Item 11 - National Thematic Inspection Report

West Dunbartonshire Council · 28 May 2025
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL 
Report by Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer 
Educational Services Committee: 28 May 2025
___________________________________________________________________ 
Subject: National Thematic Inspection Report  
1. Purpose 
1.1  To present to Education Committee the West Dunbartonshire National
Thematic Summarised Inspection Findings (March 2025), conducted by His
Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HMIE), along with the National Thematic
Inspection Report (March 2025). 
1.2    This report is for noting. 
2. Recommendations 
2.1  The Educational Services Committee is asked to note: 
(a) the very positive findings relating to West Dunbartonshire in the inspection
reports; and 
(b) the stakeholder feedback, concerns and report conclusions in the national
report. 
3. Background  
3.1 As reported to the Committee in November 2024, His Majesty’s Inspectors
visited West Dunbartonshire in September 2024 to inspect the local authority’s
approach to school improvement. This inspection formed part of a national
review of how all local authorities support school improvement. 
3.2 Inspectors reviewed a range of information on the local authority’s approach
and programme for school improvement. During the visit, the inspectors talked
to senior leaders, local authority officers, parents/carers, headteachers,
teachers, representatives from professional associations and elected
members. 
3.3 The inspection gathered evidence about how West Dunbartonshire Council
supports school improvement, with a focus on how the local authority supports
schools to improve the quality of education through:
• the implementation of effective improvement planning and standards and
quality reporting
• self- evaluation and quality assurance 
• professional learning 
• universal and targeted support and challenge. 
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3.4 The local authority report detailing findings from the inspection was published
in March 2025 (Appendix 1). Key positive findings are summarised at 4.1.   
4.0       Main Issues 
4.1      West Dunbartonshire Summarised Inspection Report March 2025
The local authority report in Appendix 1 provides detailed findings from His
Majesty's Inspectors of Education following their engagement with West
Dunbartonshire. The Committee is provided with a summary of the quality
practice within the Education Service, as identified in the report.   
4.1.1  Theme 1: Improvement Planning and Standards and Quality Reporting
West Dunbartonshire provides clear and effective guidance to school leaders,
collaborating with central officers to develop and deliver the Improvement
Framework, supported by the Excellence and Equity Board. School leaders
value this structure for maintaining a strong focus on improvement within their
communities. 
The revised approach to improvement planning is widely regarded as a
success by headteachers and teachers, who feel empowered to streamline
priorities and focus on key areas effectively. 
Officers in central teams undertake regular, purposeful school visits focused
on improvement. School leaders appreciate these visits and the professional
dialogue with central team officers, who provide valuable support, challenge,
and guidance. 
Local authority officers have introduced a user-friendly, technology-driven
approach to standards and quality reporting, which has been positively
received by headteachers, parents, staff, and learners. 
Parent Council chairs highlight school leaders' inclusive and responsive
engagement with Parent Council feedback. 
Central team officers play a crucial role in supporting school leaders in
refining their strategies and identifying areas for further development. 
4.1.2  Theme 2: Self-Evaluation and Quality Assurance
The local authority employs effective methods to evaluate school performance
within West Dunbartonshire Council’s Improvement Framework. These
approaches ensure rigorous and accurate self-evaluation through reliable
data, fostering a culture of support, challenge, and collaboration across all
sectors. 
Education officers’ work is quality assured through the Improvement Board,
ensuring reports to elected members accurately reflect the impact of
education initiatives. 
Professional association representatives commend the authority’s
commitment to understanding its schools. Their collaboration with education

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officers has led to improved incident reporting and the development of a new
health and safety reporting format, enhancing staff wellbeing and working
conditions 
4.1.3  Theme 3: Professional Learning
The local authority’s professional learning approach is rooted in a strong
culture of collaboration and capacity-building. 
The Professional Learning Team oversees the development of a
comprehensive programme aligned with national and local priorities.
Headteachers and teachers highly value its quality and impact on school
improvement. 
In recent years, the local authority has significantly invested in long-term
professional learning for teachers, focusing on improving learning, teaching,
and assessment. School leaders praise its quality and high participation rates,
recognising its role in strengthening attainment, curriculum, and consistency
across departments and schools. 
The well-developed Leadership Pathways model provides leadership and
learning opportunities for all school and early years staff. The Professional
Learning Team collaborates with education officers, school leaders, teachers,
practitioners, and support staff to ensure the programme meets school and
community needs. 
Unpromoted teachers benefit from leadership opportunities such as data
leads, champions, and ambassadors. Central officers provide ongoing support
through training, forums, networks, and communities of practice, fostering
collaboration across schools and the wider authority. The local authority
strategically utilises Associate Assessors, peer leaders, and peer teachers to
provide targeted support and collaborative learning. 
This collective approach reinforces a strong ethos of shared responsibility,
ensuring positive outcomes for West Dunbartonshire’s children and young
people. 
4.1.4  Theme 4: Universal and Targeted Support and Challenge
The local authority has a clear programme of universal and targeted support 
and challenge for its schools. The ‘Pathways’ model is a key part of the
Improvement Framework. It was introduced in academic session 2023/2024.
All schools and early years establishments are allocated to a pathway based
on capacity for improvement, performance data and contextual local
knowledge. 
Headteachers and senior leaders are very positive about the pathways model
of support and challenge. They feel it is transparent and proportionate. They
state that the ethos and approach is supportive and helpful, promoting honest
and open dialogue between school leaders and central officers about
strengths and challenges. They feel that the core and enhanced scrutiny
helps to sharpen their focus on own their school improvement journey.

