1. Introduction
2. The school
3. How well are pupils performing?
4. How good is the curriculum?
5. How good is learning and teaching?
6. How well are pupils supported?
7. How well is the school managed?
8. How well does the school perform overall?
Key strengths
Main points for action
Appendix
Indicators of quality
Quality of lessons observed
How can you contact us?
Largue Primary School was inspected in February 2003 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 how well pupils were performing, the effectiveness of the school and how well the school was managed.
HM Inspectors evaluated learning, teaching and attainment, examined pupils’ work and interviewed staff and pupils. They assessed the school’s processes for self-evaluation and development planning. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language, mathematics, art and design within the expressive arts.
Members of the inspection team analysed responses to questionnaires issued to parents, and to samples of staff and pupils. A member of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the School Board .
The school serves the rural area of Largue and Auchaber. At the time of the inspection the roll was 28.
Parents’ views
Parents who responded to the questionnaire were very happy with the work of the school.
Almost all thought that:
About a quarter felt that they did not have a clear idea of the school’s priorities for improvement.
Ethos
Relationships between teachers and pupils were very good. Staff and pupils welcomed visitors. Pupils identified closely with their school, and staff morale was high. Staff had created a positive environment for learning by setting appropriate expectations and promoting achievement. The school used a range of strategies very well to celebrate success. These included displays of pupils’ achievements in public areas and in classrooms. The school was very effective in ensuring that all pupils were treated equally and fairly. Pupils learned to value cultures and customs different from their own. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, were treated fairly and with respect. Opportunities for religious observance were very good. Attendance was above national averages.
School and community
Partnership with parents, and the school’s links with the local community and other relevant agencies, were very good. Notable features included:
Accommodation
The quality of accommodation and facilities was good. Pupils’ work was attractively displayed. Effective security arrangements were in place for the classrooms. To improve safety, a secure-entry system should be added to the main building. There were no markings on the adjacent main road to indicate the presence of a school.
Staffing and resources
The school was very well staffed overall. Visiting teachers provided valuable specialist teaching. Clerical, auxiliary, and kitchen staff made valued contributions to the life of the school. The time allocated for specialist support for learning was insufficient.
Resources were in good supply, very well organised and easily accessed. The headteacher planned to address shortages in some curricular areas. Overall, the headteacher had made very good use of the school’s devolved budget to support training, improve resources and raise attainment.
English language
Attainment in English language was very good. All pupils coped very well with interesting and challenging coursework. Those in the early stages made very good progress in reading. From P2, almost all pupils read fluently and with understanding. Pupils wrote accurately, generally at good length and with well-chosen expression. Imaginative writing and the recording of personal responses were particular strengths in P4 to P7. In classes almost all pupils listened attentively and talked confidently about a good range of topics. At P7 all were meeting or exceeding national levels of attainment appropriate to their stage in listening, talking, reading and writing. At all stages some pupils were exceeding these levels.
Mathematics
The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was good. Pupils performed well in most aspects of their coursework. At all stages pupils interpreted graphs well. By P7 almost all were confident when using computers to organise and display information. Mental and written calculations were done well. Pupils had a very good knowledge of the properties of shapes. Almost all pupils achieved, and most exceeded, appropriate national attainment levels for their stage in information handling, number, money and measurement, and shape, position and movement. However, pupils’ skills in problem solving and enquiry were limited. Few had a clear understanding of the range of strategies they could use to solve problems.
Art and Design
The quality of attainment in art and design was good. At all stages pupils provided attractive pieces of work using a variety of techniques and media. At P1 to P3 pupils expressed themselves freely through painting. Pupils at P4 to P7 showed some understanding of perspective and how to create effects by shading. However, at all stages pupils’ skills in design were not well developed.
The overall quality of the curriculum was very good. It was well designed to meet the needs of pupils. Teachers made very good links across the curriculum to promote pupils’ learning. Pupils in P4 to P7 had opportunities to study German.
English Language
The English language programme was good overall. It gave good attention to listening, talking and reading. There were good opportunities to write for a variety of purposes but further emphasis on writing at length was needed.
Mathematics
The programme in mathematics was good. Pupils had appropriate opportunities for practical work and had good access to computers for information handling and to consolidate learning. The programme placed a strong emphasis on mental and written calculations. A more systematic approach was needed to develop pupils’ skills in applying strategies for solving problems.
