Education Scotland Inspection of St Mary's Primary School ECSPB
Renfrewshire Council · 2 November 2023
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 2 November 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 2 November 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Interim Chief Education Officer ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Education Scotland Inspection of St Mary’s Primary School ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 St Mary’s Primary School was inspected by Education Scotland in February 2023 as part of a national sample of education. Education Scotland uses different models of inspection and at St Mary’s Primary School the short model approach was deployed. Inspectors assessed the school with a focus on two quality indicators which are referenced in How Good is our School? 4. Quality Indicator 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment. Quality Indicator 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement. 1.2 This was a very positive inspection which evaluated all quality indicators as ‘very good’. 1.3 As part of the inspection model the following area was also reviewed: Quality Indicator 2.1 Safeguarding Education Scotland do not attach an evaluative grade to this. Instead in the Summary of Inspection Findings there are evaluative statements provided which are positive and contribute to the overall school ratings of very good. 1.4 The inspection report in the form of a letter to parents, published by Education Scotland on 12 September 2023, is attached as an appendix to this report and is also available from the Director of Children’s Services or from the Education Scotland website. Link to Inspection Report - Education Scotland
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2 1.5 The letter to parents identified three key strengths of the school. Confident and happy children who are proud of their school and use their school values very well to shape their learning and relationships. The very effective senior leadership team who, together with all staff from across the school, have high aspirations for their children. They have created a nurturing and inclusive learning environment where children thrive and achieve. Challenging and interesting learning activities with high-quality support for children. As a result, children are making very good progress in their literacy and numeracy. 1.6 The inspection report also identified one area for further improvement: Continue to improve approaches to learning and teaching with a focus on planning activities that take account of the different strengths and needs of children. 1.7 There is an agreed set of procedures for responding to inspection reports which will support the school and Children’s Services to plan how the area for further improvement will be addressed. Actions are detailed within the school improvement plan which is shared with parents. In addition, the school will be supported in its improvement journey by Children’s Services. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board are asked to note and celebrate the key strengths and recognise the area for further improvement in the Education Scotland report on St Mary’s Primary School. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Following a pause to inspections due to the pandemic, Education Scotland’s routine programme of inspection of schools and early years settings resumed in September 2022. Children’s Services welcomes the process of audit undertaken by Education Scotland as supportive to continuous improvement in Renfrewshire’s education establishments. The school team at St Mary’s Primary School approached the inspection in a positive manner and embraced it as a professional learning opportunity in partnership with colleagues at Education Scotland. 3.2 The report includes one area for further improvement, and progress in addressing this will be monitored by Children’s Services staff through the Quality Improvement Framework.
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3 3.3 The inspection report will inform planned improvement activity, and will enable the school to build on the recognised strengths and focus further development on areas for improvement to enable the school to continue to deliver a quality educational provision. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - None 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning – engaging with, and learning from external inspection, ensures that our Renfrewshire is thriving. High standards of education provision ensure that children and young people are given the best start in life so that they promote and contribute to a more prosperous, fairer society. It also ensures our Renfrewshire is well – by providing an environment which encourages care, welfare and development, establishments play a crucial role in developing children and young people so that they become responsible citizens. Economy Equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life. Fair Creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for children and young people. Embedding children’s rights in our decision-making processes. 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk - None
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4 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. Cosla Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Risk – None. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - The inspection report and additional evidence is published on the Education Scotland website and can be accessed via this LINK __________________________________________________________ T McGillivray 29 September 2023 Author: Tracy McGillivray, Head of Education (Inclusion and Quality Improvement) tracy.mcgillivray@renfrewshire.gov.uk