The inspection took place at St Brendan's Primary School over a period of several days, during which inspectors observed lessons, met with staff, parents and students, and reviewed the school's performance data and documentation.

HMIe report praised the school for its "strong leadership and management", "calm, relaxed and nurturing environment" and "high levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy".

It identified the following key strengths of the school:

• There is strong and effective leadership from the headteacher. She is ably supported by enthusiastic staff, parents, children and partners who willingly take on leadership roles to improve the school and nursery.
• Staff meet the care and wellbeing needs of children and families across the school and nursery with warmth, care and consideration. This results in a calm, relaxed and nurturing environment where children are respectful, supportive and kind to each other.
• Across the school, children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy is high and they benefit from a wide range of high-quality achievements. The strong approach to digital learning within the school is supporting this and is helping to motivate and support learners.

The Head Teacher of St Brendan's Primary School, Mrs Maura Oates, expressed her delight at the positive report, saying: "We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the inspection. It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff and students, and we are extremely proud of everyone involved."

Donna Matthewman, Chair of St. Brendan’s Primary Parent Council, said: “This report is outstanding and one of the best on record across North Lanarkshire.  It’s a real testament to the strong leadership, teaching and support staff in the school, its strong Catholic ethos and its deep sense of community.  Teachers, pupils, parents and the wider school family will rightly take pride and confidence in this exceptional performance.”

Councillor Angela Campbell, Convener of Education and Families, congratulated everyone associated with the school, saying: “The positive report is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the staff and students at St Brendan's Primary School and is sure to be welcomed by the wider community as a demonstration of the school's ongoing success.”

Provost Kenny Duffy added: "Congratulations to St Brendan's Primary School in Motherwell on your outstanding school inspection results. Keep up the great work and continue to inspire the next generation of learners."

The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from the council. 

• Continue to develop learning experiences across the wider curriculum in a planned way. This will support children to build more effectively on their learning as they progress through school.
• Within the nursery, assess and record more effectively the skills children are developing. This will help strengthen understanding about the progress children are making.
• Within the nursery, continue to improve current approaches for planning children’s next steps in learning to ensure children make the best possible progress.