10 October 2006
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?
St Kevin’s RC School was inspected in May 2006 as part of a national sample of provision for pupils with additional support needs. 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 communication and mathematics and understanding and relating to the environment (URE).
HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met a group of parents1. There was no School Board.
The inspection team also evaluated aspects of the school’s progress in implementing national recommendations related to improving aspects of school meals provision.
St Kevin’s RC School is a denominational school serving North Glasgow. The school provided primary education for pupils with a range of additional support needs. The school also made enhanced provision for a few pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. Almost all pupils had a Record of Needs. At the time of the inspection the roll was 54. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well above the national average. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average.
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
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HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to all parents, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.
Almost all parents were very happy with the work of the school. They all believed that the school encouraged their children to work to the best of their ability. They felt that staff showed care and concern for pupils’ welfare and that the school was well led. Almost all agreed that they received regular and helpful advice from staff and support services. A few were concerned about a recent reduction in therapy services at the school. All pupils agreed that they enjoyed being at school. They felt that the school took steps to keep them safe and expected them to work hard. A few felt that other pupils’ behaviour was not good enough. When talking with the inspection team, they said that staff were good at helping them when they were upset. Pupils liked the way they were involved in decisions, particularly about how to promote healthy eating. Teaching and support staff were also very positive about the school. In particular, they felt that they communicated well with each other and showed care and concern for pupils’ welfare. Almost all felt that the school set high standards for pupils’ attainment and celebrated their success regularly.
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
Overall, the quality of the curriculum was adequate. In consultation with the education authority, the school had recently increased the length of the school day for pupils in line with mainstream primary schools. Additional time had been allocated to promoting pupils physical, personal and social development through a daily breakfast club and motivational activities. However, these learning activities did not have clearly defined learning outcomes. Learning experiences and programmes of study were well-planned to ensure that pupils could develop skills and understanding progressively across the school. At all stages, the school gave appropriate attention to religious and moral education (RME) and personal, social and health education. Some aspects of the environmental studies programme, including science, social subjects and information and communication technology (ICT) were not yet effectively meeting the needs of all pupils. Overall, the quality of teaching was good. Teachers’ questioning was generally clear and focused and pitched at an appropriate level. Pupils contributions were encouraged and valued. The most effective teaching made skilled use of visual resources such as symbols and pictures to support pupils’ understanding. Most teachers provided pupils with high expectations, well-structured enjoyable learning and opportunities to reflect on their learning.
Pupils’ experience of learning was positive overall. They responded particularly enthusiastically to imaginative tasks in art and design and practical activities in physical education. A group of pupils at the upper primary stages worked with the Scottish Centre for Puppet Making to design and make puppets. More recently, pupils participated in a stimulating project focusing on Japanese culture and art work. They worked well together where they were given opportunities to do so for example in physical education and through the learning community writing programme at the upper primary stages. However, the school needed to extend these opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively. Staff and pupils were planning a health fair day where parents would be invited to sample the healthy lunches. The school had been very successful in discouraging pupils from bringing unhealthy snacks to school. Occasionally a few pupils found it difficult to contribute and concentrate. This was often when activities were too slow or involved too much listening. Staff made flexible and motivating use of visits and practical activities like shopping and gardening to develop pupils’ communication and language skills and their understanding of the environment.
The school successfully promoted pupils’ wider interests and achievements. They had regularly been successful in local competitions, for example by winning medals for their art work. A local museum and art gallery exhibited some of their work and colourful murals produced by pupils were displayed about the school. A few pupils had successfully competed in a national sports event and most pupils regularly participated in sporting activities including walking, jogging and swimming. The school had recently received a platinum Eco Schools award for developing attractive outdoor garden areas. Members of the pupil council had discussed the quality of school meals and had effectively implemented their decision to discourage pupils from bringing sweets and fizzy drinks to school. Senior pupils enthusiastically took advantage of the opportunity to participate in a range of outdoor activities during their annual residential trip to Blairvadach outdoor centre.
