Annual Report - School and Early Learning and Childcare Inspections 2023-24
North Ayrshire Council · 3 December 2024
Back to Cabinet — 3 December 2024 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 3 December 2024 Cabinet Title: Annual Report – School and Early Learning and Childcare Inspections 2023-24 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 2023-24. 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. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Education Scotland published inspection reports on seven educational establishments in North Ayrshire in session 2023-24. 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 eight local authority early learning and childcare establishments in North Ayrshire in session 2023-24. The performance of all these establishments was positive. 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. 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):
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• 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 2023-24, Education Scotland carried out seven school inspections in North Ayrshire (three 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 2. 2.6 In session 2023-24, 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 Dykesmains Primary School 12/12/2023 [Not assessed] Very Good [Not assessed] Very Good St Mark’s Primary School 06/02/2024 [Not assessed] Satisfactory [Not assessed] Satisfactory Winton Primary School 27/02/2024 [Not assessed] Good [Not assessed] Good Cumbrae Primary School 23/04/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Gateside Primary School 28/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Kilmory Primary School 27/08/2024 [Not assessed] Satisfactory [Not assessed] Satisfactory Pirnmill Primary School 27/08/2024 [Not assessed] Weak [Not assessed] Weak 2.7 In session 2023-24, 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 Cumbrae Primary Early Years 23/04/2024 Good Good Good Good
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Gateside Primary Early Years 28/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Kilmory Primary Early Years 27/08/2024 [Not assessed] Good [Not assessed] Good 2.8 In session 2023-24, 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 Douglas Park Nursery 06/02/2024 [Not assessed] Very Good [Not assessed] Very Good West Kilbride Early Years Centre 06/02/2024 [Not assessed] Very Good [Not assessed] Very Good 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 32 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. The higher the value, the better the performance. NAC outperforms regional and national comparators across all quality indicators. Average grade assigned through Education Scotland inspection 2016-2024 (schools only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-24* Regional 2016-24 (SWEIC)* National 2016-24* Leadership of change 4.54 3.83 3.77 Learning, teaching and assessment 4.13 3.78 3.72 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 4.54 4.01 3.94 Raising attainment and achievement 4.10 3.73 3.69 * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Satisfactory; 2 = Weak; 1 = Unsatisfactory Average grade assigned through Education Scotland inspection 2016-2024 (early learning and childcare settings only (authority provision)): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-24* Regional 2016-24 (SWEIC)* National 2016-24* Leadership of change 4.20 3.83 3.66 Learning, teaching and assessment 4.41 3.95 3.73 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 4.30 4.13 3.98 Securing children’s progress 4.41 4.01 3.82 * 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 2023-24. Again, this
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demonstrates an extremely strong performance in North Ayrshire which significantly outperforms regional and national comparators across all indicators: Percentage of Education Scotland inspections resulting in an evaluation of “good” or better 2016-24 (schools only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-24* Regional 2016-24 (SWEIC)* National 2016-24* Leadership of change 85% 63% 62% Learning, teaching and assessment 81% 68% 63% Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 85% 69% 69% Raising attainment and achievement 77% 68% 62% Percentage of Education Scotland inspections resulting in an evaluation of “good” or better 2016-24 (early learning and childcare settings only): Quality Indicator NAC 2016-24* Regional 2016-24 (SWEIC)* National 2016-24* Leadership of change 80% 67% 60% Learning, teaching and assessment 88% 72% 63% Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 80% 74% 75% Securing children’s progress 88% 75% 68% 2.11 The Education Scotland inspection reports (at Appendix 1) highlight a number of key strengths common to several of the establishments they visited in North Ayrshire in 2023-24. Notable strengths have been identified in the following areas: • Effective leadership: Strong leadership from the Head Teacher and senior leaders in raising attainment, tracking progress, and ensuring positive outcomes for learners. • Collaborative staff work: Teachers and support staff work together to improve learning, teaching and assessment practices. • Positive relationships and support: Strong, supportive relationships between staff and learners within a nurturing, calm and purposeful learning environment. • Learner attainment in key areas: High attainment, particularly in numeracy and listening and talking. • Opportunities for skill development: A wide range of opportunities provided for learners to develop skills and achieve beyond the classroom. 2.12 Areas for improvement in North Ayrshire were 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” or “further develop”, demonstrating that establishments are already beginning to take steps to address these points. The most common themes for improvement in 2023-24 were: • Develop more independence in learning: Support children in leading their own learning through more opportunities for learning conversations, goal setting and self- reflection. • Improve assessment and tracking processes: Enhance the use of data and assessments to better track learner progress, identify learning needs and plan appropriately challenging activities.
