Inverness Royal Academy The Highland Council

31 August 2004

Contents

1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. What are the views of parents and carers, pupils and staff?
4. How good are learning, teaching, attainment 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
Appendix 3 Attainment in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) National Qualifications
How can you contact us?

1. Background

Inverness Royal Academy was inspected in April 2004. Subjects included in the inspection were English, mathematics, modern languages and computing. The school is a non-denominational secondary school serving the south of Inverness. At the time of the inspection, the roll was 828. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals was below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average. There was a unit within the school for pupils with additional support needs.

2. Key strengths

HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.

• The commitment of the headteacher and staff to the school and its pupils.
• The quality of attainment at S5/S6.
• The relationships between staff and pupils and the quality of pastoral care.
• The quality of support in the additional support needs unit, the integration of pupils with additional support needs and the general quality of support for learning.
• The quality of curricular and vocational guidance.
• The partnership with parents and the community.

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

Almost all parents felt that the school had a good reputation in the community and that it was well led. They thought that teachers set high standards for pupils’ attainment and showed concern for the care and welfare of their children. Almost all pupils stated that they enjoyed being at the school and that teachers helped them when they were having difficulties. Most felt that they had a say in deciding how to improve the school. Almost all teaching and ancillary staff enjoyed working in the school. All felt that the school was well led. A few felt that standards set for pupil behaviour were not being consistently upheld within the school. Further details about what pleased parents and carers, staff and pupils, and what they would like to see improved, can be found in Appendix 2 of this report.

4. How good are learning, teaching, attainment and achievement?

In evaluating the overall quality of learning, teaching, attainment and achievement, HM Inspectors observed aspects of learning in the inspected departments and more widely across the school. They also reviewed the extent to which the structure of the curriculum addressed pupils’ needs and analysed pupils’ performance in examinations (See Appendix 3).

The curriculum, learning and teaching

Overall, the quality of the curriculum was good and it showed breadth and balance. However, the S1/S2 course structure was in need of review. Pupils at these stages were taught by too many teachers each week. The recent introduction of small classes in English and mathematics for lower attaining pupils in S1 was a positive development. It was improving the quality of learning and attainment of the pupils in those groups. In S3/S4, the range of courses provided was good. The recent introduction of National Qualifications courses in certain subject areas had improved provision for all pupils. The majority of pupils continued to study a modern foreign language or Gaelic. The school should monitor the courses offered as an alternative to the language choice, to evaluate their suitability and impact. The school was developing good alternative provision for a group of pupils through vocational pathway courses organised in conjunction with Inverness College. In S5/S6, the curriculum was very good. The organisation of subject options, including English and mathematics, allowed pupils flexibility of choice and a clear progression from earlier studies. The wide provision of courses included an appropriate range of Advanced Highers.

Teachers explained new work clearly and interacted well with their pupils. A number of teachers questioned their pupils very skilfully to check and enhance their understanding. Overall, however, the use of homework and the range of approaches which teachers adopted to engage pupils in their learning were too variable. Some departments had made good use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) but practice was not yet sufficiently developed across the school. The pace of learning was good across most classes. Almost all pupils were well-motivated, worked hard and focused on their learning tasks. In some classes, pupils collaborated well with each other and had good opportunities to think for themselves. In other classes, teachers did not encourage pupils sufficiently to take responsibility for their learning or be independent. Teachers supported pupils well in class and generally met their needs effectively. Support for learning staff provided good additional support to pupils experiencing difficulties with classwork. A small group of S1 pupils who entered the school with low levels of attainment in English and mathematics were receiving very good support from English, mathematics and learning support teachers. Teachers did not always use assessment information effectively to give pupils feedback on their progress, or to provide consistent and appropriate challenge, especially to higher attaining pupils in S1/S2.

Attainment and achievement

The overall quality of attainment at S1/S2 was good. Most pupils performed well in their coursework. Performance was above the national average in English language. The majority of pupils achieved appropriate national levels of attainment in reading and writing. Performance was well above the national average in mathematics. Most achieved appropriate national levels of attainment. The school was currently targeting attainment in S1/S2 by creating small classes to cater for the needs of lower attaining pupils. Initial results of this initiative were positive.

