The Education and Training Inspectorate carried out a District Inspection within the Creative and Expressive area of study of Stranmillis Primary School, Belfast in February 2005.   The strengths and area for development in physical education (PE) were identified as follows.

Strengths of the work include:

• The excellent behaviour of the children in PE lessons; they listen well and follow diligently the instructions they are given;
• The well-motivated children who are keen to perform and to improve their skills;
• The good account taken of health and safety matters for the work in PE;
• The high quality of the teaching which is consistently good or very good;
• The systematic quality of the teachers’ planning which ensures progression In the children’s experiences in PE and in their skill development in various parts of the programme;
• The broad PE programme which includes a wide range of extra-curricular activities that provide many opportunities for the children to participate in team competitions; and
• The good use that is made of the limited space (internal and external) to provide the PE programme.

Area for Development:

• The programme for dance.

  FOCUSED INSPECTION OF THE NURSERY UNIT 2005-06

The main strengths within the nursery unit’s educational and pastoral provision are as follows:

·        The nursery unit has a very positive ethos based on good relationships at all levels.   The staff provide a secure and supportive environment which helps the children grow in confidence and self-esteem.   The children respond well to the staff’s expectations and their behaviour is very good.

·        The staff have created an attractive and stimulating learning environment, both indoors and outdoors.   The children’s work is displayed throughout the playroom and good use is made of all the space available to provide appropriate areas for play.   Exciting interest areas have been created to extend the children’s imagination and thinking skills.

·        The daily timetable is carefully organised to provide a good balance of free play and adult-led activities.   Routines are unobtrusive and used effectively to provide choice and promote the children’s independence.

·        The quality of the interactions between the staff and the children is consistently of a high standard; the adults ask appropriate questions and help develop conversations which stimulate and sustain the children’s interest and promote co-operative and purposeful play.

·        There are good opportunities for learning in all areas of the pre-school curriculum.   The staff provide a range of interesting activities and resources, and are skilful in developing the children’s language across all areas of the curriculum.

·        The staff liaise with the school’s SENCO and work well with other agencies to provide valuable support for those children identified as having special educational needs.

·      The written planning is detailed and outlines how each area of play, and other planned experiences, progress throughout the year.   Observations of the children’s responses and interests are noted by the staff and used to guide future work.