18 January 2005
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?
Aberchirder School was inspected in September 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, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation and capacity for improvement. 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), a group of parents and members of the Pupil Council.
The school serves the village of Aberchirder and the surrounding area. At the time of the inspection the roll was 187, including 17 in the nursery class. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was above the national average.
The inspection also evaluated the quality of educational provision within the base for pupils with emotional and social behavioural difficulties.
An integrated inspection of pre-school provision was carried out at the same time by HMIE and the Care Commission and is the subject of a separate report, which was published on 12 January 2005.
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HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
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Parents, pupils and staff were generally happy with the work of the school. Parents thought the school had a good reputation in the community and were pleased with the communication between school and home. During discussions with members of the inspection team, parents stated that they trusted the school to deliver an appropriate curriculum and were happy to leave school developments to the staff. Many parents were concerned about safety at the entrance to the school. Pupils liked being at school but some felt that unacceptable behaviour was not properly dealt with and there was a perception amongst pupils that teachers showed favouritism towards girls. Pupils would like to see their playground improved, with a range of games and activities. Overall, teachers and support staff were positive about school life and almost all thought that the school was well led.
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
The overall quality of the curriculum was fair. It did not provide pupils with broad and balanced learning experiences. Curricular programmes were not well planned and did not ensure sufficient progression in pupils’ learning. In several classes, activities to promote pupils’ personal and social development covered similar issues. The programme for religious and moral education did not focus adequately on extending pupils’ knowledge of world faiths. Pupils had limited access to information and communications technology (ICT) to help them develop appropriate skills and to use ICT to support their learning across the curriculum. There were some examples of good teaching but across the stages practice was too variable. Teachers did not always make the purpose of lessons clear to pupils and some did not give clear explanations to groups and classes. Overall, the range of teaching approaches was limited, with too much emphasis on teacher-led activities and too little use of interactive teaching. They focused too much on giving pupils written tasks and did not give sufficient attention to promoting pupils’ learning through discussion.
Across the school, most pupils applied themselves conscientiously to classwork but they often worked on unchallenging tasks which did not require much thought. Pupils were often passive learners and did not have regular opportunities for active independent learning in groups or pairs. They were often unclear of what to do next. Teachers had begun to provide some detailed written feedback on pupils’ work but this approach was not consistent across the school and pupils did not always know how to improve their work. Across the school the pace of learning was too slow. Pupils supported by the base had begun to enjoy completing set learning activities.
Pupils demonstrated a good awareness of healthy and safe living. At P4 to P7, this was extended by challenging games skills and physical activity from the visiting teacher of P.E. Pupils at P7 had good knowledge of aspects of World War Two and worked well together to prepare and perform at a school assembly. The pupil council met regularly and made positive contributions to the work of the school. From P5 pupils had developed basic skills in French vocabulary. Across the school pupils were making good progress in learning Doric, Scots language used in the local area. Some were developing good skills in playing brass and stringed instruments.
English language
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was fair. Most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment in reading and writing. Recent results showed a declining trend. In listening and talking the majority of pupils were less skilled and were not sufficiently competent in group discussion. Less than half of pupils were attaining national levels in listening and talking. In reading and writing most pupils were making good progress in their coursework but some higher attaining pupils were capable of achieving more. Most pupils read accurately and confidently from their reading books but needed to read from a wider range of sources. Most pupils were able to identify and discuss the work of their favourite authors. At P7, some pupils produced good pieces of imaginative writing. However, overall, pupils’ writing skills were not well developed. Standards in spelling, handwriting and presentation of written work were inconsistent across all stages. Pupils at the early and middle stages and in the support base were not confident in writing for a range of purposes, including reporting and recounting events.
Mathematics
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics was fair. In recent years, the proportion of pupils attaining national standards had declined. By P3, almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels in all aspects of mathematics. At P4 to P7, only a majority were achieving these levels. While most pupils performed well in their class work, many lacked confidence in mental calculations. At all stages, pupils could interpret graphs and charts well but they were not confident in using computers to organise and display numerical information. Pupils’ skills in problem solving and enquiry were not well developed. Overall, some pupils were making slow progress.
Staff knew each pupil individually and were alert to their emotional, physical and social needs. Staff were aware of the school’s arrangements for child protection. Pupils knew where to go if they had a problem and were able to raise issues and ideas through the pupil council.
Overall, there were important weaknesses in arrangements for meeting pupils’ needs. Teachers made too little use of information about pupils’ strengths and development needs in planning pupils’ learning. In the middle and upper stages, pupils were not making sufficient progress from their prior levels of attainment. There was very good provision of additional staff to support pupils’ learning and behaviour, including several classroom assistants and auxiliaries. They undertook their tasks conscientiously but were not always effectively deployed in classrooms. Some teachers did not adequately address the learning needs of individuals and not all pupils were included in classroom activities. The visiting support for learning teacher provided very good support for pupils but she had insufficient time to consult with class teachers. The headteacher needed to improve the deployment of all support staff to meet the learning needs of all pupils more effectively and to promote inclusion.