The overall quality of attainment in S3/S4 was fair. The proportion of pupils achieving five or more Standard Grade awards at Credit, General and Foundation levels was in line with national averages. However, the deteriorating achievement of boys at certain levels, and the performance of certain departments, were having an overall adverse effect on the school’s performance at Standard Grade. While the school’s attainment was broadly in line with schools with similar characteristics, its performance relative to these schools had fallen in the last two years. Pupils with additional support needs had been successful in gaining appropriate awards.

At S5/S6, the overall quality of attainment was very good. At Higher, the proportion of pupils achieving five or more A-C grades by the end of S5 was well above national averages. At this level, the school performed better than other schools with similar characteristics. The proportion of pupils achieving one or more passes at Advanced Higher was above national averages. Most pupils who were presented for Intermediate 2 or Intermediate 1 achieved A-C grades.

Information on the subjects inspected is given later in this report. Significant features of attainment in the subjects not inspected were as follows.

• At Standard Grade, the proportion of pupils achieving Credit awards in biology, economics and home economics was well above national averages. The proportion in craft and design was well below national averages.
• At Higher, the proportion of S5 pupils achieving A-C grades was well above national averages in biology, economics, home economics and physical education. The proportion of pupils achieving A-C grades in art and design was well below national averages.
• At Higher, pupils tended to perform notably better in economics than in their other subjects and notably less well in physics.

The school’s extended writing project, intended to improve writing skills at all stages and across the curriculum, was beginning to have an impact. In terms of broader achievement, teachers showed commitment to promoting and supporting the development of pupils’ personal and social skills. They did this by offering them opportunities to participate in a commendably wide range of extra-curricular activities, including sporting and musical activities, various foreign trips and the school’s Team Challenge visits. Participation in these activities had resulted in significant numbers of pupils developing their self-confidence and increasing their range of personal and interpersonal skills. Pupils had been involved in Young Enterprise activities and a number had been successful in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Many senior pupils were developing a clear sense of citizenship and an awareness of the needs of others through paired reading, their role as ‘buddy’ with younger pupils and their involvement in community projects.

English language

Learning and teaching

Teachers interacted very well with their pupils and questioned them skilfully to check and enhance their understanding. They used a very good range of teaching approaches. Homework was regular and appropriate. Almost all pupils were well motivated and focused on their work. They collaborated very well with each other and had good opportunities for independent learning. Teachers met the range of pupils’ needs very well from S3 onwards. In S1, very promising arrangements were in place to meet the needs of lower attaining pupils. However, for S1/S2 generally, teachers did not make sufficient use of assessment information to provide consistent challenge for abler pupils.

Attainment and achievement

In S1/S2, the majority of pupils achieved appropriate national standards of attainment in reading and writing. Teachers did not provide collated evidence of pupils’ attainment in listening and talking. At Standard Grade, the proportion of pupils gaining Credit and General awards was above national averages. The proportion of S5/S6 pupils gaining A-C grades at Intermediate 1 and Higher was well above national averages and at Intermediate 2, was above national averages. Almost all of the small number of pupils presented for Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) and Advanced Higher achieved A-C grades.

Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.

• Many pupils participated in debating groups in the school. Some had participated in a competition for schools across the North of Scotland and had achieved notable success.
• Some pupils had taken part in a verse-speaking competition within the education authority and had achieved very high success in it over several years.
• S1 pupils produced annually an informative newspaper which was circulated to P7 pupils in the school’s associated primary schools.

Mathematics

Learning and teaching

Teachers gave clear explanations to classes, groups and individuals. In the best practice, they used questioning very effectively to make pupils think for themselves. Homework was used well. Pupils were motivated, and responded well to the high expectations which teachers set for their achievement. There was scope for giving them more written comments on how they could improve their day-to-day work. The department was making good improvements to courses to provide suitable support and challenge for all pupils and to integrate the use of ICT into lessons. Overall, tasks and activities were very well matched to pupils’ learning needs.

Attainment and achievement

In S1/S2, most pupils achieved appropriate national standards of attainment. The proportion of pupils gaining a Credit award at Standard Grade was in line with national averages. The proportion of S4 pupils gaining a General award or better was also in line with the national average but had declined over the last three years. In S5/S6, the proportion of pupils gaining an A-C grade at Intermediate 2 was above the national average in 2003. The proportion of pupils presented at Higher was above the national average, and the proportion who gained an A-C grade was generally above the national average. Over the last three years, less than half of the small numbers presented at Advanced Higher or equivalent had gained A-C grades.

Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.

• Some lower attaining pupils in S1/S2 were making significant progress in developing appropriate numeracy skills. Higher attaining pupils at the same stage were making good progress in developing a knowledge of algebra.
• The department regularly gave pupils opportunities to participate in mathematical competitions, with significant success.

Modern languages

Learning and teaching

There was a positive learning environment within the department. Teachers planned lessons well and had a good focus on knowledge about language. There were clear examples of good direct teaching and a sound use of questioning. Some teachers were beginning to make effective use of ICT to motivate pupils and enrich their learning experience. Pupils were motivated and worked well in lessons. In some classes, pupils collaborated well as part of their learning experience. Pupils were, however, not always actively involved in their learning and did not have enough opportunities to be independent in classwork. In S1/S2, higher attaining pupils were not always appropriately challenged.

Attainment and achievement

At S1/S2, most pupils were performing well in their coursework. At Standard Grade, the proportion of pupils who achieved a Credit award or a grade 1 in French was above the national average. The majority of those presented in German and Italian achieved a Credit award. The proportion of pupils who achieved a Credit award in Gaelic (learners) was well below the national average. At Higher and Intermediate 2, almost all S5/S6 pupils presented in French, German, Italian or Gaelic gained an A-C award. The proportion of pupils gaining an A award in Higher French and Italian was above the national average. Almost all pupils presented for Advanced Higher French or Italian gained an A-C award. Pupils’ speaking skills were generally less consistently developed across the stages.

Other notable features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.

• There were some very good examples of writing.
• A number of S3 pupils were benefiting from an email exchange with a French school.
• A group of pupils in S3-S6 were improving their knowledge about European culture and language through home access to language websites.

Computing

Learning and teaching

Teachers provided effective learning and teaching experiences for pupils, despite weaknesses in the department’s accommodation. They made appropriate choices of tasks and activities in planning lessons, explained work clearly and used direct teaching well. Good use was made of the school’s computer network and the Internet to provide resources for learning. Insufficient attention was given to setting homework regularly to reinforce learning and monitor progress. Teachers’ dialogue with pupils was positive and constructive and most pupils worked well without close supervision. Teachers were sensitive to the needs of individuals, supported pupils well in practical ICT work and encouraged their efforts. They did not make sufficient use of tracking and target-setting to support pupils’ progress.

Attainment and achievement

At S2, almost all pupils performed well in their coursework. They showed confidence and competence in the use of ICT. At Standard Grade, the proportion of pupils achieving a Credit award in computing studies was above the national average. Pupils’ performance was in line with their performance in other subjects. Presentation levels showed an improving trend. At S5/S6, the proportion of pupils who gained an A-C award in Higher computing was well above the national average. The proportion of pupils who achieved an A award was also above the national average. At S5/S6, almost all the pupils registered for the British Computing Society’s European Computer Driving Licence award had been fully successful.

Other features of pupils’ attainment and achievement included the following.

• At all stages, pupils were developing confidence and competence in the use of ICT to produce work of a high standard of presentation.
• A group of pupils was making a good contribution to maintaining the school website.
• S6 pupils made effective use of ICT resources to produce their S6 Yearbook.

5. How well are pupils supported?

The school had very good arrangements for ensuring pupils’ care and welfare. It had systems to deal effectively with child protection issues, bullying, drugs misuse and racial incidents. Pastoral care was well organised through a house system and guidance staff supported pupils well. Learning support staff made a very significant contribution to the pastoral care of pupils with additional learning needs. A team of special learning assistants provided these pupils with high quality care and support throughout the school. At lunchtimes and intervals, the school had introduced "safe rooms" to support vulnerable pupils.

Pupils’ personal and social development was enriched by a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These included sporting activities, a range of clubs and after school study. The school’s ‘buddying system’, which involved S6 pupils in supporting S1 pupils, gave senior pupils effective opportunities to take on responsibility. There was a planned programme for personal and social education (PSE) for all pupils from S1-S6 which covered an appropriate range of topics. Pupils had been given the opportunity to evaluate aspects of the PSE programme and this had provided helpful feedback to staff, to enable changes to be made. There was now a need to review the programme to ensure progression from stage to stage and to introduce reporting on pupils’ progress. In S6, PSE was delivered through a series of helpful seminars, which senior students had been actively involved in choosing.

