19 December 2006
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
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St Columba's Primary School was inspected in September 2006 as part of a national sample of primary education. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils’ achievements, the effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.
HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA) and a group of parents1.
St Columba's Primary School is a denominational school serving the village of Boghall, near Bathgate. At the time of the inspection the roll was 159, including 63 children in the nursery class. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well above the national average. Pupils' attendance was in line with the national average.
The work of the nursery class was not included in this inspection.
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
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HM Inspectors 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.
Parents, pupils and staff were very positive about the school. Parents thought that the school had a good reputation in the local community and felt welcome in the school. They believed that their children were treated fairly and that staff showed care and concern for their welfare. All parents thought parents’ evenings were helpful and informative. They appreciated the information which they received from teachers about their children’s progress. Almost all pupils enjoyed school. All pupils believed the school helped them to keep safe and healthy. They felt that teachers were good at letting them know how to improve their learning. Staff were very positive about all aspects of the school. They thought the school was well led and that standards set for pupils’ behaviour were consistently upheld.
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
Pupils experienced a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers’ planned use of additional time for sEnglish language was beginning to make a positive impact on standards of attainment. However, there were weaknesses in the depth and quality of the curriculum for mathematics. As a result, pupils had not developed effective skills, particularly in numeracy. Pupils used the Internet very effectively to research topics. However, they had insufficient opportunities to develop their skills in information and communication technology (ICT) in their classwork. Commendably, the school had extended provision for physical education (PE) in order to improve the health and wellbeing of all pupils. Pupils’ experience in PE was enhanced by the contribution of the visiting teacher. Staff had not yet developed systematically a planned approach to developing pupils’ personal and social skills. The quality of teaching was good. All teachers gave clear explanations to pupils about their work and shared with them what they expected them to learn. In most lessons, teachers organised pupils’ learning and behaviour well. In the most effective lessons, teachers were skilled in using questions to check pupils’ understanding and encouraged them to explain their answers. Teachers and support staff made very good use of praise to develop pupils’ confidence. Across the school, teachers regularly set homework to reinforce learning, but it sometimes lacked variety and challenge.
Most pupils were motivated and enthusiastic learners. The school provided a wide range of activities to develop pupils as confident individuals and effective contributors to society. For example, all pupils made an enthusiastic contribution to a health assembly attended by parents and visitors. In most lessons they worked effectively individually, in pairs and in groups. For example, pupils worked in teams to design and make bookshelves for a class library. They successfully presented their designs to the class. In P6/7, pupils worked well in pairs to develop their skills in volleyball within their PE lesson. The school had achieved a silver award for enterprise and pupils at all stages had a well-developed understanding of enterprise activities. Opportunities for pupils to be active in their learning, for example through play at P1 to P3 stages, were not challenging enough. Occasionally, the pace of learning was too slow in some classes.
The school took good steps to promote pupils’ wider achievements. At all stages, pupils benefited from a range of after-school activities. These included games, recorder, ICT and basketball. They were developing as responsible citizens through the school’s productive links with a community in Malawi. During the previous year, pupils had represented the school at the national launch of this initiative. A few pupils from different stages contributed to school decision making as members of the pupil council. Pupils at all stages had good opportunities to exercise responsibility, for example by being class monitors, presenting house points at assemblies and healthy tuck preparation. The school was holder of the county basketball championship and several pupils from the school team had represented the local authority. For the past two years, P7 pupils had successfully competed against other schools in a speaking competition and had gained first prize. Pupils in P7 had benefited from an educational visit to France where they had the opportunity to develop their personal and social skills and their competence in speaking French.
English language
The quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was adequate. Levels of attainment had been low in recent years. However, there were encouraging signs of improvement in reading and writing, particularly at the early stages. These improvements had not yet impacted at the middle stages of the school. Across the school, the majority of pupils were attaining the appropriate national levels in reading, writing, listening and talking. Overall, pupils listened well and responded to direct questions and instructions but they were less skilled in building on each other’s ideas in discussion. Pupils at the early stages were making good progress with their reading. At all stages, pupils were developing an enjoyment of reading and could talk about their favourite books. By P7, they could explain the reasons for their preference and demonstrated understanding of the features of different types of books. They could locate information in texts and make inferences about the content. Across the school, pupils had made steady progress in improving their skills in writing. However, they did not write regularly for a range of purposes. The quality of pupils’ handwriting, presentation and spelling was not of a consistently high standard.
Mathematics
The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was weak. Levels of attainment had been low in recent years. Overall, the majority of pupils were attaining appropriate national levels. Almost all pupils at P2 had attained national levels earlier than might normally be expected. However, these early gains were not sustained as pupils progressed through the school. Across the school, pupils did not have a good understanding of how to display and interpret information using charts and graphs. By P7, they had not developed appropriate skills in using ICT to create spreadsheets and databases. At the middle and upper stages, pupils were making insufficient progress in gaining numeracy skills and lacked competence when carrying out mental calculations. They were not confident in tasks involving measurement. Overall, pupils had a good knowledge of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Across the school, pupils had appropriate opportunities to solve problems and could name a range of strategies.
There were significant weaknesses in the school’s approach to meeting pupils’ learning needs. Staff had not yet developed a systematic approach to assessing and recording pupils’ progress in learning. The pace of learning and the choice of tasks and activities were not challenging enough to meet the needs of the majority of pupils, particularly in mathematics. Pupils were beginning to develop an understanding of how they could improve their writing and other aspects of their work such as reading and mathematics. Teachers and classroom assistants worked well together to provide support for individuals and groups of pupils. However, there were weaknesses in the coordination and provision for pupils with additional support needs. As a result, these pupils were not making enough progress with their coursework. A few pupils had individualised educational programmes (IEPs). These programmes were not planned well enough and did not build on previous learning targets. Pupils with English as an additional language were making steady progress with their coursework. There were good arrangements for the transfer of pupils from nursery to P1 and from P7 to secondary school.