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• Continue to raise attainment in core subjects: Focus on further improving achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and ensure that learning activities are appropriately challenging and tailored to the needs of all learners. 2.13 The key areas for improvement are also being addressed more widely across all establishments through the priority actions of the Service Improvement Plan. 2.14 For Pirnmill Primary School, where the quality indicators of: i) learning, teaching and assessment and ii) raising attainment and achievement were both evaluated as weak, a specific, detailed action plan has been formulated. The implementation of this action plan is already underway and is being led by the new Head Teacher, with support from the central team. A further inspection will be undertaken by Education Scotland within the next year, the outcome of which will be reported to Cabinet. 2.15 In session 2023-24 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 the website. A total of eight Local Authority Early Years centres and classes and four 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? Fairlie Primary School Nursery Class 11/10/2023 Very good Good Good Very Good Lamlash Primary School Nursery Class 06/11/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Brodick Primary School Nursery Class 04/12/2023 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Pennyburn Primary School Nursery Class 28/03/2024 Adequate Adequate Adequate Adequate Annick Primary School Nursery Class 17/04/2024 Very Good Very Good Good Good Hayocks Primary School Nursery Class 11/05/2024 Good Good Good Adequate Gateside Primary School Nursery Class 29/05/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Springvale Early Years Centre 15/08/2024 Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good 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? Whitehirst Park Private Nursery 30/08/2023 Good Adequate Good Good Treetops Too (Saltcoats) 24/10/2023 Good Adequate Good Good First Steps Nursery (Irvine) 25/03/2024 Good Very Good Good Good Whitehirst Park Private Nursery 05/07/2024 Good Good Good Good
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2.16 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 2016-24, both for North Ayrshire’s local authority early learning and childcare settings, as well as for the South West Educational Improvement Collaborative. 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 2016-24* SWEIC Average Performance 2016-24* Quality of care, play and learning Quality of care and support 4.78 4.54 Quality of setting Quality of environment 4.67 4.39 Quality of leadership Quality of management and leadership 4.33 4.28 Quality of staff team Quality of staffing 4.56 4.48 * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Satisfactory; 2 = Weak; 1 = Unsatisfactory 2.17 Common strengths from the Care Inspectorate reports on early learning and childcare settings in North Ayrshire in 2023-24 are: • Nurturing Care: Children experience secure, happy, and confident care, with staff consistently providing supportive and responsive interactions that focus on emotional wellbeing. • Strong Teamwork and Leadership: Staff work effectively as teams, supported by strong leadership that encourages collaboration, communication and continuous professional development. • Learning through Play: A strong emphasis on play-based learning, with children leading their own activities and enjoying free-flow access to both indoor and outdoor spaces that promote hands-on, exploratory learning. • Positive Relationships with Families: Settings prioritise building strong, meaningful relationships with families, ensuring that parents and carers are involved and well- supported in the children's learning and development. • Commitment to Continuous Improvement: Many settings show a clear focus on self-evaluation and ongoing improvement, with staff and leadership committed to refining practices and enhancing the quality of care and learning. 2.18 Care Inspectorate reports included six areas for improvement in total for early learning and childcare establishments in North Ayrshire in 2023-24. 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: specific aspects of the learning environment and experiences; improvement in processes for monitoring learners’ progress; and maximising the effective deployment of staff. In parallel, the service is in the process of designing and implementing 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.