Art and design
The programme for art and design was good. It was well planned to provide progression across a range of skills and techniques. At all stages pupils had good opportunities to express themselves creatively. Staff did not place enough emphasis on developing pupils’ design skills.
Expressive arts
Staff had identified the need to improve provision in the expressive arts and had taken effective action to do so. The physical education programme was very good. Pupils’ skills were systematically developed. At P4 to P7 they had good opportunities to learn to swim and participate in a wide range of sporting activities. While class teachers planned a range of stimulating activities in music and drama, these programmes had not yet been fully developed. Overall, the programme for the expressive arts was fair.
The quality of teaching was good. Pupils were enthusiastic in their approach to learning. Overall, their needs were well met.
Care and welfare
Arrangements for the care and welfare of pupils were very good. Teachers knew their pupils very well and supported their social and personal needs as appropriate. All staff successfully promoted good relationships and positive behaviour. They had developed good procedures to prevent bullying and to deal with incidents where children’s health might be at risk.
Personal and social development
Staff promoted pupils’ personal and social development effectively, for example through considering moral issues at assemblies. Teachers introduced pupils to a wide range of topics designed to help their development of positive attitudes. Staff and parents supported extra-curricular activities and encouraged pupils to compete at sport. Older pupils benefited from an annual residential trip which helped boost their self confidence. The school had recently introduced a number of imaginative approaches to reward effort and achievement. The health education programme was good and paid appropriate attention to personal safety and relationships.
Support for learning
Arrangements to support pupils’ learning were good. Teachers gave very good support to pupils in class. A classroom assistant effectively helped groups and individuals. The visiting teacher of learning support provided good support for pupils experiencing difficulties in their learning. However, she did not have sufficient time to consult fully with class teachers. A range of external agencies provided additional support and advice as required.
Overall management and leadership
The headteacher provided very good leadership. She influenced and motivated her staff very well and had developed effective teamwork. She drew effectively on her colleagues’ individual skills. Her very good relationships with pupils, staff, parents and external organisations was a notable feature of her work. She promoted a clear strategic direction for the school with a central focus on improving learning, teaching, attainment and achievement.
The school’s aims were very good. They appropriately emphasised the development of pupils’ full potential and the fostering of their personal and social skills. School policies were regularly updated to provide valuable advice to staff.
Staff review and development
The work of the headteacher had not been reviewed in her present post. She had reviewed the work of one colleague and had arranged to review the work of her other colleague. Staff had participated in a range of staff development activities which had successfully improved their teaching skills and pupils’ experiences.
Planning for improvement
The school’s arrangements for planning for improvement were very good. The improvement plan was clear and informative. Priorities for development were appropriate and firmly based on sound evidence. Very good progress had been made in addressing priorities in previous plans.
Approaches to improving quality
The school’s arrangements for quality assurance were comprehensive and rigorous. The headteacher and her staff had developed a wide range of policies to guide the work of the school. Staff regularly taught alongside each other to observe learning and teaching. They provided each other with extensive and supportive evaluations of the learning activities they had observed. All aspects of the school’s provision were systematically evaluated through the effective use of rigorous criteria. The school’s own standards and quality report provided clear and accurate evaluations based on robust evidence.
Overall, the quality of education provided by the school had many strengths. The headteacher and her staff had been successful in promoting high achievement and in developing positive approaches to learning. The inclusion of all pupils in the life and work of the school was a particular strength. Staff had established an atmosphere of continuous improvement in programmes of work and in pupils’ attainments. The very effective approaches to self evaluation should ensure that these high standards are maintained and improved.
The school and should act on the following recommendations.
HM Inspectors have asked the school and 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. In liaison with the HM Inspectors will monitor progress to ensure improvements in line with the main findings of the report. They will arrange for further progress reports and visits to the school if necessary and will inform parents and carers of the outcomes of these when they occur.
Duncan MacQuarrie
HM Inspector on behalf of HM Chief Inspector
Division
10 June 2003
See Quality Indicator data below.
Indicators of quality
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
HMI also evaluated the quality of the lessons observed. The overall quality of lessons was very good in 20% of cases and good in 80%. There were no lessons.
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the 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 . 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 Bill Maxwell, HMCI at HM Inspectorate of Education, Wellgate House (Level 5), The Wellgate, Dundee, DD1 2DB. 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.ombudsmanscotland.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2003
HM Inspectorate of Education
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