S T A N D A R D I N S P E C T I O N 3

· good support from the parent-teacher association in raising additional funds for the school;

· very good arrangements for parents to comment on the work of the school; and

· a range of visitors who added to pupils’ experience by talking to them about the local area and its community.

In addition to the normal end-of-year reports, the school issued parents with frequent written comments on the progress of their children. The end-of-year reports did not always include information about how pupils could improve their performance.

Accommodation The school had good, well-maintained accommodation and was pleasantly situated. Classrooms were spacious and outdoor games facilities were very good.

Staffing and resources The class at the middle stages had experienced a turnover of staff two years ago and again in the present session. Pupils had been unsettled by changes of teacher, with the result that attainment was not as good as it should have been. Non-teaching staff provided good support to pupils and teachers. Levels of resources were very good. The headteacher managed the budget very well and linked spending well to the school development plan.

Curriculum The curriculum covered all areas recommended in national advice. Pupils in P6 and P7 were learning French. The time allocated to environmental studies was below that recommended in national advice.

Although the programme for English language was generally good overall, the school had identified the need to improve the programme in writing to raise standards . Pupils currently completed too many formal language exercises, and did not have sufficient opportunities to write at length.

The programme in mathematics was generally good. It gave suitable coverage to all aspects in line with national advice. Pupils had insufficient opportunities to use computers to support the different aspects of the programme.

The overall programme for environmental studies was good. Teachers’ plans gave good detail on what pupils were to learn and how they were to be assessed. The programme for history did not give pupils a progressive and coherent experience. A good start had been made to developing a more detailed programme for information and communications technology.

The health education programme was good. It gave appropriate attention to healthy living, personal safety, drugs education and issues of fitness and hygiene.