14 September 2004
1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. What are the views of parents
and carers, pupils and staff?
4. How good are learning, teaching,
attainment and achievement?
5. How well are pupils supported?
6. How good is the environment for
learning?
7. Improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire
responses
Appendix 3 Attainment in Scottish
Qualifications Authority (SQA) National Qualifications
How can you contact us?
George Heriot’s School was inspected in April 2004. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils’ achievements, the effectiveness of the school and the environment for learning. In the junior school there was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics. In the senior school, subjects included in the inspection were English, mathematics, chemistry and modern languages. The school is a non-denominational independent school situated in the centre of Edinburgh. The Heriot’s Foundation, which was established in the seventeenth century to educate the ‘faitherless bairns’ of Edinburgh, currently provides support for 52 pupils. At the time of the inspection, the roll of the junior school was 655 and the roll of the senior school was 892. The nursery class, which has a roll of 35 pupils, was not inspected since it had been the subject of a previous inspection by HM Inspectorate of Education and the Care Commission, with a report published on 18 February 2004. Attendance was above national averages in both junior and senior schools.
HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed staff and pupils. They analysed responses to questionnaires issued to a sample of parents and carers and pupils from P4 to S6, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2. Members of the inspection team also met the chairs of the Board of Governors and its education sub-committee, representatives of the parents’ association and groups of parents.
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
Parents and carers were very positive about the school. They appreciated the quality of leadership, the school’s reputation, the high standards set by teachers and the care their children received. A few parents of pupils in the senior school wanted more information about how they could support their children with their homework. Pupils in both schools enjoyed being at school, felt that teachers listened to them and that they explained things well. Some pupils felt they were given too much homework. Some pupils in the senior school felt that they were not treated fairly, and had little say in deciding how to improve the school. Teachers were very satisfied with the levels of communication within the school, pupils’ enthusiasm for learning and the quality of leadership. In the senior school, some teachers wanted more opportunities to be involved in decision-making and discussing the school’s priorities for improvement. Support staff were very positive about most aspects of the school, but a few felt that opportunities to be involved in decision-making could be improved.
The curriculum, learning and teaching
The overall quality of the curriculum across all stages was very good.
The junior school offered a broad, balanced and well-planned curriculum. Approaches to developing personal and social skills were very good. The additional time allocated to English language, mathematics, the expresssive arts and religious and moral education was systematically monitored, and adjustments made to meet pupils’ needs. Thinking skills were developed through well-structured approaches, including mind mapping and philosophical enquiry. Specialist tuition in the expressive arts and modern languages ensured that pupils received good progressive experiences in these areas. Specialist input about life in ancient Greece and Rome made a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning in environmental studies.
In the senior school, the curriculum was broad and balanced and took careful account of relevant sources of advice. Transition arrangements and links between the curricular programmes of the junior and senior schools were very effective. Pupils had well-organised opportunities for wider experiences through interest courses and other activities. Physical education was not available as a certificated course at any stage, but, with games, was part of the curriculum for all. The S1/S2 curriculum provided an appropriate range of subjects, including information and communications technology (ICT). Pupils coped well with the large number of teachers they had in S1/S2. In S3/S4, almost all pupils studied eight subjects at Standard Grade or Intermediate level. Pupils were encouraged to choose a balanced curriculum, and could follow specialist interests by, for example, studying three sciences or two modern languages. They also had opportunities to study Latin. At S5/S6, pupils could choose from a wide range of courses at Higher and Advanced Higher levels. Intermediate courses were available in mathematics. Plans were in place for more subjects to be offered at Intermediate level from next session, to increase opportunities for pupils for whom study at Higher level was not appropriate. The school was aware of the need to keep the structure of the S5/S6 curriculum under review to ensure that pupils can access courses at an appropriate level.
In the junior school, learning and teaching were very effective. Most lessons were lively and interesting, reflecting a very wide range of teaching approaches. In the senior school, teachers gave clear explanations and questioned pupils skilfully to check their understanding. Across the school, there were some very good examples of direct interactive teaching. However, teachers generally needed to provide senior pupils with more opportunities to develop their own views and discuss them with others. The use of ICT to extend pupils’ learning was limited in the junior school but good in some senior school departments. At all stages in both junior and senior schools, pupils were very enthusiastic learners. They concentrated very well on their coursework, much of which was challenging, and the pace of learning enabled them to make very good progress. In some junior and a few senior classes, pupils were involved in assessing their performance and setting their own learning targets. In some classes, they made constructive evaluations of their classmates’ work. At all stages, pupils received regular homework which was assessed either by the teacher or as part of a class activity.
