23 October 2007
1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
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Borrodale Primary School was inspected in June 2007 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, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.
HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met a number of parents. There was no School Board.
The school serves a widely scattered rural community in the north west of Skye. At the time of the inspection the roll was six. There were only pupils at the P2 and P4 stages. The headteacher was also responsible for two other primary schools in the area. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was below the national average. There was no provision for school meals in the school. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average.
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
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HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to all parents, to P4 pupils and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires normally appears in an Appendix 2. However, as there were fewer than five respondees in each group, in order to maintain confidentiality, the analysis is not provided. HM Inspectors also interviewed staff, parents and pupils during the inspection. The following is an analysis of the views expressed by staff, parents and pupils.
Almost all parents, pupils and staff were positive about most aspects of the school. Parents believed that their children enjoyed school, and that they were making good progress. They felt that their children benefited from being in a small school in a rural setting. They were happy with the accommodation, but wanted the authority to provide meals at lunchtime. A few felt that communications from the school could be improved. Pupils stated that they were very happy and that they enjoyed the positive relationships in a small school. They also believed that they were helped when they were having difficulties with their learning. They also expressed concerns about the lack of meals at lunchtime. Staff enjoyed working together as a team. They were positive about the headteacher, and thought that the school was well led.
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
The overall quality of the curriculum was good. Staff provided a wide range of experiences for pupils which helped develop their knowledge and skills. The timetable had been organised to provide additional time within the school week for English language and mathematics. This had improved older pupils’ abilities in writing. Gaelic language and culture was taught weekly, and pupils clearly enjoyed the poetry and songs they were learning. Pupils had benefited from the variety of musical experiences provided by a range of adults. This had helped develop their interest in music. The school had made progress towards achieving full health promotion status, and staff ensured that pupils understood the essentials for a healthy lifestyle. Aspects of citizenship and enterprise were introduced as part of the ongoing work of the class. The school was working towards providing two hours of physical education (PE) per week for all pupils. Information and communications technology (ICT) was not well enough used to enhance teaching or pupils’ learning. The school did not have a programme for pupils’ personal and social development. The overall quality of teaching was good. Teachers, with the support of the headteacher, completed forward plans regularly which helped ensure pupils enjoyed a wide experience across the curriculum. They used praise to motivate pupils, and reviewed with pupils what they expected them to learn. Some of the direct teaching was of high quality. The teacher of Gaelic involved pupils in a range of purposeful activities which kept pupils’ interests. At times, however, too much of the teaching was targeted at the whole class of P2 and P4 pupils. Homework was not set on a regular enough basis.
For much of the time pupils were attentive and responded well to adults. Older pupils were making good progress in their coursework, and showed a good recall of work they had done. They responded well when active in their learning, and enjoyed discussing what they had studied. They had too few opportunities to think for themselves, however, and were too teacher directed occasionally. Pupils at P2 required more opportunities to learn through their involvement in play activities. At times, the pace of work in the class was too slow. Pupils showed a good knowledge and understanding of topics they had studied. Pupils at P4 helped those at P2 learn how to make calls to the emergency services. Older pupils were aware of the benefits of trees and had responded positively to a talk from a local forester. They understood the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates. Pupils had made their own wormeries and studied the effects of worms in the soil. They were also developing their knowledge of aspects of the cultures of Scotland and Cambodia.
The nature of the roll of the school and its location meant that the school itself could not provide a range of outwith school curricular activities. However, staff celebrated pupils’ wider achievements within the community, and this helped develop pupils’ self-esteem. One pupil had won a gold medal for poetry recitation at the local Mod, while another had won a national design competition. As a consequence of that, the pupil council was deciding on how to spend the prize money on play equipment.
English language
The overall quality of attainment in English language was good. Pupils at the P4 stage were achieving national levels of attainment in reading and writing. The school had no formal procedures in place to assess pupils’ progress in listening and talking. All pupils enjoyed listening to stories read to them. They did not listen to adults or one another well enough and interrupted others too frequently. They enjoyed reading their own stories to others, and older pupils talked knowledgeably and clearly about work they had done previously. Pupils had a good knowledge of a range of authors and understood how to use reference texts. Pupils at P2 read regularly, and were making progress. Most at P4 read with fluency, but all would benefit from reading more frequently with their teacher in class. At the P4 stage, standards in writing were improving and there were some good examples of extended pieces of writing.
Mathematics
The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was good. Pupils were achieving appropriate levels of attainment, but those at P4 were capable of progressing at a faster pace. Pupils had a good knowledge and understanding of graphs. They could draw them and interpret the results. Pupils were accurate when using numbers and added and subtracted confidently in mental calculations. They were developing good skills in mental multiplication and division. Pupils also had a good understanding of measurement and time. They recognised a range of two- and three-dimensional shapes. They undertook problem solving tasks on a regular basis, but needed to develop their skills in reporting how they had used a range of strategies. Pupils’ skills in using ICT in mathematics were not well developed.
The overall effectiveness of the school in meeting the needs of the pupils was adequate. Staff were aware of pupils’ social and personal needs, and provided a range of rich learning experiences for pupils. The teacher of Gaelic had made a good start to involving pupils in a range of drama activities designed to help them concentrate better and cooperate more with one another. Teachers were knowledgeable about pupils’ levels of attainment, but lacked confidence in using assessment tools to check pupils’ progress. Staff discussed pupils’ progress on a regular basis, and called upon the area support for learning teacher for advice when necessary. Some of the activities set for pupils were insufficiently challenging, and able pupils were capable of making faster progress.
