Tiree High School
Argyll and Bute Council · 12 June 2024
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 12 June 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTAINMENT REPORT AREA COMMITTEE SCHOOL BADGE Tiree High School 12th June 2024
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Tiree High School and Tiree Primary School serves the island of Tiree providing Gaelic and English Medium Education (GME and EME). There are 106 children and young people on the school roll. The school has undergone a significant period of staff change very recently, with the appointment of an ‘interim executive Headteacher’. He is the substantive Headteacher of Oban High School. He is supported by a substantive senior depute Headteacher who has operational responsibilities. In addition, the Headteacher is supported by the substantive depute Headteacher at Oban High School and the substantive Headteacher of St Columba’s Primary. Tiree Schools’ educational provision is for children 3-18 years of age. The Nursery provides child care from 2 years old and offers 1140 hours per year to each child, term time only. There are three CCEW staff and one Classroom Assistant that allow the provision of English and Gaelic sessions that recognises the value placed on the language by the community of Tiree. The Primary school has two English-Medium classes and two Gaelic-Medium classes. Pupils are currently split into P1-4 and P5-7 classes for both Gaelic and English streams. For languages L1+2, the classes have (respectively) English and Gaelic as L2 and French for L3. The High School provides courses of study in English, Mathematics, Gaelic, Physics, Chemistry, Computing Studies, Practical Cookery, French, Creative Industries, Digital Media, Modern Studies, Art and Design, History, Geography, Music, Music Technology, Business Management, Physical Education, Travel and Tourism, RMPS, Physics and Biology. Some of these subjects are delivered to S4, 5 and 6 pupils via VC from Oban High School; biology, art and business studies which has increased the options for subjects that can be studied. In Primary and Secondary BGE, pupils study subjects across all eight curricular areas up to the end of S3. From this point, pupils choose six subjects to progress to SQA certification at the end of S4. In S5/6, pupils will be expected to undertake 5 subjects. The current roll of the Secondary school is 38 pupils. The pupils all come under SIMD decile 5. Our PEF funding has been used to support pupils through a Breakfast Club every day and various initiatives to support studying and emotional well-being. Tiree Schools' staffing comprises 17 teachers with 5 in Primary and 12 in Secondary, some of whom work part-time. In addition, learning in the Nursery is provided by 3 Child Care and Education staff. Additional support comes from an IT technician and 4 classroom/ASN assistants
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Section 1 S3 ACEL Attainment in Literacy and Numeracy School Level % Achieved Reading Writing L&T Literacy Numeracy Tiree High School Third Level or better 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 Argyll & Bute Third Level or better 88.5 86.9 89.0 83.9 86.0 Tiree High School Fourth Level 100.00 100.00 100.00 80.00 Argyll & Bute Fourth Level 54.4 51.4 53.8 45.9 56.4 S3 ACEL – Gaelic (if applicable) School Level % Achieved Gaelic Reading Gaelic Writing Gaelic L&T Tiree High School Third Level or better 100.00 100.00 100.00 Tiree High School Fourth Level 100.00 100.00 100.00
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Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength in BGE Attainment: Tiree High School across Reading, Writing, Talking and Listening and Numeracy is above all local averages. This particular cohort consists of 5 pupils, all of which are very committed to achieving to the best of their ability. Support is in place for a number of the pupils around accessing learning and assessments due to diagnosis of Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia. Support for these pupils was identified by Tiree Primary School and consistent support has been in place for them going forward into their S4 year. Gàidhlig Last year's S3 consisted of just 3 GME pupil. Effective and high quality teaching and learning is in place delivered by a highly experienced teacher. The 3 pupils are all GME pupils continuing their studies through from TPS GME. In order to continue to support our pupils the teacher is continuing to develop strategies for pupils with Dyslexia in order to support access to learning materials and supportive access to assessments. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development in BGE Attainment: The S3 cohort for the session 23-24, and 24-25 have a very different profile than this particular year. In order to maximise attainment for each pupil we have implemented a number of additional and focused actions in order to meet their needs and realise the best outcome possible for all pupils. In English/Literacy we are ensuring effective use of ICT is being made, use of reader/scribe where appropriate, paper colour suitable for each specific pupil in order to support their dyslexia/support needs. Additionally, personal reading has been introduced at the start of each lesson to help improve reading skills. Texts have been carefully selected to reflect the interest of the pupils. Marking of work part way through to enable improvement on the rest of the task (e.g., teacher feedback after one or two essay paragraphs so students can use feedback for the last two paragraphs), More consistent writing of levels in jotters so pupils know where they are after each extended task (marking first draft of essay and putting a level 3 and where they are in that level) so that pupils know exactly where they are. In Mathematics/Numeracy we appointed a full time permanent Maths teacher in January 2023. This has meant that our pupils have one consistent teacher. A revised Scheme of Work has been implemented in order to support progress, attainment and engagement. There is classroom support where required and the class teacher also gives 1:1 support. Lunch time revision classes have been introduced along with Easter revision sessions too. Pupils are tracked and monitored closely with appropriate support and interventions put in place in a timely manner. The use of the support systems in school via the PT Guidance/Support and the Family Liaison Officer are utilised and good relationships with parents have been established.
