11 March 2003
1. Introduction
2. The school
3. How well are pupils performing?
4. How well are the inspected departments
performing?
5. How good is the curriculum?
6. How good is learning and teaching?
7. How well are pupils supported?
8. How well is the school managed?
9. 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?
Harlaw Academy was inspected in November and December 2002 as part of a national sample of secondary education.
The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. HM Inspectors evaluated learning, teaching and attainment, examined pupils’ work and interviewed staff and pupils. The subjects included in the inspection were English, mathematics, physics, S1/S2 science, geography and art and design. HM Inspectors also evaluated the quality of support for pupils, including arrangements for the care and welfare of pupils and child protection, and aspects of guidance and support for learning. In evaluating how well the school and departments were managed, HM Inspectors assessed the school’s processes for self-evaluation and development planning.
Members of the inspection team analysed responses to questionnaires issued to parents and to samples of staff and pupils. They met the chairperson of the School Board and a group of parents, which included representatives of the Harlaw Association.
Harlaw Academy is a non-denominational secondary school which serves the south-west central area of Aberdeen. At the time of the inspection the roll was 922. Twenty-eight percent of pupils attended as a result of placing requests from outwith the school’s catchment area.
Parents’ views
Parents who responded to the questionnaire expressed positive views about most aspects of the work of the school.
Almost all felt that:
Some parents wanted more information on the school’s priorities for improving the education of pupils and how they could support their children with homework. Some thought that the school buildings were not well maintained.
Ethos
Pupils and staff were proud of their school, which had a welcoming and very supportive ethos. Relationships between staff and pupils were very good. Teachers displayed a strong level of commitment, and gave readily of their time to help and support them. Staff morale was high. Pupils were generally polite, friendly and conscientious. They consistently raised significant amounts for charities. Many senior pupils participated in a system to give support to younger ones. A number of effective features encouraged good behaviour and attendance, including a recognition of pupils’ rights and responsibilities, a pupil code of conduct and a ‘truancy call’ to parents when some pupils were absent.
Teachers had high expectations of pupils’ attendance, behaviour and achievement. Some provided additional support outwith lesson time to help pupils improve their work and their attainment. Praise awards and merit certificates celebrated pupils’ efforts and helped to raise their expectations of what they could achieve. Regular assemblies were used effectively for the reinforcement of school values and for the celebration of success.
There was a strong and effective emphasis on equality, fairness and caring for all members of the school community. Pupils with special educational needs, and those from a variety of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, felt that they were highly valued and fully included in the school. A system of form class captains assisted all pupils in expressing their views and ensured that they were consulted on aspects of school life. Assemblies gave very good opportunities for religious observance. Attendance was above national levels.
School and community
The school had established good communication and partnerships with parents, and had very good links with the local and wider community. Notable features included:
The School Board should communicate its functions and activities more clearly to parents.
Accommodation
The overall quality of accommodation was good. Most classrooms were well maintained and spacious. The school had an impressive games hall and high quality accommodation for practical subjects. The well-resourced library offered a bright and spacious area for study. There were very good displays of pupils’ work and achievements throughout the school. A few classrooms and corridors required upgrading, and there were insufficient social areas for pupils. Leaks in some roofs required attention and windows in some parts of the school needed to be replaced. The education authority had allocated finance to make safe the open balconies in part of the school.
Staffing and resources
The school was well staffed overall with a good blend of new and experienced teachers. Additional funding had been used effectively to enhance staffing levels in a number of areas. However, a long-term absence in the drama department had not been filled with a suitably qualified teacher. The librarian and auxiliary staff made valued contributions to the school’s work. Technicians provided effective support to the design and technology, science, art and design and home economics departments.
The school was generally well resourced. Provision for information and communications technology (ICT) had recently been extended. While some departments used ICT effectively, the extent of use of ICT varied across the school. The school’s devolved budget was managed and administered very effectively. Funds were allocated to departments equitably. Well-judged use was made of planned savings to support aspects of the school’s work.
Overall quality of attainment
The overall quality of attainment was good at all stages. Most pupils were making good progress in their learning. Some pupils, particularly at S3/S4, could have achieved more if classwork had been better matched to their needs. In S1/S2 attainment in mathematics and aspects of English language had shown some improvement in recent years. The overall quality of attainment at S3 to S6 had improved steadily over the long term.
