21 October 2008
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
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
Appendix 3 Good Practice
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North Muirton Primary School and Nursery Class were inspected in May 2008 as part of a national sample of primary and nursery education. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated nursery children's and 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 the quality of the children's experience in the nursery, pupils' work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the Parent Council and a group of parents1.
The inspection team also evaluated aspects of the school's progress in implementing national recommendations related to improving aspects of school meals provision.
The school serves the area of Muirton which is on the outskirts of Perth. It included a support base for nine pupils with additional support needs and a nurture class for five pupils. At the time of the inspection the roll was 297, including 49 children in the nursery class and 14 in the support base. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was above the national average. 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 a sample of parents, P4 to P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.
Almost all parents were positive about the work of the school, nursery and support base. They thought that the school and the nursery had a good reputation in the community and were well led. Almost all parents felt their children enjoyed being at school and that staff showed concern for children’s care and welfare. They commented on the helpful information they received from staff and that they felt welcome in the school. Almost all pupils felt safe in school and thought the school helped them stay healthy. They agreed that teachers checked their homework, explained things clearly and told them when they did things well. A few pupils expressed concerns about the behaviour of a small number of pupils. Almost all staff were positive about the work of the school. They enjoyed working in the school and felt pupils’ successes were regularly celebrated. Almost all staff thought that the school was well led and that they had established positive relationships with the local community. A few staff would like more feedback from managers on how to improve learning and teaching.
Learners’ experiences
The overall quality of the curriculum was good. The curriculum for children in the nursery class provided very good breadth and balance across the five key aspects of learning. Staff in the nursery made very effective use of the playroom space and were developing the use of the outdoor area to enhance children’s learning. They planned activities which encouraged children to investigate and explore. Across the primary stages, including pupils in the support base, pupils’ citizenship skills were enriched through participation in the Eco-Schools Scotland initiative. They were experiencing a wide range of challenging and enjoyable activities that enabled them to develop a good understanding of their environment. Through the personal and social education (PSE) programme, pupils were learning how to keep safe and stay healthy. They received two hours of quality physical education each week, in line with national advice. Pupils had very good opportunities in art and design, drama, music, science and social subjects for applying their skills across the curriculum. At all stages, pupils had regular opportunities to develop skills in the use of information and communications technology (ICT). This was particularly effective at the early stages. Teachers did not give enough time to developing pupils’ writing skills across the curriculum. The curriculum was suitably individualised for pupils in the support base and nurture class. The overall quality of teaching was good. Nursery staff interacted well with children and used praise effectively to celebrate their achievements. They were skilled in their use of questioning and dialogue to engage with children and develop their ideas. At the primary stages, teachers were well organised. They used praise appropriately to reward pupils’ successes and achievements. Most teachers gave clear instructions and explanations. In the best lessons, teachers used a variety of teaching approaches. They created purposeful learning environments which encouraged pupils to express their views and to ask questions. This active approach to learning was not consistent across all classes and sometimes questioning did not challenge pupils to think for themselves. Most teachers set a good range of relevant homework activities which were linked well to classwork.
Children’s experiences in the nursery were very good. They responded very positively to the nursery environment and having their achievements recognised. They were highly motivated, eager to learn and concentrated well on their chosen activities. Staff were beginning to involve children in what they wanted to learn. The overall quality of learners’ experiences in the primary stages was good. Most pupils were enthusiastic learners and settled well to tasks. They were developing very important skills through the wide range of learning experiences offered throughout the school. For example, they were developing good collaborative skills through their involvement in the pupil council, buddying, and the school eco committee. They also contributed as prefects and Junior Road Safety Officers. Overall, pupils had too few opportunities to develop these skills through independent and group activities in the classroom. Most pupils were clear about their levels of attainment and were at the early stages of using self-assessment strategies to evaluate their own work.