Aspect |
Comment |
Pastoral care |
Staff showed a clear concern for the care and welfare of pupils. They took care of pupils when there were minor accidents, and ensured that pupils brushed their teeth in school on a daily basis. Pupils were encouraged to have a healthy diet. The school had issued advice to parents on what constituted a healthy packed lunch. Almost all staff had been trained in child protection procedures. The headteacher was taking steps to ensure that the training extended to all staff. The school had discussed inappropriate behaviour with pupils, and pupils knew what to do if they felt they had been bullied. Appropriate procedures were in place for the storage and administration of medicines. |
Quality of accommodation and facilities |
The overall quality of the accommodation was good. Staff made good use of the available space to involve pupils in a wide range of activities. Display was effective in the main classroom and was used well to encourage pupils to present their work. Outside play areas were extensive, and were well used. Access for those with restricted mobility was limited. Security arrangements were effective. Provision for physical education was limited. The education authority, however, had arranged to transport pupils to the PE facilities at Dunvegan Primary School, along with pupils from another small school, and this helped develop pupils’ social skills. Pupils socialised very well at lunchtime, but lacked the benefits of school lunches. |
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
The overall ethos in the school was good. Staff and pupils enjoyed being in the school. They were friendly and very courteous to visitors. They were also proud of their school. Relationships amongst staff were good. Overall, pupils generally enjoyed good relationships with one another, but at times required to learn to be more cooperative with one another. They would benefit from being involved in a coherent programme for personal and social development. A pupil council had been established, and was beginning to be involved in decision making. ‘Golden Time’ was also used well to encourage pupils to achieve well. Staff also awarded ‘Certificates of Excellence’ to motivate pupils. Religious observance took place appropriately, and the school was very well supported by two local ministers. Teachers were raising their expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attainment, and older pupils generally reacted positively to this. However, staff’s expectations were not always high enough, and pupils did not always have high expectations of themselves. Staff worked hard to include all pupils in the life of the school. They discussed issues of respect, tolerance and racial equality on a regular basis. |
Partnership with parents and the community |
Relationships between the school and parents were good. The school provided two helpful written reports on children’s progress each year, and organised two evening meetings with parents to discuss their children’s progress. Parents were kept well informed about aspects of school life. The school had surveyed parents to ascertain their views about aspects of the school. The school, however, should discuss communications with parents, and involve them more in supporting their children’s learning. There were good links with the other schools in the cluster, and these were helpful in supporting pupils and staff. The school was very well supported by education authority staff. |
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
Borrodale Primary School provided a good quality of education. Staff organised a wide range of experiences for pupils which included valuable visits from a range of specialist staff and members of the community. Although the overall quality of teaching was good, too many lessons were directed at the whole class which was not always appropriate. Older pupils had a good recall of a range of topics they had studied, and most were making very good progress in their mathematics and writing in English language. At times, however, the pace of pupils’ work was too slow and some of the activities set for pupils lacked challenge.
The quality of leadership and management of the school was good. The headteacher had the respect of parents, pupils and staff and knew what had to be done to improve the school further. Although she was headteacher of three schools, she was easily contactable when necessary. Within the time available to her, she had initiated a number of improvements in teaching and learning which were having a beneficial effect on the school. She had involved the recently appointed principal teacher in initiating developments in ICT, and had involved teachers in visiting other schools in order to see a range of classroom practice. She supported teachers in writing their plans for teaching, and had a good general awareness of pupils’ learning through her informal visits to classes. She also monitored classroom practice on a regular basis. She now needs to review her visits to the school to visit the class on different days to ensure that the needs of pupils are more effectively met. The headteacher had developed appropriate priorities for school improvement and was taking action to implement these with staff. Under her leadership, with the continuing support of the education authority, the school had the capacity to improve.
Main points for action The school and education authority, in liaison with HM Inspectors, should take action to improve the school further. In doing so they should:
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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. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.
Dr Roderick Duncan
HM Inspector
23 October 2007
The sections in the table below follow the order in this report. You can find the main comments made about each of the quality indicators in those sections. However, aspects of some quality indicators are relevant to other sections of the report and may also be mentioned in those other sections.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement? |
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Structure of the curriculum |
good |
The teaching process |
good |
Pupils’ learning experiences |
good |
Pupils’ attainment in English language |
good |
Pupils’ attainment in mathematics |
good |
How well are pupils’ learning needs met? |
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Meeting pupils’ needs |
adequate |
How good is the environment for learning? |
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Pastoral care |
good |
Accommodation and facilities |
good |
Climate and relationships |
good |
Expectations and promoting achievement |
adequate |
Equality and fairness |
good |
Partnership with parents and the community |
good |
Leading and improving the school |
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Leadership of the headteacher |
good |
Self-evaluation |
adequate |
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:
excellent |
outstanding, sector leading |
very good |
major strengths |
good |
important strengths, some areas for improvement |
adequate |
strengths just outweigh weaknesses |
weak |
important weaknesses |
unsatisfactory |
major weaknesses |
If you would like an additional copy of this report
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, Longman East, Inverness IV1 1SF or by telephoning 01463 253115. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.
HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Chris McIlroy, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management Unit, Second Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. You can also e-mail HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2007
HM Inspectorate of Education
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