Tobermory High School
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 June 2025
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 11 June 2025 and its agenda
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTAINMENT REPORT AREA COMMITTEE SCHOOL BADGE Tobermory High School
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11th June 2025 School information/school context – include SIMD etc. • 2 – 18 school • ELC – 18 pupils • Primary – 80 pupils (serves Tobermory solely) • Secondary – 156 pupils (Tobermory, Salen, Dervaig, Ulva Ferry and Lochdon) • Fluent Gàidhlig speakers from Salen Primary move to THS for Secondary provision • 156 families across whole school • FME Primary (2.5 % based on P6 and P7 only) and Secondary (5.1 %) Unique Island Context: • SIMD – all addresses on the island are in vigintiles 12/14 (not indicative of reality) • Transport implications (including pupils travelling from mainland) • Rural Isolation
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Section 1 S3 ACEL Attainment in Literacy and Numeracy School Level % Achieved Reading Writing L&T Literacy Numeracy Tobermory High School Third Level or better 100 100 100 100 96.6 Argyll & Bute Third Level or better 91.9 87.5 89.8 86.3 92.1 Tobermory High School Fourth Level 75.9 72.4 79.3 69.0 51.7 Argyll & Bute Fourth Level 67.2 65.6 69.6 64.1 64.4 S3 ACEL – Gaelic (if applicable) School Level % Achieved Gaelic Reading Gaelic Writing Gaelic L&T Tobermory High School Third Level or better 100 100 100
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Tobermory High School Fourth Level 16.7 16.7 16.7 Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength in BGE Attainment: Tobermory High School demonstrates strong and improved performance in all areas of Third Level or better ACEL Attainment in S3, with 100% achievement in Reading, Writing, Learning & Teaching (L&T), and Literacy, reflecting a more consistent approach to these key academic domains. This performance suggests that the School's teaching approaches are well aligned with student needs. The 96.6% in Numeracy further underscores the School’s improvements. Overall, Tobermory High School has made gains across the board at this level. Tobermory High School is outperforming the Argyll and Bute average for Third Level or better in all Literacy and Numeracy areas. Improvements have also been made at Fourth Level Attainment, where we have outperformed Argyll and Bute in all Literacy organisers. Improvements are also evident in the Gaelic data, with all pupils achieving Third Level or better in Literacy. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development in BGE Attainment: The primary focus is Numeracy, particularly at Level 4. We will seek to assess the specific challenges in Numeracy education in the BGE: individual pupil needs, teaching pedagogies and resource allocation. We will also continue to develop and enhance the moderation journey, looking outwards as a small school to ensure robust procedures in place to establish nationally consistent standards. In addition, maintaining the high performance in Literacy is important, with the school continuing to challenge pupils and adapt curricular delivery to sustain and further enhance attainment in these areas.
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Section 2 National Qualifications 2023 – Percentage of Awards – A-C and A-D
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Evaluative Comment Tobermory High School is, for session 23/24, above the national average for A – D% average attainment at N5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. (N5: 91.08% to 89.1%; Higher: 91.43% to 89.5%; Advanced Higher: 100% to 89.9%), showing an overall positive picture for these measures. This is also the case at Advanced Higher for A – C attainment, where we had all pupils achieving an A – C pass compared to the national picture of 75.3%. Advanced Higher remains a
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positive attainment measure for Tobermory High School (now a three-year positive trend when compared to national figures); although we recognise that we are presenting very small numbers. Indeed, it is vital to note that presentation numbers at all levels impact our statistics, as each pupil carries a higher than national % weighting due to the relatively small numbers involved. It is also pertinent to take into account the School’s considerably higher than national average % of pupils with additional support needs. Our current data shows over 49% of secondary pupils have a recorded need. In addition, our island setting offers no alternative provision for pupils and the rurality of the School can limit partnership inclusion support. The picture at A – C % attainment for both N5 and Higher remains a focal area for improvement, with both measures sitting below the national average (N5 69.48% to 77.2%; Higher 64.29% to 74.9% respectively). That being said, the context and presentations trend show an improving picture. Previously, pupils at Tobermory were routinely presented for only 5 N5 qualifications (the lowest nationally), whereas now the offer of up to 7 qualifications is the norm, with almost a third of the S4 cohort gaining 7 or 8 N5 qualifications and over a third attaining 6 or more in session 2023/24. Our S4 presentations rate has increased year on year from 4.25 in 2021 to 5.75 in 2024. Similarly, N5 presentations in S5 have increased from 0.39 in 2021 to 1.17 in 2024. This places us for 2024 above the Argyll and Bute averages for N5 presentations (S4 – 4.33 and S5 0.94 respectively). We are also above the Argyll and Bute average for S6 Higher presentations, with the School rate at 2 (an increase from 0.85 in 2022). Our S5 Higher presentation rate remains more variable and an area to address for ongoing improvement, sitting 0.25 below the Argyll and Bute average in 2024. Whilst we recognise that our A-C attainment requires improvement to come into line with the national picture, we can see some evidence of impact within the 2024 attainment data from our targeted improvements. We saw an increase in A grades awarded at both N5 and Higher against last session: N5 A grade attainment increased to 27.88% from 25.26% whilst Higher A grade attainment moved to 14.49% from 9.38%. We have also seen a decrease in No Awards at both N5 and Higher this session: N5 No Awards down to 9.13% from 12.89% and Higher No Awards down to 7.25% from 10.94%. Our presentation approach is increasingly aspirational and we are trying to develop our course offerings to pupils. Section 3 Insight Data What is Insight Scotland?