Attainment in English language and mathematics in the junior school
The overall quality of attainment in English language was very good. Almost all pupils achieved or exceeded appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing, and were making very good progress. Over the last three years, these very high standards of attainment had been maintained and improved. Pupils were attentive listeners and confident talkers, and participated well in group discussion. Almost all pupils were skilled at discussing and writing about books they had read. Pupils wrote very well for a variety of purposes. Their stories and poems were imaginative and often enhanced by interesting illustrations. Their writing was accurate and well presented. Pupils’ knowledge about how language was used was well developed and applied very effectively in a range of contexts across the curriculum. Examples included P3 pupils delivering oral reports on mini-beasts in science, P5 debating the significance of key events in the Jacobean period in history and P7 producing interesting tourist leaflets about Scotland in geography.
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics was very good. Almost all pupils achieved or exceeded appropriate national levels. Standards of attainment had improved over the last three years. Pupils were progressing very well through their coursework. Almost all were able to carry out mental and written calculations quickly and accurately. They were skilled in the practical application of mathematics to everyday situations. Most pupils were able to describe how they arrived at mathematical solutions. Almost all had a very good knowledge of the properties of shapes and were able to organise and interpret information. Pupils were able to use a wide variety of strategies effectively to solve problems. However, their skills in using computers for spreadsheets, databases and graphical work were not well enough developed.
Attainment in the senior school
The overall quality of attainment in S1/S2 was very good. Almost all pupils were achieving at or beyond appropriate national levels of attainment in English language and mathematics. Their coursework was of a consistently high quality and they were making very good progress in their learning.
The following comments are based on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data for the three-year period from 2001 to 2003.
The overall quality of attainment in S3/S4 was very good. Almost all pupils achieved five or more Credit awards at Standard Grade, a proportion consistently well above national averages.
The overall quality of attainment at S5/S6 was very good. At Higher, the proportion of pupils who achieved five or more awards at A-C was well above national averages. Almost all of the few pupils presented for Intermediate 2 achieved an award at A-C. In S6, almost all of those presented for Advanced Higher (AH) or Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) achieved awards at A-C, well above national averages. Of the very small numbers of pupils presented for A level, most achieved an award at A-C.
Information on the subjects inspected is given later in this report. Significant features of attainment in the subjects not inspected were as follows.
Achievement across the school
In both junior and senior schools, pupils’ achievements in a number of areas helped to promote their confidence and self-esteem. In the junior school, achievement in music and art and design was very high. Musical ensembles from both junior and senior schools performed regularly for parents and the wider community, for example at the annual school concert in the Usher Hall. Dramatic performances were of a very high standard and the inter-house drama competitions were very well supported. Pupils demonstrated care and concern for others through hospital visits and highly successful fund-raising for charities. The Readathon event received particularly strong support from junior school pupils. In the senior school, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and Combined Cadet Force were well established. Effective enterprise in education activities included the Young Enterprise scheme, Business Matters and Investors Club. A number of activities enabled senior pupils to achieve certification in core skills, for example in communication and working with others. Across the school, residential experiences and activity weeks were used effectively to develop pupils’ wider awareness of citizenship, and the award-winning S6 Volunteer scheme provided valuable support to the local community. Senior pupils had achieved outstanding success in debating, competing at the highest national and international levels. They had won the English-Speaking Union Mace for the third time, becoming the debating champions of Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The wide range of extra-curricular activities in both junior and senior schools enabled pupils at all stages to extend their achievements in sport, music, art and other interests. A commendable feature was the interest shown in international issues. School teams achieved success in hockey, rowing, rugby, swimming and and a wide range of other sporting activities.
