Auchenlodment Inspection Report ECSPB
Renfrewshire Council · 9 March 2023
Back to Education and Children's Services Policy Board — 9 March 2023 and its agenda
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Education and Children’s Services Policy Board On: 9 March 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Children’s Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Education Scotland Inspection of Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Class ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Class (ELCC) 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 Auchenlodment Primary School and ELCC the duration of the inspection was five days i.e., the full model. Inspectors assessed the school and ELCC, with a focus on four quality indicators, which were: leadership of change; learning, teaching and assessment; ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion and raising attainment and achievement. 1.2 This was a very positive inspection which provided the following evaluations for the school: leadership of change was ‘very good’, learning, teaching and assessment was ‘very good’, ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion was ‘very good’ and raising attainment and achievement was ‘good’. In the ELCC, leadership of change was ‘very good’, learning, teaching and assessment was ‘good’, ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion was ‘very good’ and securing children’s progress was ‘good’. 1.3 The inspection report in the form of a letter to parents, published by Education Scotland on 20 December 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:
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2 Enthusiastic, confident and engaged children who demonstrate daily the chosen values of Auchenlodment Primary. They are highly motivated by meaningful leadership opportunities and are very proud of their school and Early Learning and Childcare class. The strong, effective leadership of the headteacher and depute headteacher. They are deeply committed to supporting children and staff to lead change which is continuing to improve outcomes for all learners. A committed staff team with a strong focus on nurture, inclusion and promoting wellbeing for all children. Staff provide children with opportunities to improve their wellbeing, celebrate their successes, increase participation and contribute to improving the work of the school and Early Learning and Childcare class. Across the establishment, all staff work very well together as a team. They engage enthusiastically in professional learning and reflect effectively on their practice. This is driving forward improvement and securing positive outcomes for children. 1.4 The inspection report also identified three areas for further improvement: Continue to embed approaches which support raising attainment in writing and numeracy. Continue to develop learning pathways to support children to build their skills across the curriculum. Practitioners should explore how they can develop the playroom further to provide children with access to spaces and resources to help them lead their own learning. 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 Auchenlodment Primary School and ELCC. _________________________________________________________
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3 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 whole establishment team at Auchenlodment 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 establishment and wider service, to build on the recognised strengths and focus further development on areas for improvement to enable the school and ELCC 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
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4 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None 7. Equality & Human Rights - (a) 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 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: Julie Colquhoun, Education Manager julie.colquhoun@renfrewshire.gov.uk 07534 081940
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1 | Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Class, Renfrewshire Council, 8622620 © Crown Copyright 20 December 2022 Dear Parent/Carer In October 2022, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare class. 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. • Enthusiastic, confident and engaged children who demonstrate daily the chosen values of Auchenlodment Primary. They are highly motivated by meaningful leadership opportunities and are very proud of their school and Early Learning and Childcare class. • The strong, effective leadership of the headteacher and depute headteacher. They are deeply committed to supporting children and staff to lead change which is continuing to improve outcomes for all learners. • A committed staff team with a strong focus on nurture, inclusion and promoting wellbeing for all children. Staff provide children with opportunities to improve their wellbeing, celebrate their successes, increase participation and contribute to improving the work of the school and Early Learning and Childcare class. • Across the establishment, all staff work very well together as a team. They engage enthusiastically in professional learning and reflect effectively on their practice. This is driving forward improvement and securing positive outcomes for children. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Renfrewshire Council. • Continue to embed approaches which support raising attainment in writing and numeracy. • Continue to develop learning pathways to support children to build their skills across the curriculum. • Practitioners should explore how they can develop the playroom further to provide children with access to spaces and resources to help them lead their own learning.
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2 | Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Class, Renfrewshire Council, 8622620 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the school’s work using four quality indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition) and How good is our early learning and childcare?. 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 Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning ad Childcare Class Quality indicators for the primary stages Evaluation Leadership of change very good Learning, teaching and assessment very good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion very good Raising attainment and achievement good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale Quality indicators for the Early Learning and Childcare Class Evaluation Leadership of change very good Learning, teaching and assessment good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion very good Securing children’s progress good Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our early learning and childcare? Appendix 1: 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.
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3 | Auchenlodment Primary School and Early Learning and Childcare Class, Renfrewshire Council, 8622620 © Crown Copyright 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. Lisa Marie McDonnell HM Inspector