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2.19 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 2024-25. There is an increased flexibility in approach, agreed at individual establishment level. The Quality Improvement Framework is 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 2023- 24. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 No direct implications as a result of this report. Human Resources 4.2 No direct implications as a result of this report. Legal 4.3 No direct implications as a result of this report. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 No direct implications as a result of this report. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 No direct implications as a result of this report. Key Priorities 4.6 Council priorities: 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
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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. 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. Sam Anson Executive Director For further information please contact Andrew McClelland, Head of Service (Education), on 01294 324413. Background Papers 0
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1 | Dykesmains Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8213429 © Crown Copyright 12 December 2023 Dear Parent/Carer In October 2023, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Dykesmains 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. • The highly effective leadership of the headteacher, and senior leaders, in raising attainment and achievement, and in ensuring positive outcomes for children. This includes them engaging in robust monitoring and tracking of children’s progress. • The collaborative work of staff in continuing to improve learning, teaching and assessment. • The positive relationships between all staff and children. Children are supported well within a calm, nurturing and purposeful learning environment. • Children’s attainment in numeracy and in listening and talking. • The skills that children develop through their participation in a wide range of opportunities to achieve. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and representatives from North Ayrshire Council. • Develop further the use of assessment in all areas of the curriculum to demonstrate children’s progress across their learning more easily. • Continue to improve children’s progress in writing. Appendix 1
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2 | Dykesmains Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8213429 © 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 Dykesmains Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment very 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: Details | Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and Review | 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 Celia McArthur HM Inspector
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1 | St Mark’s Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8217521 © Crown Copyright 6 February 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In December 2023, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited St Mark’s Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. St Mark’s Primary School nursery class was inspected by the 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 school’s vision, values and aims, underpinned by the Gospel values, support a positive climate for learning. Children benefit from nurturing and mutually respectful relationships with staff. • The headteacher and staff’s dedication to supporting children and families experiencing financial barriers. They adopt approaches which help children to feel ready and better able to learn and maintain the dignity of families. • Staff work with partners effectively to offer children a range of achievements and learning opportunities. These help children to develop important skills. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • Staff should develop a shared understanding of high-quality learning and teaching. This will help improve the consistency of learners’ experiences and support children’s progress in learning as a result. • Teachers should continue to develop their use of assessments to measure children’s progress and identify their next steps in learning. They should work together and with colleagues from other schools to regularly review and apply national standards confidently. • Senior leaders and teachers should continue to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy across the school.
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2 | St Mark’s Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8217521 © 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 Mark’s Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment satisfactory Raising attainment and achievement satisfactory Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Details | Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and Review | 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. Mr Graham Parry HM Inspector
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1 | Winton Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8210624 © Crown Copyright 27 February 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In December 2023, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Winton Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. Winton Early Years 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. • Led ably by senior leaders, staff, children and families work very well together as part of the ‘Winton family’ to promote positive and respectful relationships. As a result, children enjoy school, behave well and engage positively in their learning. • The whole staff team have developed inclusive learning environments that support children who require help with their learning. This enables children to improve their wellbeing, make good progress and achieve well. • Staff develop their practice well through strong professional partnerships and collaboration as a team. This is improving children’s experiences. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • Continue to strengthen the use of assessment information to plan learning which is consistently at the right level of difficulty for all children. • Continue to raise attainment and achievement for children across the school. This will be supported by evidencing more clearly the impact support for individuals and groups has on their progress and attainment.
