16 March 2004
1. The inspection
2. Continuous improvement
3. Progress towards meeting the main points
for action
4. Conclusion
HMIE published a report on standards and quality in Avoch Primary School in June 2002. An inspection team revisited the school in December 2003 to assess the extent to which the school was continuing to improve the quality of its work, and to evaluate progress made in responding to the main points for action in the initial report.
Since the inspection, the headteacher and staff had been successful in improving relationships within the school and with parents and the School Board. The skills and experience of staff had been enhanced.
Over the last three years levels of attainment had improved steadily in English language and mathematics. Pupils’ achievements in writing had improved particularly well.
Revised programmes in reading and writing had supported improved attainment through providing a greater choice of challenging texts and writing contexts. In consultation with the staff the headteacher had set pupils into specific groups for the teaching of mathematics and this had been successful in helping to meet the needs of all pupils. All staff had been involved in revising the programme in expressive arts. Pupils regularly gave musical performances to a variety of audiences which were much appreciated. In art and design, pupils’ skills and experiences had improved significantly following the implementation of a new programme.
A new dining hall and infant classroom ensured that all pupils were now on a single site. The school had secured additional finance through the Safer Routes to School initiative and the related committee had made significant improvements to the entry points to the school grounds and to pupils’ safety. The school was successfully working towards Health Promoting School status and provided fresh fruit for all pupils in the tuckshop. The pupil council had worked with the School Board to decide upon playground improvements and pupils had begun to benefit from the improvements made.
The headteacher and her depute had included all staff in planning and making improvements and, as a result of their work, the school was now well placed to build on its current success and improve further.
The initial inspection report published in June 2002 identified seven main points for action. This section evaluates the progress made with each of the action points and the resulting improvements for pupils and other stakeholders.
3.1 The education authority should address the accommodation issues which affect pupils’ health and safety identified in this report.
The education authority had made fair progress towards meeting this main point for action.
Pupils benefited from a new dining hall and from a new classroom for the early stages, which now ensured that all pupils were in a single building. The school had improved security arrangements and had obtained an additional playground supervisor. Improved arrangements for dropping off and collecting pupils helped ensure greater safety. However, important weaknesses remained. Areas of the grassed and wooded playground could not always be fully supervised. The health issues relating to the toilets for P4 to P7 had not been resolved. Work remained to be done to improve the maintenance of the building and redecorate classrooms.
3.2 Teachers should ensure appropriate time allocations to all key areas of children’s learning and the programmes in English language, mathematics and art and design should be further improved.
The school had made good progress towards meeting this main point for action.
The headteacher provided effective guidance for all staff on how to ensure a well-planned, balanced curriculum. Class teachers now prepared teaching timetables which reflected the guidance given and ensured appropriate time allocations. The school had thoroughly revised its programmes for English language, mathematics and art and design. The improvements had quickened the pace of learning and raised pupils’ attainment. Pupils in the upper stages now read more challenging texts. The structured approach to developing writing was effective in raising pupils’ skills and confidence in writing. The school was in the process of implementing revised programmes in listening and talking. In mathematics the programme now provided comprehensive coverage of problem solving and enquiry and pupils’ attainment had improved. In art and design the revised programme provided for the steady development of pupils’ skills from stage to stage. As a result the quality of pupils’ work had improved significantly.
3.3 The school should improve procedures for planning, assessment and recording in English language and art and design.
The school had made fair progress towards meeting this main point for action.
All staff had implemented the education authority’s planning format for each term which ensured balanced coverage within each curricular area. An effective standardised approach to planning in more detail had been adopted in reading and writing and art and design. This approach had yet to be implemented for listening and talking. The school had started to review assessment and recording procedures as a major priority in its development plan. It had made good progress in establishing effective electronic recording systems and in introducing pupil self-evaluation and recording in environmental studies at P4 to P7. Overall, further development work remained to be undertaken to ensure fully effective assessment and recording systems.
3.4 The school should continue to develop an effective working partnership with all parents.
The school had made good progress towards meeting this main point for action.
