Cochrane Castle Inspection Report ECSPB 19 01 23
Renfrewshire Council · 19 January 2023
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 19 January 2023 and its agenda
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2 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 19 January 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Education Scotland Inspection of Cochrane Castle Primary School ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Cochrane Castle Primary School was inspected by Education Scotland in October 2022 as part of a national sample of education. Education Scotland uses different models of inspection and at Cochrane Castle Primary School the duration of the inspection was three days i.e. the short model. Inspectors assessed the school, with a focus on two quality indicators, which were: learning, teaching and assessment; and raising attainment and achievement. 1.2 This was a positive inspection which evaluated learning, teaching and assessment as ‘good’ and raising attainment and achievement as ‘satisfactory’. 1.3 The inspection report in the form of a letter to parents, published by Education Scotland on 22 November 2022, 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. The letter to parents identified four key strengths of the school. These were: • Led very effectively by the headteacher and acting depute headteacher, the strong approach to inclusion which is supporting all children to improve their involvement in their learning. • Positive relationships across the school which are helping children to feel safe and become more supportive of each other.
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3 • Teachers who work well together to understand children’s progress and plan appropriate next steps in learning. This is supporting children to build on what they already know. • Staff know their context and community very well and work effectively with a range of partners to improve wellbeing outcomes for children. 1.4 The inspection report also identified three areas for further improvement: • Ensure learning is planned at an appropriate pace and the right level of difficulty for all children. • Improve attainment in literacy and numeracy. • Continue to evaluate the impact of planned interventions to ensure these are impacting positively on children’s progress over time. 1.5 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 areas 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 areas for further improvement in the Education Scotland report on Cochrane Castle 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 Cochrane Castle approached the inspection in a very positive manner and embraced it as an excellent professional learning opportunity in partnership with colleagues at Education Scotland. 3.2 The report includes three areas for further improvement and progress in addressing these will be monitored by Children’s Services staff through the Quality Improvement Framework. 3.3 The inspection report will inform planned improvement activity, and will enable the school and wider service, to build on the recognised strengths and focus
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4 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. The inspection process also supports delivery of the Council Plan cross-cutting theme of improving outcomes for children and families as well as other Council Plan key strategic outcomes, for example: 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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5 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. __________________________________________________________ Author: Mairi Thomas, Education Manager mairi.thomas@renfrewshire.gov.uk 0141 618 3994
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1 | Cochrane Castle Primary School, Renfrewshire Council, 8622728 © Crown Copyright 22 November 2022 Dear Parent/Carer In October 2022, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Cochrane Castle Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • Led very effectively by the headteacher and acting depute headteacher, the strong approach to inclusion which is supporting all children to improve their involvement in their learning. • Positive relationships across the school which are helping children to feel safe and become more supportive of each other. • Teachers who work well together to understand children’s progress and plan appropriate next steps in learning. This is supporting children to build on what they already know. • Staff know their context and community very well and work effectively with a range of partners to improve wellbeing outcomes for children. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Renfrewshire Council. • Ensure learning is planned at an appropriate pace and the right level of difficulty for all children. • Improve attainment in literacy and numeracy. • Continue to evaluate the impact of planned interventions to ensure these are impacting positively on children’s progress over time.
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2 | Cochrane Castle Primary School, Renfrewshire Council, 8622728 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the school’s work using quality indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition). Quality indicators help schools, local authorities and inspectors to judge what is working well and what needs to be improved. Following the inspection of each school, the Scottish Government gathers details of our evaluations to keep track of how well Scottish schools are doing. Here are Education Scotland’s evaluations for Cochrane Castle Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment good Raising attainment and achievement satisfactory Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Reports page | Inspection reports | Education Scotland. What happens next? We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Renfrewshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Gillian Frew HM Inspector