Brackenagh West Primary School

Brackenagh West Primary School is a primary school located in the country side about 3 miles north of Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Southern Education and Library Board area.

*Enrolment: 125 in 2000-01, 123 in 2001-02, 130 in 2002-03, 132 in 2003-04, 138 in 2004-05, 140 in 2005-06, 141 in 2006-07, 149 in 2007-08

*Address: 22 Church Road, Kilkeel, Co Down, BT34 4QB

Brackenagh West Primary School is situated approximately two miles from Kilkeel, near the area of the Silent Valley. There are currently 8 teachers employed in the school: 5 full-time teachers, two job share posts and one Principal Release post. It is a rural, co-educational school with an enrolment of 141 pupils, from ages 4 – 11. The school’s enrolment has increased steadily over the past number of years, with an increase approaching 30% since 1998 alone. The school's catchment area takes in the local townlands of Carginagh, Brackenagh, Ballyvea, Ballinran, Leitrim, Ballymartin and Ballykeel. There are also a number of children attending from Kilkeel and Annalong.

2004 Inspection

In November, 2004 the school received a focused inspection from the Department of Education (Northern Ireland). The points of focus were mathematics (which was selected by the school), ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and pastoral care. The report found that pastoral care was a "significant strength" and noted the use of a merit system to reward good behaviour and a School Council and Prefect system to encourage responsibility and participation. Other strengths noted were: the caring, family ethos; the hard-working and committed staff; good relationships between the staff and children; exemplary behaviour of the children and very good/excellent teaching seen. "Useful policies and schemes of work for ICT, mathematics, and for many other aspects of school life" were also found.

The school's increasing enrolments resulted in an extension being built in the summer of 2005 and extra staff being employed to keep the teacher/pupil ratio at the right level.

School website link: [http://www.bwps.co.uk]

References

* [http://www.denidata.nics.gov.uk/insp/viewdocument.asp?DocID=2684 November 2004 inspection]

See also

*List of Primary schools in Northern Ireland