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Awards
The following comments are based on SQA awards up to and including 2002.
Information on the attainment in the subjects inspected is given later in this report. In the subjects that were not inspected, at Standard Grade pupils performed less well in history than in their other subjects. However, the recently appointed principal teacher of history was working hard to raise attainment and there were signs of improvement.
English
The quality of attainment was good at S1 to S4 and fair at S5/S6. At S1/S2 pupils were making good progress, and there were examples of very good coursework at this stage and at other stages. By the end of S2 the majority of pupils were achieving appropriate national attainment levels in reading and writing. Less than half were attaining these levels in listening and talking. In S3/S4 Standard Grade almost all pupils achieved an award at General or Credit level. In S5/S6 the proportion of pupils achieving an A-C award at Higher had been in line with national averages. However, it had dropped to below the national average following the introduction of the new Higher course. The majority of pupils presented at Intermediate 1 and 2 achieved an A-C award. Most of the small number of pupils presented for CSYS were successful.
The S1/S2 course had been recently revised and was very good. While courses at S3 to S6 were good, guidelines for teachers needed to be updated.
Learning and teaching had many strengths. These included effective direct, interactive teaching and a good balance of whole class, group and individual work. Teachers set high standards for the amount and quality of work expected of pupils in reading and writing. Pupils worked conscientiously and took part in some lively group and class discussion. Overall, their needs were well met. Staff provided good support for pupils with coursework, especially at S1/S2, and helpful feedback on their work. They needed to improve some aspects of assessment arrangements at S1 to S4 to provide more regular and more detailed information on pupils’ progress.
Management and quality assurance
The principal teacher provided effective leadership. His own teaching was a model of good practice and he maintained good teamwork. The introduction of some new courses at S5/S6 had not yet been successfully implemented. The assistant principal teacher carried out her remit very effectively. The department had achieved some of the targets in the previous development plan. Overall, however, approaches to planning for improvement, including self-evaluation, needed to be more systematic.
Priorities for action
The department should continue to improve courses at S3 to S6 to ensure that pupils make good progress in their learning, and to encourage regular independent thinking and working. Arrangements for the assessment of pupils’ talking skills should be improved from S1 to S4. The principal teacher should implement more rigorous approaches to departmental self-evaluation.
Mathematics
Attainment
The overall quality of attainment was good at S1 to S4 and very good at S5/S6. Most pupils made good progress in their learning. Attainment at S1/S2 had improved over recent years, and a majority of pupils now reached or exceeded appropriate national levels of attainment. At S3/S4 the number of Credit awards at Standard Grade was in line with the national average. In S5/S6 the number of pupils achieving A-C awards at Higher was above the national average. Pupils performed better in Higher mathematics than in their other subjects. The number of A-C awards at Intermediate level was in line with national averages. Attainment at Advanced Higher level or equivalent had improved over the last three years.
Courses at all stages were of good quality. Those at S1 to S4 were being developed further to improve pupils’ attainment. There was a need for better advice to teachers on some key aspects of learning and teaching.
Learning and teaching
The quality of teaching was good. Teachers gave clear explanations and used homework well. The quality of pupils’ learning, while good overall, varied from teacher to teacher, particularly at S3/S4. Teachers did not always maintain a brisk pace of learning or develop pupils’ reasoning skills through effective questioning. Computers were used well at some stages to enhance pupils’ learning. Use of graphing calculators was not well developed. Assessment of pupils’ progress was carried out effectively. On the whole, pupils’ needs were well met.
The department was well led by two principal teachers who job-shared. An assistant principal teacher provided effective support. Self-evaluation was good. A range of useful approaches was employed to identify strengths and areas for improvement. The department did not yet use quality indicators systematically to evaluate all aspects of its work. Projects for improvement were set out in a development plan, and were being implemented well. Staff were supported well through the department’s informal review procedures.
Guidelines for teachers on key aspects of learning and teaching, including interactive teaching, use of ICT and development of problem solving skills, should be agreed and implemented to improve the consistency of pupils’ learning. Quality indicators should be used more systematically to evaluate the department’s work.
