Mount Carmel Primary School
Kilmarnock
East Ayrshire Council

10 October 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

Mount Carmel Primary School was inspected in June 2006 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 Friends of Mount Carmel, and a group of parents¹ .

The school is a denominational school serving the north west of Kilmarnock and the outlying towns and villages. At the time of the inspection, the roll was 222. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well above the national average. Pupils’ attendance was below 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.

Almost all parents, pupils and staff were very pleased with all aspects of the school. All parents thought that teachers set high standards for their children’s education. They thought that the school had a good reputation in the community and that it was well led. All pupils felt that the school helped them to keep safe and healthy and almost all felt looked after and safe in the school. They thought that teachers listened to what they had to say and that they had a say in deciding how to make the school better. Some pupils thought that the behaviour of some pupils could be better. Pupils felt that their teachers made learning enjoyable. All staff thought there was mutual respect between themselves and pupils and that the school dealt very effectively with any instances of indiscipline. Staff thought that the school was well led and that senior managers worked very well together. All staff enjoyed working in the school and felt that their teamwork was a key strength.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The school provided pupils with a well-planned and balanced curriculum. Staff used available teaching time effectively to improve pupils’ attainment in English language and mathematics. Pupils from P5 to P7 were learning French. At all stages, pupils were developing positive attitudes to their personal, social and health education. In P5, they considered the effects of drugs and, in P1/2, they enjoyed discussing their achievements at circle time. They made good use of information and communications technology (ICT) within the curriculum to promote their research skills and reinforce their learning. Pupils in P1 had benefited from their earlier introduction to the full school day by having increased time to learn. In a number of subject areas, the curriculum featured good opportunities for pupils to learn through discussion, practical activities and play. Learning through play was a strength of the curriculum at the early stages. Teachers were well organised and structured their lessons carefully. They used a range of effective teaching approaches. Teachers discussed learning intentions at the start of lessons and reviewed progress at the end of lessons, together with pupils. They gave clear explanations and made well-judged use of questioning to check pupils’ understanding. They promoted pupils’ active involvement in lessons and encouraged pupils’ thinking and discussion skills. Across the school, teachers set regular and appropriate homework.

Teachers and support staff had established a positive environment for learning. Pupils were fully involved in many stimulating learning experiences, including visits to castles, residential trips and visits from astronomers and an astronaut. They had confident and positive attitudes to learning independently. Pupils engaged well in a wide range of learning approaches. They cooperated very well in pairs and groups in a variety of circumstances and often presented and explained clearly their ideas to others. When studying tourism, pupils at P6 were able to identify differences in seasonal and permanent employment. Pupils at P6/7 were using a wide range of research skills to find out key information about the Jacobites. Pupils at P5 were able to write simple conversational phrases in French. At the upper stages, a few pupils were capable of achieving higher standards through increased pace in their lessons.

Pupil representatives from all stages were learning about active citizenship through involvement in the Eco Committee and the school council. Through a variety of activities, the Eco Committee had been successful in gaining their silver award. Pupils had achieved awards in a campaign to challenge racism. They had raised substantial sums for charities which supported education in the developing world. Pupils made good use of videoconferencing to enhance their learning through contacts with different schools and other institutions such as the Scottish and United Kingdom Parliaments. Significant numbers of pupils participated in a range of after-school activities including football, homework clubs, art, ICT, fitness and music. The lunchtime recorder club and the school choir helped extend pupils’ achievements.

English language

The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was good. The school had shown steady improvement over the last three years. At the early stages, almost all pupils were making a very good start to their literacy skills. Across the stages, most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels in listening and talking. They expressed themselves confidently and clearly and offered their opinions effectively. At P1/2, pupils were making good progress with skills in listening and talking. At all stages, pupils read aloud fluently and with expression. They showed good skills in reading for information. In P5, pupils were involved in very effective discussion about writing as part of their group reading activity. At the upper stages, pupils were familiar with the writer’s craft and the different types of writing. Throughout the school, pupils wrote for a wide range of purposes and audiences and they made good use of ICT when writing. At the upper stages, pupils were familiar with the skills of note taking and were clear about their purpose and use. Some pupils did not always present their work well.