English language and communication
Overall the quality of pupils’ experiences and achievement in English language and communication was good. Pupils were making progress towards their group targets in English language in line with their stage of development. In the early stages, most pupils worked well through structured activities by responding to stories and rhymes and practising their pre-writing skills. Pupils with the most complex needs in the enhanced provision were using Picture Exchange Communication Systems well to request objects and activities. A few teachers used some visual symbols effectively to support pupils’ understanding of school routines. Pupils would further benefit from extending the use of these symbols to other practical contexts to improve their communication skills. At the middle stages, most pupils were developing early reading and writing skills. A few could read and understand a simple story and most pupils were learning to write their name. At the upper stages, most pupils had made a start to reading and were making steady progress. A learning community teacher provided very good opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively on personal writing using ICT. Most pupils at the upper stages interacted well with adults and initiated conversations about their work and experiences on outings.
Mathematics and understanding and relating to the environment
The overall quality of pupils’ achievements in understanding and relating to the environment was very good. Through taking part in educational excursions, such as visits to local shops and other schools, they were extending their knowledge and understanding of people and places. Almost all were acquiring appropriate basic skills in number work, shape and position and information handling. Most pupils were making good progress in meeting targets in their group educational programmes. At the early stages pupils were making a very positive start to the development of early number skills and were learning them in practical situations and through play. In science, pupils were improving their understanding by exploring the natural environment and undertaking investigations. Pupils at the lower stages had successfully constructed a playground garden. At the middle stages pupils were developing confidence in counting in sets. At the upper stages pupils were developing good skills in measurement and were able to estimate and measure length. In class 8 almost all pupils were confident in working with lines of symmetry and were able to identify them on flags. A few pupils demonstrated their ability to accurately estimate and measure the length of the school plaground in metres. Across the school pupils were making a good start in developing skills in the use of ICT. At the middle and upper stages they were becoming confident in working with an interactive whiteboard.
Personal and social education
Pupils were making very good progress in developing personal and social skills and positive attitudes. They were courteous and very well behaved both within and out with the school and related well to their teachers. Most were making very good progress towards achieving their individualised targets in personal and social development. At all stages, pupils responded well to daily classroom routines and regular homework. Their positive contribution at school assemblies showed their strong sense of identity and belonging to their school. Pupils socialised well with one another at lunchtime and younger pupils particularly enjoyed the weekly lunchtime play sessions with their upper school buddies. At all stages, pupils were encouraged to support each others’ successes and frequently celebrated the good work of their classmates. In classes at the middle and upper stages, pupils effectively carried out responsibilities within the classroom including looking after and safely storing classroom equipment. All pupils understood that healthy food was important to help them grow and keep well. Pupils were regularly offered fresh fruit as part of the health education programme.
The school had very good arrangements in place to ensure the care, welfare and protection of pupils. There were regular training sessions and written procedures for dealing with child protection incidents, bullying, seizures and other aspects of care and welfare. Staff were caring and sensitive in dealing with pupils’ emotional, physical and social needs. Positive steps had been taken to promote healthy life choices. Water was readily available for pupils and there was a good range of healthy choices of school lunches in the dining facility. There was appropriate attention to pupils’ physical health with regular fitness sessions, advice from the school nurse and specialist support from the occupational therapist. Along with the speech and language therapists, these partner agencies provided valuable support for pupils alongside staff in classrooms. The headteacher was actively seeking to make individual care plan information available to all key school staff who were responsible for pupils.
Overall, pupils’ needs were well met at the school. All teachers set targets for pupils’ learning within group rather than individualised educational programmes. However, the group targets set in English language and mathematics were too difficult for some pupils and teachers frequently reviewed targets to match them more appropriately to pupils’ individual needs. The school took appropriate account of pupils’ linguistic and cultural background and very good additional support was provided by the visiting English as an additional language teacher. Pupil support assistants played a key role in ensuring appropriate support for pupils both in class and in the playground. A learning support teacher provided some appropriate support for a small group of pupils in the upper school. Although staff provided good support for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, the rationale and criteria for admission to the enhanced provision required further clarification to ensure continuity of these pupils’ learning experiences.