Physics and S1/S2 science
Attainment
The overall quality of attainment was fair in S1/S2 science and S3/S4 physics, and good in physics in S5/S6. In S1/S2 science a majority of pupils had a good knowledge of topics studied but some were unsure of important areas. Most were developing appropriate investigative skills. In physics most pupils had a good understanding of current work. In S3/S4 at Standard Grade, while some pupils achieved very good standards, a number did not have a sound grasp of earlier topics. The proportion of pupils achieving Credit awards at Standard Grade was below the national average. The proportion of S5 pupils achieving A-C grades in Higher and in Intermediate 2 was above the national average. Almost all those taking Advanced Higher were successful.
The S1/S2 course gave a good coverage of the main areas of science. Some topics did not take enough account of pupils’ previous experience. Physics courses at S3 to S6 were of good quality.
Teachers generally provided a good range of learning activities. In the best lessons, teachers explained work clearly, focused on key points, and used questions well to check pupils’ understanding. In some cases teachers relied too much on workbooks to guide pupils’ learning. Physics teachers were increasingly making effective use of ICT. Most pupils participated well in classwork and they sometimes had very good opportunities to take responsibility. They spent too much time copying information in some lessons. Teachers gave helpful support to pupils experiencing difficulty in class, and provided lunchtime seminars in physics. Work was not always well enough matched to pupils’ differing needs. For some pupils, especially in S1/S2, the tasks were not always suitably challenging. Assessment arrangements were well organised in physics. In science better procedures were needed to assess pupils’ progress towards the expected standards.
The principal teacher of physics provided good leadership. In her two years in post she had identified relevant priorities and involved staff well in drawing up an appropriate plan for improvement. With the support of staff in the department, she was developing new materials and teaching approaches and establishing suitable processes for self-evaluation. The principal teachers of physics, chemistry and biology each took overall responsibility for S1/S2 science in rotation. This provided effective administration, but had not resulted in a strong joint approach to evaluation or developing a revised S1/S2 course.
Principal teachers of the sciences should co-operate in leading the planned improvements in the S1/S2 course and assessment, and in establishing effective arrangements for self-evaluation in science. Physics staff should continue to take steps to improve attainment by identifying and sharing best practice, and by matching lessons and courses more closely to pupils’ needs.
Geography
The overall quality of attainment was good in S1 to S4 and very good in S5/S6. Most pupils were performing well in their coursework and developing a good range of skills. The proportion of pupils gaining Credit awards at Standard Grade was in line with the national average. At S5/S6 the proportion of pupils achieving A and A-C awards at Higher, and the proportion achieving a grade A award in travel and tourism at Intermediate 1, was above the national average. All pupils presented for CSYS or Advanced Higher achieved an A-C award.
Courses were good from S1 to S4 and were very good in S5/S6. All were well balanced, with a strong emphasis on the development of fieldwork, mapwork and enquiry skills. Some aspects of courses from S1 to S4 required further development to meet the needs of all pupils more effectively. The department had plans to extend the use of ICT.
Teachers planned their lessons well and showed considerable commitment to their pupils. Some very good examples of direct teaching were observed, particularly at S5/S6. Questioning and explanation were generally of a high quality. Most pupils worked conscientiously and were given good opportunities to be active in their own learning. The pace and challenge of learning were good overall, and pupils’ needs were generally well met. Homework was regular and challenging. Assessment was thorough and pupils received helpful feedback on their progress.
The principal teacher provided very good leadership to the department. She was hard working and highly committed. She had provided staff with very clear policies and guidelines, and had managed curriculum change very effectively. While approaches to planning for improvement were effective, the departmental development plan was too ambitious. Some good steps had been taken to monitor and evaluate the department’s work. However, monitoring of classroom practice should be further developed.
The department should continue to improve courses from S1 to S4 to meet the needs of all pupils more effectively, and implement its plans to make greater use of ICT. The departmental development plan should be reviewed to set out a more manageable list of priorities.