Mathematics

The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was good. In recent years, overall, pupils’ attainment had remained consistent. By P3, almost all pupils were achieving appropriate levels of attainment in key aspects of mathematics, and many at P2 were achieving such levels earlier than might normally be expected. From P4 to P7, most were achieving appropriate levels. Pupils coped well with their coursework. Those pupils not achieving appropriate national levels received targeted support in small groups and were making good progress. At all stages, pupils were making very effective progress in information handling and used graphs well to organise and display information. Pupils were competent in written and mental calculation. They had a very good knowledge of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Pupils at all stages had regular experience of problem-solving activities and were confident in solving problems using different strategies. At P6 and P7, teachers did not challenge the highest attaining pupils consistently.  

5. How well are pupils supported?

The school provided high quality pastoral care for pupils. All staff were aware of and understood the education authority’s appropriate procedures for child protection. Pupils benefited from the care and concern shown by all staff. They felt safe and almost all said that they enjoyed being in school. Staff knew pupils well and were sensitive to their personal, social and emotional needs. They promoted an inclusive approach for all children. When raising concerns with staff, pupils were confident that they would act effectively on their behalf. The development of a healthy lifestyle was promoted across the school. The school made very good use of a range of support services such as the school nurse and children’s services coordinator to help meet pupils’ needs.

Class teachers provided activities and resources which effectively met the needs of almost all of their pupils. Classroom assistants and auxiliaries provided very good quality and well-judged assistance for pupils. They worked well with class teachers to contribute to very good learning experiences. Senior managers, teachers, support assistants and visiting support services provided very effective support for pupils with additional support needs. The learning needs of more vulnerable pupils were very well met by staff. Pupils with English as an additional language were well supported by the education authority’s bilingual support teacher. The school had developed effective individualised educational programmes (IEPs) with appropriate long- and short-term targets in English language and mathematics and personal and social development. The school had effective arrangements in place to support pupils transferring into P1 and from P7 to secondary school.

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.

Mount Carmel Primary School provided a very caring and supportive environment for learning. All staff working in the school displayed a strong commitment to improving pupils’ learning experiences. Pupils enjoyed being actively involved in their lessons through practical activities. The quality of teaching was very good. Standards of attainment and achievements were good. Pupils benefited from the school’s strong links with its wider community and beyond. With its significant strengths in leadership, the school was well placed to develop still further the overall quality of its provision.

The headteacher provided strong and effective leadership. Through her supportive management style, she had been very successful in developing teamwork throughout the school. She played a key role in the establishment of an inclusive ethos based on a strong commitment to the care and welfare of pupils. She ensured a wide range of productive links within the local community which had further supported pupils’ learning successfully. The depute headteacher also played a key role in the management of the school and very ably deputised for the headteacher. She had successfully developed environmental studies which was a strength of the school. The principal teacher carried out her demanding remit very effectively. The management team led the school very effectively. Overall, the quality of self-evaluation was good. The headteacher and depute headteacher monitored teachers’ plans and observed teaching and learning providing detailed and evaluative feedback to staff. Teachers set appropriate learning targets for different attainment groups in their classes and senior managers discussed the progress of the groups with the teachers. However, they did not monitor individual pupils’ progress rigorously enough and, as a result, some pupils at the upper stages made slower progress than might be expected. Teachers had made some good use of quality indicators developed nationally to evaluate the effectiveness of their work. The school consulted staff to help identify and prepare its priorities for improvement and had involved parents in some consultation about planning for improvement. However, pupils and parents were not yet systematically involved in this process. The school produced an informative and helpful standards and quality report which gave parents an insight into improvements in the school.

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.

David Watt
HM Inspector

10 October 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 Executive Director of Educational and Social 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, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600385. 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 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, 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

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

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