Halkirk Primary School
The Highland Council

8 June 2004

Contents

1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. Views of parents and carers, pupils and staff
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
5. How well are pupils supported?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Improving the school

Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?

1. Background

Halkirk Primary School was inspected in March 2004 as part of a national sample of primary education. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils’ achievements, the effectiveness of the school and the environment for learning. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.

HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed staff and pupils. They assessed the school’s processes for self-evaluation. They analysed responses to questionnaires issued to all parents, P4 to P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA) and a group of parents.

The school serves the village of Halkirk and the surrounding area. At the time of the inspection the roll was 135. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was above the national average.

2. Key strengths

HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.

• The quality of learning and teaching at the early stages.
• Sound ethos, sense of teamwork, and care given to the pupils by all staff.
• The sense of equality and fairness in the school.

3. Views of parents and carers, pupils and staff

Parents and carers were supportive of the school. All indicated that there was mutual respect between teachers and pupils. Almost all felt that their children were treated fairly and that staff showed concern for their children’s care and welfare. Almost all thought that their children enjoyed being at school. All staff were extremely positive. All considered that the school was well led and that effective teamwork had been established. Almost all pupils indicated that they enjoyed being at school. They were very appreciative of teachers’ assistance when they were having difficulty. However, a number felt that behaviour in the school was not good enough, that staff did not deal effectively with bullying and that pupils were not treated fairly.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The structure of the school’s curriculum was fair. The school relied too heavily on visiting teachers to deliver some aspects of the expressive arts programme, with the result that pupils did not make appropriate progress. Teachers had not made effective use of flexibility time to extend pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy. Too much time was wasted in the arrangements for transporting older pupils to and from swimming lessons. The overall quality of teaching was good. It was very good at the early stages, but too variable at others. Teachers were committed to their pupils. They provided a good variety of learning activities. However, they did not share with pupils their aims and expectations and so lessons were not always well focused. Teachers’ explanations were generally clear. They made effective use of praise. Their decisions about next steps in learning should be more closely allied to their review of pupils’ progress. Some teachers lacked confidence in the use and application of information and communications technology (ICT). National Tests were sometimes used inappropriately, with pupils tested before they were ready and frequently retested. Homework in general complemented class teaching, but there was scope for a more innovative approach to home learning activities.

At most stages, pupils were responsive in class. However, the overall pace of their work was too slow, and the amount which they achieved unambitious. They needed encouragement to complete work within appropriate timescales. Pupils could effectively use opportunities to think for themselves and to discuss relevant topics, but did not always stay focused on the task which had been allocated. They cooperated well, both with their teachers and with one another, and treated others’ opinions with respect.

Teachers paid good attention to the development of pupils’ personal and social education, which was extended by a purposeful residential stay for those in P7. The school’s good programme of health education was enhanced by a popular healthy eating initiative. At the early stages pupils’ confidence was increased by well-planned opportunities to learn through play. Throughout the school, pupils had insufficient experience in the use of ICT. As a result, opportunities to extend and develop learning were missed. In almost all lessons, teachers provided good opportunities for pupils to work together. Older pupils assisted conscientiously in the care of younger ones in the playground and throughout the school. They also organised the good, health-promoting tuck shop. The pupil council was very effective and had been well used by the headteacher to advise her on pupils’ concerns. The whole school regularly engaged in very successful activities to raise money for charities. Pupils provided valued entertainments for senior citizens in the village. They achieved highly in out-of-school activities. They had been particularly successful in the Caithness Music Festival.

English language

The overall quality of attainment in English language was fair, but there were indications of a gradual improvement. Pupils with additional support needs were making appropriate progress. Most pupils achieved national levels of attainment in listening and talking. The majority did so in reading and writing. Most pupils listened well to stories and to teachers’ instructions and explanations. Some lacked confidence in speaking at length. Almost all at the early stages read very well with good understanding. In the middle and upper stages their ability to show more perceptive understanding of passages was not well developed. Some pupils could write at length for a variety of purposes, and in general performance was improving. At the early stages pupils’ skills in writing were developing well. However, handwriting and spelling had been given insufficient reinforcement as pupils progressed through the school. As a result, factual accounts and detailed reports on other areas of the curriculum were often poorly presented.