The school and the new School Board now worked together effectively to improve aspects of pupils’ experiences through helping in the school library, developing the woodland trail and supporting the book fair. The School Board provided useful comments on the school development plan and had maintained a regular review of how well the school communicated with parents. Regular newsletters provided parents with helpful information about the curriculum and about progress with the school development plan. The school and the School Board consulted parents through regular surveys on, for example, helping with homework and the care and welfare of their children. Parents responded positively overall. The chairperson of the School Board gave feedback to staff about the outcomes of these surveys. The new parent-teacher association had been successful and had significantly strengthened the home-school partnership for the benefit of all pupils.
3.5 The support for learning policy should be updated to reflect existing good practice.
The school had made good progress towards meeting this main point for action.
The headteacher, along with the support for learning teacher, had reviewed the school’s support for learning policy to reflect existing good practice in the school. All staff had been consulted and the policy was now fully implemented throughout the school. As a result of the review, a school focus group had been established to consider how best to meet the needs of individual pupils who required additional support. It had been successful in improving provision for those pupils.
3.6 The senior management team should implement a more rigorous approach to quality assurance.
The school had made good progress towards meeting this main point for action.
The headteacher and her depute had undertaken a programme of formal visits to each class once per term to observe learning and teaching in English language and mathematics. They provided staff with helpful written and oral comments. The headteacher and her depute reviewed teachers’ forward plans at the start of each term and provided useful feedback. They also sampled pupils’ work during and outwith these formal class visits. However, senior management had not yet developed sufficiently systematic approaches to analysing and predicting pupils’ attainment.
3.7 With continued support from the education authority the school should fully implement the action plan drawn up following the care and welfare review. The headteacher should ensure that all staff undergo basic training in child protection.
The school had made good progress towards meeting this main point for action.
All staff had undertaken training in child protection procedures in session 2002-2003. The revised school policy on child protection now reflected the education authority’s guidelines.
The education authority had provided the headteacher with advice and support in order to improve her communication and management skills. A number of initiatives, including the wider circulation of minutes of meetings, had improved the flow of information throughout the school. The school had put in place improved procedures for dealing with emergencies. All staff now had written guidance on emergency procedures, and the staff handbook gave detailed information on school routines and health and safety.
The school had adopted a standardised approach to promoting and rewarding good behaviour and hard work. This included praising pupils at special assemblies, and identifying pupils at class, house and whole school levels who merited an award. House captains arranged a range of activities each term to foster friendships and positive behaviour. All staff had undertaken specialist training in using ‘circle time’ to help motivate pupils to behave appropriately. The school had developed an effective system of recording any incidents of misbehaviour. All staff had contributed to developing a behaviour management policy and related procedures. These procedures, however, were not yet implemented consistently across the school and, as a result, were not always fully effective. The headteacher should continue to monitor the implementation of the behaviour management policy to ensure consistent approaches to maintaining good discipline by all staff.
The school and the education authority had made good progress towards meeting most of the main points for action. Overall, the school had improved many aspects of its work. Pupils and staff expressed appreciation for the steps taken to secure improvement.
As a result of the overall progress made by the school, HMIE will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. However, in light of the outstanding accommodation issues and the need to confirm that the recent focus on planning, assessment, recording and quality assurance has been effective in raising pupils’ achievements, the education authority should submit a further report on these aspects to HMIE in December 2004. At that time HMIE will publish a further report for parents.
Dr R Duncan
HM District Inspector
16 March 2004
How can you contact us?
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, local councillors and appropriate Members of the Scottish Parliament. Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from the address below or by telephoning 0131 244 0746. Copies are also available on our web site: www.hmie.gov.uk
Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection
or about this report, you should write in the first instance to Ian Gamble,
HMCI at:
HM Inspectorate of Education
1-B95
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
A copy of our complaints procedure is available from that office and on our website.
If you are still dissatisfied, you can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman directly or through your member of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government Departments and Agencies. She will not normally consider your complaint before the HMIE complaints procedure has been used. Instead, she will usually ask you to give us the chance to put matters right if we can.
Complaints to Scottish Public Services Ombudsman must be submitted within 12 months of the date of publication of this report.
The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Professor Alice Brown
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
23 Walker Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HX
Telephone number: 0870 011 5378
e-mail: enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2004
HM Inspectorate of Education
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