Pupils were given very good curricular and vocational guidance through PSE. All pupils were given the opportunity to take part in well-organised work experience in S4. They had individual interviews with guidance staff to help them with course choices in S2 and in S4/S5. The school library offered some useful resources and access to online information and a careers adviser provided good support to pupils. A successful careers convention was held once a year, to which parents and pupils were invited. Senior pupils had good access to college and university open days. Very good links with the business community provided a range of benefits to the school, including a range of speakers in the PSE programme.

Staff in the support for learning and additional support needs unit focused very effectively on addressing pupils’ needs across the curriculum. Learning support staff worked well across a range of curricular areas through direct teaching and support in classes. Pupils with additional support needs had very helpful individual educational plans which met their needs well. Pupils working in the learning support unit had very good programmes of work and were well supported in mainstream classes. Learning support assistants supported individual pupils well. Transition arrangements for pupils moving from primary to secondary school, and special examination arrangements, were very good. Subject teachers were provided with useful and appropriate information about pupils’ needs, along with helpful strategies for providing support. Effective support was provided to pupils developing English as an additional language. An inclusion support base was beginning to provide alternative learning for some pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school should review the procedures for the running of the base and the development of pupils’ programmes, to ensure maximum benefit for these pupils.

The school was beginning to coordinate the work of guidance, support for learning and behaviour support. A group met regularly to bring together more effectively the support available from a wide range of external agencies. The depute headteacher with responsibility for this area had made a sound start to its overall management. However, the school recognised that there was a need to coordinate more systematically the range of approaches to pupil support within the school.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

Quality of accommodation and facilities

Overall, the quality of accommodation was fair. The main building was in sound condition with a very good library, theatre and unit for additional support needs. Indoor and outdoor sports facilities were good. However, there were a number of classrooms in old hutted accommodation, the canteen was very small for the number of pupils on the roll and pupil social areas were very limited. There were no security measures at any of the school’s entrances. Some furnishings required replacement and there were problems with heating in certain areas. There was a networked computer in every classroom and in addition, five computer rooms and other machines available in the library. The school should continue to ensure that all pupils have appropriate access to ICT across their learning. The school could make better use of display to celebrate pupils’ work and achievement.

Ethos

Inverness Royal Academy had a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and both pupils and staff identified strongly with the school. Pupils, parents and teachers were treated with respect and in a fair manner. Teachers laid great emphasis on including young people with additional support needs. The school consulted pupils very well through pupil and year councils, and annual audits. Pupils had suitable opportunities to attend assemblies and for religious observance. Relationships between staff and pupils both within class and in extra-curricular activities were very positive. S1-S6 activity days, introduced last year, had also benefited social interaction between staff and pupils. The school’s merit system was having a positive influence on promoting positive behaviour, although not all teachers applied the system consistently. Teachers had high expectations of pupils’ attitude, behaviour and broad achievement, and most pupils responded very positively. They did not have consistently high expectations of what pupils could attain within their learning. Pupils raised significant funds to give to charity.

Partnership with parents and the community

The school had established a very good working partnership with parents and the local community. Relationships with the School Board and the parent-teacher association were very positive. The school kept parents informed about their children’s progress through pupil reports and helpful parents’ evenings. The school handbook was informative and user-friendly and regular newsletters kept parents aware of the range of school events and achievements. The school should offer parents more information on its priorities and on how they can help with their children’s homework. The school’s arrangements for the transfer of pupils from its associated primary schools were very effective. The school had established good links with local business to support its education for work programme and also had a good relationship with local clergy and the community police.

