16 January 2007
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’ learning needs met?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?
St Patrick’s Primary School was inspected in October 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 innovation, and its 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. A member of the team met members of the School Board and a group of parents1.
The school serves the village of New Stevenston, on the outskirts of Motherwell. It had very recently moved to a new campus which it shared with another primary school and a nursery. At the time of the inspection the roll was 144. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was above the national average. Pupils’ attendance was below the national average. Commendably, the school had achieved the Charter Mark award for the second time.
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HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
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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.
Parents and carers, pupils and staff were very pleased with the school’s work. All parents who responded thought that their children enjoyed being at school and that staff showed care and concern for them. Almost all felt that the school had a very good reputation in the community and was well led. They felt that their children were treated fairly and that staff showed genuine concern for their welfare. They thought that the school set high standards for pupils’ attainment and particularly appreciated the examples of classwork and the regular reports they received concerning their children. Pupils stated that they enjoyed being at school. They felt that they were treated fairly and thought that the school helped them to stay safe and healthy. They thought that teachers helped them when they had difficulties. They felt that they had a good say through the children’s council in deciding how to make the school better. Some expressed concern about the noise levels in the school. Almost all staff were very positive about working in the school, felt they worked well together and thought that the school was well led. They felt that they had good opportunities to be involved in the decision-making process. All expressed concerns about the limitations of the learning and teaching environment of their new school accommodation.
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
The school provided pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers used time flexibly to balance and enrich pupils’ experiences and they ensured the development of language skills across the curriculum. The school provided a well-planned health education programme. Teachers delivered personal and social education effectively, including citizenship, through specific lessons. Enterprise was particularly well developed through successful events and the encouragement of appropriate skills across the curriculum. Pupils followed a good programme in information and communications technology (ICT). They had limited opportunities to use these skills in other areas of their work. The school’s current accommodation made it difficult to deliver two hours of physical education a week all year round. The overall quality of teaching was good, with very good practice observed in some classes, but overall, it could be more consistent. Teachers were committed to their pupils, created a positive learning climate and used praise effectively. They planned well for lessons, gave clear explanations and encouraged pupils to do their best. They used homework regularly, although there could be greater variety. In some classes, teachers engaged pupils well in their learning through effective questioning. In others, pupils’ active involvement, independence and sense of responsibility could be further developed. Classroom assistants provided valued support, both in working with pupil groups and supporting classroom activities.
The overall quality of pupils’ learning was good. Almost all pupils were motivated, responsive to the positive ethos and remained on task. Pupils worked well while not directly supervised. In some lessons, teachers did not consistently provide pupils with opportunities to work independently or collaboratively or to be creative in their learning. At times, the accommodation limited the range of activities organised and in particular, restricted active learning. Pupils in P1 to P3 had no designated area for learning through play. However, the school was making efforts to address this issue, and others associated with learning, within the possibilities of the space available.
The school offered pupils a range of experiences beyond the formal school curriculum. Pupils enjoyed these opportunities which helped them to develop self-confidence and a variety of personal skills. The children’s council, organised by P7 and involving children from P2 to P7, enabled pupils to have an active involvement in decision making. Pupils in the upper stages gained a sense of responsibility and self-confidence through acting as ‘buddies’, helping and encouraging P1 pupils. Pupils also gained in knowledge about health and healthy activities through involvement in the health promotion committee and a range of appropriate lessons. An extensive programme of enterprise activities across the stages enabled children to develop many useful personal and interpersonal skills. School visits also supported pupils in growing in confidence and independence. A number of pupils gained personally from participation in a range of sports, clubs and drama and musical activities, often delivered by visiting teachers. Pupils enjoyed their involvement in the school’s annual art exhibition.
English language
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was good. Levels of attainment showed a decreasing trend in reading. However, the trend in writing had improved in the last three years. Most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels in reading and writing. Some pupils reached national levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils with additional support needs were making satisfactory progress in their language work. Most pupils in the early years were able to communicate effectively with their teachers and each other. Most pupils across the stages were developing appropriate skills in listening and talking and the majority could confidently present their ideas to their class. Some pupils were less confident in finding appropriate language to discuss or explain a point from a text. Across the school, most pupils were making good progress in developing their reading skills. Most read with appropriate fluency and could answer questions about the texts they had read. However, they needed better opportunities to discuss language and explore the writer’s craft. Most pupils from P3 to P7 wrote appropriately in different writing contexts and were responding well to the school’s writing programme and to teachers’ raised expectations. There were some good examples of extended writing. However, the range and quality of personal writing required further improvement. The majority of pupils demonstrated a good awareness of correct use of language in their writing.
