Report of a Primary Inspection - Lisburn Central Primary School and Nursery Unit
DE Ref No 401-0807
November 2025
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Lisburn Central Primary School and Nursery Unit is a controlled school situated close to the centre of Lisburn. The total enrolment in the school is 213, which includes the 25 children attending the full-time single nursery unit. Forty-six percent of the children have free school meals entitlement and 28% have been identified as having special educational needs (SEN). Almost one-quarter of the children are newcomers; there are 17 different languages represented in the school. The staff body in the school consists of: the principal, who has been in post from 2020; 12 teachers, including a teaching vice-principal, special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), two learning support teachers and a number of teachers with job-share arrangements; 18 classroom assistants, 15 of whom are SEN assistants; and a small number of non-teaching support staff.
The school has achieved a number of awards over recent years, including the Eco Green Flag Status*, Northern Ireland Forest School Status* and the Sustrans NI School Award*.
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
The ETI worked alongside Lisburn Central Primary School and Nursery Unit 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
There is a collaborative approach to the development of the school vision and mission statement, underpinned by the core values of respect, kindness, honesty, good manners, compassion, helpfulness, forgiveness, perseverance and resilience. The views of the children, teaching and non-teaching staff, and governors were sought, listened to, valued and acted upon as part of this collegial approach. The creation and maintenance of a caring, happy and stimulating environment was agreed by all to be of paramount importance in order to support the whole school community to realise their vision and enable all children to develop the skills and ability to become lifelong learners through ‘learning together, being creative, fulfilling their potential and experiencing success’.
Strategic processes of self-evaluation and planning for whole-school development have been established over recent years which have informed priorities for staff professional learning and have impacted positively on staff confidence and the children’s learning experiences and outcomes in, for example, physical education (PE), learning outdoors and reading in the foundation stage.
A robust and comprehensive school development plan is in place which articulates the high aspirations the staff have for the children and the range of learning opportunities and experiences that they endeavour to provide. The school development plan has been informed by a range of qualitative and quantitative data, underpinned by thorough consultation with all stakeholders, including a whole staff ‘blue-sky thinking’ workshop at the outset of the process. As a result, appropriate whole-school priorities for development have been identified. Going forward, it will be important to re-establish processes of monitoring and evaluation and to develop the capacity of all curriculum leaders to lead effectively their areas of responsibility and effect collaborative and continuous improvement.
The board of governors, which has been recently reconstituted, is fully committed to the school and is involved proactively in the life and work of the school.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
The learning environment across the school is characterised by positive relationships, well-established classroom routines and high expectations for behaviour.
A good start has been made to reviewing planning for learning. Long-term whole‑school overviews for literacy, numeracy, PE and ICT are in place that map effectively progression in learning and skills development from year to year and, in the best practice, inform appropriately the medium-term planning. Where medium-term planning and the teachers’ preparation for learning is most effective: they connect learning across the curriculum; articulate clearly the intended learning; plan for challenge and progression; and support the teachers to deliver purposeful and engaging lessons that enable the children to develop their thinking and creativity and deepen their understanding.
The recent focus on improving mathematics and numeracy across the school is already having a positive impact on the quality of the learning and teaching. The school has identified appropriately the need to continue to monitor the ongoing impact of this new approach on the quality of the learning, teaching and outcomes in numeracy and to disseminate this practice more widely in order to develop a more coherent and progressive approach to planning across all areas of the curriculum.
Learning and teaching across the school is underpinned by a caring and inclusive ethos. The staff build warm, respectful relationships with the children which foster a positive climate for learning. Where learning and teaching are most successful: the teachers’ and classroom assistants’ interactions are of a high quality, and the children have opportunities to work collaboratively, think critically and develop their creativity through appropriately challenging, well-connected, open-ended learning and play activities. In these lessons: there is appropriate structure and pace; learning intentions and success criteria are shared clearly; and the teachers use effective questioning throughout the lessons and during the plenary sessions to reinforce and consolidate the children’s learning and understanding. This practice however is inconsistent, and the quality of the learning and teaching is variable across the school. The school has identified appropriately the need to re-establish robust monitoring and evaluation processes to identify and disseminate the most effective practice and to improve the overall quality of the planning, teaching and assessment for learning across the school and improve further the learning experiences and outcomes for the children.
