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
Appendix 3 Attainment in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) National Qualifications
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Musselburgh Grammar School was inspected in December 2005 as part of a national sample of secondary education. The inspection covered key aspects of the school’s work at all stages. It evaluated the quality of the curriculum, analysed pupils’ performance in examinations (see Appendix 3) and assessed the quality of pupils’ broader achievement. It also evaluated the quality of learning and teaching and pupil support, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation, and its overall effectiveness and capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on the work of the English, mathematics, computing and music departments.
HM Inspectors observed learning and teaching and examined pupils’ work. They analysed responses to questionnaires issued to a sample of parents1 and pupils and to all staff. They interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the School Board and representatives of the parent-teacher association.
Musselburgh Grammar School is a non-denominational school serving the town of Musselburgh and the three communities of Old Craighall, Wallyford and Whitecraig. At the time of the inspection, the roll was 1310. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals was above the national average. Pupils’ attendance was below the national average.
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
Parents, pupils and staff had a positive view of the school. Around half of parents returned the questionnaire. Those who responded said that staff made them feel welcome in the school. They thought that parents’ meetings were helpful and informative and that the school encouraged their child to work to the best of their ability. However, a number said that the school had a poor reputation in the community. Pupils thought that teachers expected them to work to the best of their ability and told them when they had done something well. They got on well with other pupils. Teachers said that they set high standards for pupils’ attainment and they worked hard to promote and maintain good relations with the local community. A number of new teachers to the school said that they were very well supported by their colleagues. Staff and parents thought that the school was well led. Staff also felt that senior managers worked well as a team and that there was good communication within the school. Further details about what most pleased parents, staff and pupils and what they would most like to see improved can be found in Appendix 2 of this report.
The curriculum, learning and teaching
Overall, the quality of the curriculum was adequate. At S1/S2, pupils followed a suitably broad and well-balanced curriculum. As part of a planned approach to raising attainment, pupils at S1 were organised into classes in English and mathematics according to previous attainment. This was extended to several other subjects in S2. Although there was an information and communications technology (ICT) course in S2, there was not a coherent approach to developing pupils’ ICT skills in S1. At S3/S4, almost all pupils studied eight Standard Grades or their equivalent. The curriculum provided an appropriate range of subjects and a number of courses at Access and Intermediate levels had been developed to extend choice and better meet pupils’ needs. However, there was no provision at this stage for religious and moral education. Following consultation with parents and pupils a small number of pupils had taken up the option of a range of pre-vocational courses at a local college. As the timetabling of these courses affected pupils’ attendance in two of their certificate courses, the school was monitoring closely pupils’ progress in these subjects. At S5/S6, pupils had very good opportunities to build on their prior learning, with an impressive range of appropriate courses, including vocational college courses. The arrangements to provide an appropriate curriculum for the small number of pupils with complex additional support needs were very good.
Teaching had important strengths. Teachers generally shared the purposes of lessons and what pupils were expected to learn. They explained new work clearly, were effective at questioning and provided clear feedback. A number were particularly skilful at questioning which promoted deep understanding and developed pupils’ confidence. Some teachers used ICT effectively in learning and teaching. Pupils were co-operative and responded well to regular appropriate homework. Overall, tasks and resources were well chosen for interest and relevance to pupils’ needs. In some departments pupils were encouraged to take more responsibility for their own learning and were clear about their deadlines and the standard of work expected. Staff from learning and behaviour support worked effectively to meet pupils’ needs. This had a significant impact upon improving pupils’ attainment. Across the school there were some examples of very good practice where individual teachers were developing pupils’ ability to think, solve problems and be creative. However, occasionally, where there was insufficient pace, challenge and opportunity to work with others, pupils made slow progress in their learning.
Achievement
At each stage most pupils were making good progress from their prior levels of attainment. Coursework was generally completed well and there were signs of improvement at each stage. Throughout the school, pupils with additional support needs were meeting the challenging learning targets in their individual plans.
At S1/S2, the overall quality of attainment was adequate. Pupils’ attainment in reading and writing had been improving, although the majority did not achieve appropriate standards in 2005. In mathematics, less than half were attaining appropriate standards by the end of S2. In many departments, teachers were taking effective steps to improve standards.
The following comments are based on Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data, using the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)2 for the three year period (2003-2005) and also draw on the overall evaluations of the quality of learning, teaching and meeting pupils’ needs.
