Morebattle Primary School and Nursery Class
Scottish Borders Council

15 January 2008

Contents

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
How can you contact us?

1. Background

Morebattle Primary School and Nursery Class were inspected in October 2007 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 school serves the village of Morebattle and the Kalewater area. At the time of the inspection the roll was 112, including 26 children in the nursery class. An acting headteacher had been in post for 13 months at the time of the inspection. The acting headteacher was also responsible for the nearby Ancrum Primary School. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was below the national average. Pupils' attendance was above the national average.

2. Key strengths

3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?

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 were very positive about almost all aspects of the nursery and school’s work. Parents of nursery children thought children enjoyed being at nursery and found the activities stimulating and challenging. They felt the nursery had good resources and that staff dealt well with any concerns. Parents of primary pupils felt welcome within the school and found parents’ evenings helpful and informative. They thought the school had a good reputation in the community. A few were concerned about how the school dealt with inappropriate behaviour. Pupils enjoyed being at school and thought the staff helped to keep them safe and healthy. A significant number of pupils thought the behaviour of other pupils was not good. All staff enjoyed working in the school and thought the school was well led.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The overall quality of the curriculum was adequate. There was good evidence of recent improvement. The nursery class provided children with a broad and balanced curriculum. Children made very good use of opportunities both within the playroom and around the wider school to be active in their learning. At the primary stages, the school provided pupils with a broad curriculum, which was enhanced by the contribution of visiting specialists and visits to places of interest. The school promoted pupils’ health and fitness well by providing two sessions of physical education each week for all pupils, in line with national recommendations. At all stages, pupils benefited from taking part in enterprise activities. Staff did not ensure enough continuity and progression in the development of pupils’ skills in personal and social development and aspects of environmental studies. Staff made some use of the information and communications technology (ICT) suite to develop pupils’ skills in ICT. Insufficient use was made of ICT in classes to impact fully on pupils’ learning. The overall quality of teaching was good. Staff in the nursery class had positive relationships with children and interacted effectively with them to support and extend their play. They used praise well to recognise children’s achievements. Across the primary stages, teachers were well organised and gave clear explanations and instructions. Most made good use of praise to encourage pupils in their learning. Teachers questioned pupils effectively to check their understanding and, in a few lessons, used questions well to extend pupils’ thinking. They were developing a consistent approach to sharing the purpose of lessons with pupils. Teachers set regular homework but it lacked variety.

The quality of pupils’ learning experiences was adequate. Nursery children were highly motivated and enthusiastic. They were confident whilst using the computer and were learning to direct a programmable toy. Children in the nursery class were making very good progress within expressive and aesthetic development. They made good use of a range of media to express their ideas. All children were making very good progress in developing confidence and skills through energetic physical play such as pedalling bicycles and climbing on equipment which presented a range of challenges. Children demonstrated very good control of the fine movements of their fingers for example, when completing puzzles. In the primary classes, most pupils were hard working and well behaved. They settled quickly to complete tasks and could work independently without close supervision. The majority of lessons developed at a good pace. However, in a few lessons, the pace of learning and tasks were not always sufficiently stimulating or challenging. Pupils responded well when they had opportunities to work together in pairs and small groups. For example, pupils at P5/6 collaborated well with each other when using instruments to create contrasting sounds. Overall, there were insufficient opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for and be active in their own learning. Across the school, pupils were involved in setting personal learning targets but were often unclear about what they had to do to improve their work to achieve the targets.

The school used a broad range of approaches to promote pupils’ wider achievements. Children in the nursery class were settled and confident. They worked cooperatively and persevered to build towers with bricks. Children shared equipment well in the imaginative area and used their initiative when allocating roles. They showed independence when collecting their snack and dressing for outdoor play. Across the primary stages, pupils were involved in a wide range of enterprise activities which encouraged team work. For example, pupils in P4 to P6 had organised a science day for younger pupils. Pupils were sensitive to the needs of others and raised funds for charity. Across the school, pupils took part in a variety of activities to develop their confidence and self-esteem. This included working with members of the community to design and improve the school playground. Pupils had appropriate opportunities to be actively involved in decision making through the pupil council. A significant number participated in a variety of after-school activities including football, hockey, and clubs for gardening. Pupils were developing citizenship skills well by taking responsibility for specific duties, including older pupils buddying younger ones and junior road safety officers. The school was working towards recognition as a Health Promoting School and pupils were able to demonstrate a good knowledge of healthy lifestyles. Staff had raised pupils’ awareness of the importance of sustainable development. For example, the eco committee were responsible for making their own compost for use in the school garden. The school had achieved a silver Eco School award. Pupils at P6 and P7 developed their personal and social skills by taking part in a residential experience.

