6. Cabinet Report - Annual Report – School and Early Learning and Childcare Inspections 2024-25 (28 October 2025)
North Ayrshire Council · 28 October 2025
Back to Cabinet — 28 October 2025 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 October 2025 Cabinet (Education) Title: Annual Report – School and Early Learning and Childcare Inspections 2024-25 Purpose: To inform Cabinet of the performance of North Ayrshire schools and early learning and childcare settings in external inspections, with a focus on those published during session 2024-25. Recommendation: It is recommended that Cabinet: (a) Notes the contents of this report; and (b) Commends the performance of schools and ELC settings in inspections conducted by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate. (c) Notes the actions being undertaken across the service to address areas requiring improvement. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Education Scotland published inspection reports on six educational establishments in North Ayrshire in session 2024-25. Although one school received evaluations of less than satisfactory, the overall performance of our schools and centres continues to be very positive. 1.2 The Care Inspectorate published inspection reports on ten local authority early learning and childcare establishments in North Ayrshire in session 2024-25. In total, of the 38 assessed quality indicators, 28 were evaluated as good or better. 1.3 Action has been taken by individual schools and early years establishments, supported by the education service, to celebrate strengths and to address areas for improvement identified in the inspection reports. Specifically, in relation to the school which will be subject to a further inspection later this year, a full action plan has been developed and is now being implemented. 2. Background 2.1 Schools are subject to periodic external evaluation by the national inspection agency, Education Scotland. Early Learning and Childcare settings are inspected by both Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate.
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2.2 Education Scotland reports on the quality of school and early years provision under the following quality indicators, taken from the self-evaluation framework How good is our school? (4th edition): • Leadership of change • Learning, teaching and assessment • Ensuring wellbeing, equality, and inclusion • Raising attainment and achievement (primary, secondary, ASN schools) • Securing children’s progress (Early learning & childcare settings). 2.3 In 2022, the Care Inspectorate introduced a new quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare. This quality framework is structured around the following key questions: • How good is our care, play and learning? • How good is our setting? • How good is our leadership? • How good is our staff team? 2.4 All inspections focus on at least two quality indicators. In session 2024-25, Education Scotland carried out six school inspections in North Ayrshire (two of which included an inspection of their early years class) as part of a national sample size of 250 schools. 2.5 Education Scotland uses a six-point scale to report on the performance of the educational establishment in each of the assessed quality indicators. The categories of the six-point scale are: excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, weak, and unsatisfactory. Further detail on the meaning of the six-point scale is included at Appendix 1. 2.5.1 This paper contains information about all inspections carried out during academic year 2024-25. Inspection reports for Whitehirst Park Primary School and St Bridget's Primary School and Early Years Class will be published on 28 October 2025, and cannot be shared in the public domain prior to the publication date. Drafts of these reports have been received by the Service and are embargoed until the publication date. Advance copies of these reports have been shared in confidence with Cabinet members, including lay members of the Education Cabinet, local elected members, the head teacher and the Parent Council chairperson in advance of the Cabinet meeting. An updated version of this paper containing the inspection reports for the two remaining schools will be tabled at the Cabinet meeting on 28 October. Education Scotland (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe)) Inspections 2.6 In session 2024-25, the Education Scotland inspection outcomes in North Ayrshire schools were as follows: School Inspection Report Date 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement Fairlie Primary School 19/11/2024 [Not assessed] Good [Not assessed] Good Blacklands Primary School 04/02/2025 Very Good Good Very Good Good St Anthony’s Primary School 04/06/2025 [Not assessed] Good [Not assessed] Good
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Pennyburn Primary School 16/09/2025 [Not assessed] Good [Not assessed] Very Good Whitehirst Park Primary School [Not yet published] St Bridget’s Primary School [Not yet published] 2.7 In session 2024-25, the Education Scotland inspection outcomes in early years classes within North Ayrshire schools were as follows: School Inspection Report Date 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 3.2 Securing children’s progress Blacklands Primary Early Years 04/02/2025 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good St Bridget’s Primary Early Years [Not yet published] 2.8 In session 2024-25, the Education Scotland inspection outcomes in partner early years settings within North Ayrshire were as follows: Partner Early Years Setting Inspection Report Date 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 3.2 Securing children’s progress Summerlea Nursery 02/09/2025 [Not assessed] Satisfactory [Not assessed] Satisfactory 2.9 Since the introduction