At S3/S4, the overall quality of attainment was good. At SCQF levels 4 and 5, pupils’ performance was broadly in line with similar schools. There was an improving trend, over a five year period, in the proportion of pupils gaining a level 5 award. However, at level 3 the results were not as good as similar schools. By the end of S4, the proportions of pupils gaining five or more SCQF awards at levels 3, 4 and 5 were below the national average.
At S5/S6, the overall quality of attainment was good. By the end of S5 the proportion of pupils attaining three or more SCQF awards at level 6 had improved over a five year period, and was in line with the national average in 2005. These results were better than similar schools. By the end of S6, the proportion of pupils attaining one or more SCQF awards at level 7 was above the national average. This performance was much better than similar schools.
Information on the subjects inspected is given later in the report. Significant features of attainment in the subjects not inspected were as follows.
The school very effectively promoted pupils’ wider achievements through an extensive variety of activities, including outdoor education, enterprise and the performing arts. Pupils had organised and performed in a number of concerts and events including the ‘Gig on the Grass’, ‘Live Music Gig’ and the ‘Tsunami Disco’. The self-esteem of many pupils was enhanced through playing in a number of rock bands and participating in the annual pantomime. The successful fundraising for charities helped pupils to understand the needs of others. The school organised a wide range of trips such as skiing and inter-school competitions, which helped develop confidence and teamwork. European and local excursions were widening pupils’ horizons and developing their self confidence and self-esteem. Pupils expressed their views on school matters and influenced developments through house meetings and the pupil council. Participation in a wide range of other sports and physical activities was high and many individuals and teams competed successfully in local and national competitions. Seniors were contributing to the school community by supporting younger pupils when they transferred from primary, by helping them with reading and by taking other responsibilities. The achievements of many pupils were celebrated in award ceremonies.
English
Learning and teaching
Teachers explained work clearly and provided well planned coursework with regular appropriate homework. They used suitably challenging texts and topics, well matched to pupils’ learning needs, and on the whole set a steady pace. Several teachers were skilled at using questioning, feedback and group work to involve pupils in independent learning. Pupils responded well to interesting activities such as research and evaluations of films. Work was under way to strengthen arrangements for monitoring pupils’ progress.
Achievement
By the end of S2, the majority of pupils had attained appropriate national levels in reading and writing in 2004 but less than half did so in 2005. The majority of pupils had attained appropriate national levels in listening in 2004 and 2005 but less than half did so in talking. The proportion of S4 pupils attaining Standard Grade awards at grades 1-2 was below the national average, although there was evidence of recent improvement. The proportion of pupils at S5 and S5/S6 gaining A-C grades at Higher was variable but was in line with national averages in 2005. Performance at Intermediate 1 and 2 at both S5 and S5/S6 varied but the proportion of A-C grades was in line with national averages in 2005. Performance at Advanced Higher was variable but over the last three years the majority of pupils presented had achieved an A-C grade.
Other features of pupils’ achievement included the following.
Mathematics
Learning and teaching
Teachers had recently reviewed and improved their approaches to learning and teaching. They involved pupils more actively in their learning through introducing more varied approaches. They were beginning to make effective use of ICT to enhance pupils’ learning. Pupils responded well to the variety of approaches. They were able to work together effectively to solve problems and were given opportunities to discuss their strategies. Teachers planned their tasks and activities very carefully to meet the needs of pupils. Overall, pupils worked at a brisk pace through these activities. Teachers had increased the level of challenge for pupils at S1/S2. At S2, pupils were enjoying the level of challenge. At S3 to S6, teachers met pupils’ needs well through the variety of approaches to learning and teaching which they used.
Achievement
By the end of S2, less than half of the pupils were attaining appropriate national levels although most were making good progress from their prior levels of attainment. By the end of S4, the proportion of pupils attaining Standard Grade awards at grades 1-2 was below the national average. By the end of S5, the proportion of pupils attaining A-C grades at Higher was overall well above the national average, but had significantly declined in 2005. At Intermediate 2, the proportion of pupils attaining A-C grades was well below the national average with too many pupils not attaining an award. At Intermediate 1, less than half of those presented attained A-C grades. At S6, the majority of those presented for Advanced Higher attained A-C grades.
Other features of pupils’ achievement included the following.
