HM Inspectors carried out inspections of biology and S1/S2 science, business studies, history and contemporary social studies at Crieff High School. The departments inspected were chosen as part of a national sample of subjects taught in secondary schools. The visits took place in February and March 1999.

For each of the subjects, HM Inspectors visited classrooms to observe teaching, examined pupils work and interviewed staff and pupils. They looked at accommodation and resources for learning. They assessed the methods used by the departments to assure the quality of learning and teaching.

The findings are based solely on the departments inspected. They should not be assumed to apply to other departments in the school, or to the school as a whole. The school and education authority may, however, find it useful to consider the wider implications of this report for the school.

Crieff High School has a roll of 563 pupils. The school serves the town of Crieff and the surrounding rural area. Attendance was in line with national levels.

The quality of accommodation and resources was very good. Resources were effectively organised to support teachers and pupils in all courses.

The department was well staffed and very well supported by the school technician.

Courses at all stages were very good. The department had made very good progress in adjusting the S1/S2 science course in line with national guidance. It was appropriately challenging and included well-structured investigations to extend pupils practical skills. It still needed to take greater account of pupils primary science experiences. Standard Grade and Higher Grade courses in biology were well planned. The department offered an appropriate range of National Certificate (NC) modules.

The quality of learning and teaching in biology and S1/S2 science was good overall. There was a well-judged balance between good quality direct teaching and tasks, including practical work, which allowed pupils to take some responsibility for their learning. Pupils in almost all classes worked steadily on their tasks. In a small number of classes the poor motivation of a few pupils sometimes had an adverse effect on the overall pace of learning. At all stages homework was set and marked regularly but correction of classwork was less consistent. Overall, teachers gave good attention to meeting pupils learning needs. There was effective co-operation with learning support staff to assist pupils with special educational needs.

Assessment and recording of progress were thorough. There were some good examples of teachers using assessment information to set more appropriate targets for pupils. Good progress had been made in developing assessment arrangements in S1/S2 science to bring them more fully in line with national 5-14 guidelines.

The following were features of pupils attainment in S1/S2 science and in biology.

• In S1/S2 science most pupils had a good knowledge and understanding of recent coursework. They were developing appropriate skills in planning and carrying out investigations but were less confident in presenting, interpreting and evaluating the results.

• Most pupils in S3, but only the majority in S4-S6, were performing well in their coursework in biology.

• Pupils generally performed less well in Standard Grade biology than in their other subjects. Credit level awards and the overall number of presentations were consistently below the national average.

• Pupils generally performed as well as or better in Higher Grade biology than in their other subjects. The number of pupils who had gained band A-C awards in Higher Grade biology had been above the national average in two of the last three years. The number of band A awards was above the national average in 1998.

• Most pupils who were presented for NC modules had achieved full success.

• The small number of pupils who had been presented for CSYS biology in the last three years had gained band C awards.

• The overall quality of attainment was good in S1/S2 science and S5/S6 biology. It was fair in S3/S4 biology.

The recently appointed principal teacher of science provided very effective leadership. He was very committed, well organised and had a clear view on how to develop the department. He was well supported by the assistant principal teacher. Teachers were enthusiastic and hard-working. They worked together very well as a team on the development of science courses. Overall, teachers were provided with a clear framework in which to work. They had participated in relevant in-service training and all would be formally reviewed by the end of the session.

Some good procedures for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the departments work had been established. For example, the principal teacher met regularly with senior management, and annually with the headteacher to review attainment and development priorities. Staff made good use of departmental meetings to discuss and evaluate their work. The department planned to introduce a more systematic approach to self-evaluation through the use of national performance indicators.

The development plan addressed appropriate departmental and whole-school priorities. Activities were clearly stated but targets and criteria to evaluate success needed to be more precise. Good progress had been made in implementing the plan, particularly in the development of the S1/S2 science course. Further work to develop curricular links with associated primaries was required.

The ethos in the department was very good overall. Positive relationships between staff and pupils created a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere in almost all classes. Almost all pupils were very well behaved, courteous and polite.

The quality of accommodation and resources was good overall. Appropriate use was made of a number of general purpose and specialist rooms. Storage facilities within the department were too limited. Furniture and fittings were generally in good condition.

There was sufficient staff to meet the departments current commitments. They were very well deployed to make the most of their individual talents and skills. Technician support was limited and as a result some computers and printers were unavailable for use on too many occasions.

Standard Grade and Higher Grade courses were generally of good quality. NC modules were well designed.

The quality of teaching was consistently good. The overall quality of pupils learning was good. Most pupils responded well to a positive learning environment, but a few were not well motivated. For some pupils, particularly those in the NC classes, the work was undemanding, and the pace of learning was too slow. Pupils were capable of undertaking a greater number of modules over the course of the year. Homework was a regular feature. It was carefully marked and returned promptly with helpful comments. Arrangements for assessment and recording were very good.