Mathematics

Overall, the quality of attainment in mathematics was good. Standards were steadily improving. Pupils with additional support needs were making good progress. Most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment. Almost all at the early stages were making good progress in suitably challenging classwork. Some at the middle and upper stages were capable of higher standards. Throughout, pupils could use a range of strategies for mental calculations. At the upper stages pupils demonstrated a good understanding of percentages and fractions. Skills in problem solving and enquiry were developing appropriately throughout the school. Some pupils had carried out an effective survey to identify views on the proposed dress code. At the early stages they were able to use an appropriate range of graphs and charts to organise and display information. However, at all stages, pupils’ skills in using computers to organise and display information were not well developed.

5. How well are pupils supported?

Staff provided a good level of support for pupils. All were familiar with the school’s effective arrangements to secure pupils’ care, welfare and protection. Although behaviour was very good, staff needed to be sensitive to the concerns which pupils had expressed, and should investigate them regularly and thoroughly. The school had an appropriate anti-bullying policy. Teachers dealt promptly with any reported incidents of bullying. Staff knew the pupils very well. They understood their individual needs and dealt with them appropriately.

The school had very good provision for helping pupils who had a range of additional support needs. The visiting teacher effectively implemented very good programmes of support. She was very sensitive to the needs of individual pupils. Her timetable was appropriately organised so that she worked with pupils of all levels of achievement. Classroom assistants provided well-focused and valuable support to small groups or individuals. The school’s individualised educational programmes were well constructed and assisted some pupils’ progress. However, teachers did not always provide sufficient challenge in class. While there was a wide range of resources available, teachers did not always make best use of them.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

7. Improving the school

The school offered pupils a happy, caring environment. Staff knew their pupils very well and showed care and concern for their well-being. The quality of teaching overall was good, but uneven. Although pupils were generally enthusiastic about their learning, they were not always sufficiently challenged. Standards of attainment in English language were fair, with only a majority reaching national attainment levels in reading and writing. In mathematics, most pupils achieved national levels of attainment. Pupils’ performance overall showed signs of improvement.

The headteacher was very committed to the school. She had created a very caring school community, and had effectively raised staff morale and self-esteem. She was supportive of her colleagues. However, there were some important weaknesses in her leadership. Her vision for the future of the school was not well articulated, and her plans for improvement were not ambitious enough. She needed to have a more rigorous approach to monitoring pupils’ and teachers’ work. She had regular meetings with her staff which required to be more focused. As a result, the school’s capacity for improvement was limited.

The school and education authority, in liaison with HM Inspectors, should take action to ensure improvement in:

• attainment in English language;
• the balance of the curriculum;
• pace and demand of pupils’ work;
• procedures for self-evaluation and monitoring;
• leadership; and
• pupils’ perceptions of behaviour.

What happens next?

The school and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents and carers. HM Inspectors will continue to engage with the school and the education authority in monitoring progress, and will undertake a follow-through inspection. This will result in a report to parents and carers, within two years of the publication of this report, on the extent of improvement that has been achieved.

Robert McKinstry
HM Inspector
8 June 2004

Appendix 1 Indicators of quality

We judged the following to be very good

• Pastoral care
• Equality and fairness

We judged the following to be good

• The teaching process
• Pupils’ attainment in mathematics
• Climate and relationships
• Expectations and promoting achievement
• Partnership with parents, the School Board and the community
• Accommodation and facilities

We judged the following to be fair

• Structure of the curriculum
• Pupils’ learning experiences
• Pupils’ attainment in English language
• Meeting pupils’ needs
• Leadership
• Self-evaluation

We judged the following to be unsatisfactory

• No aspects were found to be in this category

Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses

Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.

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 HM Inspectorate of Education, Longman House, 28 Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SF or by telephoning 01463 253115. Copies are also available on our website: 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 Frank Crawford, HMCI at HM Inspectorate of Education, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG. 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 the 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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