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Section 2 National Qualifications 2023 – Percentage of Awards – A-C and A-D Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength We follow a positive presentation policy deliberately ensuring that as many pupils as possible are presented for as many courses/levels as possible. Whilst affording our pupils this opportunity it can lead to the percentage pass rates to be, in some cases, adversely affected, impacted further by our small cohort of pupils in each of the year groups. We feel that pupils who are, for example, borderline in National 5 should be given the opportunity to sit the assessments in order to achieve to their fullest potential. National 5 Overall Pass Rates The overall pass rate is slightly up from the previous figures. • S4 pupils achieving a National 5 A-D remains strong at 88.57% • S5 and S6 pupils achieving a National 5 A-D remains strong at 88.6% 65.70% 50.00% 0 76.93% 77.12% 79.44% 78.80% 77.10% 79.80% NAT 5 Higher Adv H Ti HS % A-C Awards Ti HS A&B National 88.60% 87.50% 0 90.70% 92.10% 93.00% 90.50% 90.50% 92.70% NAT 5 Higher Adv H Ti HS % A-D Awards Ti HS A&B National
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Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development We recognise that we need to continue to focus on improving our ‘Higher’ pass rate at A to C. Last year there was a 37% difference in our A-C pass rate and the A-D pass rates at ‘Higher’ level. However we must remember our data is skewed due to our very low numbers and as such percentages can be affected by the result gained by one pupil. Targeted, timely intervention is put in place which includes: Targeted interventions, 1:1 support where required, Easter Study classes etc, counselling if appropriate etc. Section 3 Insight Data What is Insight Scotland? 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.
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3a Improving Attainment in Literacy and Numeracy
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Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Attainment at Level 4 and 5 Literacy is excellent at 100, this is some 30% higher than our virtual comparator. Attainment at Level 5 Numeracy is also strong with a 52% improvement from 2022. Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development Attainment for Level 5 Numeracy is just under the Virtual Comparator. This is an identified area of development. We have employed a full time teacher of mathematics, the Scheme of Work has been updated and timely targeted support is in place too. We have also introduced National 5 Mathematics Applications for those this course suits best.
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3b Increased post-school participation Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Tiree High School continues to achieve a positive destination for al leavers.
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3c Improving attainment for all Insight Data not available due to small pupil cohorts. Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development 3d Attainment versus Deprivation Insight Data not available due to small pupil cohorts. Evaluative Comment – Areas of Strength Evaluative Comment – Areas for Development
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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: S4 - NPA in Business, NPA Administration 100% pass rate For the first time our S4 and S5 pupils were given the opportunity to attain an award in: Scottish Studies, Employability, Customer Services and Mental Health & Wellbeing. In total 21 awards were achieved ranging from Level 4 to level 5. 2023 - 2 members of staff identified to lead the opportunity for THS pupils to achieve a Duke of Edinburgh Award at Tiree High School. They will work alongside Willie Mackinnon, Youth Officer at the Tiree Trust. We currently have the largest group of pupils completing D of E than ever before. For the first time our pupils worked with ‘The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)’. This is a powerful active citizenship programme, empowering young people to make a difference in their communities while developing a range of skills. The pupils competed for a £3000 donation to be given to their chosen charity. The winning team secured this money for the Scottish Air Ambulance, a service that supports the community of Tiree regularly.
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Section 5 Equity and Attainment – Evaluation of Key Factors Factor in attainment Data Evaluation of key issues in school Proposed Actions Attendance School Ave. Att. 22-23: 86.7% This is a little lower than our previous year by 2.76%. In Tiree High School 1 pupil accounts for 2.7% of our High School population so the % change can be affected by a single event or pupil. • Continue with ANA strategies • Outside agencies employed where appropriate • Family Liaison Officer support • Child Plans in place where appropriate • PT Guidance support • Continued weekly 1:1 attendance conversation in House time with pupils House teachers. Exclusion No. of Exclusion Incidents 22-23: 0 No. of Exclusion Openings 22-23:0 No Exclusions again this year. • Continue to embed our Relationship Policy which has been a key driver in nurturing and strengthening relationships pupil:pupil, staff: pupil and teacher:parent/carer. • When appropriate: early intervention and appropriate support put in place via House Teachers, PT Guidance and FLO % of School Roll Evaluation of key issues in school Proposed Actions Additional Support Needs 60.0% This is a very high proportion of our pupils with ASN needs. This reflects Stage 3, 2 and 1. However, there are pupils with support needs outwith this - sometimes on a temporary basis including wellbeing concerns that affect learning. • We have a robust system in place which identifies and continually monitors pupils' support needs. Teachers feedback to PT Support/Guidance in order to adjust support strategies and any changes in support required. This will be continued. • Continued CLPL opportunities to support teachers to support pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADS etc. • Continue to ensure ASN assistants are offered appropriate CLPL • Keep all Learner profiles up to date and in form all involved with the pupil of any changes.