Learning, teaching, attainment and achievement in the inspected subjects in the senior school
English
Teachers explained activities clearly, questioned pupils skilfully to gauge their understanding and built effectively on their responses. They provided very constructive feedback on pupils’ work and used praise effectively to encourage and motivate them. Input by drama groups and lively wall displays helped to provide a stimulating atmosphere for learning. Pupils worked at a good pace and made considerable progress. They sometimes engaged in too much redrafting of their work at the expense of moving on to new challenges. While clearly enjoying their studies, they needed more opportunities to think for themselves, particularly when analysing texts, and to collaborate on open-ended tasks. Homework was used effectively to consolidate and extend pupils’ class experiences.
In S1/S2, almost all pupils achieved or exceeded appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing. Almost all pupils achieved Credit awards at Standard Grade, consistently well above national averages. At Higher, the proportion achieving awards at A-C was also consistently well above national averages. At S6, almost all pupils presented at AH/CSYS level achieved awards at A-C, with about a third achieving grade A.
Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.
Mathematics
Teachers explained concepts clearly, often using investigative approaches, and questioned pupils well to check their understanding. There were many examples of very effective interactive lessons. While graphics calculators were well used by teachers and pupils, the wider use of ICT to enhance pupils’ learning was limited. Pupils responded to teachers’ expectations and concern for them by working very hard and behaving well. The pace of work in almost all lessons and through courses as a whole was very good. However, pupils were seldom given opportunities to work independently in smaller groups. The department had very good arrangements for grouping pupils by the level of their performance, assessing pupils’ progress, and preparing them for assessments. Teachers gave extra support to pupils in classes and outwith school when it was required. They were meeting the needs of their pupils very well overall.
Almost all pupils in S1/S2 were achieving beyond appropriate national levels of attainment. Performance at Standard Grade was well above national averages, with over half of S4 pupils achieving a Credit award. Of the small number of S5/S6 pupils studying Intermediate 2, most achieved an award at A-C. The proportion of entries for Higher was well above the national average. The performance of those presented was also well above the national average, with almost all pupils achieving an award at A-C. A significant number of pupils in S6 studied AH mathematics or applied mathematics. Almost all achieved an award at A-C, with half attaining an award at grade A.
Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.
Chemistry
Teachers used direct teaching well with groups and individuals, providing clear explanations and offering appropriate praise. They used questioning effectively to involve pupils but did not put enough emphasis on encouraging extended answers from pupils. Homework was an integral part of coursework. Pupils were very attentive and showed an interest in chemistry. They had developed a range of practical techniques and independent learning skills. In most lessons, the pace enabled pupils to make good progress. Teachers provided individual support during lessons. In S1/S2, this support was not always pitched at an appropriate level, with the result that a few pupils did not get the learning experiences they needed to make appropriate progress.
At S1/S2, almost all pupils achieved an appropriate understanding of theoretical and practical aspects of chemistry, and an awareness of environmental issues. The proportion of pupils in S4 achieving Credit at Standard Grade was well above national averages. The proportion of pupils in S5/S6 achieving awards at A and A-C at Higher were well above the national averages. Most candidates presented for AH gained an A-C award.
Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.
Modern languages
Overall, teachers explained work well, both in English and in the foreign language, and used homework effectively to support pupils in their learning. Most offered pupils good and sometimes very good opportunities to develop their language skills. There was a very good focus on aspects of culture and grammar. Some teachers used ICT well and some promoted good, imaginative contexts for language work. Pupils responded very positively, focused well on work and took responsibility for their own learning where teachers encouraged their independence. The needs of pupils were well met at all stages.
In the S1/S2 classes observed, pupils were developing very good standards in pronunciation when reading aloud and in all language skills. They were able to speak and write at length. At Standard Grade, the number of pupils achieving a Credit award was consistently well above national averages in all languages. At Higher in S5, the numbers of pupils achieving awards at A were well above national averages in French and German and above in Spanish. At AH/CSYS, almost all pupils achieved awards at A-C, with the exception of a number of pupils in French in 2002.
Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.
Throughout the school, staff provided pupils with very good pastoral care and were strongly committed to their welfare. They knew pupils very well and met their emotional, physical and social needs sensitively and skilfully. The school had effective procedures for child protection and to discourage bullying. Pupils felt safe, learned important aspects of personal safety and knew how to deal with incidents of bullying. In the senior school, pupils found guidance staff and subject teachers approachable and very supportive. Guidance staff knew their pupils very well, through regular interviews and informal contacts. Procedures for first aid, playground supervision and the administration of medicine were well organised.