Aspect |
Comment |
Pastoral care |
The quality of pastoral care was very good. Teachers and support staff were caring and demonstrated concern for the social, emotional and physical needs of their pupils. They responded to pupils’ behavioural needs effectively. The arrangements for the administration of medicines were well organised. Senior pupils had received appropriate training to act as peer mediators in resolving minor difficulties in the playground. Staff had been involved in protective behaviour training and had a clear understanding of their role in child protection. There were appropriate procedures for checking pupils’ attendance and late-coming and for promoting anti-bullying. All pupils felt safe and well looked after in the school. The school actively promoted the development of health and wellbeing for pupils and their parents. A breakfast club provided a number of pupils with a nourishing start to the day. |
Quality of accommodation and facilities |
The quality of accommodation was good. Classrooms were spacious, bright and clean. Staff had made good use of available space to provide accommodation for a school library. The large hall was utilised effectively for physical education. It was also regularly used by pupils for clubs and activities before and after school. As a result of vandalism, the perimeter fence was in need of repair at the time of the inspection. There were appropriate arrangements for security and for supervision of the playground. The building was not accessible for all users. |
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
The school provided a welcoming and supportive learning environment. Teachers, support staff and janitorial staff worked very well together as a team. Pupils had a clear sense of identity and pride in the school. Most of them were courteous and showed respect towards each other and towards adults. A new reward system introduced by the headteacher had resulted in improvements to overall standards of behaviour, attendance and punctuality. However, expectations of attainment were not high enough. The headteacher had organised a well-considered programme of themes for assembly which provided good opportunities for pupils to share their best work, celebrate achievements and participate in worship. Pupils were actively involved in the preparation and presentation of their work for assemblies and responded well to the school’s systems to promote their wider achievement. The headteacher and staff actively promoted an inclusive and fair ethos in the school. They had effectively utilised opportunities within the curriculum to increase pupils’ understanding of racial equality and disability. |
Partnership with parents and the community |
The school’s links with parents and the community were very good. The School Board and the PTA supported the school well. A few parents had formed a parent support group, following a course on parenting. Staff provided appropriate workshops for parents on the curriculum. Parents received helpful information about their children’s learning through individual class newsletters, homework diaries and termly meetings with teachers. A group of staff and parents worked together to develop materials for pupils on sensitive health issues. The materials produced had been shared with all parents. The school had very positive links with the parish priest who visited the school regularly and assisted pupils with sacramental preparation. The headteacher had developed productive links with other schools in the local area and in Bathgate. The school was actively involved with other associated primary schools in raising funds for an initiative in Malawi. |
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
St Columba’s Primary School provided a welcoming environment for pupils. Staff were caring towards pupils and worked well together to promote an inclusive ethos. Most pupils were motivated, hardworking and well behaved. The quality of teaching was good. Pupils benefited from a range of opportunities which assisted in promoting their wider achievement. However, there were significant weaknesses in the arrangements to identify pupils’ learning needs and to assess and record their progress. At times, the pace of learning was too slow. The majority of pupils were capable of achieving higher standards. There were encouraging signs of improvement in attainment in English language. Attainment in mathematics was weak.
The headteacher had been in post for over two years and provided good leadership. She was caring and committed to supporting pupils’ welfare. Since her appointment, she had placed a high priority on improving behaviour and this had led to positive outcomes. She had developed very positive relationships with parents, staff and pupils. Her consultative management style had assisted in promoting a strong team ethos where staff and pupils felt valued. She had successfully introduced initiatives which were assisting in improving pupils’ attainment in English language. She had also developed a wide range of systems to promote their wider achievement. The role of the principal teacher was developing but was not yet focused enough on assisting the headteacher in leading improvements. The headteacher had introduced a range of appropriate systems to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. These included observation of classroom practice, monitoring forward plans and pupils’ work. However, she had not assessed or tracked pupils’ progress and attainment rigorously enough. The school had demonstrated a capacity for improvement but now needed to focus more directly on taking action to improve attainment and meet pupils’ needs.
Main points for action The school and education authority should take action to improve attainment and meet pupils' needs. In doing so they should take account of the need to:
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What happens next?
The school and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.
Noreen Connaughton
HM Inspector
19 December 2006
The sections in the table below follow the order in this report. You can find the main comments made about each of the quality indicators in those sections. However, aspects of some quality indicators are relevant to other sections of the report and may also be mentioned in those other sections.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement? |
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Structure of the curriculum |
adequate |
The teaching process |
good |
Pupils’ learning experiences |
good |
Pupils’ attainment in English language |
adequate |
Pupils’ attainment in mathematics |
weak |
How well are pupils learning needs met? |
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Meeting pupils’ needs |
weak |
How good is the environment for learning? |
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Pastoral care |
very good |
Accommodation and facilities |
good |
Climate and relationships |
very good |
Expectations and promoting achievement |
good |
Equality and fairness |
very good |
Partnership with parents, the School Board, and the community |
very good |
Leading and improving the school |
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Leadership of the headteacher |
good |
Self-evaluation |
adequate |
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:
excellent |
excellent |
very good |
major strengths |
good |
important strengths with some areas for improvement |
adequate |
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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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 Cultural Services, 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, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600384. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.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 Chris McIlroy, Acting HMCI, at the above address.
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, Second Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office or by telephoning 01506 600258 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. 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 2006
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.
1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.