of the current inspection framework “How Good is our School? (4th edition)” in session 2016-2017, there has been a total of 38 inspections by Education Scotland across North Ayrshire’s schools and early years classes. Over that time frame, the performance of North Ayrshire schools in Education Scotland inspections has been extremely positive. By way of comparison in the table below, each grade has been assigned a numerical value to show our average performance against the regional and national performance. Following the cessation of the Regional Improvement Collaboratives, this will be the final year of its inclusion in this report. As a replacement comparator going forward, NAC’s inspection performance will be benchmarked against the Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) family of similar local authorities. For the figures in the tables below, the higher the value, the better the performance. NAC significantly outperforms regional and national comparators across all quality indicators for both schools and ELC settings. This is a position we are extremely proud of; it highlights the excellent work going on daily across our education establishments and we aspire to protect it going forward. Average grade assigned through Education Scotland inspection 2016-2025 (schools only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-25* Regional 2016-25 (SWEIC)* LGBF Family** 2016-25* National 2016-25* Leadership of change 4.25 3.87 3.78 3.78 Learning, teaching and assessment 4.05 3.81 3.77 3.73
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Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 4.38 4.06 3.96 3.95 Raising attainment and achievement 4.05 3.77 3.69 3.71 * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Satisfactory; 2 = Weak; 1 = Unsatisfactory ** LGBF Family = Dundee City, East Ayrshire, Eilean Siar, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire Average grade assigned through Education Scotland inspection 2016-2025 (early learning and childcare settings only (authority provision)): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-25* Regional 2016-25 (SWEIC)* LGBF Family** 2016-25* National 2016-25* Leadership of change 4.08 3.85 3.60 3.66 Learning, teaching and assessment 4.30 3.96 3.66 3.75 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 4.25 4.17 3.94 3.97 Securing children’s progress 4.30 4.02 3.77 3.83 * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Satisfactory; 2 = Weak; 1 = Unsatisfactory 2.10 A further indicator of quality of educational provision overall is the percentage of school/ early learning and childcare inspections by Education Scotland which resulted in an evaluation of “good” or better. Data has been analysed since the introduction of the current inspection framework in 2016-17 to the end of session 2024-25. Again, this demonstrates an extremely strong performance in North Ayrshire which outperforms regional and national comparators across all indicators: Percentage of Education Scotland inspections resulting in an evaluation of “good” or better 2016-25 (schools only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-25 Regional 2016-25 (SWEIC) LGBF Family** 2016-25 National 2016-25 Leadership of change 75% 63% 62% 62% Learning, teaching and assessment 81% 70% 65% 64% Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 81% 71% 71% 70% Raising attainment and achievement 78% 69% 62% 63% Percentage of Education Scotland inspections resulting in an evaluation of “good” or better 2016-25 (early learning and childcare settings only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-25 Regional 2016-25 (SWEIC)* LGBF Family** 2016-25 National 2016-25* Leadership of change 75% 69% 56% 61% Learning, teaching and assessment 80% 72% 57% 65%
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Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 75% 74% 72% 74% Securing children’s progress 80% 76% 65% 69% 2.11 The Education Scotland inspection reports (at Appendix 2) highlight a number of key strengths common to several of the establishments they visited in North Ayrshire in 2024-25. Notable strengths have been identified in the following areas: • Positive relationships and an inclusive ethos • Engaged, confident and responsible learners • Committed and collaborative staff teams • Strong leadership and strategic direction • Effective support for wellbeing and learning 2.12 As is standard, areas for improvement in North Ayrshire were also identified through the inspection reports. All reports always have at least one identified area for improvement. The improvement actions frequently include the wording “continue to”, demonstrating that establishments are already beginning to take steps to address these points. The most common themes for improvement in 2024-25 (for schools with satisfactory or better evaluations) were: • Strengthen consistency in high quality learning and teaching • Improve assessment and tracking processes • Continue work to Improve engagement and attendance 2.13 These common key areas for improvement are also being addressed more widely across all establishments through the priority actions of the Service Improvement Plan. Establishments requiring improvement 2.14 In August 2024, the inspection report published for Pirnmill Primary School evaluated the school’s performance as “weak” in two quality indicators (2.3: Learning, teaching and assessment, and 3.2: Raising attainment and achievement). This resulted in a full action plan being developed between the new Head Teacher and the Education Service central team. The plan detailed actions to secure improvement in the four identified areas for improvement from the inspection report. A further external inspection took place in June 2025 to evaluate the progress made in the school since the original inspection. The Inspector noted the