Report of a Primary Inspection - Our Lady’s and St Mochua’s Primary School, Derrynoose
DE Ref No 503-6639
March 2026
1. Introduction
A. Background information
Our Lady’s and St Mochua’s Primary School is a co-educational, maintained primary school situated in the rural community of Derrynoose, County Armagh. The 176 children who attend, all come from the surrounding local area. Nine percent of the children have free school meals entitlement. Sixteen percent have been identified as having special educational needs (SEN). There are seven classes in the school, and the principal has been in the role for 23 years. There has been a small number of new appointments made to the teaching staff and the co-ordinator roles have been reviewed in recent years.
The school community values the external links, including a long-established shared education partnership with Clontibret National School. There is strong collaboration with 4 other primary schools within the Feabhas* cluster, as part of the Education Authority’s ‘Pathways into Partnership’ Programme. The school is also part of the Keady Area Learning Community with 9 other schools. A wide range of after school clubs are well attended and are chosen to cater to the interests of all children. These include various sports, maths booster classes and digital skills sessions.
The recent approval of a development proposal by the Department of Education will see the establishment of a part-time nursery class as part of the school, commencing in September 2026. This will maintain pre-school provision within the local area, and the community welcome this addition.
In 2014 the school was awarded the title of Changemaker School* from Dublin City University. The school has also recently achieved its third Eco School Green Flag* and was awarded Cumann Na mBunscol School of the Year* in 2025.
B. Views of children, 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 a representative of the board of governors.
C. The process of inspection
The ETI worked alongside Our Lady’s and St Mochua’s 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 vision is at the heart of the success for every child in the school and lived out by all of the staff in their supportive and consistently positive interactions. It focuses on nurturing the academic, social, emotional and spiritual potential of each child, preparing them to be responsible members of the community and is supported well by the longstanding motto, “Reaching for the future…a voice today”. The school’s status as a Changemaker School, is instrumental in how it supports the school community to successfully realise the vision. The four core principles of a Changemaker School (Empathy, Creativity, Leadership and Teamwork) are closely aligned to the school’s values (Kindness, Honesty, Faith, Friendship, Respect and Responsibility), which are embraced and demonstrated daily by all the children and the staff. The school runs a weekly ‘Changemaker Assembly’ to recognise children and staff who have epitomised a core principle, as nominated by the children. The vision is known and cherished by all of the school community and the responses to the questionnaires tell us that all of the parents and staff are clear about the vision of the school.
The three-year school development plan is robust, strategic and drives continuous school improvement. It is informed by an honest approach to self-evaluation, meaningful stakeholder engagement and appropriate child-centred priorities which are centred on improving learning and teaching. These include a focus on the use of assistive technology to support children’s literacy, the development of mental maths provision and differentiation in planning for learning. The experienced and visionary senior leaders have well-embedded processes in place to monitor and evaluate the impact of actions on the priorities and are supporting the middle leaders as they develop their skills. Termly staff meetings called “Dissemination Conferences” provide excellent opportunity for: staff professional learning; the sharing of effective practice; and evaluating the progress being made in addressing the priority areas.
The governors bring a range of relevant experience to support the school and are highly committed and well-informed. They meet regularly with the senior and middle leaders who inform them of progress made in different areas of the curriculum and the next steps they plan to take. The governors’ commitment to the school, including their high expectations of all, enhances and contributes to the successful realisation of the school’s vision. The planning for the establishment of the nursery class in September 2026 is reflective of the strategic commitment of the staff and governors in meeting fully the educational needs of the local community.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
The school has a robust approach to planning and assessment which is guiding very effectively the learning and teaching across the school and secures breadth and progression in the children’s learning across the curriculum. There are consistently high expectations for behaviour, effort and engagement from the children, and these underpin the high‑quality learning which is consistent across the school. The children respond to these high expectations and consistent routines by engaging with sustained concentration, enjoyment and a readiness to work both independently and collaboratively. The teaching is consistently effective which is demonstrated through well-paced lessons where learning intentions and success criteria are used skilfully to support progression. All of the staff use probing questions, allow purposeful wait time and give opportunities for the children to explain, discuss and justify their thinking to deepen their reasoning. This skilled questioning supports the challenge within lessons, ensuring all children are expected to think, respond and participate fully. In addition, the inclusion of real-life contexts and thematic enquiries enhance the relevance of learning and create a strong sense of curiosity, motivating the children to explore ideas more fully. There is fun in the learning.