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4.1.5  Other Relevant Information and Challenges: The report highlighted that
stakeholders expressed concerns about financial constraints and the impact
of budget reductions on schools and the local authority, affecting ICT
infrastructure, staffing levels, curriculum delivery, and the ability to support a
growing number of children with Additional Support Needs (ASN). 
4.2  National Thematic Report March 2025 
A national report of the findings from all local authority inspections was also
published in March 2025 and is attached at Appendix 2. West Dunbartonshire
Council received positive recognition in the national report. 
The national report recognised there is much to commend across local
authorities with strong improvement and strategic leadership at all levels
emerging as  powerful drivers for sustainable improvement. However, the
report also identifies where improvement is needed to reduce variability
across local authorities in terms of the quality of support provided to schools.
The fiscal challenges facing local authorities are reported as significant with
the report recognising the need to retain in local authorities high quality staff
and consistent in-person engagement with schools.   
The national report highlights West Dunbartonshire’s strong partnership
between officers and schools, alongside the work of the Excellence and
Equity Improvement Board, which has been recognised for supporting school
leaders in meeting quality standards and expectations. Headteachers
commend the quality of West Dunbartonshire’s approach, stating: ‘A key
strength is the extent to which we know our schools and work in partnership to
support improvement…..Headteachers are fortunate to work with a great team
of senior managers who truly understand their schools. There is a constant
drive for improvement.’ 
The report also features West Dunbartonshire’s Enhanced Scrutiny and
Collaborative Action (ESCA) visits, which involve in-depth evaluations of
specific areas of a school’s work. These visits offer an objective perspective
and constructive feedback on school self-evaluations. Headteachers find
these visits extremely valuable, as they provide insights that inform decision-
making and guide the next steps for improvement. 
5. People Implications 
5.1 The Thematic Inspection Report highlighted stakeholder concerns regarding
the impact of reduced teacher and support staff numbers on schools' ability to
meet the needs of children and young people. This challenge is particularly
pressing given the increasing number of children requiring Additional Support
Needs. Furthermore, as the Council experiences higher-than-average poverty
levels, any reduction in personnel places additional strain on support services
for children and families.

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5.2  As referenced in section 4.2, inspectors have highlighted the importance of
local authorities retaining high-quality staff and ensuring consistent in-person
engagement with schools. Maintaining this engagement requires the
continued provision of officers and peer staff to conduct in-person
improvement visits 
6. Financial and Procurement Implications 
6.1 Funding from Scottish Government supports the delivery of work referenced in
the Thematic Inspection Report through the Strategy for Excellence and
Equity. The Education Committee will be aware that a tapered reduction of
Strategic Equity Funding was announced in 2022 reducing the annual income
to West Dunbartonshire; and reducing the capacity of the service to deliver
strategic priorities for school improvement. 
7. Risk Analysis 
7.1 Current budget constraints and the reduced funding model  could impact
negatively on sustained improvement in future academic sessions. However,
we will continue to monitor this closely to inform future planning. 
8. Equalities Impact Assessment 
8.1  A full Equality Impact Assessment was submitted to Committee in March 2022
and identified that the decrease in funding will reduce capacity. Scope exists
to mitigate impact with the development of the  Strategy for Excellence and
Equity 2023-2027. 
9. Consultation 
a. Legal Services and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted in relation to
the content of this report. 
10. Strategic Assessment 
10.1   This report reflects the Council’s overarching priority to support our
communities to thrive. 
Laura Mason
Chief Education Officer
April 2025
___________________________________________________________________     
Person to Contact: Julie McGrogan, Senior Education Officer, Department of
Education, Learning and Attainment, Council Offices, 16
Church Street, Dumbarton, G82 1QL
Telephone No: 01389 737316
Email: julie.mcgrogan@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

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Appendix: 1. National Thematic Summarised Inspection Findings on West  
Dunbartonshire (March 2025) 
2. National Thematic Inspection Report (March 2025) 
Background Papers: Equality Impact Assessment – March 2022 
Wards Affected: All wards