Report of a Primary Inspection - St Colman’s Primary School and All Saints’ Nursery Unit, Annaclone
DE Ref No 503-6061
January 2026
1. Introduction
A. Background information
St Colman’s Primary School and All Saints’ Nursery Unit is a catholic maintained, co‑educational primary school located in the village of Annaclone close to the town of Banbridge in County Down. The school is oversubscribed; there are 186 children in the primary school, and 31 children in a full-time session in the nursery unit. At the time of inspection, approximately 7% of the children have free school meals entitlement and 18% of the children have been identified as having special educational needs (SEN).
A new principal was appointed in September 2022, followed by the appointment of a vice-principal in September 2024. The school offers a breakfast club and a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, including an after-school club for the younger children. The primary school is also in a longstanding shared education partnership with Fair Hill Primary School, Kinallen. The nursery unit has also recently developed a shared education partnership with Fair Hill Nursery Unit through the PEACEPLUS ASPIRE* project.
The school has achieved a number of external accreditations, including the Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School* award, Digital School of Distinction* award, and a second Eco Schools Green Flag* award.
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 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 St Colman’s Primary School and All Saints’ 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 strong and shared commitment to the school’s vision, “Together we learn, dream and achieve,” which is well understood and lived out successfully across the school community. The vision, underpinned by the school’s Catholic ethos, was developed through a strategic and inclusive process. A key strength of this work was the extent to which the children were empowered to lead in the creation of the vision. The children are immensely proud of their contribution to shaping the school’s vision which is authentic, meaningful to them, and reflective of the school’s shared values and long‑term aspirations.
The ETI questionnaire responses indicate that children and parents hold the staff in high regard, describing them as “approachable”, “supportive” and “easy to talk to”. These consistently positive views reflect the high levels of trust and confidence across the school community,and evidence further how well the school’s vision of working together is lived out in day-to-day practice.
The school development plan has been created through wide and meaningful consultation with the school community. Consequently, the current improvement priorities are evidence-informed, wholly appropriate and responsive to the children’s needs. Action plans are coherent and purposeful, with clear targets that reflect the strategic intent of the vision to “dream big”.
The governors are highly committed to the school’s vision and values and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the life and work of the school. The governors have timely access to a wide range of relevant information, enabling them to remain well informed and contribute effectively to strategic decision making. Attendance at meetings and school events is consistently strong, reflecting their dedication and active engagement. The governors provide strong strategic governance, offering appropriate challenge and support. The four governors who met with us, could articulate confidently the positive impact of recent improvement work, including developments in outdoor learning, play, reading and mental mathematics. They are wholly committed to doing “their utmost for the school”.
B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision
Learning and teaching are consistently effective across the school. The teachers build very positive relationships with the children and provide a caring, purposeful learning environment where the children feel confident to ‘have a go’. The lessons are well paced and structured; questioning is effective and high-quality ‘at-elbow’ support enables the children to succeed. The staff make increasing use of active learning strategies that make learning fun and engaging. The children would benefit from further opportunities to engage in self- and peer-assessment to reflect on and improve their learning.
Building on this strong foundation of classroom practice, the middle leaders are beginning to gather first-hand evidence through reviewing the children’s work, modelling lessons, and planned observations of the learning and teaching. Their ongoing monitoring has identified appropriately the need to develop whole-school planning to ensure clearer progression in learning and more explicit connections across the curriculum. They have begun work in this area and the inspection endorses this priority.
Recent work on the development of play-based learning at foundation stage is supporting very effectively the development of the children’s literacy and numeracy skills. The activities challenge and extend the children’s thinking skills as they work together and learn across both year groups. The stimulating outdoor environment enhances the children’s learning experiences and supports effectively the health and well-being of the whole school community. By involving the children extensively in the design and development of the outdoor area, the staff and parents have transformed the learning environment, so that all of the children now enjoy a wide range of play opportunities that develop their physical and creative skills and support their well-being.
In the nursery unit, the children are developing well their confidence, independence and self-management skills. A wide range of indoor and outdoor play experiences support effectively their early mathematical language, and the development of their gross and fine motor skills as they explore real and authentic materials. The nursery staff continue to review their approach to planning, observation and assessment to support clear progression in the children’s learning.
The staff provide a nurturing and inclusive environment where the children feel safe, listened to and respected. Health, well-being and safety messages are regularly reinforced through assemblies, workshops and programmes delivered by external agencies. We joined the children and staff engaging enthusiastically and energetically in the weekly ‘health hustle’ in the playground. In discussions with us, the children talked confidently about staying safe online, the broad range of sporting opportunities available to them, and the importance of physical activity.
C. Building equity
The children play a very significant role in making their school a welcoming and inclusive place where everyone belongs and is valued. The children are kind and empathetic in their interactions with others; they help each other readily and look after their school environment with pride. During the inspection, we saw the children supporting each other in their learning, sharing their ideas and listening respectfully to the views of others. At break and lunchtime and at the breakfast club the older children demonstrate maturity and responsibility in how they look out for and include the younger children in a range of fun activities. All of the year 7 children who responded to the questionnaire said that the teachers and other adults in the school treat them with care and respect and, in the written comments, one child wrote, “we are very kind to each other”.
The staff know the children well, respond sensitively to their individual needs and celebrate what makes each child unique and special. The staff provide a curriculum that is inclusive and accessible, allowing all children to experience success. They make creative use of the accommodation, including the sensory room, sensory walkway and outdoor learning environment, to allow the children some time for respite, when needed, and for individual support and a safe space to talk to a trusted adult.