Art and Design
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment was good at all stages. At S1/S2 most pupils achieved good standards in coursework. At S3/S4 most pupils performed well in their coursework. The proportion of pupils presented for Standard Grade was well above the national average. However, there were weaknesses in assessment arrangements at this stage, and as a result the proportion of pupils achieving Credit awards at Standard Grade was below the national average. In S5/S6 the proportion of pupils achieving A-C awards at Higher had improved steadily over the last three years to reach the national average in 2002. The proportion of S5/S6 pupils achieving A awards at Higher had improved and exceeded the national average in 2002. Almost all the pupils presented for Advanced Higher in the last two years achieved A-C awards.
Courses at all stages provided pupils with good opportunities to develop a suitable range of skills. Opportunities for the development of pupils’ ICT skills needed to be extended.
The overall quality of teaching was good. Staff prepared and presented lessons effectively. Learning activities were well matched to pupils’ needs. Pupils were well motivated and worked purposefully. In most classes pupils were given very good opportunities to be creative and to develop and express personal ideas. Appropriate homework was provided to reinforce the skills and knowledge pupils acquired through classwork. Good provision was made for pupils with learning difficulties. Assessment of pupils’ work was generally good. However, at S4 it needed to be reviewed to ensure greater accuracy in the evaluation of pupils’ Standard Grade design activities.
The principal teacher provided good leadership. He promoted very effective teamwork and had succeeded in developing an ethos of achievement in the department. Recently, he had been effective in managing the introduction of new National Courses at Advanced Higher, Higher and Intermediate 2 levels. He now needed to develop quality assurance procedures further and make better use of assessment information to raise pupils’ attainment. Planning for improvement was fair. The departmental plan contained some appropriate priorities for improving pupils’ learning experiences. However, measures for monitoring and evaluating the success of the plan needed to be improved. The majority of the priorities set out in the previous development plan had been addressed effectively.
At S3/S4 pupils’ attainment should be improved and assessment procedures should be revised to ensure the accuracy of teachers’ evaluations of pupils’ design activities. Pupils’ skills in digital imaging should be developed further. The development plan together with procedures for ensuring its effectiveness should be revised and improved.
The overall quality of the curriculum was very good. At all stages it was soundly based on the school’s objective of providing suitable opportunities for all pupils and thereby raising attainment.
The curriculum at S1/S2 was suitably broad and balanced. Social subjects and sciences were taught in generally well designed, integrated courses to reduce fragmentation in pupils’ learning. Pupils benefited from a free-standing course in ICT. Departments were working to improve their courses to take account of pupils’ prior attainment, to enhance pupils’ learning by using ICT, and to provide more challenge for able pupils.
Almost all pupils in S3/S4 studied eight Standard Grade courses. They followed suitably broad programmes of study which took very good account of their preferences and prior attainment. Pupils could specialise by taking two subjects in a wide range of curriculum areas. Almost all pupils studied a modern language.
The school offered a wide range of new National Courses in S5/S6. Pupils had very good opportunities to continue their studies and make progress in their chosen subject areas, particularly at Advanced Higher, Higher and Intermediate 2 levels. The school was making good progress in ensuring that pupils achieved a wide range of core skills for future learning or employment, and had good outline plans to introduce Scottish Group Awards. Some departments were introducing new National Courses at Intermediate 1 or Access level into S3/S4 programmes to meet pupils’ needs more effectively. The school should extend this type of provision into S5/S6 as appropriate.
Teachers planned their lessons well, and gave clear explanations and instructions. They had good relationships with pupils, and most made effective use of praise. Pupils in S5/S6 were engaged by some very good teaching and were taking a good measure of responsibility for their progress in learning. In some classes from S1 to S4 teachers needed to tell pupils more clearly what they were about to learn and to recap what had been learned at the end of lessons. Pupils at all stages were mostly well motivated and hard working. A minority of pupils at S1 to S4 did not concentrate well within lessons. At these stages some pupils needed more opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. Pupils’ needs were generally well met. However, in some classes, especially at S3/S4, pupils were capable of working at a faster pace and tackling more challenging tasks. Homework was a regular feature of all courses but the use of homework diaries was not consistent across departments. Assessment procedures at all stages were generally good. Reports to parents were generally informative but did not always provide enough advice on how pupils could improve their work.