very strong progress across all areas for improvement. This is illustrated in the following extract from the report: “Teachers have made strong progress in improving learning, teaching, and assessment. Most children make good progress in literacy and numeracy, with a few making very good progress. Teachers provide a broad and balanced curriculum firmly embedded in the local context in which children live. There is a positive and caring ethos in the school. Children are highly respectful to adults and their peers. They enjoy learning in a welcoming environment where everyone is encouraged to do their best.” This is a significant improvement in a short period of time and is the product of the coordinated efforts of the new head teacher, her staff and the central quality improvement team. As a result, the quality of education has significantly improved for the learners. Further details about the improvements achieved are contained in the further inspection outcome letter, included at Appendix 3. As a result of the clear progress and improvements made, HMIe will make no more visits to this school in connection with this inspection.
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2.15 [Further information will be added following the publication of final inspection reports on 28 October 2025.] 2.16 In order to ensure improvements are made in a timely manner and to maintain close monitoring of targeted establishments, action plans have been developed for all establishments where the outcome of an external inspection was evaluated as anything lower than “good” for any quality indicator. For session 2025-26, action plans have been developed for St Bridget’s PS and EYC, Whitehirst Park PS, Hayocks PS (Early Years Class) St Peter’s PS (Early Years Class) and Woodlands PS (Early Years Class). Care Inspectorate Inspections 2.17 In session 2024-25 the performance of North Ayrshire Early Learning and Childcare centres and classes in Care Inspectorate inspections was positive. Care Inspectorate reports can all be accessed via their website. A total of ten Local Authority Early Years centres and classes and three partner nurseries were inspected, the evaluations for which are summarised in the tables below: Early Learning and Childcare Setting (NAC) Inspection Report Date KQ1: How good is our care, play and learning? KQ2: How good is our setting? KQ3: How good is our leadership? KQ4: How good is our staff team? St Peter’s Primary School Nursery Class 23/10/2024 Adequate Good Adequate Adequate West Kilbride Primary School Nursery Class 05/11/2024 Very Good Good Good Very Good Garnock Community Campus (nursery) 09/12/2024 Good Good Very Good Good Woodlands Primary School Nursery Class 10/12/2024 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate Pennyburn Primary School Nursery Class 05/03/2025 Adequate Good Good Good Beith Primary School Nursery Class 03/04/2025 Good Good Good Good Lawthorn Primary School Nursery Class 10/04/2025 Good Very Good Good Good Abbey Primary School Nursery Class 29/05/2025 Good Good Good Good Stanley Primary School Nursery Class 19/06/2025 Good Good Very Good Very Good St Bridget’s Primary School Nursery Class [Not yet published] Early Learning and Childcare Setting (partners) Inspection Report Date KQ1: How good is our care, play and learning? KQ2: How good is our setting? KQ3: How good is our leadership? KQ4: How good is our staff team? Burnside House Nursery 23/10/2024 Good Good Good Good Treetops Too (Saltcoats) 26/11/2024 Good Adequate Good Good
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Treetops Nursery (Irvine) 24/03/2025 Adequate Adequate Good Good 2.18 The Care Inspectorate updated their framework of quality indicators in 2022. Nevertheless, in order to mirror the approach above (for Education Scotland inspections) to providing trend information over several years, a calculation has enabled average performances to be shown, covering the period 2016-25, both for North Ayrshire’s local authority early learning and childcare settings, as well as for the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative (SWEIC). As with similar comparisons for schools, this demonstrates that we are performing well when benchmarked against others. Average grade assigned through Care Inspectorate inspections in Early Learning and Childcare (NAC settings): New Quality Indicator (from August 2022) Previous Quality Indicator (before August 2022) North Ayrshire Average Performance 2016-25* SWEIC Average Performance 2016-25* Quality of care, play and learning Quality of care and support 4.66 4.50 Quality of setting Quality of environment 4.56 4.39 Quality of leadership Quality of management and leadership 4.30 4.28 Quality of staff team Quality of staffing 4.45 4.41 * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Satisfactory; 2 = Weak; 1 = Unsatisfactory 2.19 Common strengths from the Care Inspectorate reports on early learning and childcare settings in North Ayrshire in 2024-25 are: • Warm, caring and nurturing relationships • Strong knowledge of children and their families • Positive and engaging environments for play and learning • Committed and collaborative staff teams • A clear focus on continuous improvement and quality assurance. 2.20 Care Inspectorate reports included seven areas for improvement in total for early learning and childcare establishments in North Ayrshire in 2024-25. Plans are in place in the relevant individual establishments to address these. Heads of establishment are working closely with the central team to ensure that improvements are made in the identified areas, which cover: maximising the effective deployment of staff; improving aspects of record-keeping; improving the consistency of planning; improving specific aspects of the learning environment and experiences; and addressing staff training needs effectively. Locally, NAC Early Years Team has launched a broad new programme of professional learning for early learning and childcare, which will contribute to and support the systematic improvement of quality across the service. 2.21 As part of the service’s commitment to continuous improvement, inspection outcomes have been used alongside feedback and engagement sessions with head teachers and other senior officers, to feed into an evaluation of the service’s Quality Improvement Framework, which has been refreshed and updated for session 2025-26. Alongside strengthened processes to ensure consistency of approach to quality improvement across the service, there is an increased flexibility in approach, agreed at individual establishment level.
