Glencryan School
Cumbernauld
North Lanarkshire Council

13 February 2007

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

Glencryan School was inspected in October 2006 as part of a national sample of provision for pupils with additional support needs. 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, mathematics, science, social subjects and personal and social education (PSE).

HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the school council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met members of the School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA) 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 North Lanarkshire. It provides education for pupils at primary and secondary stages with additional support needs arising from learning difficulties, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders. At the time of the inspection, the roll of the school was 160, with 60 pupils at the primary stage. Around 120 pupils had a Record of Needs. Coordinated support plans were not yet in place. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well above 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 a sample of parents, P4 to S6 pupils and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.

Parents, pupils and staff were very positive about all aspects of the school. Parents felt that their children were happy and that staff showed concern for their care and welfare. Parents reported that their children received a high level of support. All parents thought that the school was well led. All pupils felt that teachers were good at telling them how they were doing with their work and that the school helped them to keep safe and healthy. Pupils enjoyed school and were confident that staff would deal effectively with any instances of bullying. Pupils said that they enjoyed the different subjects they studied and they liked their swimming pool. All teachers and support staff enjoyed working in the school and felt that all staff worked well together as a team. Almost all thought that the school was well led.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The school provided pupils with a broad and balanced range of learning experiences based on the 5-14 national guidelines and the National Qualifications (NQs) framework. The school provided courses drawn from the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN), City and Guilds courses at S3 to S6 and the Caledonian and North Lanarkshire Awards at other stages. The length of the school week was in line with that of mainstream schools. However, some teaching periods were too long. The school allocated additional time to meet pupils’ learning needs effectively and to promote their personal and social development successfully. Pupils benefited from a planned programme for PSE which provided progressive development of some aspects of personal and social skills. Pupils did not experience a wide enough range of learning contexts in the English language programme. At P1 to S4, pupils successfully developed their health and fitness through physical education and swimming each week. At S1/S2, pupils studied a range of subjects including French. The curriculum for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders was addressing their specific needs very well. At S3/S4, the curriculum provided a broad range of subjects and pupils had some choice of subjects they studied. The Life Skills Unit (LSU) provided very good opportunities for pupils at S5/S6 to develop successfully their personal and social skills, including those important in the world of work. Pupils benefited from a very good range of vocational courses, delivered successfully within the school and through good links with local colleges and businesses. Teachers interacted well with pupils. They used praise skilfully to motivate pupils to engage in classroom activities and to complete tasks. Throughout the school, the quality of relationships in classrooms was almost always positive. Teachers provided pupils with clear explanations and instructions and, in most cases, built on their prior learning. Although there were examples of very effective and excellent teaching, the quality of teaching varied across the school. In the best lessons, teachers responded well to pupils’ varying learning needs and provided suitably differentiated tasks and support. Teachers in some subject areas at secondary stages did not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to engage in home learning activities.

Most pupils were keen to work and interested in their lessons. They responded particularly well when engaged in active learning activities, and when they used motivating information and communications technology (ICT) resources. Teachers and support staff provided helpful support for pupils in lessons. Overall, pupils would benefit from having more opportunities to work collaboratively. Teachers did not always take account of all pupils’ individual needs when planning activities. A number of pupils, at all stages, were not given sufficient challenge in some classes. The school enhanced pupils’ learning through extensive use of the local community to extend the learning environment, including visits to local sports centres and supermarkets. In the school, pupils also benefited from a number of practical experiences that prepared them well for the world of work.

The school successfully promoted pupils’ wider achievements and interests. Pupils benefited from participating in a range of social, cultural and sporting activities. Weekly assemblies provided opportunities to reward success and to promote attitudes of care and consideration for others. The school was very successful in promoting pupils’ confidence through developing their enterprise skills at all stages. The school had gained a number of awards both at local and national level, including three Eco Green Flags and Health Promoting Schools awards. Pupils and staff participated in a successful health week involving a variety of events. Many pupils enjoyed and participated in the school’s Easter and Christmas drama and musical productions. Some pupils were regularly involved in an after-school drama club. At lunchtime, pupils had good opportunities to participate in clubs such as sports and arts and craft. Pupils took part in a number of valuable residential trips. Senior pupils benefited from organising their successful school prom. Pupils’ achievements were recognised through the North Lanarkshire award scheme.