Arrangements for promoting the care and welfare of pupils were very good. Staff provided a high level of pastoral care, and pupils had suitable access to guidance staff when they required help or advice. The school had developed a clear policy to counter bullying and had involved younger pupils in a successful support scheme involving S5/S6 pupils. Whilst procedures for dealing with health and safety issues, including child protection, were clearly laid out and well understood by staff, there was a need to ensure that confidential information was stored centrally.
Guidance teachers knew their pupils well as individuals from teaching them in personal and social education (PSE) lessons and through individual interviews. Pupils responded positively to the support they received. Very good procedures were in place for alerting staff and parents when the progress of individual pupils was causing concern. The very good quality of pastoral care included effective arrangements for supporting pupils’ transfer from primary to secondary school.
Arrangements for curricular and vocational guidance were very good. Pupils and parents received helpful information on course choices and were given good opportunities to discuss these options with guidance staff. The school librarian and careers adviser contributed well to the school’s careers education programme.
The PSE programme covered an appropriate range of topics and was supported by a good range of visiting speakers. It included very good support for a well-organised, certificated programme in work experience. Personal safety, responsible relationships and education about drugs were important features of the programme. Steps should be taken to ensure that parents are fully consulted on all aspects of the programme. The quality of teaching was good overall and pupils’ needs were generally well met. While guidance staff included reference to pupils’ progress in PSE in their overview of reports to parents, the development of personal and social skills was not assessed systematically. A closer focus on what pupils should learn would provide guidance staff with clearer criteria to support their assessment of pupils’ progress.
An assistant headteacher provided very good support and leadership for the guidance team. Staff had appropriate remits and were deployed effectively to provide good quality support for pupils. While some good progress had been made in evaluating aspects of guidance provision, a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating the work of the guidance team was not yet in place. Planning for improvement was fair overall. The development plan contained appropriate projects, but criteria for judging the success of these projects were not set out clearly enough to ensure effective implementation. Generally good progress had been made in implementing previous plans.
Provision for supporting pupils experiencing learning difficulties, or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties was good overall. Support was based on very good arrangements for identifying pupils’ needs, particularly at the point of transfer from primary schools, and through careful scrutiny of pupils’ progress at S1 and S3. Learning support staff knew pupils well as individuals and took appropriate steps to meet their educational needs. Strengths of the school’s support for learning provision included:
Learning support staff worked in several departments providing support to pupils. Liaison with all departments needed to be more systematic to broaden the range of departments involved, ensure that co-operative teaching was fully effective and ensure that greater emphasis was placed on developing the curriculum and teaching materials. Many pupils were engaged in the regular use of ICT to improve their skills in literacy and numeracy. Pupils were motivated in their learning through this approach, but learning outcomes and details of individual progress should be shared more effectively with relevant subject departments. Pupils needed to be reminded more regularly of learning targets in their IEPs in order to ensure they understood the purpose of what they were learning and to celebrate significant steps made.
Pupils with English as an additional language, hearing impairments and visual impairments were well supported by visiting specialist teachers. Good steps were being taken to help pupils in S1 and S2 with basic skills through a weekly after-school supported study programme. In addition, lunchtime homework clubs provided pupils at S1 to S6 with helpful support. Pupils requiring additional support in examinations received careful attention.
The special educational needs base
The special educational needs base provided very good support for a small number of pupils in S1 to S4 with a range of significant needs. The base acted as a safe haven for vulnerable pupils prior to the start of the school day. Pupils were helped in learning basic skills. They were supported with work which enabled them to integrate well into a range of mainstream subject classes. Several found it difficult to concentrate on set tasks but most were making steady progress in their learning. Time for base staff to liaise with mainstream teachers about individual pupils’ work was limited.
The pupil support base
A pupil support base had recently been established to provide enhanced support to a small number of pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The teachers and auxiliary staff involved worked very well as a team and had made a very good start to working with several pupils referred to the base. Commendably, there was a focus on reintegrating pupils into mainstream classes. Placement in the base was strictly controlled through a multi-agency team which met regularly to consider referrals and to monitor and review placements. Some good work was taking place in the base with individuals and small groups to help them develop strategies for managing conflict and anger, and interacting positively with others, and to build up their confidence.