Improvements in performance
The school had successfully improved its performance in a number of important areas. In the nursery class, staff had developed the outdoor areas and were involving children actively in their learning. Across the primary classes, the school had improved aspects of environmental education and ICT. More remained to be done to raise attainment, particularly in writing. In the support base, pupils were working well on their learning targets. This represented good improvements in performance in the nursery class and satisfactory improvements in the primary classes.
Children in the nursery class were making very good progress in communication and language. They could recognise and were learning to write their own name. They were developing a good awareness of letter sounds and rhyming. They were confident when talking to adults and to one another. Almost all listened well to adults and they enjoyed listening to stories and sharing books with one another.
At the primary stages, the majority of pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking and reading. Nearly half were attaining these levels in writing. There had been a steady increase in attainment in reading over the last three years. Pupils’ attainment in writing was now beginning to improve. At most stages, pupils listened well and the majority talked confidently to adults and each other about a range of topics. They were less skilled in listening and talking to each other in group situations. Across the school, pupils’ reading skills were developing well. At the early and middle stages, pupils could describe and a few could successfully summarise the main ideas from books they were reading. At P6 and P7, pupils had a good understanding of instructions and other texts which they were studying. The majority read well for enjoyment and were keen to develop their reading further. Pupils were developing a range of skills in writing. Those in P2 had successfully composed letters of thanks after a visit to a local day centre. The majority of pupils had a very good knowledge of language and their written work was neat and well presented. Across the school, pupils did not have enough opportunities to develop their skills in writing for different purposes.
Children in the nursery class were making good progress in their understanding of early mathematics. Many understood simple mathematical concepts such as matching, shape and size. They were developing effective skills in counting and many were recognising numbers. Staff supported children well to solve problems during play. There was scope to develop further mathematical understanding in play activities.
Across the primary stages, standards in mathematics were satisfactory. Attainment in mathematics had shown signs of improvement in the last three years and most pupils were achieving national levels of attainment in maths. Pupils made appropriate progress in P1/P2 but their progress in mathematics slowed in the middle and upper stages of the school. Most pupils were developing a good knowledge and understanding of mathematics. From P3 to P7 they were able to describe and use a range of graphs and charts appropriately. At P3, pupils were using ICT very confidently to produce spreadsheets and graphs to interpret data they had collected about favourite pets. Overall, pupils’ mental and written calculations were sound. By the end of P7, pupils were not accurate when using their number skills to calculate decimals and fractions. At all stages, pupils’ knowledge and skills in telling the time and using money were developing well. At P5/P6 pupils successfully calculated the area and perimeter of shapes. Across the school, pupils could identify correctly two- and three-dimensional shapes and carry out measurements accurately. From P1 to P7, pupils could name strategies they would use to solve problems. They were much less skilled in knowing which strategy to apply to a problem.
Children in the nursery class were learning about the natural world through planting seeds and flowers. They enthusiastically learned about the lifecycle of butterflies and investigated minibeasts. They showed confidence when using the computer to play simple games. Almost all were confident in role play, making music and expressing their individual creativity through painting and collage. They were developing an appropriate awareness of space and were effectively developing their physical skills through indoor and outdoor play.
Pupils were making good progress across other areas of the curriculum. At P2, they were successfully developing their athletic skills in preparation for the school sports day. Pupils in P3 were using musical sounds creatively to describe and match the movements of an object. In P4, pupils were successfully working with partners in designing an abstract image of a face in the style of a famous artist. In P5/P6 pupils’ art work was of a high quality. They were using symmetrical shapes and area effectively in their Aztec designs. At all stages most could talk knowledgeably and with enjoyment about the projects they were studying in science and social subjects.