Computing
Learning and teaching
Teachers organised lessons well. They explained new work clearly and made very effective use of digital projectors to enliven lessons. Most lessons had a mix of individual practical exercises and whole class discussion. In some lessons too much time was spent on individual working and the pace of learning was slow. Some teachers set regular homework which met pupils’ needs and subsequently commented on it in detail, whereas others did not exploit homework successfully. Pupils worked conscientiously in class. However, some tasks, activities and resources were not motivating for pupils. Teachers made very good use of class organisation at S3/S4 and the very good range of courses at S5/S6 to meet pupils’ learning needs. However, at S2 the approaches to learning and teaching adopted by teachers were not as effective at meeting the wide range of pupils’ needs in S2 classes.
Achievement
At S2, pupils were able to use the basic features of word processing and database software. At this stage, pupils could solve problems by carrying out simple searches in a database and could make a simple database. Overall, pupils at S4 performed as well in computing as in their other Standard Grade subjects. The proportion of pupils attaining grades 1-2 was above the national average. At S5/S6 the majority entered for Higher computing, Higher information systems and Advanced Higher computing attained A-C grades.
Other features of pupils’ achievement included the following.
Music
Learning and teaching
Teachers carefully explained to pupils what they would learn and gave clear instructions. They questioned pupils well to check their understanding but did not always involve pupils in enough discussion to develop their thinking. Pupils approached their work very conscientiously. From S3 to S6, teachers selected tasks and activities that took account of most pupils’ needs and motivated them. However, at S1/S2, lessons did not always stimulate and challenge pupils sufficiently well and the pace of learning was too slow. Pupils needed more opportunities to select from a wider range of instruments, take greater responsibility for organising their work and collaborate in group performances. Although teachers were increasing their use of ICT to enhance pupils’ learning, particularly at S5/S6, they were not making enough use of this resource to help them support small groups and individuals in class music-making.
Achievement
Pupils at S1/S2 could play melodies or simple parts on a few classroom instruments. They showed awareness of basic musical ideas but their inventing skills lacked depth. They were capable of achieving higher standards. At S4, the proportion of pupils presented for Standard Grade was consistently well below the national average. However, high proportions of those presented attained grade 1. Most of the small number of S5/S6 pupils presented for Higher in recent years had attained A-C grades. At Advanced Higher, the few pupils presented all gained an award.
Other features of pupils’ achievement included the following.
The overall quality of pastoral care was very good. Guidance staff knew pupils very well. Pupils were appreciative of the level of care and support they received. Staff worked effectively as a team and with partner agencies to ensure an appropriate level of support for vulnerable pupils. Well structured arrangements for pupils transferring from P7 to S1 helped them settle readily into the school. The school had appropriate procedures for child protection, drugs misuse, safe use of the Internet and anti-racism. Staff actively discouraged bullying and dealt well with incidents which arose. The school promoted healthy lifestyles well. The school nurse provided very good health support for pupils.
The school made good provision for pupils’ personal and social development. Guidance staff had developed a well structured personal and social education (PSE) programme, which covered an appropriate range of topics and was enhanced by visiting groups and speakers. Parents had been appropriately informed about sensitive issues in the health education programme. In PSE lessons, teachers set tasks which engaged pupils’ interests and involved them actively in their learning. In addition to the PSE programme, the school provided pupils with a good range of additional opportunities to develop their personal and social skills. However, there was not a structured approach to evaluating and reporting on pupils’ progress in PSE and their overall personal and social development. Most pupils responded well to the school’s efforts to promote positive behaviour and staff were working hard to improve the behaviour of a small minority of pupils. Staff in the behaviour support base made effective provision for those pupils with challenging behaviour who were at risk of being excluded. They were sensitive to pupils’ needs, judged their interventions well and did much to raise pupils’ self-esteem.
Pupils received very effective curricular and vocational guidance. The school’s arrangements to support pupils and their parents enabled them to make suitable curricular choices at key transition stages. From S2 onwards, pupils were very well supported in making informed decisions about careers options. This included effective support from the school’s careers adviser within PSE lessons and through individual career interviews. Pupils were able to use an up-to-date careers area in the school library. Almost all pupils in S4 gained a National Qualification award through successfully participating in a well structured work experience programme. In addition, the school provided a good range of enterprise initiatives which was helping pupils to develop informed attitudes about work. Senior pupils had good opportunities to attend careers conventions and college and university open days. Pupils in S5 met regularly with a teacher mentor to discuss their progress.