The extensive work carried out on securing the school grounds in recent years has enabled the introduction of Forest School lessons and the wider development of outdoor learning experiences for the children. As a result, the children have opportunities to engage in more exploratory and enjoyable learning outdoors in the attractive and expansive school grounds which boast large grassy areas, mature trees, a fairy garden, fruit bushes and child-centred activity areas that include a performance stage, blackboards and a bug hotel.
The well-being of all is prioritised in the school. Children have access to a school counsellor and to specific meditation and well-being programmes. All staff have engaged in professional learning in the Education Authority’s (EA) Nurture-in-5* programme and are working to embed this into daily practice across the key stages. The well-being for all staff has been prioritised following an audit of views; a range of strategies, including a staff nurture strategy, are being implemented and are having a positive impact. The staffroom has been upgraded to make it a more welcoming environment, access to external support is promoted and there are regular staff development opportunities to promote positive emotional health and well-being.
C. Building equity
The school has an inclusive ethos and promotes equity and fairness for all which is reflected in the caring and respectful relationships evident throughout the school community, and in the important and valuable contributions and involvement of all children in the life and work of the school. The children who met with the inspectors described their school as being very friendly and welcoming and, in the inspection questionnaire responses, almost all parents/carers (91%) reported that their child is happy at school.
The strategic co-ordination and provision for children with SEN is a strength of the school. The school uses a range of assessment tools, supported by teacher professional judgement, to better understand and meet each child’s individual needs and ensure that all children who require additional support receive the help that they need. The children with SEN are identified early in the nursery unit, and provision is put in place as soon as possible to support the children’s readiness to learn. From nursery and throughout the school, there is suitable breadth to the intervention support provided to enable all children with SEN to make progress and achieve. The one-to-one and small group intervention support is a strength of the school and the school’s data shows that children with SEN make good progress, academically, socially and emotionally. The classroom assistants play a key role in the school and, in the most effective practice, they work effectively in partnership with the class teacher, are fully integral to the children’s learning experiences and are responsive to their individual needs.
The school has demonstrated its flexibility and adaptability in adjusting quickly to the changes in the new SEND Transformation Programme with all staff completing professional learning in the implementation of the EA’s Graduated Response Framework. As a result, the children are receiving the appropriate external support that they need in a timely manner. Priority has been placed on building the capacity of teachers to write meaningful personal learning plans (PLP) for children and there has been positive impact from this work. The targets within the PLPs are purposeful and are reviewed regularly, and both children and parents contribute to them. The school continues to strengthen its partnerships with home and, where this is most effective, the parents take an active role, for example, in listening to their child read and providing support and encouragement.
The school is committed to providing support to help children and their families overcome barriers to learning and is collaborative in its approach to do so, working with relevant organisations within the local and wider community. The school has very effective external partnerships which make valuable contributions to the provision, including access to specialist advice that is well utilised. The extremely pastoral ‘meet-and-greet’ strategy to support children who experience anxiety coming to school is proving to be very effective.
Newcomer children and their families are recognised as visible and valued members of this vibrant school community. The school makes effective use of interpreters when required and has well‑established partnerships with the Education Authority’s (EA) Intercultural Education Service (IES). The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages* (CEFR) is used purposefully to baseline and monitor the progress of newcomer children in English. Responses to the confidential parental questionnaires reflect strong appreciation for the school’s care, respect and commitment to valuing diversity and creating a welcoming environment for all.
D. Defining, celebrating and embedding success
The staff have created a happy, safe and nurturing learning environment for all of the children which is underpinned by positive and supportive relationships. The children are praised in class for their efforts and hard work, and they respond well to this and to the individual in-class praise and reward strategies employed by their teachers.
The children spoke of their enjoyment of the whole-school weekly assemblies and their pride in receiving the ‘Star of the Week’ award in acknowledgement and celebration of a range of achievements. They also told inspectors about the whole‑school focus on one of the school’s values each month and that they feel proud of their efforts at living out the values, such as kindness, good manners and helpfulness which are celebrated.