High‑quality assessment is used skilfully to adapt teaching in the moment, ensuring learning remains responsive and ambitious. The children receive regularly clear, constructive feedback, often structured through the ‘two stars and a wish’ approach. There are well-established and bespoke methods to monitor the children’s progress. Across the curriculum, well-embedded information and communication technology (ICT), strong online-safety awareness and the effective use of accessibility tools enhance further the children’s independence and improve access, engagement and overall learning outcomes.
The children are all cared for by staff in an environment which is protective, caring and inclusive. There is a well-planned personal development and mutual understanding (PDMU) programme and all of the children, both in questionnaires and in conversations with inspectors, know what to do if they are worried or have a concern. An innovative “Kids Guide to Safeguarding” video, made by the key stage (KS) 2 children, is a child-friendly way of ensuring everyone understands the school’s key safeguarding messages.
C. Building equity
The whole school community is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Respect, understanding, and acceptance are evident across the school community, where all the children and staff are valued and supported. The staff ensure that the provision is equitable and accessible to all and have a very good, shared understanding of how to help children overcome any potential barriers to their learning. The children play an active role in fostering an inclusive school culture by demonstrating consistently the school values and by showing empathy for the needs of others.
The provision for children with SEN, including those who face barriers to learning, is well established and supports very effectively the children. Constructive and successful use is made of assessment information, including the evidence from staff observations, to identify children who require additional support with their pastoral needs or aspects of their learning. The children who require additional support are identified early and supported through high‑quality, tailored planning and teaching; and through, targeted interventions, such as sensory movement activities, literacy and numeracy booster sessions, reading partnership and the after-school numeracy ‘concept chaser’ club.
All staff interact skilfully and sensitively, exemplifying the school vision and values, in class, through withdrawal sessions and during after-school activities to support the children in their learning and to enable them to reach their potential. Bespoke learning passports and purposeful personal learning plans (PLPs) identify the children’s strengths, interests and outline clearly the nature of each child’s learning need. The expected outcomes for the children are realistic and achievable, with well-considered strategies in place for teachers and classroom assistants to help the children to achieve the targets set and experience success. As a result, the children with SEN make very good progress from their individual starting point.
The monitoring and evaluation of the children’s progress is extensive and thorough. Regular, tailored ‘pupil conferences’, where the staff meet to discuss the children’s progress, alongside comprehensive impact reports that evaluate agreed targets, help ensure that every child receives the appropriate support. In addition, a range of assistive technologies is used effectively to support learning, and there are well considered, suitable reasonable adjustments in place for the children to ensure equitable access to the curriculum. The parents work in partnership with the school in the best interests of the children and are kept well informed of their child’s progress through regular meetings, the weekly newsletter and the informative school website. All the parents in response to the ETI questionnaire expressed satisfaction with the care and support provided for their child.
D. Defining, celebrating and embedding success
The wonderful children are a testament to the consistent success across all aspects of school life. They are happy, motivated and their behaviour is exemplary. The children and staff are very welcoming to visitors; they live out the school’s vision and values in all of their interactions, and they are proud of their school and what they have achieved.
Success for all is evident across the broad and engaging curriculum. A previous school development focus on writing has had significant impact on the confidence and skills of the staff in the teaching of writing and on the children’s outcomes. There is a consistent whole‑school approach that provides regular, well‑planned opportunities for the children to write for purpose and across genres, with skills taught consistently and applied successfully by the children, who produce high‑quality emerging and extended writing.
The well‑sequenced numeracy programme, featuring precise mathematical language, authentic contexts and problem-solving tasks, alongside the prioritised focus on mental maths, promotes deeper understanding, stronger reasoning and increasing fluency. The clear and consistent focus at a strategic level on teaching strategies has impacted significantly on the progress the children make, with almost all of the children achieving in line with, or above, their ability scores in both literacy and numeracy. A recent focus on play-based learning has resulted in a wide range of high-quality play experiences for the children in the foundation stage. The children experience daily opportunities to investigate, explore and play with purpose in their imaginative and creative outdoor area.