Mathematics
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment was good. Most
pupils achieved appropriate national levels. A number had attained
these levels early, particularly in P2. Almost all performed well
in tasks set in class, but these were sometimes insufficiently
challenging. Pupils at P7 were able to interpret information from
different types of graphs. Pupils generally needed to use computers
more regularly to collect and display information. Most pupils were
developing good skills in written calculations and could carry
these out with confidence and accuracy. At P1, pupils were
confident in their numbers up to five. At P5, most pupils were
accurate in adding and subtracting time using a clock face. At P7,
pupils could recall multiplication tables well but had difficulty
working with fractions, decimals and percentages. Across the
school, pupils had a good knowledge of two- and
three-dimensional shapes and could confidently discuss their
properties. Pupils from P3 to P7 were developing good problem
solving skills and could describe a range of strategies.
Overall, strengths just outweighed weaknesses in the school’s approaches to meeting pupils’ learning needs. The school had well organised arrangements in place to support pupils transferring from the nursery and from P7. Teachers were aware of the range of learning needs in their classrooms and most chose materials and selected tasks and activities that met pupils’ needs well. Classroom assistants were working effectively with groups of pupils who were experiencing difficulties in their learning. However, this support needed to be more rigorously managed, underpinned by a clear and updated policy for support for learning. The policy should ensure that all those involved in supporting pupils are well informed and involved in decision making. The school had individualised educational programmes (IEPs) that were well defined but these needed to be reviewed more regularly. The results of reviews should be recorded formally. An ongoing review of support for learning was required, to allow for a more targeted and flexible deployment of staff to support pupils’ learning.
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Aspect |
Comment |
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Pastoral care |
The school’s arrangements for ensuring the care and welfare of pupils were very good and were founded on well understood policies and procedures, including child protection. The headteacher and all staff showed a very caring attitude and respect towards their pupils. They provided support which was sensitive to all pupils’ physical, social and emotional needs. Pupils felt safe and secure in the school and were very clear about the procedures for dealing with any incidents of bullying. They felt confident that they could approach staff if they needed help and had access to appropriate opportunities to express concerns. The school had established a range of ways of creating a health promoting school and had achieved a bronze level award for their achievements. The school was trying to improve the attendance of some specific pupils through a variety of means, including maintaining close contact with families. |
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Quality of accommodation and facilities |
The overall quality of accommodation was good. The school had recently moved into new premises, sharing the campus with another primary school, nursery and community library. All staff had made significant efforts to adapt to their new environment. The shared facilities had some excellent features, such as the music room, school hall, dining area, library and outside sports area. The whole building was very well finished and furnished and fully accessible, and had effective security arrangements. The school was still exploring how to make best use of its learning and teaching area to ensure the quality of pupils’ learning experience. All stages from P1 to P7 were situated in a single semi open-plan area, with room dividers helping to define separate learning bases. The bases had been designed for small numbers of pupils but had not taken sufficient account of the need for space for common purposes. The school needed to maximise scope for play in P1 to P3 and for active learning at all stages. The headteacher, in discussion with the headteacher of the neighbouring primary school, should explore the possibilities for more flexible use of joint campus facilities. Noise levels arising from classes’ normal working often disrupted pupils’ learning in other base areas. The education authority had committed to further enhancements of the acoustics in the learning bases. It should also satisfy itself that infant toilet facilities, particularly for boys, are sufficient. The education authority should continue to provide support for staff as they explore best use of the school’s accommodation. |
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Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality |
There was a very welcoming atmosphere. Pupils and staff clearly identified with the school and were proud of it. Staff had high expectations of attitudes and behaviour and pupils were friendly and polite and helped one another. Senior pupils took on responsibility through the children’s council and buddying younger pupils. In a spirit of inclusion, the school valued every individual, and children’s achievements were clearly recognised and celebrated in classrooms and at assemblies. Pupils were often involved in helping to choose which pupils would receive an award. The school placed a very high value on pupils having their say and involved pupils from P2 to P7 in the children’s council. The school used regular assemblies to enable pupils to worship together and to celebrate achievement. Pupils raised funds for charity. Staff relationships with pupils and parents promoted a sense of equality and fairness. The school had a policy for racial equality but staff required further training in this area. |
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Partnership with parents and the community |
The school’s links with parents and the community were a strength. The school had initiated good relations with the recently-formed School Board. Parents supported the school very well in a range of activities. The school kept parents very well informed through a school handbook and regular newsletters. The school issued two informative reports on pupils’ progress each year. Commendably, five times a year, the school also sent home pupils’ work and asked parents for their comment. This had the clear potential to build a good working partnership between school and parents. The school consulted parents on sensitive health issues. It appreciated its productive involvement with the parish. It had established positive relationships with the other primary school on the campus and was planning integrated activities. The school had built an effective partnership with a local training company, in order to raise pupils’ early awareness of the world of work and to support the development of life skills. |