Overall, the programme in personal and social education (PSE) was very good. In the junior school, pupils experienced a very effective range of activities to develop their personal and social skills. They learned the importance of exercising responsibility and making healthy lifestyle choices, and had very good opportunities to learn about positive relationships. As a result, they were confident and considerate in their interactions with others. In S1 to S5, the very well-managed programme had major strengths in topics such as relationships and sexual health, study skills and money management. Staff had undertaken appropriate training to deliver these topics. Parents were appropriately informed of the programme and consulted over any sensitive topics. Teachers used a range of effective teaching approaches, including practical activities which motivated pupils well. In some activities, pupils assessed their own attainments but there was little formal assessment of the programme by teachers. Registration teachers delivered a programme of first level guidance, with topics complementary to PSE. Pupils had access to healthy food options and were encouraged to bring drinking water into school. In the junior school, the well-organised pupil liaison committee gave pupils from P4 to P7 good opportunities to have a say in matters which affected them, and had successfully improved aspects of the dining room and playground. Pupils from P1 to P3 were not yet represented. In the senior school, the staff-pupil liaison committee gave pupils a voice in improving the life of the school. However, the school needed to review the way the committee operated to ensure that it was effective in bringing about improvements. S6 pupils had developed an appropriate sense of citizenship, service to the community and enterprise through a very worthwhile range of activities. They provided support for younger pupils in classes and helped them to resolve difficulties.
The senior school provided very good curricular and vocational guidance. Staff monitored pupils’ progress and achievements closely. Pupils received effective support for transitions between stages and when making course choices. Staff informed parents fully and involved them in information evenings and interviews with pupils. The school provided thorough induction programmes which helped pupils settle quickly at the different stages. Pupils were well informed about careers. A comprehensive programme was delivered through PSE, to which the careers coordinator and the careers adviser and guest speakers, including some parents, made very good contributions. Pupils attended career conventions and had access to valuable sources of careers information, including ICT facilities, in the very well-organised careers library. Pupils learned important themes of enterprise in education, for example through work experience placements in S4 and S5.
In the junior school, arrangements to support pupils’ learning were very good. Teachers had very sound, systematic procedures for identifying pupils with learning difficulties, as well as those capable of higher achievement. They gave very effective support to pupils experiencing difficulties and offered appropriate challenge to higher-achieving pupils. Learning support teachers provided well-targeted support to individual pupils in English language and mathematics. They worked very effectively with staff to develop individualised educational programmes for pupils with specific difficulties. Parents were closely involved in setting and reviewing their children’s learning targets. The co-ordinator with responsibility for abler children ensured that higher-achieving pupils were very well challenged. However, procedures for identifying the learning needs of pupils with English as an additional language were not rigorous enough. The school had very good arrangements for the smooth transfer of pupils from the nursery into P1, and from the junior to the senior school.
In the senior school, the overall quality of support for learning was good. The department contributed to meeting pupils’ additional support needs in a number of ways, typically by providing direct support for individual pupils and small groups. Staff usually worked with pupils in the support base, with some cooperative teaching in departments. Support for learning staff assessed pupils’ needs carefully, prepared effective plans to address these needs and recorded their progress systematically. The department prepared helpful summaries of pupils’ additional support needs which included appropriate targets and next steps in learning. It shared key information with subject teachers, to help them match learning approaches to the needs of individual pupils. However, it did not provide sufficient staff development and consultancy for departments.
In the senior school, guidance was very well led. Pupil support services had improved through very effective application of knowledge and experience from within the management team. Guidance staff, the school chaplain and the principal teacher of learning support met every month to coordinate pupil support. The school was well placed to continue to develop a more integrated approach to supporting pupils.
Quality of accommodation and facilities
The overall quality of accommodation was fair. Pupils benefited from the opportunity to be educated in very attractive surroundings, and in buildings of considerable architectural and historic interest. However, the age of some of the buildings meant that they had not been designed to meet the needs of education in the 21st century, and further modifications were constrained by their ‘A’ listed status. The governors and headmaster were taking forward plans for major improvements. Accommodation varied in quality across the school, with some buildings offering very good learning environments. Overall, the quality of furnishings, fitments and decoration was high. The school had access to its own extensive and high quality sports facilities, but these were located some distance away. The library was small but well organised, and stock was supplemented by departmental libraries. The main building had some important weaknesses in terms of safety and convenience. Access for people with physical disabilities was very difficult and the school’s architects had prepared a comprehensive report specifying the necessary improvements. Some toilets were not conveniently located. The school had taken steps to improve the overall safety of the campus, but a number of aspects still needed to be addressed. Some parents of P1/P2 pupils dropped off and collected children by car within the school grounds, creating a potential hazard to other pupils.