The extensive and meaningful opportunities provided to harness the highly valued pupil voice enhances the children’s engagement and influence in school life and decision making. All children benefit from purposeful leadership responsibilities through, for example, the pupil leadership team, Changemaker prefects, the Eco Council, buddy systems and digital leaders. All of the children in years 6 and 7 undertake buddy roles and enjoy creating friendships with and supporting the younger children in the foundation stage.
The school environment is a celebration of the children’s learning, with vibrant displays showcasing the children’s work and achievements and instilling within them a sense of pride. Weekly assemblies are a highlight of the school week where the children and staff receive awards for their successes, academically, pastorally and for being ‘Changemakers’. The school’s ethos, vision and values are palpable during these assemblies, and its vision is truly lived out.
The school’s impactful involvement as a Changemaker School has a notable impact on the children’s knowledge of economic awareness, entrepreneurship, and aspects of social responsibility. The Roots of Empathy* and Young Enterprise* programmes, led by the school’s classroom assistants, provide innovative and creative experiences for the children to develop the skills they need for the future. An annual “Swap Shop” day is a particular highlight for the children, where they can buy and sell old toys and then make donations to their chosen charities, learning the skills of negotiation and bargaining. The year 7 children told us how exciting these opportunities were and how much they enjoyed and learned from them.
E. Growing a community of learning
Our Lady and St Moucha’s Primary School is at the heart of the local community and is very much a school of the community and for the community. The inclusive culture for learning across the school provides meaningful learning opportunities for the children to work collaboratively, supporting them to learn with and from each other.
The dynamic links and partnerships forged with an extensive range of schools, Dublin City University, external partners, community groups and the local parish, for example, the Feabhas cluster and the learning community of Derrynoose, Kilclooney and Tynan, enhance significantly the learning opportunities for the children and staff.
The well-embedded links with the local secondary school extend the children’s learning experiences and support well the children’s smooth transition to post‑primary education. Engagement with local organisations, businesses, the valued partnership with the Derrynoose GAA club and external agencies broadens further the children’s learning, enriches their social experiences and supports their holistic development.
Partnerships with parents are valued highly and are rooted in open communication, mutual respect and shared responsibility for each child’s progress and wellbeing. The school welcomes parents as active participants in their child’s learning journey through its proactive engagement practices, for example, the parental workshops, utilisation of parental skills in gardening and baking, and the school’s open-door policy; these elements of school life strengthen the sense of community and contribute to a highly effective community of learning. In response to the ETI online questionnaire all the parents indicated that the school has good links with the community, organisations and clubs and that “the warmth and sense of community are exceptional”. The school uses purposefully digital platforms to promote transparency and maintain excellent home-to-school links.
Staff professional learning is strategic and impactful. It is tailored to the needs of the children, closely aligned to the identified priorities for development, and impacts positively on classroom practice and the experiences provided for the children. In response to the ETI questionnaire, all the staff stated that they benefit from the professional learning opportunities provided. A culture of openness, reflection and shared practice is evident, with staff demonstrating a strong commitment to continuous improvement. The investment in staff professional learning enhances further the quality of teaching and builds the capability of the staff to enrich the children’s learning experiences.
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
The vision of Our Lady’s and St Mochua’s Primary School places every child at the centre of the work of the school. The motto “Reaching for the future … a voice today” is lived out consistently and fully through the ethos, excellent relationships and the highly effective curriculum provision.
As identified by the school and endorsed by the inspection, the area for action for Our Lady’s and St Mochua’s Primary School is to continue to develop the roles and responsibilities of middle leaders. The District Inspector will monitor the school’s progress in addressing the area 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:
- the strategic, creative and collaborative approaches to realising a shared and empowering school vision; and
- the highly effective strategies used to build a dynamic 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 1
Feabhas*
Feabhas in Irish means improvement and is the name given to the Pathways into Partnership schools cluster.
Eco-School Green Flag Award*
The Eco Schools Green Flag is an internationally recognised award for excellence in environmental action and learning.
Cumann na mBunscol School of the Year*
A prestigious national award recognising schools for promoting Gaelic games and culture
Page 5
Roots of Empathy*
Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based, classroom-based social and emotional programme designed to help children develop empathy by observing and interacting with a baby who, along with their parent, visits the classroom throughout the school year.
Young Enterprise*
Young Enterprise Northern Ireland is school led programme that inspires and prepares young people with the skills and confidence to succeed in a global economy.