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Insight is a professional tool, aimed at teachers and other staff. It is used to help secondary schools and local authorities identify areas of success and where improvements can be made for pupils in the senior phase. The dashboard has four measures: • Improving Attainment in Literacy and Numeracy (presented below as separate Literacy and Numeracy graphs) • Increasing Post-School Participation • Improving Attainment for All • Attainment Versus Deprivation The school’s data below is compared to what is termed The Virtual Comparator. The virtual comparator consists of a sample group of school leavers from schools in other local authorities who have similar characteristics to the school leavers from the school in question. This allows the most accurate and meaningful comparison of attainment data. Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Literacy and Numeracy • Tobermory High School has maintained and increased the SCQF 5 attainment in Literacy, outperforming its virtual comparator for the last three years. • At Level 5, Tobermory has also maintained a three-year positive attainment picture in Numeracy. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development • To focus on Level 4 (in both Literacy and Numeracy) to bring attainment in this area back in line with our virtual comparators. 3a Improving Attainment in Literacy and Numeracy
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3b Increased post-school participation Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength • We have an excellent record of accomplishment in supporting school leavers into a positive destination, outperforming all comparators. • Every pupil in 2024 was supported into a positive destination post-school, maintaining the positive trend for Tobermory High School. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development
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• Continue to build partnership working to ensure positive and appropriate destinations are maintained for all pupils. 3c Improving attainment for all
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Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Tobermory High School outperforms all comparators for the Lowest 20% of pupils. This maintains a four-year positive trend in this area. We have a higher than average % of pupils with ASN and appropriate coursing/introducing new accreditation routes has been a focus for us. In addition, we have been moving towards a more aspirational coursing policy, in a shift from a previously more selective approach. As a result, we have more pupils (across all ability levels) being presented for qualifications. Analysis of pace, complexity of coursework and curricular rigour are ongoing in this area to ensure continued and increased performance. For S5 pupils, our Middle 60% attainment is in line with our virtual comparator and above all other comparators, indicating the cohort dependent nature of our figures due to the small numbers we are presenting. It is vital to note that presentation numbers at all levels impact our statistics, as each pupil carries a higher than national % weighting due to the relatively small numbers involved. With our Highest 20% attainment, we have maintained from the previous session the pattern of comparison against our virtual comparator, with almost all comparators experiencing a similar dip in attainment in 2024. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development Our S4 attainment affected our total tariff data. Within this cohort, we had a small number of pupils who did not attend school/had complex support needs. This impacted the overall attainment for this cohort. That being said, a focus on high quality learning and teaching, alongside a continued focus on appropriate coursing and targeted interventions is required to improve our average total tariff point data. In particular, our Middle 60% and Highest 20% groups will be the key focus for ongoing improvement. Strategies will include: • Early intervention and ongoing monitoring. • A focus on high quality learning, teaching and assessment (including study skills and exam preparation). • Continued focus on curriculum design and offering (with a flexible approach). • Increasing staff confidence in utilising data and analytics for improvement.
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3d Attainment versus Deprivation The restricted nature of our SIMD vigintile placement removes statistical significance in terms of analysis of this measure. At SIMD 6 we perform better than our virtual comparator.
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At SIMD 7 we remain slightly behind our virtual comparator, but the gap continues to lessen, showing that we are tackling disadvantage and improving attainment. Section 4: Wider Achievement Qualifications National Certificates; Higher National Certificates; Scottish Vocational Qualifications; National Progression Awards; Skills for Work qualifications; Foundation Apprenticeships; Scottish Baccalaureate Overall evaluative comment/narrative on Wider Achievement Qualifications in your school: • Pupils in S4 gain a Personal Development unit accreditation through their Work Experience placement, as well as accreditation through Core RMPS. • Pupils in S5 and S6 have timetabled Wider Achievement time to promote this aspect of the curriculum. • Pupils in S5 and S6 gain a Community based accreditation unit through their participation in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative project. • Pupils in S6 were supported to gain a Level 6 SQA qualification through partnership work with Powering Futures, equipping learners with critical meta-skills that employers are looking for whilst gaining an understanding of sustainability knowledge. All pupils in S6 were successful in gaining this additional award. We continue to seek opportunities for wider achievement. Level 5 Maritime was offered virtually to a small cohort of pupils, with all gaining at least one unit and 5 gaining the full award. We also widened the suite of course offerings for pupils within the school setting, with increased National Progression Awards (NPA) in the Business and Computing field. We also worked in partnership with Argyll College to present pupils virtually for Criminology and Psychology courses. This is an ongoing area for development with increased offerings again this session – Personal Development Award, Employability, Leadership and NPA in Applied Science. We have also supported pupils to gain NPA qualifications in Scottish Bagpipes through partnership working with the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.
