The report was welcomed by St Athanasius’ Primary School and Nursery Class and members of the local community.

It highlighted that the headteacher is well supported by the leadership team and demonstrates highly effective leadership across the school and nursery.

Mrs Brenda O’Hara, Head Teacher, said “We are all very proud of our school and we will continue to work as a team to build on our strengths and to take forward the areas for improvement. We will use the inspection findings to help us achieve this and we will continue to be inspired by Pope Francis to dream of great things.”

The report highlighted that children in the school and nursery were well-behaved and welcoming towards visitors. Learning in the nursery was complemented with good progress being made in children’s early writing and communication skills.

Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, the chair of the council’s Education Committee, said: “This report has highlighted just how much dedication and commitment our teaching staff put into the education of our children at every stage of their young development.

“It also reflects just how important it is for the whole teaching community to work together to ensure that pupils get the very best start in education, providing the building blocks that will help them as they continue with their learning.

“A big thank you and congratulations to Mrs O’Hara and all her staff who have worked so hard to achieve this excellent report which reflects the ethos of a very good school.”

The report, which followed a team of inspectors visiting the school in March 2023, recognised that ‘the headteacher involved children, families and staff to develop the school’s vision, values and aims, which are underpinned by the Gospel values’.

They went on to say that “children and senior leaders use the values to celebrate children’s successes through regular assemblies”.

Mrs O’Hara added: “Staff, pupils and parents are pleased with the evaluations, and I feel these are a reflection of the whole team approach we have here at St Athanasius’.

“We all work hard to provide our children with the best education possible along with opportunities to showcase and celebrate their achievements.

“I would also wish to thank our staff, pupils’ parents and families, as well as members of the community and parish, for their continued support, as they have also played a part in helping us to achieve what is a very positive report”.

Overall, the report made it clear that the school was performing very well in a culture where everyone felt confident to share their ideas and contribute to school improvement which reflected on the hard work and care on-going on a daily basis.