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2.22 To strengthen the oversight the quality improvement team has of service-wide performance and to ensure that support for establishments continues to be designed and targeted as effectively as possible, a new quality improvement team dashboard is in development. The dashboard will facilitate more efficient monitoring of a range of measures of quality across all establishments. Actions for the quality improvement team are now being set and reviewed at monthly intervals. 2.23 A new feature of our collaborative work to ensure high quality provisions lead to strong inspection outcomes is the introduction of a new Pre-Inspection Network for heads of establishment. This network meets approximately every three weeks and focuses on providing high quality practical support and advice to school and EYC leaders in the lead-up to inspections. In parallel, there is an ongoing programme of establishment reviews carried out by teams of senior leaders and the central quality improvement team. These approaches, underpinned by our Quality Improvement Framework, are designed to give establishments, the service and elected members assurance that self- evaluation is a key aspect of the work of our establishments and that this leads consistently to planned improvements, based on local contexts. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is recommended Cabinet: (a) Notes the contents of this report; and (b) Commends the performance of schools and ELC settings in inspections conducted by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate throughout academic session 2024-25. (c) Notes the actions being undertaken across the service to address areas requiring improvement. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 None. Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 None. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. Key Priorities 4.6 Council priorities:
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The external inspection activity confirms the focus of the Education Service is to align with the Council Plan 2023-28 strategic aim to “transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people” and more specifically “improving educational attainment and achievement and closing the attainment gap” activities. Community Wealth Building 4.7 Better educational outcomes for children young people and adults, as well as increased capacity building and resilience in communities are required to underpin a strong local economy. North Ayrshire works in partnership with local early learning and childcare providers (local businesses) to ensure the provision of care is a shared endeavour. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 None. Consumer Duty 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 There has been no specific consultation on the contents of this report, however, there is ongoing engagement with school and early years communities at various levels on evaluating the quality of education. This work informs and supports the improvement planning process, both within individual establishments and across the service. Andrew McClelland Head of Service (Education) and Chief Education Officer For further information please contact Andrew McClelland, Head of Service (Education), on 01294 324413. Background Papers Appendix 1 - The HMIe 6-point scale Appendix 2 – HMIe reports Appendix 3 – Pirnmill Primary School Further Inspection Letter
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The six-point scale The six-point scale is a tool for grading the quality indicators. It is mainly used by Education Scotland, local authorities and other governing bodies for the purpose of national and/or local benchmarking across a number of establishments. It is not necessary for individual schools to measure themselves against the six-point scale although they may choose to do so. It should be noted that, when a grading is applied, it is for the whole quality indicator. Individual themes should not be graded. In education, an evaluation can be arrived at in a range of contexts. We need to bear in mind that awarding levels using a quality scale will always be more of a professional skill than a technical process. However, the following general guidelines should be consistently applied. Excellent An evaluation of excellent applies to services which are a model of their kind. An evaluation of excellent represents an outstanding standard of provision which exemplifies very best practice. It is characterised by professional understanding which is being shared to support system-wide improvement. It implies that very high levels of performance are sustainable and will be maintained. Very good An evaluation of very good means that there are major strengths. There are very few areas for improvement and any that do exist do not significantly diminish the service user’s experience. An evaluation of very good represents a high standard of provision and is a standard that should be achievable by all. There is an expectation that the organisation will make continued use of