Aspect |
Comment |
Quality of accommodation and facilities |
Overall, the school had adequate accommodation with appropriate disabled access. This included spacious and attractive classrooms and a large hall which was well used as a gymnasium, assembly area and dining room. Security arrangements within the school building were effective. However, water frequently leaked through the flat roof, particularly in the common area for senior pupils. There were uneven slabs in the playground and a broken external gate and low fencing meant that the outside areas were open to the public, resulting in frequent vandalism. |
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
The school had a very positive and welcoming atmosphere which was conducive to learning. The receptionist and janitor provided a warm welcome. Staff demonstrated very effective teamwork in class and showed a strong commitment to pupils’ care and learning. Expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning were high and this was reinforced through golden targets at assembly. Pupils experienced a variety of enterprise opportunities such as organising school events, making and selling cards, calendars and Christmas decorations. Groups of pupils had recently performed musical activities at the Glasgow City Chambers and the Royal Concert Hall. The school provided appropriate opportunities for religious observance through RME, weekly assemblies and involvement of the school chaplain at the regular termly masses. Staff and pupils felt that they were treated fairly and equally and consulted about school matters. Pupils at the upper stages had worked well to develop their understanding of equal opportunities through a survey of disability access to the school. The school recognised the need to promote racial equality more actively. |
Partnership with parents and the community |
The school had good partnerships with parents and the wider community. Parents received clear information about the work of the school through regular parents’ evenings, newsletters and reports. The school took steps to consult parents about sensitive health issues. A special arrangement with a local food cooperative enabled pupils and their families to order healthy fruit and vegetables. Reviews of pupils’ progress involved parents and support agencies in contributing to planning and supporting learning. Parents had raised significant sums of money for school resources and equipment. Local businesses had also been generous with sponsorship. The school had well-established links with St Aidan’s and Joan of Arc schools which helped pupils transfer confidently to secondary school. |
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
St Kevin’s RC School provided a caring and supportive learning environment for pupils. Staff celebrated pupils’ successes and encouraged them to develop their confidence and self-esteem. The school was effective in working with support agencies to meet pupils’ needs and in promoting healthy lifestyles across the school. Overall, pupils had a good standard of education. However, activities taking place during the additional time allocated to bring the length of the school day in line with mainstream primary schools needed to focus more clearly on learning outcomes which would benefit all pupils.
The school was very well led. The headteacher had been in post for five years and had a clear vision for the school. She had won the respect and confidence of staff, parents and pupils. She had been very successful in encouraging teamwork and had empowered staff to share responsibility for improving the school. She had strengthened partnerships with support services and increased levels of resources to support pupils’ learning. The experienced depute headteacher gave effective support to the headteacher in monitoring the effectiveness and pace of learning. She had successfully taken the lead in developing an appropriate curriculum for pupils in mathematics and health education.
Overall, the quality of the school’s approach to self-evaluation was good. All staff had been involved in using National Quality indicators to identify school strengths and priorities for improvement. Teachers carried out some evaluation of their own practice and demonstrated a good knowledge of pupils’ strengths and development needs. They received clear feedback on their planning and teaching from senior managers. However, staff were unclear about how to improve their teaching. Regular class team meetings ensured that staff planned effectively to meet the needs of individual pupils. There were clear systems to track and monitor pupils’ progress in learning. A comprehensive standards and quality report clearly identified the key areas for improvement.
Main points for action The school and education authority should take action to improve the extent to which pupils’ needs were met. In doing so they should take account of the need to:
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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. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.
Kate Hannah
HM Inspector
10 October 2006
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.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement? |
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Structure of the curriculum |
adequate |
The teaching process |
good |
Pupils’ learning experiences |
good |
Pupils’ attainment in English language |
good |
Pupils’ attainment in mathematics |
very good |
Personal and social development |
very good |
How well are pupils supported? |
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Pastoral care |
very good |
Meeting pupils’ needs |
good |
How good is the environment for learning? |
|
Accommodation and facilities |
adequate |
Climate and relationships |
very good |
Expectations and promoting achievement |
very good |
Equality and fairness |
very good |
Partnership with parents and the community |
good |
Improving the school |
|
Leadership |
very good |
Self-evaluation |
good |
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:
excellent |
excellent |
very good |
major strengths |
good |
important strengths, some areas for improvement |
adequate |
strengths just outweigh weaknesses |
weak |
important weaknesses |
unsatisfactory |
major weaknesses |
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.
What parents thought the school did well |
What parents think the school could do better |
Parents were very satisfied with almost all aspects of the school’s work. All parents felt that:
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A few parents wanted to know more about:
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What pupils thought the school did well |
What pupils think the school could do better |
Pupils were positive about most aspects of the school. Almost all felt that:
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What staff thought the school did well |
What staff think the school could do better |
Staff were very positive about almost all aspects of the school. All staff felt that:
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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, 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, 1st Floor, Europa House, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8LG or by telephoning 0141 242 0100. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about inspections of provision for pupils with additional support needs
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of provision for pupils with additional support needs, you should write in the first instance to Frank Crawford, 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
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