The school had taken a range of positive steps to help develop pupils’ wider achievements. These included providing activities for vulnerable groups such as Ready Steady Cook and the Rock Band. Children in the nursery were happy, safe and secure and able to make choices confidently within the planned activities. They were developing independence and persevered well with tasks. They responded positively when given responsibility to prepare snacks and tidy the playroom. Almost all children cooperated well and were able to share toys and take turns when playing. In the primary classes and within the support base and nurture class, most pupils demonstrated good awareness of their responsibilities to themselves and to one another. They were developing effective citizenship skills by fundraising for local charities and by taking responsibility for specific duties in class and around the school. Pupils successfully fulfilled these roles and were proud of the help they gave to others. The school had achieved its first green flag award from Eco-Schools Scotland. At all stages most could talk knowledgeably and with enjoyment about the projects they were studying. Pupils extended their interests and skills by taking part in clubs for football, walking and drama. Their choir had successfully participated in the local annual music festival. A significant number of pupils from P5 to P7 were making good progress in learning to play the violin. Many pupils had successfully represented the school in authority and inter-school sporting events and music festivals.
The school had made good progress in overtaking the priorities in its improvement plan. Several of these had had a measurable impact on learning experiences. These included action to improve pupils’ attendance and behaviour. Overall attainment had slowly started to rise and children and pupils were more ready to learn.
Staff in the nursery class were good at meeting the learning needs of children. They regularly made observations of children’s learning and monitored their progress. Sometimes, staff did not make enough use of the assessment information they had gathered to plan next steps in learning for individual children. Staff successfully included and supported children with additional support needs in nursery activities. The school’s approaches to supporting the learning needs of pupils across the primary stages were satisfactory. Most teachers were aware of pupils’ needs and ensured that learning tasks and activities were matched to the needs of learners. This was not consistent enough across all classes. In a few classes, the pace of learning was too slow. Tasks did not provide sufficient challenge particularly for higher-achieving pupils. Pupils requiring additional support were making good progress and were following appropriate targets set within pupil-friendly individualised educational programmes (IEPs). The learning support teacher provided very effective additional support to individuals and groups of pupils. Support assistants worked well with teachers and pupils and provided well-judged support in classes. Partner agencies, including very good input from speech and language therapy and specialist staff supporting pupils with a sensory impairment, made an effective contribution to the work of the school.
Pupil support base
The quality of teaching in the pupil support base classes was variable. Sometimes teachers engaged pupils effectively in learning and delivered well-structured lessons with appropriate support, pace and challenge. Other lessons lacked structure and relevance, did not build on prior achievements, and restricted pupils’ progress. Staff shared individualised learning targets with pupils and encouraged them to contribute at their reviews. A few pupils had consistently achieved their targets and were making good progress with early maths and language skills. The majority had strengthened their reading abilities. Younger pupils were showing confidence in interacting with others and were developing their skills in taking turns and sharing. Pupils in the support base did not have enough opportunities to learn to work with pupils in mainstream classes.
Nurture class
Teaching in the nurture class was of a very high quality. Teachers engaged positively with pupils at all times and were able to motivate and inspire pupils to become involved in their learning. They were highly skilled at encouraging pupils to work together and develop their social and emotional skills. For example, they enjoyed participating in purposeful play, baking and gardening activities. All pupils were fully involved with their learning and were enthusiastic about sharing their achievements. Staff met learning needs well. They used rigorous assessment to set and share well-judged targets with pupils and parents. They carefully tracked and monitored pupils’ progress. Pupils were making very good progress. Parents and staff reported significant improvements in pupils’ attendance, readiness to learn and emotional wellbeing.