Pupils receiving support from the base in school were well supported in class and in the additional teaching areas. The staff in the base offered skilled support in strategies for anger management. Pupils were also well supported by a multi-agency team and were making progress in their learning. In meeting individual needs, attention was beginning to be given to widening the curriculum and ensuring resources were age appropriate.
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Aspect |
Comment |
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Quality of accommodation and facilities |
The quality of accommodation was good. Classrooms were large and bright
and all areas of the school were cleaned to a high standard. The entrance
area provided a range of information for parents and pupils and appropriate
arrangements for security were in place. The large gym and stage areas
were used for a variety of purposes and a large playing field and playground
also provided good facilities to promote physical activities. Pupils did
not have access to the changing rooms. Safety at the entrance to the school
was a serious concern, particularly because vehicles and pedestrians shared
the same access. Pupil access to the car park area needed to be reviewed.
These issues and other health and safety issues were drawn to the attention
of the team by parents and members of the School Board. |
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Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
Staff and pupils were proud of their school. Staff morale was high and staff had good relationships with most pupils. Most pupils were polite and well behaved. Staff did not have consistently high expectations for all pupils. The newly formed pupil council was increasingly involved in decision making. There were some opportunities for older pupils to have responsibilities and duties around the school including supporting learning in environmental studies. Whole school assemblies were regularly used to celebrate achievements in school and in the community and the school chaplain led religious observance on these occasions. Pupils demonstrated care and respect for others through a range of fund raising activities. The school needed to take positive steps to promote race equality and help pupils to value diversity. |
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Partnership with parents and the community |
Parents valued the work of the school and they gave good support to all social, cultural and sporting events. The school kept parents informed about the work of the school through regular newsletters and provided helpful information on children’s progress at planned interviews with class teachers. Some teachers used homework diaries as an effective link between home and school. Members of the local community were regular visitors to classes to support learning about the past and groups of pupils often performed music and drama for the elderly in the village. Members of the School Board were seeking a more active role in school developments. |
Aberchirder Primary School made good provision for pupils’ care and welfare and promoted healthy and safe living. However, there were some important weaknesses in the quality of education provided by the school. Although there were a few examples of effective teaching, the overall quality of learning and teaching was fair. In too many lessons, pupils’ learning lacked pace, stimulation and challenge. Tasks and activities set as class work were not consistently well matched to the needs of individual pupils. Levels of attainment in English language and mathematics were fair and had not improved. The curriculum did not provide a coherent or progressive experience.
The headteacher was very well regarded by pupils, staff and parents. However, there were weaknesses in the leadership and management of the school. In her time in post, the headteacher had taken steps to improve the ethos of the school and now needed to focus on improving learning, teaching and attainment. The local authority had not sufficiently supported or challenged the work of the school and teachers had had insufficient staff development opportunities to learn about best practice. The headteacher undertook a range of monitoring activities and as part of a research project was engaged in detailed observation of pupil behaviours and learning styles. She visited classes regularly and provided teachers with written and oral feedback which they found helpful and supportive. Teachers assessed and recorded pupils’ progress but they did not give sufficient attention to tracking pupils’ progress towards national levels of attainment. Arrangements for self-evaluation were not well understood by all staff and lacked rigour and impact. Self-evaluation activities had not enabled the school to identify weaknesses effectively and bring about improvements.
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Main points for action The school and education authority, in liaison with HM Inspectors, should take action to ensure improvement in:
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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 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 another report to parents and carers, within two years of the publication of this report, on the extent of improvement that has been achieved.
Susan R Duff
HM Inspector
18 January 2005
We judged the following to be very good
We judged the following to be good
We judged the following to be fair
We judged the following to be unsatisfactory
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.
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What pleased parents and carers most |
What parents and carers would like to see improved |
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What pleased pupils most |
What pupils would like to see improved |
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What pleased staff most |
What staff would like to see improved |
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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 and Recreation, 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, Greyfriars House, Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB10 1LQ or by telephoning 01224 642544. Copies are also available on the Care Commission website www.carecommission.com and the HMIE website www.hime.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about primary inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Frank Crawford, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG and Complaints Co-ordinator, Headquarters, Care Commission, Compass House, Riverside Drive, Dundee DD1 4NY. Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to Hazel Dewart, Business Management Unit, HM Inspectorate of Education, T1 Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office or by telephoning 0131 244 8468 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk and www.carecommission.com.
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. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone 0870 011 5378 or 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 2005
HM Inspectorate of Education
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