Across the nursery unit and primary school, the children are happy, well-mannered and respectful. Almost all listen attentively in class, engage readily in their learning and respond positively to their teachers and classroom assistants. Where the learning is most successful and the children are presented with more open-ended and engaging learning activities and purposeful opportunities to work and play collaboratively, they are developing their independence and creativity, their thinking and problem-solving skills, and a love for learning.
The school and eco councils have a visible presence in the school and the children share minutes from meetings and updates on their work on a designated notice board. The children have initiated positive change, including the installation of drinking water fountains, and currently are working on how the school community can live out the school’s values. Increasing the children’s voice in relation to consultation on their learning and developing processes of self and peer-assessment across the school would empower the children to take responsibility for improving their own learning and the presentation of their work as they progress through the school. The school’s internal data shows that most of the children are making good progress in their learning and development from their individual starting points.
E. Growing a community of learning
The school places importance on establishing positive relationships with the children’s families and is very supportive of new families that arrive in Lisburn. There are well developed and effective systems in place for communicating with parents which include, the informative school website, digital communication and the detailed weekly updates via a digital newsletter which is shared on multiple platforms, with inbuilt translation functions, and ensures all communication is accessible, current and relevant. There is a very active Parent, Teachers and Friends (PTF) association that raises significant funds for the school and has funded, for example, the purchase of high-quality interactive equipment for each classroom and furniture and resources for outdoor learning.
The children’s learning and wider experiences are enhanced by the school’s meaningful participation in the community. The children benefit from experiences that raise awareness of the real-life relevance of their learning through, for example, the well-embedded engagement in the Young Enterprise Programme in key stages 1 and 2, and participation in the Lisburn Trade Fair selling their own products. There is purposeful and extensive collaboration with the community through, for example, an annual visit to residents in a local care home, the choir performing in the city centre, annual participation in the Lord Mayor’s parade, accessing Lisburn library, visiting Lisburn Linen Museum and Lisburn Civic Centre and availing regularly of Lisburn’s wide-ranging sports facilities. These collaborations strengthen the children’s connection to and pride in their local community, while enabling access to high quality learning facilities and services.
The children regularly participate in sports tournaments and competitions in the creative arts field. They experienced success, for example, in the Lisburn and Castlereagh Council 41st and 42nd School Art Competitions in 2024 and 2025, organised through the Lisburn Island Arts Centre; the school has also collaborated with a ceramic artist in the centre. Almost all of the parents (94%) who responded to the confidential questionnaire reported that their child has opportunities to take part in activities/visits outside the classroom and/or after-school clubs.
The strategic investment in a range of partnerships and collaborations with local schools, through a number of different initiatives over recent years, is impacting positively on the professional development and confidence of middle leaders. It has also supported the school’s ongoing improvement work, including strengthening parental engagement, developing self-evaluation in key curricular areas, promoting well-being programmes, improving talking and listening, and developing further outdoor learning.
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
All staff and governors of Lisburn Central Primary School and Nursery Unit are committed to creating a safe, caring, inclusive and nurturing learning environment where children can experience success and thrive while ‘Learning, Playing and Achieving Together’.
The inspection has highlighted a number of areas for action to enable Lisburn Central Primary School and Nursery Unit to achieve its vision more fully:
- to develop further the capacity of curriculum leaders to lead continuous improvement collaboratively; and
- to improve the quality of the planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning.
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: Notes
Page 1
Eco Green Flag Status*
The Eco-Schools Green Flag is an internationally recognised award for excellence in environmental action and learning.
Northern Ireland Forest School Status*
The NI Forest School Awards have been created to encourage local schools to take an innovative, educational approach to outdoor play and learning, encouraging and inspiring children through positive outdoor experiences.
Sustrans NI School Award*
An Active School Travel Programme to encourage children to walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Page 3
Nurture in 5*
Nurture in 5 aims to provide a practical application of emotional health and well-being techniques within a nurturing approaches framework.
Page 4
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages*
A language assessment tool that includes a set of benchmarks for English language acquisition; used primarily to identify what newcomer pupils can do, monitor progress and plan for language learning.