7. Improving the school

The experienced headteacher offered the school a high level of commitment and good leadership. He had developed and sustained a very sound ethos within the school and a very good partnership with parents, the community and local business. As part of his vision for the school, he had successfully promoted social inclusion and pupil achievement in its broadest sense. He recognised the professionalism of his staff and was committed to involving them fully in the school’s development through sound consultation procedures and a system of committees. He also appropriately supported staff in their professional development. In addition, he delegated key areas of the school’s work to his team of senior managers and held them broadly accountable for these tasks. He should maintain and build on his focus on improving attainment, particularly in S3/S4, and develop further the current self-evaluation systems, to ensure consistent impact across the school. The senior management team supported the headteacher well and fulfilled an appropriate range of duties. They were committed and hardworking and were effective in taking forward several areas of the school’s work. The headteacher should review their role in linking with departments. Overall, principal teachers provided good, and in some departments, very good leadership.

The school had established a range of methods for reviewing the quality of its work. These included taking the views of staff and sampling the views of parents. Pupils’ views were also sought through questionnaires and sample interviews. The annual review held with each principal teacher was a key component of quality assurance. It included discussion of examination results, progress with the development plan and the department’s monitoring arrangements. With a view to improving the school’s overall attainment and continuing to improve learning and teaching, the senior management team should maintain more regular contact with principal teachers and departments beyond the stage of the annual review. This should include more focused discussions between members of the senior management team and their associated departments. In addition, management should agree with staff a more systematic approach to improving those areas of the school’s work which are giving concern. Managers at all levels should adopt a more consistent approach to monitoring these areas across the school.

Inverness Royal Academy had the capacity to continue to improve the quality of its educational provision. The positive learning attitudes of most pupils and the school’s good relationships with pupils and parents were clear outcomes of the school’s aims and the efforts of the headteacher and staff. Attainment was very good at S5/S6 and good at S1/S2. The school was aware that attainment at S3/S4 had declined in the last two years. It had taken steps to address this issue, including the better identification of under-achievers and the introduction of revision classes. To support this and other improvements, the school should consider how best to build on its current arrangements for self-evaluation and for management support and challenge of departments. It should also establish an appropriate system for tracking pupils’ progress to raise attainment.

In taking the school forward, the school and education authority should take account of the following.

• The education authority and school should address the weaknesses in accommodation identified in this report.
• The school should continue to take steps to improve attainment, particularly in S3/S4.
• The school should improve the overall quality of the S1/S2 curriculum.
• The school should monitor more systematically the progress of all pupils in order to encourage and support them in improving their attainment.
• Senior managers should coordinate more systematically the range of approaches to pupil support within the school.
• The school should build on its current system of self-evaluation. Senior managers should work more closely with departments to agree common areas for close focus and a shared system for reviewing them.

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 and carers. Within two years of the publication of this report, parents and carers will be informed about the progress made by the school.

Alan P Ogg
HM Inspector

31 August 2004

Appendix 1 Indicators of quality

We judged the following to be very good

• Overall quality of attainment: S5/S6
• Pastoral care
• Curricular and vocational guidance
• Learning support
• Climate and relationships
• Equality and fairness
• Partnership with parents, the School Board and the community

We judged the following to be good

• Overall quality of attainment: S1/S2
• Structure of the curriculum
• The teaching process

• Pupils’ learning experiences
• Meeting pupils’ needs
• Personal and social development
• Expectations and promoting achievement
• Leadership
• Effectiveness and deployment of staff with additional responsibilities

We judged the following to be fair

• Overall quality of attainment: S3/S4
• Accommodation and facilities
• Self-evaluation

We judged the following to be unsatisfactory

• No aspects were found to be in this category

Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses

Appendix 3 Attainment in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) National Qualifications

Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S4

Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S5

Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by end of S6

1. Comparator schools are the ten schools immediately above and the ten schools immediately below the school being inspected in terms of the percentage of pupils entitled to free meals (FME).

How can you contact us?

Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, 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 ).

Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint about any aspect of the inspection or about this report, you should write in the first instance to Bill Maxwell, HMCI at

HM Inspectorate of Education, Room 14, First Floor, Stadium House, Alderstone Road, Livingston, EH54 7DN. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from that office and on our website.

If you are still dissatisfied, you can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman directly or through your member of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government Departments and Agencies. She will not normally consider your complaint before the HMIE complaints procedure has been used. Instead, she will usually ask you to give us the chance to put matters right if we can.

Complaints to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman must be submitted within 12 months of the date of publication of this report.

The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Professor Alice Brown
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
Telephone number: 0870 011 5378
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 2004
HM Inspectorate of Education

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