the children. The displays and corridors throughout the school enrich the celebration of success and promote a ‘growth mindset’ among the staff and the children. This encouraging culture is also impacting positively on curriculum delivery and is supporting very successfully the link between literacy, the Personal Development and Mutual Understanding curriculum and the wider safeguarding curriculum. Novels, picture books and poems are used to develop and combine storytelling, language, imagination and emotional exploration to help the children to recognise and manage emotions, develop empathy, build communication skills and form values that impact positively on how they interact with and treat others. In addition, the PATHS* programme is clearly impacting on the children’s social-emotional learning and the overall school ethos, creating successfully an environment that reflects the school values.
Across the school, the children are confident, friendly, welcoming to visitors and respectful in their interactions with one another. The children’s books reflect appropriate progression in learning and the children take pride in the presentation of their work. Most of the children are achieving in line with or beyond the expected levels across the key curricular areas of literacy and numeracy.
The children’s talking, listening and thinking skills are developed very well across the curriculum. The children are able to talk and listen with purpose, to explain, ask questions, compare ideas and justify opinions with their peers. They work well both independently and in pairs and groups benefitting from well-established classroom routines and supportive classroom environments.
Within lessons, the children receive helpful feedback to support them in their learning, through regular and consistent verbal and written formative assessment opportunities. In the most effective practice, opportunities for self- and peer‑assessment and plenary sessions allow the children to: take an active role in their learning; reflect on and evaluate their own progress; and improve the accuracy and quality of their work. Opportunities for the staff to share this practice more widely through first hand evidence from the classroom will support them further in building consistency in this practice across the school. In the questionnaire responses, all of the children in year 7 agreed that their teachers and the classroom assistants help them when they find it difficult to learn.
The children have access to a wide range of additional and extra-curricular activities, with a strategic intent on helping every child find at least ‘one thing’ that will enable them to experience enjoyment and success. The children who spoke with inspectors talked enthusiastically about the wider curriculum experiences that they have enjoyed in school, in particular opportunities for swimming, highland dance, cricket, football and cross country running. They spoke of their enjoyment in attending after‑school clubs and activities and the memorable opportunities they have had for trips and visits outside of school.
Success is celebrated consistently through recognition of the children’s personal achievements. Throughout the school day, the children are praised informally for modelling the school’s values and for their efforts in their work. The ‘Pupil of the Day’ award helps the children to practice empathy as they learn to give and receive positive feedback and feel valued. Weekly assemblies also provide an opportunity for the children to celebrate successes. For example, in meeting individual reading and mathematics goals and in recognition of efforts to live out the values of the school. The celebration of wider success is shared publicly through the school’s social media, beautifully presented wall displays and regular communication with parents.
The school leadership team is successful in creating and embedding: a culture of high expectations; the intentional focus on building and maintaining positive relationships; and the focus on the professional growth and development of the staff team which equips them well to meet the needs of the children very effectively.
E. Growing a community of learning
The strength of the community of learning within this school lies within its ethos, culture and relationships for learning. They have been intentionally nurtured through an emphasis on listening to, reflecting upon and responding to the needs of the whole school community.
The staff place a high priority on their own professional learning and well-being, resulting in a well-informed and confident staff team that is continuously upskilling to support them in meeting the wide-ranging needs of the children. The programme of staff development is extensive, purposeful and strategically linked to the whole school development priorities. For example, training in trauma-informed practice, nurture principles, outdoor learning, use of digital technology and tools, SEN provision and numeracy, all of which enhance significantly the staff capability to meet the diverse needs of the children. All of the teachers and the classroom assistants who responded to the ETI questionnaire indicated that they have benefitted from recent professional learning opportunities.
Learner participation is emerging as a growing strength in the provision for learning. The pupil voice is increasingly being used to inform evaluations of learning and the process of improvement. The children told us about the various roles and responsibilities they take on across the school including those of digital leaders, PATHS pals, school and Eco councillors. They are able to articulate well the difference they make to the life of the school community in promoting online safety, care for the environment and modelling PATHS strategies in the playground.
Responses to the ETI questionnaire indicate that the parents value the extensive range of opportunities they have been given to help their child to learn for example, through curriculum overview workshops, paired reading programmes, ICT and numeracy programmes. Feedback from the school’s own evaluations of these programmes evidence the benefit in ensuring that the children can receive learning support in their home that builds on their learning in school.
The school is cultivating strong partnerships within and beyond its immediate community. The links with the wider community and local businesses enhance significantly the school’s approach to strengthening the physical and emotional health and well-being of the whole school community. Collaboration with local schools through the Shared Education project and local professional cluster groups is developing further the network of educators linked to the school. This collaboration is impacting positively on the children’s learning experiences through the sharing of good practice. Additionally, the skills, willingness and commitment of volunteers within the community have been harnessed, and built upon, through the access to professional learning opportunities. These volunteers make a significant impact in supporting the progress of targeted children through small group interventions.
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.
3. Next steps
Limavady Central Primary School staff have a deep-rooted commitment to the children’s pastoral care and academic achievement that has been encapsulated in a vision which has united and inspires the school community. As a result, the school has developed a highly collegial and inclusive approach to meeting the needs of each child, and to valuing and celebrating every aspect of their potential, alongside their unique gifts and talents. As set out in the school’s current development plan, the area for action for Limavady Central Primary School is: to facilitate the sharing of first-hand evidence of effective classroom practice among all of the school staff.
The District Inspector will monitor the school’s progress in addressing this area for action, as part of ETI’s normal monitoring processes.
Inspectors have also identified an aspect of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspect of practice which should be shared more widely is:
- the strategic and collaborative approach to creating the right conditions for the growth and development of a highly effective community of learning.
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: Notes
Page 3
‘Being Well, Doing Well’*
The Education Authority’s Being Well Doing Well programme aims to support schools (nursery, primary, post primary, special and EOTAS) to develop a whole school approach to emotional health and well-being.
Page 4
RISE NI*
The Education Authority Regional Integrated Support for Education NI is a regional early intervention service which supports children in pre-school educational and mainstream primary school settings.
Dry Arch Hub*
The Dry Arch Hub offers a range of programmes and services including wrap-around childcare provision, youth mentoring and programme support, family support, outreach support and home visiting services for children, young people and their families.
Page 5
PATHS*
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies. The programme is designed to facilitate the development of the children’s self‑control, emotional awareness and interpersonal problem‑solving skills. The programme is delivered by teachers through lessons and activities. PATHS Model School status signifies that the school has deeply embedded social and emotional learning into its daily operations.