self-evaluation to plan further improvements and will work towards improving provision and performance to excellent. Good An evaluation of good means that there are important strengths, yet there remains some aspects which require improvement. The strengths have a significantly positive impact on almost all service users. However, the quality of service users’ experiences is diminished in some way by the aspects in which improvement is required. It implies that the organisation should seek to improve further the areas of important strength, and also take action to address the areas for improvement. Satisfactory An evaluation of satisfactory means that the strengths within this aspect of the service’s work just outweigh the weaknesses. It indicates that service users have access to a basic level of provision. It represents a standard where the strengths have a positive impact on service users’ experiences. However, while the weaknesses are not important enough to have a substantially adverse impact, they do constrain the overall quality of service users’ experiences. It implies the organisation needs to take action to address areas of weakness by building on its strengths. Weak An evaluation of weak means that there are important weaknesses within this aspect of the organisation’s work. While there may be some strengths, the important weaknesses, either individually or collectively, are sufficient to diminish service users’, experiences in substantial ways. It implies the need for prompt, structured and planned action on the part of the organisation. Unsatisfactory An evaluation of unsatisfactory means there are major weaknesses within this aspect of the organisation’s work which require immediate remedial action. Service users’ experiences are at risk in significant respects. In almost all cases, this will require support from senior managers, or, in some cases, at corporate level, in planning and carrying out the necessary actions to effect improvement. This may involve working alongside other staff or agencies in or beyond the organisation. Appendix 1
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1 | Fairlie Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8211221 © Crown Copyright 19 November 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In September 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Fairlie Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. Fairlie Primary School nursery class was inspected by Care Inspectorate within the past 18 months. Therefore, we have agreed with the local authority and school that the nursery class is not part of this inspection. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • The polite, respectful and responsible children. They feel safe and included and are proud to be members of the school community. Children across the school enjoy positive relationships with staff and peers and are very well behaved. • Children who are engaged in their learning. They work well independently and with other children. Almost all children are eager to learn and they participate actively in lessons. • The supportive and reflective staff team. They know the children and families very well and are committed to improving outcomes for children. There is a strong sense of belonging across the school community. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and representatives from North Ayrshire Council. • The headteacher and teachers should ensure that learning activities provide the correct level of difficulty for all children. This will help to support children to make the best possible progress in their learning and raise attainment. • The headteacher and teachers should improve approaches to tracking and monitoring children’s progress. This will help them to identify attainment gaps and overall trends and support their planning for improvement. Appendix 2
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2 | Fairlie Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8211221 © 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 Fairlie Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment 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 A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Fairlie Primary School | Inspection Report | 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. North Ayrshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. M. A. Speirs HM Inspector
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1 | Blacklands Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8212724 © Crown Copyright 4 February 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In November 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Blacklands Primary School and Early Years 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. • Children in the school and early years class are happy, confident and responsible. They are proud to be members of the Blacklands community. All children benefit from warm, nurturing relationships with staff and each other. As a result, children are calm, settled and feel safe. • The headteacher provides clear leadership and strong direction to the staff team. All staff in the school and early years class evaluate their practice on a very regular basis. They feel empowered to lead improvements and activities. This results in a very strong sense of staff teamwork and has a positive impact on children’s experiences. • Staff in the school and early years class deliver a very effective range of interventions and opportunities to support children’s emotional and social wellbeing. They know the children’s needs very well and use highly appropriate strategies and resources to help them become more ready to learn. • In the early years class, children engage very well in their learning. They are making very good progress in their learning and development. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • In the school, all staff should work together to ensure there is a consistently high quality of learning and teaching. They should continue to develop approaches to tracking and monitoring of children’s progress. • In the school and early years class, all staff should continue to develop approaches to planning children’s learning. All staff should ensure children experience progression, support and challenge in their learning across all curriculum areas. • The headteacher and all staff need to continue to work closely with children and families to improve children’s attendance at school.