Ethos
Pupils, staff and parents were very proud to be associated with the school. Senior managers in both junior and senior schools set very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, effort and attainment. Pupils responded very positively and relationships across the school were very good. Pupils and staff were beginning to be involved in more systematic decision-making. Pupils’ many achievements, both in school and beyond, were celebrated at regular assemblies, in attractive and informative newsletters and magazines, in the local press and on the very well-designed website. Parents and their children received carefully written individual letters of commendation. Most teachers used praise very effectively to motivate pupils and maintain their enjoyment of learning. Although the school did not yet have a written policy for promoting race equality, staff promoted a sense of equality and fairness through teaching and by example. The Heriot’s Foundation and an increasing number of additional bursaries provided valued financial support for a number of pupils. Pupils had opportunities for regular religious observance and access to the school chaplain.
Partnership with parents and the community
The school had highly effective partnerships with parents and the local community. Parents were welcomed into the school and any concerns were promptly acted upon. Communication with parents, including regular newsletters, curricular evenings, letters, electronic and telephone contact, was very good. Reports to parents on their children’s progress were detailed and informative. The headmaster and chairman of the Board of Governors had met with parents to present and discuss current and future strategies for the development of the school. The parents’ association provided a very good level of support to the school. A large number of parents and members of the community volunteered to share their expertise with pupils, for example in coaching the mini rugby teams and teaching some pupils the Japanese tea ceremony. The headmaster had extensive links with a range of local businesses and organisations. Many former pupils were very active in their support of the school.
George Heriot’s School provided its pupils with a high quality of education. Teaching was effective and pupils’ attitudes to learning were very positive and enthusiastic. Levels of attainment and achievement across the school were consistently very high and were developed within a broad educational and cultural environment. Governors and staff were committed to enabling all pupils to achieve within a happy and supportive school community. The school had a very good set of aims which summed up the school’s traditions as ‘caring and academic’. The aims recognised the importance of nurturing in pupils a sense of responsibility not only for their own welfare but for that of others and for the wider community. There was clear evidence that these aims were being fulfilled.
Overall, corporate leadership of the school was very good. The Board of Governors provided a strong sense of strategic direction and maintained very good oversight of school provision. The headmaster made a major contribution to the long term development of the school, working closely with the governors and with members of the local and wider communities. He had made significant changes to the staffing structure in order to promote and support the school’s distinctive ethos. Staff and parents commended his approachability and personal support. There was scope for him to increase his day-to-day contact with pupils. The headteachers of the junior and senior schools both provided very strong leadership and worked very well together. They inspired the confidence of parents, staff and pupils, and had led their individual management teams very effectively. Teams of senior managers in junior and senior schools fulfilled appropriate and demanding remits very successfully. They provided very high levels of support and challenge to teachers and pupils.
The school as a whole had a range of strategies for improving the quality of its work and monitoring the impact on pupils, although not all were fully in place. It had made important improvements to aspects of accommodation, provision of ICT and the overall management structure. Very high levels of attainment and achievement had been maintained across the school. It had very effective approaches for monitoring the progress of individual pupils but did not yet have a system for predicting and tracking pupils’ levels of achievement as they progressed from stage to stage. The education sub-committee of the Board of Governors made regular visits to both the junior and senior schools, meeting staff and pupils and discussing aspects of the curriculum and pupils’ achievement. The headmaster provided the Board with regular reports on progress with the development plan. Planning processes had improved, although staff, parents and pupils still needed to be more fully consulted about development priorities.