English language

Children in the nursery class were making very good progress in communication and language. They listened attentively to staff and to each other. Children confidently communicated experiences and ideas, particularly when using their imagination. They discussed and recalled favourite stories. Most children could recognise their own name and a few were able to write it. They wrote purposefully and practised mark-making in sand. Across the primary classes, the overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was adequate. Most pupils had attained appropriate national levels in reading and writing, and a significant number had attained these levels early. Pupils who experienced difficulty with aspects of English language were making steady progress. All pupils were making steady progress with their classwork but higher attaining pupils were capable of achieving more. At all stages, most pupils listened attentively to information and instructions. Their skills in talking and listening in groups were not consistently well developed. For example, at the upper stages, pupils had prepared personal talks, but were not skilled in building upon each other’s ideas in group discussion. At the early stages, pupils were making a good start to developing their skills in literacy. Pupils at the upper stages made effective use of the internet and books to research information. Across the school, most pupils enjoyed reading for pleasure and could talk about their favourite authors. However, they had not yet developed effective skills in analysing the author’s use of language. At the middle and upper stages, pupils had not had sufficient opportunities to develop their skills in writing at length and for a variety of purposes. The standard of handwriting and the presentation of work was variable.

Mathematics

Nursery children were making very good progress in early mathematics. Children were learning to sort, match and use simple mathematical language. A few children had created and could explain a graph of eye colour. They confidently counted and compared weights. Across the primary classes, the overall quality of attainment in mathematics was good. Almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment. At the early stages, most achieved these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils who required support with aspects of mathematics were making appropriate progress. Across the school, pupils could gather information and present it appropriately in the form of a graph. However, their skills in using computers to form databases and spreadsheets were not well developed. At the early stages, pupils were making good progress in developing numeracy skills. Most pupils displayed effective skills in written and mental calculations, including time and money. At the upper stages, a few pupils were not confident in working with decimals, fractions and percentages. Pupils had a good understanding of symmetry and the properties of two- and three-dimensional shapes. From the early stages, pupils were developing good skills in solving problems and identifying appropriate problem solving strategies.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

Overall, the arrangements to meet pupils’ learning needs were adequate. In the nursery class, staff knew the children very well. They ensured a very good balance of activities where children could make active and independent choices in their learning. Nursery staff made very good use of assessment information to plan children’s next steps in learning in order to meet individual needs. Across the primary stages, teachers did not always make enough use of assessment information to build on pupils’ prior learning. In the most successful lessons, tasks and activities were well matched to the learning needs of the pupils. However, this was not consistent across the school. In particular, activities were not always sufficiently challenging to ensure that higher attaining pupils achieved their potential. The school effectively identified and supported pupils with a range of additional support needs. They had developed positive links with a range of agencies to provide targeted support for pupils. The support for learning teacher provided good support and advice for staff in meeting the needs of pupils with additional support needs. Appropriate support plans were in place for a few pupils. However, parents had not been sufficiently consulted or involved in setting learning targets. Support staff were well deployed to support pupils in classes.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

7. Leading and improving the school

Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.

Morebattle Primary School provided a caring and supportive environment for pupils and staff. The acting headteacher had provided a strong lead to staff. Parents were very supportive of the school and contributed to a range of school activities. Relationships were positive and staff worked well together as a team. Nursery staff were aware of the implications of the Scottish Social Services Council’s Codes of Practice. At the primary stages, teaching was good overall, but approaches need to be more varied to encourage pupils to be more active in their learning. Pupils required to take greater responsibility for their learning. They needed to have a better understanding of what they had to do to improve their work. The pace and level of challenge was not sufficient to meet the needs of all learners. Attainment in English language and mathematics had strengths. There was room however, for further improvement. With continued support from the education authority, the school was well placed to ensure further improvement.

The acting headteacher had been in post for just over a year. In this time she had established very positive relationships with the school community. She was highly committed to the school, its staff and the pupils. The acting headteacher had a clear vision for the school and had involved all staff well in work directly related to improvement priorities. She had been successful in improving aspects of the curriculum and, in particular, had introduced an effective new programme for listening and talking. The principal teacher had an appropriate remit and supported the acting headteacher well. The acting headteacher had strengthened aspects of monitoring and self-evaluation. This included monitoring teachers’ plans, observing classroom practice, tracking pupils’ progress and giving helpful feedback to teachers. However, she recognised the need to improve further the rigour of self-evaluation procedures and ensure these had a direct impact on improving teaching and learning. There was also a need for more systematic monitoring of the work of the nursery class.

At the last Care Commission inspection of the nursery class there were two recommendations and three requirements. All three requirements regarding safe recruitment by the provider have been met. The recommendation regarding snack has been met. The recommendation regarding a dedicated outdoor play area remained outstanding.

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.

Janie McManus
HM Inspector

15 January 2008

Appendix 1 Indicators of quality

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.

This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:

Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses

Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.

How can you contact us?

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 Lifelong Learning, 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 600200. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.

HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Chris McIlroy, HMCI, at the above address.

If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management and Communications Team, Second Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA. You can also e-mail HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 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 (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 fax 0800 377 7331 or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.

Crown Copyright 2008

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.

Footnote

1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.