The following were features of pupils attainment in business studies.

• At all stages the majority of pupils performed well in their coursework. Performance in keyboarding techniques ranged from fair to good.

• At Standard Grade the number of presentations for accounting and finance was above the national average for the last three years. The number of awards at Credit level had increased significantly over the last three years.

• Performance in Standard Grade office and information studies was in line with the national average.

• Almost all pupils who were presented for NC modules had achieved full success.

• The majority of pupils presented for Higher Grade examinations in secretarial studies and accounting and finance gained band A-C awards.

• Overall attainment was good at all stages.

The principal teacher was an effective manager. He was hard-working and conscientious and led by example. Responsibilities for curriculum development were appropriately shared. Staff worked well as a team. They had taken part in useful staff development activities and had been formally reviewed.

The aims of the department were appropriate and were clearly set out in a good departmental handbook. Systematic self-evaluation was a strong feature of the work of the department. Productive links with senior management included discussion of examination results and development priorities. The quality of the departmental development plan was fair. It lacked sufficient detail on criteria for success, implementation strategies and evaluation procedures. Nevertheless, the department had made good progress in implementing its current priorities.

There was a very good atmosphere in the department. Relationships between teachers and almost all their pupils were very good.

In most respects the accommodation, including the display of pupils work was very good. The department had a very good range of appropriate resources, with textbook provision a major strength. There was good use of library resources and a commendable emphasis on fieldwork.

Staff turnover in the past few years had presented significant challenges for the management of the department. It had also resulted in a lack of continuity in pupils experience and this session had adversely affected the work of a few classes.

Good progress was being made in developing the S1/S2 course to meet national guidelines. Further links needed to be made with primary schools. All S3-S6 courses were very well planned.

Learning and teaching were good overall. There were major strengths in the variety of approaches and resources used. The work was made interesting for pupils, most of whom were well supported in their learning. More should be done to increase challenge for able pupils in S1/S2.

Assessment of pupils progress was thorough and generally accurate. However, testing at S1/S2 did not fully reflect the key ideas of the course.

The following were features of attainment in history and CSS.

• In S1/S2 history, knowledge of recent work was good and pupils skills were developing well. There were weaknesses in longer-term recall and in the understanding of some key ideas.

• In S3/S4 almost all pupils performed well in their classwork. At Standard Grade pupils taking history or CSS tended to do better than in their other subjects. The number of awards at Credit level in history was significantly above the national average.

• In S5/S6 almost all pupils were doing well in their coursework. At Higher Grade history the proportion of pupils achieving band A passes was notably high. Pupils also made very good progress between Standard Grade and Higher Grade.

• The overall quality of attainment was good in S1/S2 and very good from S3-S6.

The principal teacher of history, whose remit also covered CSS and modern studies, provided committed and effective leadership. She had established good teamwork and succeeded in maintaining standards during a period of staffing instability. The arrangements for staff development and review were good. Approaches to self-evaluation needed to be widened to include a full audit of the work of the department, but review of examination results was rigorous. The development plan was fair. It did not focus clearly enough on improving the quality of learning and attainment. However, the department had made good progress in implementing developments.

There was a good, constructive working atmosphere. The enjoyment of history as a subject was much in evidence at the upper stages.

The departments inspected had a number of strengths, which included the following:

• enthusiastic and hard-working staff;

• a very good ethos;

• good or very good leadership;

• very good attainment from S3-S6 in history;

• a commendable emphasis on investigative experiments to extend pupils practical skills in S1/S2 science;

• very good assessment and recording in business studies; and

• good links with senior management.

• In planning history and science courses at S1/S2 more account should be taken of pupils experiences in the primary school to bring them fully in line with national guidance.

• The history and science departments should continue to seek to raise attainment in S1/S2 following the recommendations of HM Inspectors report, Achieving Success in S1/S2.

• The biology and business studies departments should continue to work towards improving attainment at Standard Grade.

• The business studies department should improve the pace of learning in NC classes.

• Building on the good work already started, departments and senior management team members should develop a more consistent and rigorous approach to development planning and to monitoring and evaluating the work of the departments.

After one year, HM Inspectors will invite the school and education authority to report on progress in meeting these recommendations. They might, thereafter, visit the school again to assess, at first hand, the progress being made.

Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Director of Education, local councillors and the Member of Parliament. Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from the office at the address below.

If you want to make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection or about this report, you should write in the first instance to the HM Chief Inspector whose address is given below. If you are unhappy with the response, you will be told in writing what further steps you may take.

HM Inspectors of Schools

Wellgate House (Level 5)

The Wellgate

Dundee

DD1 2DB

D M Martin

HM Inspector of Schools

on behalf of HM Chief Inspector of Schools

Northern Division

Crown Copyright 1999

The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department

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.