Applegrove Primary School
Forres
The Moray Council

7 March 2006

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 supported?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?

1. Background

Applegrove Primary School was inspected in November 2005 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 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.

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

The school serves an area of south and central Forres. At the time of the inspection the roll was 394. A varying number of pupils with additional support needs worked for part of each week in a support base in the school. The base, which also included pupils from outwith the school’s normal catchment area, made provision for pupils whose needs arose from more complex learning difficulties. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was in line with 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, pupils and staff were very positive about the school’s work. Parents felt that their children enjoyed being at school and were treated fairly while there. They were confident that the school would deal effectively with any concerns they might have. Parents thought that the school had a good reputation in the community and was well led. Pupils felt safe and well looked after in school. They thought that teachers helped them when they were having difficulties with their school work and listened to their views. Staff were positive about all aspects of the school’s work. They enjoyed working in the school and felt there was mutual respect between staff and pupils. Staff thought that pupils were keen to learn and that the school was well led.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The structure of the school’s curriculum was very good. Teachers used allocated time effectively and flexibly to provide pupils with a broad and balanced range of activities. These ensured that pupils developed an appropriate range of knowledge and skills as they progressed from stage to stage. Pupils were developing self-confidence and problem solving skills through their work in enterprise education. Teachers used praise effectively and gave clear explanations. They used homework well and most questioned pupils effectively to check their understanding. There were some examples of very good teaching. In these, teachers shared with pupils what they wanted them to learn and used an effective range of teaching approaches.

Pupils at all stages responded enthusiastically to the tasks set for them and were very well motivated. They worked well without supervision and were keen to answer teachers’ questions. In a few lessons, the pace of work was too slow and tasks set lacked appropriate challenge. Pupils were developing effective skills in working together on a range of appropriate activities. These included singing and making music, working in groups in physical education and performing brief plays in drama. At all stages, pupils’ skills in using information and communications technology were developing well. Pupils used computers effectively for research and P7 pupils used computers to draw graphs as part of their work in environmental studies.

School staff effectively promoted pupils’ personal and social development through a broad range of well planned activities. These included baking and riding activities for pupils who worked within the support base. A few pupils at all stages were developing their awareness of good citizenship through their participation in the school council. The senior school choir performed successfully at a range of local venues and had raised funds to help families in Africa. Throughout the school, pupils were learning to care for others through a range of fund-raising activities. Around fifty pupils were learning useful skills in aspects of science and technology through participating in the school’s gardening club. The school had recently won a national award as a result of staff’s successful promotion of pupils’ gardening skills. The school was currently making progress towards achieving the Eco School bronze award for their work in promoting environmental issues. Staff used classroom discussions and studies of other cultures to prepare pupils well for life in a multi-ethnic society. Pupils achieved well in a range of sporting activities, including badminton and cross country running. They had a good knowledge of the importance of a healthy diet and the dangers of substance misuse. Pupils had an appropriate understanding of personal relationships.

English language

Attainment in English language was good overall and had remained steady in recent years. Attainment in writing had improved recently. Most pupils were achieving or exceeding appropriate national levels in listening, talking, reading and writing. Those with additional support needs were making good progress in their class work. At all stages, most pupils listened attentively to instructions and directions and responded well to stories. Almost all pupils could confidently express their ideas, thoughts and feelings in discussion, and they respected each other’s opinions. Most read with appropriate fluency and understood what they had read. Their skills in reading for information were developing well and they made effective use of the school’s well organised libraries. For a few more able pupils the pace of progress in reading was too slow. Throughout the school, most pupils showed high standards of neatness and presentation in their written work. They wrote well for a variety of purposes, including report writing and imaginative stories.