Overall the quality of learning support was very good. The principal teacher of support for learning skilfully managed support for pupils across a range of subjects and through a wide range of effective individual and group programmes. Learning support staff closely monitored the progress of pupils with additional support needs through detailed individualised educational programmes (IEPs) and individualised action plans (IAPs). Almost all were making good progress towards their targets. The school’s supportive, inclusive approach gave pupils with additional support needs good opportunities to access a broad curriculum. Learning support staff helped subject teachers to meet the needs of these pupils by providing helpful support strategies and formal staff development. The well structured programme of primary visits, and close links with parents and relevant agencies ensured that the school was able to plan well in advance to meet the needs of prospective pupils.
The depute headteacher with overall responsibility for pastoral care led the guidance team very effectively and collaborated well with the depute headteacher who was responsible for learning and behaviour support. In many aspects of their work, the guidance, support for learning and behaviour support staff co-operated well with each other. The school was well placed to take forward its developing integrated approach to supporting pupils.
Aspect |
Comment |
Quality of accommodation and facilities |
The very good quality of accommodation and facilities included:
The recently re-furbished accommodation was well cared for by pupils and staff. Some areas of the school had stimulating displays of pupils’ work. However, the distance of the playing fields from the school constrained the timetabling of physical education. |
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
Relationships among staff and pupils were very positive, including those between staff and pupils in the behaviour support base. Pupils and staff identified strongly with the school and the morale of staff and pupils was high. The majority of pupils enjoyed their school experience and got on well with each other. Staff had very high expectations of pupils’ achievement, attendance and behaviour. Pupils generally responded positively to these high expectations, although some had low expectations of themselves. Staff valued pupils’ work and praised their efforts. High standards of achievement were celebrated through achievement certificates and a variety of school rewards. The school promoted equal opportunities well. The very effective accessibility strategy was creating more opportunities for all pupils to have broad learning experiences. Ethnic, religious and racial diversity were promoted in the curriculum and in the school’s day to day procedures. The chaplaincy team provided regular opportunities for religious observance. |
Partnership with parents and the community |
The school communicated very effectively with parents and the community through letters, a monthly newsletter, its award winning website and the local press. Parents of some pupils with learning difficulties also shared exceptionally good home/school diaries and participated in frequent reviews of their child’s learning and care plans. The school had effective links with the School Board and the parent-teacher association. Parents and other members of the community attended musical events and performances. Local businesses and a number of agencies also supported the school. |
The school was providing a good and improving education for most of its pupils and it was taking steps to broaden its provision to better meet the needs of all its pupils. Within a well-disciplined and supportive environment all pupils had good opportunities to attain high standards and achieve across a broad front. Teaching was effective and pupils responded positively.
The school was well led. The headteacher provided very effective leadership. He had provided a clear strategic direction for the school and had focused staff and pupils upon improving the ethos and quality of learning and teaching. He had also enabled senior managers and principal teachers to play an increasing role in leading school improvement. The senior managers worked together effectively and carried out their individual remits well. They played a prominent role in managing behaviour and setting the tone of the school. Most principal teachers with subject remits were improving their departments’ approaches to learning and teaching and meeting pupils’ needs. Some recently appointed principal teachers had innovative remits focussed on improving pupils’ achievements in the performing arts and outdoor education. Others were developing health education, mentoring and support for new teachers, and partnerships with parents and pupils.
A number of effective approaches enabled the school to evaluate its own performance and take appropriate steps to bring about further improvement. The headteacher, senior management link and relevant principal teacher annually reviewed each department’s performance in SQA examinations. This process was carried out to an exceptionally high standard and resulted in a clear action plan for each department, monitored by the relevant senior manager. Senior managers and principal teachers evaluated learning and teaching systematically. Overall, this process was effective and brought about improvements across the school. However, the good practices identified by senior managers were not shared effectively with all staff. The results of self-evaluation activities were used to compile a comprehensive standards and quality report to inform staff, parents and others about the performance of the school and which informed improvement priorities for the following year. The very good leadership together with effective quality assurance and the commitment of staff provide the school with the capacity to continue to improve.
Main points for action
The school and education authority should continue to take action to improve attainment at each stage and in doing so, they should take account of the need to:
What happens next?
As a result of the strong performance in aspects of the school’s work, the 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 and carers. Within two years of the publication of this report the education authority working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents and carers.
