Education Scotland
Foghlam Alba
Education Scotland, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG
t 0141 242 0100
f 0141 242 5757
Textphone 01506 600236
e glasgow@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
w educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
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27 March 2012
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Dear Parent/Carer
Pilrig Park School
The City of Edinburgh Council
Recently, as you may know, my colleagues and I visited and inspected your child’s school.
Throughout our visit, we talked to many parents and young people and we worked closely
with the headteacher and staff. We wanted to find out how well young people were learning
and achieving and how well the school supported young people to do their best. The
headteacher shared with us the school’s successes and priorities for improvement. We
looked at some particular aspects of the school’s recent work, including the school’s theatre
arts production at the City Festival Theatre, transitions, working together with others to
support learning and approaches to planning and recording young people’s learning
experiences and achievements. As a result, we were able to find out how good the school
was at improving children’s education. I would now like to tell you what we found.
How well do young people learn and achieve?
Young people benefit from high quality relationships with staff and respond well to the
purposeful learning environment in almost all classes. They listen attentively, are well
mannered and are keen to participate. They contribute very well to whole class discussions
and work well together in pairs or on small group tasks. Young people are kind to, and
supportive, of each other. Young people know how well they are progressing and what they
have to do to improve. Young people’s learning is enriched through the school’s annual camp
which provides opportunities to participate in a range of physical activities including bungee
trampolining, cycling, orienteering and rambles. Young people are very well cared for and
feel safe and secure. Aspects of the climate for learning are outstanding.
Young people are making good progress and achieve well in a wide range of activities. All
young people offer their opinions and views when using the diary room. They actively share
in decision making through the pupil council, the eco committee and the role of head girl and
head boy. At the senior stages, every young person is successfully developing skills for life
beyond school through their work experience placement. Young people develop their
confidence and skills for life, learning and work and perform to a high level when participating
in the theatre arts production at the Festival Theatre each year. Young people are improving
their independent travel skills by travelling regularly on public transport to school, college and
work placements in the independent travel scheme.
The school is improving young people’s attainment across almost all areas of the curriculum
increasing the number of National Qualifications gained at different levels. Almost all young
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people attain units well at Access 1, 2 and 3. Young people are attaining very well in science
and biology. They are successful in achieving good outcomes when gaining The Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award at bronze, silver and gold levels. Young people are developing
confidence and skills in number, money, measurement and time and are making good
progress with their reading skills. The school can raise expectations of young people’s
achievements in some aspects of their health and wellbeing and in some curriculum areas.
How well does the school support young people to develop and learn?
The curriculum has an appropriate focus on preparing young people for life, learning and
work. Staff are taking forward developments of aspects of Curriculum for Excellence very
well. They have developed effective approaches to planning, recording and displaying young
people’s experiences and achievements. Staff are developing appropriate ways to support
young people’s progress in their literacy and numeracy skills. Young people’s social,
emotional and mental wellbeing is being promoted effectively across the curriculum. The
school works well with a wide range of partners to enhance young people’s opportunities to
achieve and to support young people when moving into and beyond the school. Staff provide
well-designed resources and make good use of visual supports for learning. They are very
successfully meeting almost all of young people’s learning needs. In some classes, a few
young people could be given more suitable levels of challenge in their learning. Young
people’s needs are well addressed through very effective use of individualised educational
programmes and personal plans. The school makes good use of coordinated plans to meet
young people’s complex or multiple additional support needs.
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
All staff are improving ways of supporting learners to gain high quality experiences. They
carry out a number of surveys of their work and aspects of the school’s relationships among
staff, young people and parents. The Parent Council provides strong support to the school
and parents. Staff are taking forward improvements to the curriculum and learning and
teaching at a steady pace. Staff are discussing ways to further improve the school and are
involved in observing and sharing good practice. The headteacher provides inspirational
leadership to young people, staff and parents and partners. She has established a supportive
environment of very high quality. Staff readily engage in working groups to improve systems
and processes of support. They should continue to focus on improving outcomes for young
people. We are confident that the school will continue to improve.
This inspection of your school found the following key strengths.
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The outstanding leadership of the headteacher.
The quality of learners’ experiences and staff’s skills in designing activities and resources.
Young people’s personal achievements through participation in the annual theatre arts
production at the City Festival Theatre.
Young people’s, parents’ and staff’s shared understanding of Curriculum for Excellence.
High quality and positive relationships across the school.
We discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to improve the
school. This is what we agreed with them.
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Continue to implement Curriculum for Excellence and build staff confidence in linking
experiences and outcomes.
To continue to improve outcomes for young people.
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What happens at the end of the inspection?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the school’s
self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will make no further
evaluative visits in connection with this inspection. During the inspection, we identified an
aspect of innovative practice which we would like to explore further in order to share the
practice with others. As a result we will work with the school and local authority in order to
record and share more widely the innovative practice. We will ask the school, in discussion
with the local authority, to let parents know the outcome of the innovative practice visit(s).
David Watt
HM Inspector
Additional inspection evidence, such as details of the quality indicator evaluations, for your
school can be found on the Education Scotland website at
http://www.hmie.gov.uk/ViewEstablishment.aspx?id=7524&type=3.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a different format, for example,
in a translation. You can contact us at enquiries@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or write to us
at BMCT, Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale
Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact 01506
600200, or write to us at the above address or e-mail:
feedback@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk.
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