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2 | Blacklands Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8212724 © 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 Blacklands Primary School and Early Years Class Quality indicators for the primary stages Evaluation Leadership of change very good Learning, teaching and assessment 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 nursery class Evaluation Leadership of change very good Learning, teaching and assessment very good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion very good Securing children’s progress very 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: Blacklands Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland
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3 | Blacklands Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8212724 © 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. North Ayrshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Katharine Crombie HM Inspector
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1 | St Anthony’s Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8213720 © Crown Copyright 24 June 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In April 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited St Anthony’s 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. • Children benefit from learning in an environment where their rights are respected and relationships are very positive. They feel safe and participate in activities that promote the Catholic faith. The whole school community is part of the St Anthony’s ‘family’ where everyone is included and supports each other. • Children across the school are articulate. They engage very positively during learning and can express their thoughts and feelings while listening to each other. • Staff work very effectively as team through their engagement with professional learning and working together to improve learning, teaching and assessment. Teachers carefully plan approaches that remove barriers to learning. • Staff assess accurately children’s progress in literacy and numeracy. Senior leaders use this information effectively to ensure that children’s learning continues to improve. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • Teachers, as planned, need to develop the quality of teaching ensuring that the pace of learning meets the needs of all learners. • There is a need for staff to improve children’s knowledge of knowing their strengths and next steps in learning across all areas of the curriculum. • Senior leaders need to continue to raise attainment through children developing their literacy and numeracy skills across all areas of the curriculum.
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2 | St Anthony’s Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8213720 © 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 St Anthony’s Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment 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 A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: St Anthony's Primary School | Inspection Report | 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. North Ayrshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Dr. Elizabeth C Montgomery HM Inspector
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1 | Pennyburn Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8212929 © Crown Copyright 16 September 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In June 2025, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Pennyburn Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. Pennyburn Primary School nursery class was inspected by Care Inspectorate within the past 18 months. Therefore, we have agreed with the local authority and school that the nursery class is not part of this inspection. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • Children are happy, motivated and proud of their school. They show confidence, kindness, respect and demonstrate the school values of kindness, integrity and ambition as they interact well with one another. • Senior leaders and staff work together very effectively to ensure a strong, nurturing and inclusive culture across the school. As a result, children are motivated to learn, feel supported, understood and included which is helping them to engage positively in their learning and wider school experiences. • Staff use data very effectively to monitor children’s progress and identify those requiring additional support. They implement highly effective strategies and targeted interventions to close gaps in learning. These approaches are having a significant and positive impact, leading to improved levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy across the school. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and representatives from North Ayrshire Council. • Senior leaders and staff should continue to develop approaches which further enhance pupil engagement through their interests and the development of skills for life, learning and work such as curiosity, creativity and problem solving. • Senior leaders should continue with plans to track the progress children make across all areas of the curriculum.