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2 | Winton Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8210624 © 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 Winton 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: Details | Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and Review | 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. Gillian Frew HM Inspector
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1 | Cumbrae Primary School and Nursery Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8218226 © Crown Copyright 23 April 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In January 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Cumbrae Primary School and Nursery 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: • The positive nurturing relationships between all staff and children in the school and nursery. Children are confident, secure and engage very well in learning. • The highly respected and aspirational headteacher who is driving school improvement. She is supported very well by an effective and resilient staff team. Together they are successfully improving children’s attainment, experiences and outcomes. • The high-quality experiences, including outdoor learning, community projects and learning through play. Learning is well planned and effectively supported by a range of partners. This is leading to positive outcomes for children. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and representatives from North Ayrshire Council. • Provide children with further opportunities to lead their learning and recognise the skills they are developing through learning experiences. • Continue to develop the nursery environment, both indoors and outside, to ensure all curriculum areas are planned well. Ensure that children are engaged and challenged fully in their learning. • In the nursery, continue to develop play and learning experiences around the wellbeing indicators. This will support children to develop a greater sense of their own health and wellbeing.
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2 | Cumbrae Primary School and Nursery Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8218226 © 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 Cumbrae Primary School and Nursery 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 very 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 good Learning, teaching and assessment good Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion 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: Find an inspection report | Education Scotland
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3 | Cumbrae Primary School and Nursery Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8218226 © 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. Nicola Drew HM Inspector
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1 | Gateside Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8211329 © Crown Copyright 28 May 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In April 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate visited Gateside 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 nursery class who are highly confident and kind to each other, adults and visitors. In the nursery, children have fun in their environment and in the school, children are eager, motivated learners. • The strong nurturing relationships that exist across the school and nursery class between staff, children and their families. These relationships support children well to respect themselves and others. • The strong sense of teamwork between staff and their willingness to take on leadership roles based on their professional learning. Senior leaders support and guide staff well to improve children’s learning experiences, particularly in literacy. • The approaches senior leaders and staff take to identify children’s barriers to learning quickly and address their needs. This is helping staff to get it right for every child in the school and nursery class. • The high levels of attainment of children across the school and nursery. Children make 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. • Senior leaders and all staff should continue to work on areas identified within the school and nursery class improvement plan.
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2 | Gateside Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8211329 © 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 Gateside Primary School and Early Years 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 very 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
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3 | Gateside Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8211329 © Crown Copyright We gathered evidence to enable us to evaluate the early learning and childcare setting using the quality indicators from A quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school-aged childcare. The framework supports settings, providers and inspectors to assess what is working well and what needs to be improved. Following the inspection of each setting, the Scottish Government gathers details of our evaluations to keep track of how well early learning and childcare settings are doing. The Care Inspectorate evaluations are also used by local authorities when considering how settings are meeting the national standard for funded early learning and childcare. The Care Inspectorate’s evaluations for the early learning and childcare setting are: Detailed evaluations Evaluation Key question 1: How good is our care, play and learning? very good 1.1 Nurturing care and support very good 1.3 Play and learning very good Key question 2: How good is our setting? very good 2.2 Children experience high quality facilities very good Key question 3: How good is our leadership? very good 3.1 Quality assurance and improvement are led well very good Key question 4: How good is our staff team? very good 4.3 Staff deployment very good Requirements made by the Care Inspectorate for the early learning and childcare setting. As a result of the inspection, no requirements were made. Areas for improvement made by the Care Inspectorate for the early learning and childcare setting. As a result of the inspection, no areas for improvement were made.
