Clifton Hall School
Midlothian

8 May 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

Clifton Hall School is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 11 years and was inspected in January 2007 as part of a national sample of primary education. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils’ achievements, the effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.

HM Inspectors examined pupils' work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the Board of Governors, representatives of the Parents' Forum and a group of parents¹.

The school serves a wide catchment area. At the time of the inspection the roll was 124, including 32 children in the nursery class. 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 P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.

Parents, pupils and staff were very happy with almost all aspects of the school. Parents believed that their children enjoyed school and that staff showed a high level of care and concern for pupils. They felt that the school offered very good opportunities for extracurricular activities. They thought that the recently appointed headteacher showed strong leadership and were pleased about recent improvements to the school. Pupils were enthusiastic about school. They felt happy and safe and thought that teachers knew them as individuals and expected them to behave well and work hard. A few pupils thought the behaviour of others was not always good but that teachers dealt with any bad behaviour fairly. Teaching and support staff were very positive about recent changes. They felt the school was well led and that they had good opportunities to be involved in decision making.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The school provided pupils with a broad and well balanced curriculum. Very good attention was given to physical education (PE), including swimming, from the nursery to J7. Specialist teachers in music, French and PE made valuable contributions to pupils’ learning. Pupils had good opportunities to develop their skills in information and communications technology (ICT), particularly from J5 to J7. For example, J6 pupils were writing and illustrating their own short stories on computer. Staff had used curriculum flexibility effectively to increase time for English language and mathematics which had contributed to improvements in learning. Teaching across the school was good and sometimes very good. Most teachers shared the purposes of lessons effectively with pupils and regularly checked that they understood what they were expected to learn. Most made very good use of questions to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. Teachers generally varied their teaching approaches well. In the best lessons, pupils were actively engaged in their learning, working collaboratively and had good opportunities to be independent. In a few classes, teachers were overly directive and relied too much on routine textbook exercises. The level of homework was appropriate and varied. It was used well in all areas to support pupils’ learning.

In the nursery, children benefited from high quality, active learning experiences. They had daily access to a well-resourced outdoor play area for energetic activity. Staff used the adjacent woodlands frequently and successfully to encourage an interest in nature. Children responded well to opportunities to make choices and take responsibility. At the primary stages, pupils were well behaved, conscientious and keen to learn. They asked sensible questions and showed confidence when reporting back to others. Pupils were not always active in their learning. In almost all classes, pupils responded very well to good opportunities to collaborate with each other and demonstrated positive attitudes to their learning.

Across the school, pupils demonstrated high achievement in a wide range of contexts. They were making very good progress in developing their confidence, self-esteem and their understanding of citizenship. The school had gained a bronze Eco School award for pupils’ appreciation and care of the environment. Pupils were actively involved in the recycling of materials. Pupils demonstrated skills in enterprise and concern for others through their involvement in very successful fundraising activities for charity. All pupils developed their talents, skills and self-confidence through participation in an extensive programme of extracurricular activities and other events. Many pupils participated regularly in rugby and swimming fixtures. Pupils in J7 developed tolerance and respect for others and have opportunities to demonstrate initiative and teamwork, for example in a residential week which has a focus on outdoor activities. A high proportion of pupils developed their musical talents as members of the school choir and music group, and many also benefited from instrumental instruction. All pupils had gained a sense of audience through participating in well received concerts and musical productions.

English language

In the nursery class, in English language, children listened attentively to adults, asked questions openly and showed confidence in speaking in small groups. Almost all children could recognise some letters in play and showed a keen interest in writing their name. Across the junior school, the quality of pupils’ attainment was very good. Almost all pupils were attaining appropriate national levels in listening and talking, reading and writing and many were exceeding them. Pupils listened attentively and spoke well in small groups and with staff. They read fluently and with expression. They enjoyed reading widely for pleasure and were able to make good use of the school library. Pupils at all stages produced a high standard of written work for a variety of purposes. They expressed themselves particularly well in imaginative writing. The standards of handwriting and presentation of work were high.

Mathematics

Children in the nursery were making good progress in their understanding of early mathematics. They counted and sorted items during play activities and recorded their favourite fruits in picture graphs. The overall quality of attainment from J1 to J7 in mathematics was very good. Over recent years, the high level of attainment in mathematics had been maintained. Across the school, almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment. Many had achieved these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils at J1 to J3 could organise and interpret information accurately from bar charts. At J6 and J7, they could read and interpret a range of graphs confidently. Across the school, pupils showed good skills in mental calculations. At J4, pupils used fractions accurately in practical activities and J7 pupils were competent in using decimal fractions and percentages. Pupils at J5 used coordinates confidently to plot and identify position in grids and maps. Across the school, pupils had a very good understanding of shape, position and movement. They were making very good progress in developing their skills in solving mathematical problems.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

Class teachers supported pupils very well in their learning. They were very sensitive to the needs of individuals. They were knowledgeable about pupils’ prior learning, including those children transferring from nursery. They used a range of teaching approaches effectively to match pupils’ learning needs. Classroom assistants supported individuals effectively in their learning at the early stages. Provision for pupils with additional support needs was very good. Class teachers and the support for learning teacher accurately identified the needs of pupils who required additional help. The support for learning teacher provided well-judged and very effective support to individuals and small groups withdrawn from classes. Pupils with specific needs had well-developed individualised educational programmes which were shared regularly with their parents. They were making very good progress towards the detailed targets in these programmes.

Under the requirements of the Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils’ Records) (Scotland) Act, the school had submitted its policy on disability and discrimination to the Scottish Executive. The policy included the school’s review of its approaches to improving accessibility

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.

Clifton Hall School provided pupils with high quality learning experiences. The quality of attainment in English language and mathematics across the school was very good. Pupils were responsive and motivated to learn. All staff worked very well together within a climate of mutual respect and trust.

The headteacher provided very good leadership. In the short period he had been in post, he had taken on his responsibilities sensitively and was very effective. His clear vision and high aspirations for the school were shared by staff and parents. He was very visible throughout the school and nursery. His own teaching was a model of effective practice. The recent improvements he had introduced, in particular the effective system to track pupils’ progress and the strategy to promote positive behaviour, self-esteem and responsibility, had made significant improvement to attainment and achievement. He had a clear plan to take forward other key initiatives, for example to further develop the extensive grounds for a wider range of sporting activities and develop the courtyard area for classroom space. He was well supported by the depute headteacher, head of nursery and curriculum coordinator. They were fully class committed which limited the potential to share best practice throughout the school. The Board of Governors were clear about their role to ensure the school was well run and played a significant role in the help and support they gave to the headteacher. As a result, the school had a clear agenda for continued improvement and was moving forward confidently.

The headteacher had developed a systematic approach to monitoring the quality of teaching and to promoting self-evaluation across the school. Staff welcomed the opportunity to be involved in a helpful process of professional development and review, the results of which linked appropriately to a programme of professional development and further training. Most staff had yet to take part in the new process. The headteacher had clear plans to review the work of the senior management team to ensure a consistent approach to improving the school.

The school had demonstrated a very good capacity for managing improvement. With the drive and vision of the headteacher, supported by all staff and the Board of Governors, the school was very well placed to sustain its high standards and continue to improve.

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. Within two years of the publication of this report the Board of Governors, working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents.

Elizabeth Paterson
HM Inspector

8 May 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 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, Greyfriars House, Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB10 1LQ or by telephoning 01224 642544. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.

HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure

If you wish to comment about Independent primary inspections

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of Independent primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Kenneth Muir, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management Unit, 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 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.

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.