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2 | Pennyburn Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8212929 © 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 Pennyburn Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment good Raising attainment and achievement very good 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: Pennyburn Primary School | 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. North Ayrshire Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Lorraine Dougan HM Inspector
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Report to follow when published: Whitehirst Park Primary School St Bridget's Primary School
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1 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © Crown Copyright 16 September 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In August 2024, HM Inspectors published a letter on Pirnmill Primary School. The letter set out a number of areas for improvement which we agreed with the school and North Ayrshire Council. Recently, as you may know, we visited the school again. During our visit, we talked to children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. We heard from the headteacher and other staff about the steps the school has taken to improve. We looked at particular areas that had been identified in the original inspection. As a result, we were able to find out about the progress the school has made and how well this is supporting children's learning and achievements. This letter sets out what we found. Staff should develop approaches to support children to lead their own learning. This should include more regular, planned learning conversations. This will enable children to better understand what they have achieved and what is next for them in their learning. Overall, teachers have made significant progress in helping children to lead their own learning. Children know and understand well what they have achieved and what they need to learn next. Teachers and all children regularly engage in discussions about their learning. Children discuss what they enjoy and where they think they are making progress. Children set personal learning targets regularly with their teachers. They set targets in literacy and English and numeracy and mathematics and one or two other curriculum areas they so choose. These targets are written in learning journals. Children record their work in online profiles, which parents can view anytime. Children later assess with confidence how well they met their goals and record this in their learning journals before identifying new next steps. Children share their journals proudly with visitors and talk very well about their learning. All children have leadership roles in pupil leadership committees. They develop their skills of teamwork and communication successfully through these roles. A recent example of this was a child-led gardening day. Children invited parents to help improve the school garden. They used their budget successfully to buy supplies. Families worked together to make the garden safer and more useful. Children enjoy and benefit from activities in the garden such as growing vegetables and studying insects. They are proud of their garden and plan more improvements. The headteacher meets all children in small groups called ‘learning circles’. They discuss with clarity their work and how teachers can help them improve. Children are fully involved in planning their learning contexts with teachers. This term, they chose to study oceans and shared what they already knew and what they would like to learn next. This helps teachers to plan challenging learning for all children which is relevant to the context in which children live and motivates them well. Children welcome opportunities to lead their learning at break times. They created successfully new break-time activities such as ‘Music Monday’ and ‘Wheels Wednesday’. Appendix 3
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2 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © Crown Copyright This has led to a few children learning to ride bikes independently of which they are rightly proud. Older children engaged in sessions with a local sports coach about leading games in the playground. All children benefited from engaging in these games led by older children. All children are proud of their leadership of their own learning. They talk with confidence about how they lead their own learning. They are proud of the leadership roles they have and have strong ideas and opinions about how they will continue to lead their own learning and the work of the school. Senior leaders, with support from the local authority, should develop further an effective strategic approach that supports staff to raise attainment and achievement for all children. This should include embedding processes to plan, track and assess children’s learning. Teachers have had a strong focus on raising attainment and achievement for all children. They have improved how they plan, track, and assess children’s learning across the school. Teachers now plan children’s learning over different timescales. They use clear progression pathways for literacy, numeracy, physical education, and some health topics. These pathways are linked to Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) experiences and outcomes. For all other curriculum areas, they use a three-year rolling plan. This helps them to ensure all children experience a broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers should now create progression pathways for all curriculum areas. Teachers meet regularly with parents of children who require additional support with their learning. They include children and colleagues from multi-agency groups in these meetings where required. Together they create clear plans with specific, achievable targets. Teachers, parents and children review these targets throughout the year. This helps children who require additional support to make strong progress. Teachers have developed a clear framework for assessment which details which assessments they should use and when. They use assessments in literacy and numeracy and classwork to check how children apply their skills in new situations. Teachers work with colleagues in cluster schools to moderate children’s work. In small groups, teachers plan lessons, gather evidence, and discuss children’s progress and attainment. This is helping them to feel more confident judging children’s progress and achievement. They now make accurate decisions about children’s attainment and progress within CfE levels. Working together, all teachers have developed robust systems to track children’s progress and achievement. Teachers and senior leaders meet regularly to discuss children’s progress in literacy and numeracy. They identify gaps in children’s learning well and provide targeted support in class. Teachers also track children’s achievements in and outside school. Parents share children’s successes from home and staff and children celebrate these in journals and on the Pirnmill Panthers display board. Teachers work effectively with partners to offer clubs after school. All children have now participated in out of school activities. Children also join island events like the horticultural show and music festival. Teachers should now track the skills children are developing through wider achievement.