English language and communication

At all stages, across the school and in the base for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, most pupils were good at listening for information. They were particularly good at listening, in groups, to each others’ news and to discussions about feelings. Pupils made use of appropriate communication aids such as symbols, signs, photographs and visual task boards to help them to make meaningful choices and to organise their news and other writing tasks. However, there was scope for increased use of alternative communication aids such as signing or communication books to help younger pupils to improve their communication skills. Speech and language therapists provided effective individualised support to improve pupils’ communication skills. At almost all stages, pupils could read or indicate understanding of familiar words such as colours, days of the week, numbers and phrases with support. From P6/P7 and across the secondary stages, most pupils could read familiar words and phrases accurately and independently. Staff were increasingly providing pupils with good opportunities to read books where appropriate, through a worthwhile scheme of ‘book bags’ for P1 to P3, the library bus for S1/S2, and in the autism base. Pupils benefitted from some opportunities to work collaboratively in pairs and groups across the school. They worked well together during the social snack café at P1, through word games in P6/P7, when composing advertisements in S3 and in the LSU when planning school events. In S5/S6, pupils worked productively in pairs and groups to find information from a range of sources, to compose interview questions and produce a newsletter. A few pupils from S3 to S6 showed a good understanding of functional and personal writing. They completed applications for jobs, wrote letters of application and reflected on a personal experience. Pupils from S4 to S6 had achieved a wide range of NQs at Access levels 1, 2 and 3 including in English and Communication, Oral Communication, Basic Communication in a Familiar Setting and Individual Presentation.

Mathematics

The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics throughout the school was good. Most pupils were making suitable progress in their coursework and in achieving targets which had been set within their individualised educational programmes (IEPs). At all stages, pupils’ learning targets were too narrowly focused on knowledge and understanding of numbers, money and measurement. Across the school, pupils had insufficient opportunities to develop their understanding of problem solving approaches. Most pupils at the primary stages were making good progress in their mental calculations of numbers. For example, pupils at P1 to P3 were able to recognise, match, and sort numbers up to five. Across the school, pupils were developing a good understanding of money. Pupils were becoming familiar with coins in using the snack shop in P1. At the secondary stages, pupils were acquiring skills and knowledge in counting money up to five pounds. Across the primary and secondary stages, most pupils showed a good understanding of the sequence of their day, the days of the week and the months of the year. At the secondary stages, most pupils could use analogue and digital time displays. At all stages, the majority of pupils could recognise two-dimensional shapes and a few were able to name three-dimensional shapes. Pupils from S3 to S6 had attained NQ units at Access levels 1, 2 and 3. Pupils in the LSU were undertaking ASDAN awards and were making very good progress in developing their number skills, for example through working in the bistro which involved calculating costs and portion size control.

Science

In science, the overall quality of pupils’ attainment was adequate. Almost all pupils at the primary stages were making good progress in their learning at an appropriate level. They were enthusiastic and contributed well to class discussions. At P2, pupils could describe in simple terms how they got their energy from food, and suggest some uses of energy. They were able to group different types of animals. By P5, pupils could identify some key features of animals and could describe the life cycle of a frog. They had participated enthusiastically in a mini-beast hunt in the school sensory garden. In almost all classes, the pace of learning was good. National Qualifications units on Managing Environmental Resources were offered to develop pupils’ practical skills and create enterprise opportunities. Pupils in S3 engaged well in their learning when planting daffodil bulbs. At S5/S6, pupils were developing their skills when maintaining the garden at a local community centre. At the secondary stages, pupils’ progress in science was weak. Pupils in S1 worked well together, without the need for close supervision, to carry out an experiment on building bridges. Their learning was not sufficiently extended by their written work. All pupils in S2 displayed confidence when using ICT to participate in class lessons. However, the purposes of these lessons were not sufficiently clear to the pupils. Only a few pupils in S4 actively participated in a science lesson about heat. Most pupils had attained NQ units at Intermediate level 1 in physics or Access level 2 in physics or science. However, assessment procedures for these courses were not sufficiently rigorous and, in a few cases, had major weaknesses.

Social subjects

Overall, the quality of pupils’ attainment in social subjects across the school was good. At the primary stages, pupils engaged well in challenging tasks that had been set for them. For example, pupils had acquired knowledge and skills from relevant topics such as Halloween and the Romans. At P1, pupils were learning about key features of the season of autumn. By P6/P7, they were able to use a world map to locate countries on the journey from the North Pole to the South Pole and identify key facts about the journey. At the secondary stages, pupils were acquiring knowledge and skills from geography and history within Scottish culture. In the autism base, pupils were able to identify different tartans associated with the names of their school ‘house’ groups. At S2, pupils were able to show good recall and knowledge of key facts about battles in the Scottish Wars of Independence, and had enjoyed field trips to Bannockburn and Stirling. At S3/S4, they were able to draw cartoon strips to mark out important events in the life of the Maid of Norway. Pupils demonstrated a good knowledge of a wide range of Scottish words and their meanings. Most pupils had attained NQ units at Access level 2 in social subjects. Pupils at S5/S6 were developing their knowledge of people in society, when considering issues linked to sectarianism in Scotland.