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
St Patrick’s Primary School provided a caring and supportive environment in which pupils were valued as individuals and encouraged to work hard. This was underpinned by the commitment of all staff, the very good relationships within the school and the high quality of pastoral care. The quality of pupils’ attainment in English language and mathematics was good overall. The overall quality of learning and teaching was good. Leadership was sound and aspects of self-evaluation were impacting positively on the school’s improvement. The school had the capacity to continue to improve. However, the school and education authority needed to ensure that the school’s accommodation will offer an appropriate learning environment for all pupils.
The headteacher provided good leadership and had achieved a positive influence on the school’s development in a number of ways. She was very committed to the school, its staff and pupils, and had a sound knowledge of the community the school served. She was supportive of staff and successfully encouraged them to take on responsibilities for aspects of the school’s work. She knew her staff well and had developed teamwork. Commendably, she had led the school to a further, second achievement of the Charter Mark award. The principal teacher gave her strong support and successfully fulfilled many aspects of her remit, including enterprise. Both had offered staff significant support in leading the recent move to the new buildings. As part of the school’s further improvement, the headteacher should review her remit and that of the principal teacher to ensure an appropriate focus on the necessary areas for further development. The school had established a range of effective procedures for evaluating the work of the school and monitoring pupil progress. The headteacher regularly monitored teachers’ plans, discussed relevant issues and sampled pupils’ jotters. She observed the classroom practice of each member of staff a few times a year and offered written feedback and the opportunity for discussion. The school produced a clear standards and quality report each year. The headteacher needed to focus more clearly on improving the quality of pupils’ learning experiences. Building on the positive staff climate, she needed to work more closely with teachers in the classroom to monitor practice and support improvement. She should be clearer about the areas of practice requiring change and ensure that all staff are more directly involved in evaluating the quality of the school’s work.
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Main points for action The school and education authority should take action to improve the quality of learning experience, support for learning and self-evaluation. 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. In the interim period, the District Inspector will continue to monitor progress with improving the acoustics in the learning bases.
Alan P Ogg
HM Inspector
16 January 2007
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.
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How good are learning, teaching and achievement? |
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Structure of the curriculum |
very good |
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The teaching process |
good |
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Pupils’ learning experiences |
good |
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Pupils’ attainment in English language |
good |
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Pupils’ attainment in mathematics |
good |
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How well are pupils learning needs met? |
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Meeting pupils’ needs |
adequate |
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How good is the environment for learning? |
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Pastoral care |
very good |
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Accommodation and facilities |
good |
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Climate and relationships |
very good |
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Expectations and promoting achievement |
good |
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Equality and fairness |
good |
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Partnership with parents, the School Board, and the community |
very good |
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Leading and improving the school |
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Leadership of the headteacher |
good |
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Self-evaluation |
good |
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:
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excellent |
excellent |
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very good |
major strengths |
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good |
important strengths with some areas for improvement |
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adequate |
strengths just outweigh weaknesses |
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weak |
important weaknesses |
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unsatisfactory |
major weaknesses |
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below
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What parents thought the school did well |
What parents think the school could do better |
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What pupils thought the school did well |
What pupils think the school could do better |
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What staff thought the school did well |
What staff think the school could do better |
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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, Europa Building, 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 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 HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
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, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or e-mail ask@spso.org.uk More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2007
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.
1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.