Aspect |
Comment |
Care, welfare and development |
The quality of pastoral care was excellent. Nursery staff provided very good care for children and were aware of their responsibilities for ensuring their safety and welfare. The school’s use of procedures for dealing with child protection issues was exemplary. All staff had been trained in child protection and were clear about their responsibilities. The school had developed very good links with a range of agencies, such as health and social work, to enable them to access additional support as needed. The headteacher took effective action to ensure pupils and their families were safe and offered the support they needed. Pupils were able to discuss sensitive matters with any member of staff and through a range of relevant topics in the well-planned PSE programme. Pupils were learning to keep healthy through a wide range of classroom initiatives and projects, including a highly effective health promotion afternoon. The well-organised breakfast club prepared the pupils well for the school day. The school had very good arrangements to support pupils when they moved from nursery into P1 and from P7 into Perth Grammar School. |
Management and use of resources and space for learning |
School buildings were well maintained. The nursery was located adjacent to the school. A secure garden area had been developed beside the nursery building to enrich children’s opportunities for learning. Staff from the nursery to P7 made very effective use of available space and resources to enhance and support learning. An imaginatively designed shared space enabled pupils in P1 and P2 to take part in a range of lively learning activities. At the upper stages, staff used available space effectively as a computer resource area for pupils. Across the school, almost all staff made very effective use of display to showcase children’s and pupils’ work. Building security arrangements were appropriate and there was suitable access for users with limited mobility. |
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality and fairness |
The school provided a very warm and caring environment, based on a strong sense of respect and trust. Staff were strongly committed to enabling all children and pupils to feel included. Staff, children, pupils and parents were very proud of their school. Staff were very supportive of each other and morale was high. Relationships between staff and pupils were very positive. Staff took the time to join their class for lunch which had significantly improved pupils’ behaviour. Children and pupils responded well to praise, and to the high expectations which staff set for achievement and behaviour. Staff expectations of pupils’ attainment were sometimes too low for them to make appropriate progress. Pupils showed a good sense of citizenship and respect for others. They were developing positive attitudes to cultural and religious diversity and race equality. Regular assemblies provided good opportunities for celebrating pupils’ home and school achievements, and for religious observance. |
The school’s success in involving parents, carers and families |
The school was very effective in involving families in the life of the school. Staff had established very good links with parents and the wider community. From nursery to P7, a large number of parents contributed to school life and to their children’s learning on a regular basis. This included, for example, helping in class with activities such as cooking or story sacks. The Parent Council was supportive and planning further improvements to its work. The school consulted parents about appropriate aspects including the teaching of sensitive health issues. The headteacher issued very informative newsletters about the ongoing work of the school. Parents’ evenings and pupils’ progress reports gave a good account of pupils’ progress in their learning. The school provided very good advice on how parents could support their children’s learning at home. |
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
North Muirton Primary School and Nursery Class were well placed to build on its current quality of provision. The quality of care and welfare was outstanding. Pupils were being well supported to make very good progress in managing their behaviour and in their achievements across a wide range of areas. Their attainment in English language and mathematics was not yet high enough. Parents were very supportive of the school and many were actively involved in its improvement. Staff worked very well together and had a very good range of skills and expertise. They had responded very constructively to the improvements initiated by the current management team and were committed to continuous improvements. The school had shown an evident capacity for further continuous improvement.
The headteacher provided effective leadership to the school. She had earned the respect and confidence of staff, pupils, parents and the community. She was very well organised and approachable. She had successfully ensured that care and welfare arrangements were of the highest standard. She had driven up improvements in pupils’ attendance and behaviour. The three depute headteachers provided strong support to the headteacher and made an effective contribution to the work of the school. This included responsibilities for the nursery, nurture class and support base. All were professionally knowledgeable and worked hard to ensure the smooth day to day running of the school. They worked well together as a team. The headteacher and depute headteachers recognised the need to focus more on raising pupils’ attainment and developing consistently high quality learning and teaching across the school. The headteacher had succeeded in encouraging staff and pupils to develop their skills as leaders across the school. Individual staff led on aspects of the curriculum including promoting pupils’ wider achievements. Pupils held responsible roles and a few successfully chaired meetings and took the lead on initiatives. Staff regularly evaluated the work of the school to identify strengths and areas for development. The headteacher sought and used the views of parents and pupils through surveys to plan improvements. The school had appropriate systems in place for monitoring teachers’ plans, learning and teaching and pupils’ work. Staff had still to use the information obtained from self-evaluation to achieve a more consistent approach to learning and attainment across the school. The school was at an early stage of tracking pupils’ progress in English language and mathematics to plan appropriate next steps in learning. With a more consistent approach, the school could significantly improve pupils’ learning experiences and attainment.