Approaches to improving quality in the junior school were good. The junior school management team regularly monitored teachers’ plans, taught classes and sampled pupils’ work. They observed teaching and learning, but needed to draw up a regular programme of class visits. The senior school had begun to develop more systematic approaches for improving quality. Links with departments had been strengthened and helpful tools for regular self-evaluation developed, with a view to producing a report on standards and quality. Departments produced detailed analyses of SQA attainment for discussion with senior managers, although these varied in format and approach. Arrangements for reviewing the work of teachers and opportunities for staff training had been improved. Senior managers and heads of department had begun to evaluate the quality of teaching, producing clear evaluative reports, but needed to focus on pupils’ classroom experiences across the school. The new policy for effective learning and teaching identified key features of best practice. Overall, the senior school had taken some important steps to improve the rigour and consistency of its approaches to quality. However, self-evaluation was not yet fully embedded as a means of ensuring and improving the quality of service provided to pupils and parents.
The school and Board of Governors should continue to provide high quality and improving education. In doing so, they should take account of the need to:
What happens next?
As a result of the high performance, the strong record of improvement and the very effective leadership of this school, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this inspection. The school and the Board of Governors have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents and carers. Within two years of the publication of this report the Board of Governors, working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents and carers.
Elisabeth Morris
HM Inspector
14 September 2004
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
|
What pleased parents and carers most |
What parents and carers would like to see improved |
|
All or almost all parents and carers thought that:
|
|
|
What pleased pupils most |
What pupils would like to see improved |
|
All or almost all pupils thought that:
|
In the senior school, some pupils thought that:
|
|
What pleased staff most |
What staff would like to see improved |
|
All or almost all staff said that:
|
|
|
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels: 7: Advanced Higher at A-C/CSYS at A-C |
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S4
|
|
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2001-3 |
|
|
English and Mathematics |
George Heriot’s School |
100.0 |
99.3 |
98.6 |
99.3 |
|
@ Level 3 |
National |
92.0 |
91.1 |
91.3 |
91.4 |
|
5+ @ Level 3 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
100.0 |
99.3 |
98.6 |
99.3 |
|
National |
90.7 |
90.8 |
90.7 |
90.7 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 4 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
100.0 |
99.3 |
98.6 |
99.3 |
|
National |
76.8 |
76.7 |
76.4 |
76.6 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 5 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
95.7 |
90.6 |
91.8 |
92.9 |
|
National |
33.8 |
33.9 |
34.0 |
33.9 |
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S5
|
|
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2001-3 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 4 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
102.6 |
101.2 |
102.2 |
102.0 |
|
National |
78.2 |
78.5 |
78.5 |
78.4 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 5 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
98.7 |
97.5 |
97.8 |
98.0 |
|
National |
44.1 |
45.5 |
45.6 |
45.0 |
|
|
1+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
97.4 |
96.3 |
95.7 |
96.5 |
|
National |
39.6 |
39.5 |
39.4 |
39.5 |
|
|
3+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
87.7 |
87.7 |
84.2 |
86.6 |
|
National |
23.0 |
22.8 |
22.6 |
22.8 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
52.6 |
53.4 |
54.7 |
53.5 |
|
National |
9.3 |
9.2 |
9.6 |
9.4 |
1 These tables do not include data on the results achieved by pupils
in non-SQA examinations, including performance in A level examinations.
2
Attainment figures are calculated relative to the previous year’s S4
roll. If pupils join the school after the S4 roll has been calculated, this
can result in attainment figures of over 100%.
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S6
|
|
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2001-3 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 5 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
90.8 |
98.7 |
99.4 |
96.4 |
|
National |
44.5 |
46.7 |
47.8 |
46.3 |
|
|
1+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
90.8 |
99.4 |
98.8 |
96.4 |
|
National |
45.7 |
44.1 |
44.0 |
44.6 |
|
|
3+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
87.5 |
92.2 |
95.1 |
91.7 |
|
National |
31.7 |
31.0 |
30.8 |
31.2 |
|
|
5+ @ Level 6 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
75.7 |
79.9 |
79.1 |
78.3 |
|
National |
19.9 |
19.8 |
19.7 |
19.8 |
|
|
1+ @ Level 7 or better |
George Heriot’s School |
57.9 |
59.7 |
60.7 |
59.5 |
|
National |
11.2 |
11.6 |
11.9 |
11.6 |
Copies of this report have been sent to the headmaster and school staff, the Board of Governors and appropriate Members of the Scottish Parliament. Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from HM Inspectorate of Education, G1 Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD or by telephoning 0131 244 8142. Copies are also available on our website: 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 Chris McIlroy, Acting HMCI at the above address. 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
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
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.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2004
HM Inspectorate of Education
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