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• Liaise with outside agencies when appropriate including SALT, Educational Psychologist, OH etc. • Continue to work in partnership with parents/carers. SIMD D5 100% The entire Isle of Tiree is in the SIMD D5 category. This masks the identified poverty on the island and consequently within the school population. The cost of living on the Isle of Tiree is considerably higher than on the mainland and the cost of living crisis has hit hard. The Tiree Community Development Trust through the Cruas Energy Grant (Winter 2022/23) was a pilot project that offered an initial £200 payment generated from the community wind turbine to residents with energy bills that were 10% or greater of their monthly income. The requests for help were very high. There is also help with food via a ‘Food Bank’. • Continue to send out all information regarding grants and payments available to families via messenger 5 ensuring the information reaches all parents. This included information about accessing free school meals and the clothing grant. • Continue to offer fresh fruit and salad vegetables to every pupil at the start of the school day to ensure no pupil is hungry. • Continue to use our PEF money to fund our Family Liaison Officer who • Supports families to access funding/grants when required Free School Meal Entitlement 4.7% We feel this figure does not reflect the percentage of pupils who could be entitled to free school meals. There is a huge amount of pride on the island and there is privacy over financial matters. This has meant some of our families have either not applied or are reluctant to do so. • FLO to continue to make families aware of FSM and support families to complete applications. • The new cashless catering means that no pupils pay at the tills so pupils on FSM cannot in any way be identified. This may encourage families to apply for FSM in future. Care Experienced (and previously Care Experienced) 10.0% This is just 1 pupil in our Senior phase who has now left Tiree High School. • Supported provided to the pupil and their family via PT Guidance and our FLO • Robust Childs Plan in place with several of our partners involved • Pupil has now left the school and is at college after gaining the required qualifications. English as Additional Language 0% N/A N/A
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Other (give details) N/A N/A N/A Pupil Equity Funding Impact of PEF on closing the attainment gap THS utilise PEF funding to employ our Family Liaison Officer (FLO). Since his employment he has fostered excellent relationships with a number of our families and our pupils too. Support offered includes: Relationship issues between pupils, supporting families to access financial help and/or advice; ensuring all pupils are equipped for school and providing resources as appropriate. He also provides support for teachers and the PT of Guidance/support in order to help them support our young people. Our FLO also organises and delivers free fresh fruit and salad vegetables to the school reception area every morning so that food is available free of charge to all pupils on arrival to school. This ensures none of our pupils are hungry and therefore supporting them to access their teaching and learning. Additionally, THS pupils seek out the FLO in order to share concerns, worries or just looking for some advice. Improving attendance is one of our key priorities. Working alongside the PT Guidance/Support pupil attendance and lateness to school/lessons is closely monitored by the FLO. All absences are followed up and coding is entered appropriately into Seemis. Utilising ANA (Addressing Non- Attendance) procedures pupils and parents/carers are aware of the impact of non-attendance/lateness to school and its effect on attainment. There has been a significant decrease in the number of TBC’s recorded and we are now in a position where all attendances are only recorded as TBC’s until parent/carers are contacted. Attendance is monitored daily by the FLO with appropriate action taken, this includes phoning parents/carers, arranging maximising attendance meetings etc. A weekly report is sent to all House Teachers to support them in their 1:1 supportive conversations with pupils regarding attendance/lateness. For the session 2022 to 2023 THS attendance was 87.58%, a little lower than last year. We must consider that our small numbers affect our percentages disproportionality. Exclusions – Once again we had no exclusion again this year. Section 6 Other information
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• May 2023 - Employment of a full time Digital Industries with Art& Design teacher • August 2023 - Employment of a full time Home Economics Teacher, with Gaelic. This appointment allowed THS to offer Practical Cookery through the medium of Gaelic. • August 2023 - Employment of a full time Geography and Social Studies Teacher • August 2023 - THS Chemistry teacher begins her units to become dual qualified in order to offer Biology at Tiree High School. • Establishment of a Café Area in the school for use by all pupils during breaks and lunches. This area has been designed by the pupils and is used to its full potential. • Complete refurbishment of every classroom and corridors including new windows. • Complete refurbishment of the PE changing rooms along with newly fitted shower facilities. • Newly installed Home Economics room - gone are the 1960’s cupboards and worktops. We now have enough kitchen stations for 20 pupils with new cookers, refrigeration, washing machines/tumble dryers and a digital promethium board with VC facilities etc. • Our GME pupils made it to the FilmG Finals and were invited to the presentation ceremony in Glasgow • All S3 pupils were invited to Loch Eil to complete an Outward Bound week of challenges with school from across Argyll and Bute. • 80% of Secondary teachers are now either dual qualified or able to teach more than one subject at National level. • 47% of our S1/2 pupils completed a 3 day event with Hebridean Pursuits • We offer 22 different subjects at several levels via THS staff alone.