Terry Carr
HM Inspector
28 March 2006
The sections in the table below follow the order of 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.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement? |
||
Structure of the curriculum |
Adequate |
|
The teaching process |
Good |
|
Pupils’ learning experiences |
Good |
|
Meeting pupils’ needs |
Good |
|
Overall quality of attainment: S1/S2 |
Adequate |
|
Overall quality of attainment: S3/S4 |
Good |
|
Overall quality of attainment: S5/S6 |
Good |
|
How well are pupils supported? |
||
Pastoral care |
Very good |
|
Personal and social development |
Good |
|
Curricular and vocational guidance |
Very good |
|
Learning support |
Very good |
|
How good is the environment for learning? |
||
Accommodation and facilities |
Very good |
|
Climate and relationships |
Very good |
|
Expectations and promoting achievement |
Very good |
|
Equality and fairness |
Very good |
|
Partnership with parents, the School Board and the community |
Very good |
|
Improving the school |
||
Leadership |
Very good |
|
Effectiveness and deployment of staff with additional responsibilities |
Good |
|
Self-evaluation |
Good |
|
This report uses the following word scale to make clear the judgements made by inspectors:
excellent excellent
very good major strengths
good important strengths with areas for improvement
adequate strengths just outweigh weaknesses
weak important weaknesses
unsatisfactory major weaknesses
What parents thought the school did well |
What parents think the school could do better |
Almost all parents thought that:
|
Approximately one third thought that:
Approximately one quarter thought that:
|
What pupils thought the school did well |
What pupils think the school could do better |
Almost all pupils thought that:
|
Approximately half thought that that:
|
What staff thought the school did well |
What staff think the school could do better |
All teachers said that:
Almost all staff said that:
|
Approximately half of auxiliary staff thought that:
|
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels:
7: Advanced Higher at A-C/CSYS at A-C
6: Higher at A-C
5: Intermediate 2 at A-C; Standard Grade at 1-2
4: Intermediate 1 at A-C; Standard Grade at 3-4
3: Access 3 Cluster; Standard Grade at 5-6
Percentage of relevant S4 roll attaining by end of S4
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
||
English and Mathematics @ Level 3 |
Musselburgh Grammar |
89 |
87 |
92 |
Comparator Schools3 |
90 |
90 |
87 |
|
National |
91 |
91 |
90 |
|
5+ @ Level 3 or Better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
88 |
85 |
87 |
Comparator Schools |
90 |
89 |
87 |
|
National |
91 |
91 |
90 |
|
5+ @ Level 4 or Better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
70 |
72 |
70 |
Comparator Schools |
70 |
70 |
71 |
|
National |
76 |
77 |
76 |
|
5+ @ Level 5 or Better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
27 |
32 |
28 |
Comparator Schools |
25 |
26 |
25 |
|
National |
34 |
35 |
34 |
|
Percentage of relevant S4 roll attaining by end of S5
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
||
5+ @ Level 4 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
71 |
73 |
74 |
Comparator schools3 |
71 |
73 |
72 |
|
National |
78 |
78 |
78 |
|
5+ @ Level 5 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
33 |
36 |
38 |
Comparator schools |
36 |
35 |
35 |
|
National |
45 |
45 |
45 |
|
1+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
31 |
33 |
31 |
Comparator schools |
32 |
29 |
28 |
|
National |
39 |
39 |
39 |
|
3+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
19 |
20 |
18 |
Comparator schools |
16 |
13 |
13 |
|
National |
23 |
23 |
23 |
|
5+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
4 |
6 |
6 |
Comparator schools |
5 |
5 |
6 |
|
National |
10 |
9 |
10 |
|
Percentage of relevant S4 roll attaining by end of S6
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
||
5+ @ Level 5 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
32 |
35 |
37 |
Comparator schools3 |
37 |
39 |
38 |
|
National |
47 |
47 |
47 |
|
1+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
31 |
36 |
34 |
Comparator schools |
33 |
35 |
33 |
|
National |
44 |
44 |
43 |
|
3+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
23 |
25 |
25 |
Comparator schools |
22 |
22 |
21 |
|
National |
31 |
31 |
30 |
|
5+ @ Level 6 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
11 |
17 |
14 |
Comparator schools |
13 |
13 |
12 |
|
National |
20 |
20 |
19 |
|
1+ @ Level 7 or better |
Musselburgh Grammar |
13 |
17 |
12 |
Comparator schools |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
National |
12 |
12 |
12 |
|
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 Education and Children’s 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, Argyll House, 3rd Floor, Marketgait, Dundee DD1 1QP or by telephoning 01382 349999. Copies are also available on our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about secondary inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect secondary inspections you should write in the first instance to Frank Crawford, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG.
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, 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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