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3 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © Crown Copyright Senior leaders should prioritise and support the improvement of the quality of learning, teaching and assessment to ensure all children make the best possible progress. Teachers have made strong progress in improving learning, teaching, and assessment. Most children make good progress in literacy and numeracy, with a few making very good progress. Teachers provide a broad and balanced curriculum firmly embedded in the local context in which children live. There is a positive and caring ethos in the school. Children are highly respectful to adults and their peers. They enjoy learning in a welcoming environment where everyone is encouraged to do their best. When the headteacher took up post, she worked with all teachers to agree a set of clear expectations for high-quality learning and teaching. Teachers engage well with a wide range of professional learning activities to help them improve their learning and teaching. Senior leaders use the agreed framework of expectations effectively as a basis for observing learning and teaching. Teachers and senior leaders use feedback from observations well to improve their teaching and improve learning experiences for all children. The quality of learning and teaching across the school has significantly improved. All teachers reviewed and improved classroom environments to better meet all children’s needs. A new ‘discovery room’ supports play-based learning for younger children. Teachers are planning how to offer more creative and exploratory learning for all children in the discovery room. All children like their new classroom environments. They access resources independently and enjoy being able to choose where in the classroom to work at different times in the day. Teachers use clear explanations and instructions at all times. They check children’s understanding regularly during lessons using strategies like ‘thumbs up’ or ‘fist to five’. Children describe very well what they are learning. Older pupils help each other improve through providing others with peer-assessment and clear feedback. Teachers provide learning activities which engage children successfully and are well-matched to all children’s needs. Children benefit from regular opportunities to learn outdoors in the playground and garden or on the beach. Teachers and children use digital technology well to enhance learning and teaching. Children enjoy coding small computers and creating videos. Teachers have introduced and led a series of successful ‘together days’ with a nearby school. Children are making new friends and collaborate and communicate well as they work in groups with their new peers. All staff should further develop the use of data to track more clearly how much and how well children progress over time. They should use this information to plan learning that challenges children to make the best possible progress. All teachers have made strong progress in using data to track how well children make progress over time. They use this information well to plan lessons that are both challenging and engaging for all children.
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4 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © Crown Copyright All teachers know children very well. They have clear information about each child, including those who require additional support or have English as an additional language. Every child has developed a communication passport that explains how they learn best, what they find difficult, and other personal details. This helps teachers plan and deliver learning which meets the needs of all children well. Teachers record fully children’s attainment in a range of assessments across the year. They combine this well with their own observations to make accurate judgments about each child’s progress. Senior leaders and teachers meet three times a year to discuss children’s progress and attainment in literacy and English and numeracy and mathematics. They use tracking spreadsheets well to record whether children are on track, need extra support, or are exceeding expectations. All teachers now have a clear picture of each child’s progress. During tracking meetings, teachers identify children who are not making expected progress or have gaps in their learning. Teachers use detailed assessment data effectively to understand exactly where support is needed. Together with school leaders, they plan targeted support for individuals which they provide successfully as part of everyday learning and teaching. Teachers are developing a strong understanding of children’s attainment and progress over time. What happens next? The school has made good progress since the original inspection. 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. North Ayrshire Council will inform parents about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Katharine Crombie HM Inspector