The principal teacher of support for learning provided her department with very good leadership. She managed the work of the department and the SEN base very effectively. She was committed to delivering a high quality of support to as many pupils and staff as possible. However, she required to delegate some tasks to others to ensure sufficient time was available to monitor and evaluate fully the work of the department. The department’s plan for improvement was good. Documentation held in the school relating to Records of Needs was not well organised and had often not been updated sufficiently.
Learning support staff should engage more directly in a wider range of subject departments and in developing the curriculum and materials to meet pupils’ needs. Pupils should be more regularly reminded of their learning targets and parents involved more directly in agreeing pupils’ next steps in learning. The education authority, in conjunction with the school, should ensure that Records of Needs are organised and updated appropriately.
Overall management and leadership
The headteacher provided very good leadership. He was highly committed to the school and had made a significant impact in promoting the school’s positive and inclusive ethos. He had established a strong sense of loyalty and teamwork amongst his staff and maintained a very supportive and visible presence throughout the school. He had ensured that a broad curriculum was in place and that there was an appropriate and generally successful emphasis on raising attainment. Through an effective combination of innovative thinking and realism about what could be achieved he had done much to secure and enhance the community’s confidence in its school.
The headteacher was ably supported by the depute headteacher who contributed very effectively to a range of improvement projects and to the efficient day-to-day running of the school. The three assistant headteachers fulfilled their remits very well and completed a very effective and hard-working senior management team.
Principal teachers generally managed their departments well. They gave helpful support to their staff and had developed strong teamwork in their departments. Senior teachers carried out their remits with purpose and commitment.
Staff review and development
The school’s arrangements for staff review and development were fair overall. While most principal teachers had now opted in to the process, a number had not yet taken part, and, overall, less than half of the staff had undergone a formal review as part of the education authority’s scheme. This low rate of participation was hampering the good efforts of senior staff to facilitate improvement in the quality of learning and management in departments.
Staff development activities were well organised. Individual members of staff had good opportunities to undertake staff development and training activities. Most staff made good use of these opportunities and ensured that there was a positive impact on the school. The school should now ensure that staff development activities are linked more closely to school and department development priorities, and that the impact of staff development activities on the quality of learning and management in departments is improved further.
Planning for improvement
Planning for improvement was carried out very effectively. Appropriate projects for improvement were set out clearly in the school development plan. These projects were closely linked to national priorities for education and local improvement objectives. Consultation on the plan was generally appropriate, and the means of evaluating success were set out clearly. The senior management team carefully monitored progress in implementing projects, which were usually completed successfully. The quality of the curriculum had been improved, and various projects to increase social inclusion, for example by reducing truancy, were making good progress. The school should now work to make the quality of planning for improvement in departments more consistent.
Approaches to improving quality
The school’s arrangements for evaluating the quality of its own work were good. Senior promoted staff had regular meeting with heads of departments to analyse SQA results and to discuss progress in meeting development plan targets. Principal teachers had a good knowledge of the work of their departments through class visits and regular checking of pupils’ work. The school had developed useful guidelines to assist principal teachers in auditing and monitoring their department’s activities. Some use was made of national quality indicators to review the quality of the school’s work. These now needed to be applied more rigorously by principal teachers and senior promoted staff to improve aspects of learning and teaching.
Harlaw Academy was a school which was performing well in a number of important respects. Pupils had access to a broad curriculum, a wide range of extra-curricular activities, and supported study. The school supported pupils’ learning well and most pupils responded well to teachers’ expectations. Under the very effective leadership of the headteacher and senior promoted staff, the school was actively promoting improvement by placing a high priority on the attainment and achievement of individual pupils within a supportive and caring environment. The commitment of staff and the strong ethos of achievement formed a sound basis for further improving attainment, particularly at S3/S4, and for monitoring learning and teaching more rigorously.
In addition to addressing the priorities for action identified in this report, the school and education authority should act on the following recommendations.
HM Inspectors have asked the school and education authority 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 education authority, HM Inspectors will monitor progress to ensure improvement 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.
Kenneth B Muir
HM Inspector
on behalf of HM Chief Inspector
Northern Division
11 March 2003
See Quality Indicator data below.
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 24% of cases, good in 64% and fair in 12%. There were no unsatisfactory lessons.
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Corporate Director of Learning and Leisure, 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 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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