Personal and social education

The quality of pupils’ achievements in personal and social development was excellent. At all stages, pupils showed tolerance and respect for their classmates. Pupils clearly cared about the feelings of others and spontaneously praised the success and achievements of their peers. Almost all pupils were very well behaved and displayed good manners. They confidently participated in class discussions and were eager to engage socially with staff and visitors. Through the wide range of educational excursions, almost all pupils were benefiting from very positive links with the wider community and environment. At the primary stages, almost all pupils had a good understanding of everyday life skills and personal care routines. They demonstrated independence in preparing for physical education activities and understood hygiene rules when getting ready for lunch. In Caledonian Awards activities, they worked together to plant bulbs properly and store them appropriately for propagation. At S1 to S3, pupils patiently shared equipment in home economics and supported each other well in the preparation of food and clearing up of utensils. In art, pupils commented positively on the clay sculptures produced by their classmates. Pupils in the LSU had excellent opportunities to develop personal and social skills. The high quality learning activities were tailored to individual needs and all pupils were motivated to succeed. Pupils had achieved success in ASDAN and City and Guilds award schemes. They were successful learners, confident individuals and effective contributors in the regular catering and hospitality activities in the school such as the café and the ‘Mizuna Bistro’.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

Overall, learners’ needs were well met. In most classes, teachers provided tasks and activities which were very appropriate to pupils’ needs. However, in a few classes, teachers talked too long without fully engaging all pupils. Lessons were generally well structured, though a few teachers were not fully prepared. Support assistants provided very good support to individual pupils and were further improving their skills in support for learning. Pupils benefited from high quality support from medical and therapy staff. Most pupils had a Record of Needs and plans were in place to review and coordinate these. Most pupils were making good progress towards achieving targets set within their IEPs. Although most targets were specific and relevant, they were not all appropriately measurable against national assessment levels.

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.

Glencryan School provided a very good education for its pupils. Pupils displayed a high degree of confidence and showed care for others. All staff were very committed to pupils’ care and welfare and promoted their achievement in many areas. Not all teachers had sufficiently high expectations of the attainment of all pupils. The school had a very positive influence on its wider community. This benefited young people by extending their opportunities for learning, work experience and future employment. The headteacher had been very successful in promoting positive outcomes and achievements for young people. Senior managers and other staff now needed to promote consistently a high quality of learning and teaching across the school and improve quality assurance to ensure better attainment for young people.

The headteacher provided very good leadership. She had set out a strategic vision for the school which aimed to ensure a positive ethos of achievement in the school and its wider community. She communicated very effectively with parents and successfully promoted their involvement in the life of the school. She had developed productive partnerships with businesses, colleges and the wider community, to promote pupils’ personal development. She had fully engaged all staff in improvement planning, and provided opportunities for them to take on leadership roles. She now needed to focus on achieving learning and teaching of consistently high quality, and appropriate challenge for all pupils.

Overall, the impact of leadership of others across the school had major strengths. One depute headteacher had very effectively led the introduction of the LSU through a seminar involving staff, parents and the wider community. Together with the principal teacher for S5/S6, she ensured that young people’s learning and personal development was of a high standard. The deputes for the primary school carried out their responsibilities very well. Staff in the school had responded positively to the development of expertise in meeting the needs of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and continued to introduce improvements effectively. They worked well in a number of areas to ensure developments led to positive outcomes for pupils.

Senior managers monitored pupils’ progress towards their IEP targets effectively. Staff made good use of quality indicators to identify areas for improvement. They agreed targets for development and were making good progress in taking forward their targets in the school’s improvement plan. The school had attained Charter Mark status. However, staff did not make effective use of a wide enough range of information on pupils’ attainment and achievement. Senior managers and staff recognised the need to take forward more rigorous quality assurance to ensure consistently high standards of learning, teaching and attainment.

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 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 the education authority, working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents.

David Watt
HM Inspector

13 February 2007

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, 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, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8LG or by telephoning 0141 242 0100. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.

If you wish to comment about inspections of provision for pupils with additional support needs

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of provision for pupils with additional support needs, you should write in the first instance to Frank Crawford, 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, 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 2007

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.

Footnotes

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