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Section 5 Equity and Attainment – Evaluation of Key Factors Factor in attainment Attendance School Ave. Att. 23-24: 88.8% (87.3% in Argyll and Bute) Persistent Absence: 36% (45% in Argyll and Bute) Exclusion No. of Exclusion Incidents 23-24: 0 No. of Exclusion Openings 23-24: 0 Rate per 1000 pupils: 0 (18.2 in Argyll and Bute) Additional Support Needs Census 2023: 43% (40% in Argyll and Bute) SIMD Census 2023: 0% in Deciles 1-3 (18% in Argyll and Bute) Free School Meal Entitlement Census 2023: 5% (14% in Argyll and Bute) Care Experienced (and previously Care Experienced) Census 2023: 1.3% (2 pupils) English as Additional Language Census 2023: 4%
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Pupil Equity Funding Impact of PEF on closing the attainment gap • Safe space and lunchtime study support is an effective support mechanism that is well utilised by pupils. • Practical cooking skills offered to pupils to promote engagement and help to prepare pupils for independence and positive destinations post school. • Lego Skills Club offered as wellbeing support. • Additional in-class support offered to help vulnerable pupils • Set up of a nurture space/sensory support for pupils with additional support needs.
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Section 6 Other information Some satisfactory progress was made in the development of new leadership roles for S5/6 pupils, with pupil leadership roles allocated and pupil leadership meetings established to enhance personal leadership for this cohort. Some very good examples of successful pupil led events were evident during the session: The Christmas Ball, End of Term Ceilidhs and positive engagement with the Youth Philanthropy Initiative. Pupils in these leadership roles contributed positively to the whole school ethos and wellbeing development. End of year parental surveys evidenced an increase of 20% of secondary parents/carers who were confident in the School’s provision of support for emotional wellbeing. In session 2023-2024 we applied and were successful for a “Discovering the World of Arabic” project and grant. The P6/7 pupils involved attended a virtual lesson with their Arabic tutor once a week. All pupils engaged well within these sessions, and were praised by the tutor in how well they have picked up on the pronunciation of words. Pupils have shown their engagement and enthusiasm by asking questions and showing a keen interest to learn more. These questions created good discussions and follow up activities around culture, such as a cooking lesson. This gave the pupils a positive experience of Arab cultures and allowed them to explore foods they may not have done otherwise. As a final celebratory activity the class took part in a live, online visit to a Mosque in Bahrain. This was delivered by a local person who was able to show them round the mosque and provide an insight into living in Bahrain. At the end of the ten sessions pupils were asked to describe their learning experience. Feedback shows that pupils enjoyed the experience to enhance their learning of languages and have deepened their understanding of other cultures. Good progress has been made towards the implementation of Scottish Studies within the School. The majority of S3 pupils have now generated evidence for a pass in both the Scottish Studies Dance unit and the Scotland in Focus unit. Pupil feedback showed that the majority of pupils said that they enjoyed working on both these units. They enjoyed doing the ceilidh dancing for the dance unit, and being given the opportunity to research a topic they were interested in for the Scotland in Focus unit. Most pupils thought it was a good idea to give pupils the opportunity to gain this SQA award, and the majority said they would recommend Scottish Studies to other pupils. Scottish Studies has now been introduced as a subject choice in its own right for pupils progressing into S3 in session 2024/2025. New Gaelic Ambassadors were appointed this session. They organised a successful Gaelic Week, facilitating a range of different Gaelic activities throughout the week: Gaelic Wake Up, Shake Up (for both primary and secondary pupils), Gaelic bingo, a ceilidh and a Gaelic scavenger hunt. All activities were well attended and good feedback was received from pupils. Pupils said that the bingo was fun and they enjoyed revising Gaelic vocabulary through the scavenger hunt. To help further enhance
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the Gaelic profile across the school during Gaelic Week, Gaelic posters and stickers were put up, and useful Gaelic phrases were distributed to staff to encourage them to use Gaelic in their classes. Also during Gaelic Week, fluent Gaelic pupils were given different opportunities to mix with other fluent Gaelic pupils from other schools. Our S2 Gàidhlig pupils participated in a Gaelic activity day with S2 Gàidhlig pupils from Oban High School, and some S1-S3 Gaelic pupils (both learners and fluent speakers) took part in a Gaelic football festival in Inverness. Pupils all enjoyed getting the opportunity to engage with other Gaelic speakers their own age and demonstrated an increase in confidence speaking the language.