Mathematics

Attainment in mathematics was good and had remained steady in recent years. Almost all pupils at the early stages, and most at the middle and upper stages, were attaining or exceeding appropriate national levels. For a few more able pupils the pace of progress was too slow. Pupils with additional support needs were making good progress in the tasks set for them. Throughout the school, most pupils interpreted graphs appropriately and a few pupils at the upper stages had made effective use of spreadsheets. Most pupils at all stages performed written and mental calculations well. A few pupils were not sufficiently quick and accurate in their mental calculations. At the upper stages, pupils had a good understanding of decimal fractions. Throughout the school, almost all pupils had an appropriate understanding of the properties of shapes. Pupils’ skills in problem-solving and enquiry were developing well. At all stages, pupils were appropriately aware of strategies they could use to solve a range of mathematical problems.

5. How well are pupils supported?

The quality of pastoral care was very good. All staff were very caring and strongly committed to ensuring pupils’ well being. Pupils responded effectively by showing care and concern for each other. During break times, a few upper stages pupils assisted younger pupils within the early stages playground. The school had an appropriate range of helpful welfare policies and procedures to guide staff, and staff implemented them well. These included guidance on child protection, racial discrimination, anti-bullying, and safe use of the Internet.

Pupils were well supported in their class work by a range of staff, including support for learning teachers, classroom assistants and auxiliaries. These staff carried out a range of tasks effectively with individual pupils, groups and classes, as well as providing helpful assistance to class teachers. This support helped ensure that most of the needs of pupils were well met. Pupils and families were also very well supported by two Early Years Support Workers. They assisted pupils with their work in school and also visited families at home to help meet their needs. In this initiative, the Local Community Network had been particularly helpful. There were effective procedures to support pupils entering P1 and pupils transferring to secondary school.

The additional support needs of pupils in the support base and throughout the school were well met. Pupils with additional support needs arising from complex learning difficulties received valuable assistance within the support base and were very effectively integrated in appropriate classes. Their personal and social development was promoted through helpful group and classroom activities and valuable social interactions at break times. Staff had prepared individualised educational programmes (IEPs) for pupils who required more extensive support in their learning. These IEPs set out both long and short term learning targets. These targets were not consistently clear and detailed enough to reflect each pupil’s individual needs. The system for identifying pupils with additional support needs did not always ensure that support was targeted appropriately.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

7. Improving the school

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

Applegrove Primary School had many strengths. Staff worked effectively as a team to provide high quality pastoral care. They had created a caring and inclusive environment for pupils, in which they were achieving well in a range of activities. Across the school, pupils were attaining good standards in English language and mathematics. A few pupils could have made better progress if the pace of learning had been faster. Pupils with additional support needs arising from complex learning difficulties were making good progress and were included effectively in the work of the school.

The highly experienced headteacher provided very good leadership. She had a clear strategic vision for the school and had gained the trust of pupils, parents and staff. She had created an effective, caring staff team and had improved aspects of the school’s work including attainment in writing. The depute headteacher with major responsibility for the early years provided very effective support to the work of the school. She provided helpful advice and support for staff at all stages and worked closely with them to promote good practice. The depute headteacher with major responsibility for P4 to P7 had been in post for just over a year. He gave useful assistance to the headteacher and was developing his role in ensuring consistent standards of learning and teaching. The very recently appointed principal teachers had made a promising start to fulfilling their wide ranging remits. As yet their work had not had time to have made a significant impact. The school had good arrangements for evaluating the quality of its provision. Teaching staff regularly discussed pupils’ progress with the headteacher and depute headteachers. The school had sought parents’ views on aspects of its work and consulted pupils through the school council. Senior promoted staff provided helpful written comments on teachers’ plans and had visited classes to evaluate the quality of learning and teaching. These visits were not yet sufficiently frequent and systematic. Staff gathered an appropriate range of assessment information, including the results of National Assessments, to monitor pupils’ progress. They did not always use this assessment information effectively to track and predict pupils’ progress. With the continuing support of the education authority, the school had the capacity for further improvement.

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.

Robert Barfoot
HM Inspector

7 March 2006

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 Educational 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, Longman House, 28 Longman Road, Inverness IV1 1SF or by telephoning 01463 253115. 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 HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

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

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