The headteacher and staff were aware of the implications of the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice and appropriate staff were in the process of registering.
At the last Care Commission inspection of the nursery class there were three recommendations and three requirements. All had been successfully met.
Main points for action The school and education authority should take action to improve pupils' attainment. In doing so they should take account of the need to:
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What happens next?
As a result of the school’s strong overall performance, record of improvement and leadership, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this inspection. Within two years of the publication of this report, the education authority will report to parents on the school’s progress.
Jane Lopez
HM Inspector
21 October 2008
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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The curriculum |
good |
Teaching for effective learning |
good |
Children's experiences (nursery class[es]) |
very good |
Learners’ experiences (primary stages) |
good |
Improvements in performance (nursery class[es]) |
good |
Improvements in performance (primary stages) |
satisfactory |
How well are pupils’ learning needs met? |
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Meeting learning needs (nursery class[es]) |
good |
Meeting learning needs (primary stages) |
satisfactory |
How good is the environment for learning? |
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Care, welfare and development |
excellent |
Management and use of resources and space for learning |
good |
The engagement of staff in the life and work of the school |
good |
Expectations and promoting achievement |
good |
Equality and fairness |
good |
The school’s success in involving parents, carers and families |
very good |
Leading and improving the school |
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Developing people and partnerships |
very good |
Leadership of improvement and change (of the headteacher) |
good |
Leadership of improvement and change (across the school) |
good |
Improvement through self-evaluation |
satisfactory |
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 with some areas for improvement |
| satisfactory | strengths just outweigh weaknesses |
| weak | important weaknesses |
| unsatisfactory | major weaknesses |
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.
What parents thought the school did well |
What parents think the school could do better |
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What pupils thought the school did well |
What pupils think the school could do better |
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What staff thought the school did well |
What staff think the school could do better |
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In the course of the inspection, the following aspects of innovative and effective practice were evaluated as being worthy of wider dissemination.
Learning after school
The school promoted a wide range of activities which successfully promoted the wider achievements of children and pupils. The following initiatives were well attended and had significantly improved the schools links with families.
Ready Steady Cook was a weekly club which involved parents working with their children. Together, they found out about healthy eating and then prepared and cooked healthy meals together. The relaxed atmosphere allowed children and adults to enjoy spending time together while learning new skills. For many, it was the first time they had cooked a meal from raw ingredients and they felt more confident about trying more cooking at home.
Family Networks was an initiative for families who could not access computers at home. It had been developed in partnership with staff from the community education team. Pupils were able to take specially purchased laptops home to work on projects with their families. A member of the community education team led the club. Children had the experience of being ‘tutors’ to their own parents. This helped to build confidence in both children and adults.
The rock band ‘North Muirton Rocks’ was formed by staff, parents and pupils. The aim of the club was to motivate pupils to learn new and exciting skills. The club was very well attended. A significant number of pupils had successfully risen to the challenge of learning a new instrument, singing or being a sound technician. Some had taken on the role of the ‘roadie’. They had the important job of setting up and dismantling the equipment safely. Pupils were gaining in confidence and learning to work together very effectively. The group successfully performed at the school’s 30th birthday celebrations in front of parents and special guests.
Nurture class
The nurture class provided well-targeted support for young pupils who had difficulties settling into school. It helped provide the early learning experiences that promoted good personal development and readiness to learn. A key element of the nurture class was positive engagement with parents. Staff worked closely with parents at weekly meetings. Teachers in the nurture class were able to motivate pupils to enjoy their learning. Pupils worked well together and developed their social skills in meaningful and imaginative contexts. For example, they learned to take an active part in play, baking and gardening activities. Pupils had access to very positive and appropriately designed learning experiences. They were enthusiastic about their achievements and were fully aware of their targets. The nurture class had had a very positive impact on the emotional wellbeing and overall progress of vulnerable pupils.
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Crown Copyright 2008
HM Inspectorate of Education
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Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.