Northern Ireland

Dundonald High school in `special measures' for second time

Dundonald High School has entered formal intervention for the second time
Dundonald High School has entered formal intervention for the second time Dundonald High School has entered formal intervention for the second time

A SCHOOL that was spared closure to give it time to improve and boost numbers has slipped back into `special measures'.

Dundonald High School outside east Belfast was told it "needs to address urgently significant areas for improvement in the interest of all learners".

Inspectors said it requires external support and has entered the `formal intervention process' where it will work to address issues raised.

It is the second time it has been involved in the process, having entered in December 2012 and exited in June 2015.

While in intervention the first time, a proposal to shut the school was turned down by then education minister John O'Dowd.

Mr O'Dowd said Dundonald was a community whose young people "need, and should rightly expect, to be able to access good quality secondary education".

The school has made improvements since then and describes itself as being "on the move, driven to achieving excellence in all areas of the curriculum".

Now, inspectors have said it needs to "improve the quality of the planning, learning, teaching and assessment across the school; improve the provision in English, mathematics, the MLD unit and for those pupils identified with additional educational needs; raise the standards attained for all the pupils, including in public examinations; and build the strategic capacity, at all levels, of the senior and middle leadership".

They noted that over the past three years, the total enrolment increased significantly, with more than 90 pupils entering Year 8 in September 2016, up from 32 in 2013.

In addition, they found that a majority of pupils were "courteous and willing to learn".

Principal Ken Perry said the school was disappointed with the findings.

"We had exited special measures last year which recognised the significant improvements that had been made and that the targets set by ETI had been achieved," he said.

"This was our first full school inspection for 10 years and it highlighted a number of areas for improvement that we, as a school, will use to guide our school development plans for 2017-2020. The inspection acknowledged that the school had made progress in relation to previous follow-up inspections and highlighted significant areas for improvement.

"We are in the middle of a process which is focussed on ensuring the best for our pupils and continuing on our journey to make our school a truly great school.

"We are mindful of the fact that our external exams have improved over the past three years, however there is still room for improvement. As a school we will not shy away from seeking the best for our children."