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4 | Gateside Primary School and Early Years Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8211329 © Crown Copyright A more detailed document called Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) will be available on the Education Scotland website at: Details | Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and review | 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. Helen Mulholland Eileen McColgan HM Inspector Care Inspector
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1 | Kilmory Primary School and Nursery Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8200424 © Crown Copyright 27 August 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In May 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Kilmory Primary School and Nursery 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. • Staff support children to feel welcomed and cared for across the school and nursery. Children experience positive, respectful and nurturing relationships which is impacting positively on their motivation to learn. • Children are friendly, curious and confident. They have a positive attitude to their school and benefit from local partnerships in the community. • In the nursery, staff use stimulating outdoor and real-life learning contexts to engage children in meaningful and relevant activities. This supports children in the nursery to make good progress in their learning. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • Develop consistently high-quality approaches to learning and teaching across the school. Ensure that learning activities are challenging enough and well matched to the needs of all children. • Improve approaches to assessing and tracking children’s progress across the school and nursery. Ensure that all children build on prior learning and experience activities that support them to lead their own learning. • Improve approaches to meeting the learning needs of all children including those who require additional support with their learning. Staff should work with children to set clear, measurable targets that help children make better progress in their learning. • Improve attainment in literacy and numeracy across the school.
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2 | Kilmory Primary School and Nursery Class, North Ayrshire Council, 8200424 © 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) 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 Kilmory Primary School and Nursery Class Quality indicators for the primary school Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment satisfactory Raising attainment and achievement satisfactory Descriptions of the evaluations are available from: How good is our school? (4th edition), Appendix 3: The six-point scale Quality indicators for the nursery class Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment 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: Inspection and review | 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. Anne Graham HM Inspector
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1 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © Crown Copyright 27 August 2024 Dear Parent/Carer In May 2024, a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited Pirnmill Primary School. During our visit, we talked to parents/carers and children and worked closely with the acting headteacher and staff. The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work. • Children are happy, friendly and keen to learn. They benefit from positive and caring relationships across the whole school community that support the wellbeing of children and families. This is supported by senior leaders and staff who understand the island and rural context of the local community. • Strong partnerships which help improve children's wellbeing, enhance learning experiences and support children at times of change. The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from North Ayrshire Council. • 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. • 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. • 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. • 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.
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2 | Pirnmill Primary School, North Ayrshire Council, 8200521 © 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 Pirnmill Primary School Quality indicators Evaluation Learning, teaching and assessment weak Raising attainment and achievement weak 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: Details | Find an inspection report | Find an inspection report | Inspection and review | Education Scotland What happens next? As a result of our inspection findings, we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements. We will liaise with North Ayrshire Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve. We will return to carry out a further inspection of the school within one year of the publication of this letter. We will discuss with North Ayrshire Council the details of this inspection. When we return to inspect the school, we will write to you as parents/carers informing you of the progress the school has made. Louise Phillips HM Inspector
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How good is our school? Appendix 3: 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 means that this aspect of the school’s work is outstanding and sector-leading. The experiences and achievements of all children and young people are of a very high quality. An evaluation of excellent represents an outstanding standard of provision which exemplifies very best practice, based on achieving equity and inclusion and a deep professional understanding which is being shared beyond the school 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 in this aspect of the school’s work. There are very few areas for improvement and any that do exist do not significantly diminish learners’ experiences. An evaluation of very good represents a high standard of provision for all children and young people and is a standard that should be achievable by all. There is an expectation that the school 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 within the school’s work yet there remains some aspects which require improvement. The strengths have a significantly positive impact on almost all children and young people. The quality of learners’ experiences is diminished in some way by aspects in which improvement is required. It implies that the school 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 school’s work just outweigh the weaknesses. It indicates that learners have access to a basic level of provision. It represents a standard where the strengths have a positive impact on learners’ experiences. While the weaknesses are not important enough to have a substantially adverse impact, they do constrain the overall quality of learners’ experiences. The school 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 school’s work. While there may be some strength, the important weaknesses, either individually or collectively, are sufficient to diminish learners’ experiences in substantial ways. It implies the need for prompt, structured and planned action on the part of the school. Unsatisfactory An evaluation of unsatisfactory means there are major weaknesses within this aspect of the school’s work which require immediate remedial action. Learners’ experiences are at risk in significant respects. In almost all cases, this will require support from senior managers in planning and carrying out the necessary actions to effect improvement. This will usually involve working alongside staff in other schools or agencies. 62 63 Appendix 2