The personal learning plans for the children with SEN take effective account of the views of the children and their parents/carers. The targets are succinct and measurable, and the associated strategies are deployed successfully in the classrooms by the teachers and classroom assistants. As a result, the children make progress and experience success across the curriculum.
In discussions with us, the classroom assistants explained how recent staff professional learning is having a positive impact on how they support individual children. They highlighted the importance and their appreciation of home-school communication and expressed their pride in the children’s successes, including increased engagement, confidence and independence.
D. Defining, celebrating and embedding success
The children’s behaviour is exemplary. They have consistently positive dispositions to learning; they “learn together, dream big and believe everyone can do amazing things”. The children contribute maturely in class and social situations and speak with immense pride about being part of the school, describing it as “a privilege to learn at this school”. The children’s attendance is well above the Northern Ireland average, reflecting a strong commitment from them and their families. The year 7 children told us that they feel well prepared for the transition to post‑primary school, attributing this to the school’s well‑considered changes to routines, including the use of timetables and seating arrangements which reflect post‑primary practice.
The school’s assessment information shows that most of the children achieve well in literacy and numeracy, as reflected in their work. The children’s written work is neatly presented. They express their ideas confidently and talk enthusiastically about their learning, in particular, their enjoyment of reading. The children would benefit from more opportunities to produce extended pieces of writing to develop further their skills. The recent focus on mental mathematics is having a positive impact; the children approach mental mathematics tasks with growing confidence and can apply a growing range of strategies. Providing the children with more opportunities for open‑ended investigations would further extend and deepen their mathematical thinking.
The children’s digital skills are a particular strength. They benefit from a coherent, whole‑school approach and regular access to a range of devices. Coding is developing particularly well, with the children using appropriate digital terminology and applying their knowledge accurately. In discussions and through the questionnaire responses, the children told us they enjoy developing their digital skills and understand their relevance to future careers.
The school celebrates achievement effectively at individual, class and whole‑school levels. The staff use praise purposefully, and the ‘WOW’ board and weekly awards ensure that a broad range of success is recognised. Performances and community events provide valuable opportunities for the children to develop their confidence and share their achievements with their families.
E. Growing a community of learning
The school has an embedded culture of learner participation. The children told us how their views are listened to and acted upon, leading to meaningful improvements in school life. Through a wide range of leadership roles, the children show initiative and take responsibility, making a positive and purposeful contribution to the school community. The school’s commitment to social responsibility is evident through local charitable fundraising initiatives selected by the children and through local intergenerational links in the community which provide authentic opportunities for the children to develop communication skills.
The longstanding shared education partnership with a local primary school enriches the children’s social development and broadens their understanding of the views of others. Early evidence from the shared play-based sessions with the nursery children indicates improved engagement, particularly among the boys. In the nursery, the children asked us when they were meeting their friends, showing the positive impact of this important collaboration on building positive relationships.
Staff professional learning prioritises the needs of the children and is closely aligned with the priorities in the school development plan. Staff are consulted regularly about their professional learning needs; the responses from the ETI questionnaire highlight a strong, supportive professional community in which “staff morale is positive and collegial support is strong”. As a result, professional development is having a clear and positive impact on the quality of teaching, learning and inclusion. Recent training in autism, dyslexia and play‑based pedagogy has increased staff confidence and strengthened their capacity to meet a wide range of children’s needs.
The staff use parental expertise effectively to enrich learning and provide relevant real-world contexts. The parents are kept well informed through, for example, the weekly online newsletter, online applications, and the regularly updated school website, and benefit from purposeful engagement opportunities such as the ‘Stay ’n Play’ sessions in the nursery.
The school’s successful approach to building community partnerships and securing external funding significantly enhances resources and learning opportunities. Substantial contributions from the Parent-Teacher Association and local businesses, alongside practical support from parents and staff, have improved both the Information and Communication Technology provision and the outdoor learning environment.
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
St Colman’s Primary School and All Saints’ Nursery Unit provide a highly nurturing and inclusive learning environment in which the children feel valued, listened to and achieve well. The shared vision, “Together, we learn, dream and achieve”, is lived out in the children’s consistently positive attitudes to learning, their strong sense of belonging and their evident pride in their school. As reflected in the school development plan, the area for action is to improve the planning for progression across the curriculum.
The district inspector will monitor the school’s progress in addressing the area for action, as part of ETI’s normal monitoring processes. Inspectors identified an area of highly effective practice from which others may learn, namely:
- the school’s strategic approach, led by the children, to the development of the outdoor area to support high quality outdoor 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: Health And Safety/Accommodation
There are insufficient staff toileting facilities in the primary school building which do not meet the requirements set out in DE’s Schedules of Accommodation in the Building Handbook for Primary Schools.
Appendix 3: Notes
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PEACEPLUS ASPIRE*
The PEACEPLUS ASPIRE project brings children from different backgrounds together to promote peace, reconciliation and inclusivity. A successor of Sharing from the Start, ASPIRE connects pre-school settings across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland in partnerships of difference. The project began in 2024 and will conclude in December 2028.
Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Flagship School*
An IQM Flagship School is a school that has demonstrated sustained excellence in inclusive practice, having held the IQM Centre of Excellence status for at least three years.
Digital School of Distinction*
A Digital School of Distinction is a nationally recognised award that promotes, recognises and encourages excellence in the use of digital technology in primary schools.
Eco Schools Green Flag*
The Eco Schools Green Flag is an internationally recognised award for excellence in environmental action and learning.