St John Ogilvie PS
&
Woodlands Nursery
Standards & Quality
Report
Session 2012/2013
DATA LABEL : PUBLIC
Introduction
In session 2012- 2013, Raising Attainment was the overarching priority in
the St John Ogilvie PS and Woodlands Nursery School Improvement Plan.
This report details the progress made with the plan and is set within the
context of Curriculum for Excellence and measured against the Quality
Indicators within ‘Child at the Centre’ and ‘How Good is our School?’
Areas for Development Session 2012 – 2013
Self evaluation by staff, and audits of the views if pupils, parents/carers
and stakeholders resulted in the following areas of development being
identified and incorporated within the School Improvement Plan for session
2012 -2013.
1. To continue to develop the school’s assessment techniques to record
pupil attainment and achievement.
2. To further improve the quality of the learning and teaching by
cultivating and embedding a greater philosophical appreciation and
practical understanding of the development of teachers’ craft.
Progress made
Priority: Raising Attainment
Area for Development 1:
Satisfactory progress was made in this area.
Evidence indicated:
 Staff were involved at Early, First and Second Levels in assessment
and moderation activities across the St Margaret’s Academy cluster.
This involved moderating pupil work in Literacy and RE.
 Staff evaluations indicated that this afforded them a deeper
understanding of moderation strategies and increased their
confidence in making judgements about ‘the secure learner’.
 At cluster level, staff were involved in training which allowed them to
develop skills in sign-posting pupil progress in Numeracy.
 All staff were involved in CPD looking at Active teaching staregies in
Numeracy
Next steps:
 School needs to embed moderation activities as part of the regular
Learning, Teaching and Assessment cycle.
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

A common framework for assessment and classroom self-evaluation of
learning and teaching needs to be developed in school which is
consistent across all stages.
Staff need to work together to develop their understanding of the
principles of assessment as outlined within Building the Curriculum 5.
Area for Development 2:
Satisfactory progress was made in this area.
Evidence indicated:
 All staff were involved in CPD looking at active teaching strategies in
Numeracy
 Second Level teachers worked with the cluster Raising Attainment
Officer on developing strategies for the teaching of Reading.
 Staff worked together to audit current practice in the teaching of
Social Subjects and Science
Next steps:


All staff need to look at developing whole school structures and
practices which embrace the principles of curriculum design within
individual classrooms and across all learning.
Staff need to further develop skills in Aifl- open questioning and the
writing of Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.
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Context of the School
St John Ogilvie PS is a Roman Catholic Co-Educational two stream primary
school which serves the communities of West Lothian. Its catchment area
draws mainly from the districts of Deans, Eliburn, Carmondean and
Knightsridge, all situated at the northern end of Livingston. The school
which was built in 1977 provides adequate accommodation for staff and
pupils. Woodlands Nursery is a former Nursery School which is now
partnered and managed with St John Ogilvie PS. The Nursery has a
capacity of 35/35.
Session 2012-13 has been a successful but challenging year for the school
community. This session saw the retirement of the long-standing
Headteacher in October. From October to April, the long-standing Depute
Headteacher served the community as Acting Headteacher and a new
Headteacher joined the school in April. The school will also see the
promotion of the Depute to Headteacher of another school at the end of
the session. Further, the two long-standing Acting PT’s were made
permanent in June and a further Acting PT will be appointed in the new
session. This has been an induction year for the new Support for Learning
teacher and and a year of building capacity at the Early Level in
preparation for the retirement of the Nursery Teacher in June. During the
session 2012-13, the school role comprised 367 pupils with 70 pupils
enrolled in the Nursery. There were 24 members of teaching staff,
including those designated to support pupils with learning difficulties and
special needs. The teaching staff and pupils were very well supported by a
dedicated team of 7 Pupil Support Workers and 3 Nursery Nurses.
St John Ogilvie PS and Woodlands Nursery is part of the wider community
of Deans both educationally and socially. Strong links exist with both St
Margaret’s Academy and Deans Community HS and their cluster primary
schools.
There are active and productive Parish/Community links through St Peter’s
RC Church situated in Carmondean. Invaluable spiritual support is provided
to all pupils, parents and families within the school community by the priests
associated with St Peter’s Parish. The School Chaplain, Father Sebastian, is
a regular visitor to the school, enhancing the religious education delivered
by teachers through ‘This is Ous Faith’. We would also like to acknowledge
the important role played by lay Catechists from the Parish in augmenting
our RE programme for pupils across the school.
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How well do children and young people learn and achieve? (1.1; 2.1)
Strengths
Pupils in St. John Ogilvie School are motivated, stimulated and fully
engaged in learning. Teachers throughout the school have continued to use a
range of active learning approaches and strategies to energise the
curriculum for pupils particularly in maths and the teaching of close reading
skills. Interdisciplinary learning is now a recognised way of working for
pupils and this is regularly celebrated with parents, families and the wider
community. Topics have been reviewed this session for relevance, breadth
and depth. Opportunities for learning ‘in context’ through outdoor education,
educational learning visits and business partnership links have ensured that
pupils make relevant connections and develop skills for learning, life and
work. Further business links have been forged through financial education
and the establishment of a Credit Union within the school.
At the Early level pupils had a range of visitors from the wider community
to develop a ‘People who Help Us’ topic. At Nursery level, parents were
involved in giving talks to the children as part of the Babies topic. Visits
were organised to the Five Sisters Zoo and Almondell Country Park. These
visits were extended at First level, where pupils had ‘hands -on’ experience
of farming tools and equipment during a visit from a hill-farmer. They
collaborated with local businesses during Fair Trade Fortnight to create a
Fairtrade café for parents. At Second Level, classes have collaborated with
other agencies and professionals to augment curricular delivery. Staff from
the Bannockburn Centre,West Lothian Food Bank and Zoo lab have provided
invaluable contexts for learning.
Planning for teaching and learning has been further refined across the
school. Pace and Challenge remain standard items in the monitoring of
teachers’ plans. Plans are beginning to show some evidence of challenge
activities for more able learners, particularly at the Early level. Almost all
plans show appropriate differentiation and support for pupils with additional
learning needs.
Our Curriculum in Numeracy/ Maths, Literacy and Health and Well being
has been developed and shaped in close collaboration with colleagues within
St. Margaret’s Cluster. Experiences and outcomes have been unpacked and
embedded across the curriculum. Staff have reviewed the Science and
Social Subjects programmes.
Staff at all stages continue to develop creative approaches to teaching and
learning
Almost all staff and pupils’ skills, knowledge and confidence in the use of
ICT have further developed through the increased use of technology,
equipment and resources. ICT is an integral part of learning and teaching in
most classes throughout the school. The resultant stimulating and creative
lessons have motivated pupils and engaged them in more relevant, focused
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learning contexts. This session, there has been a greater focus on the
range of technology used and the relevant skills development of pupils.
This year we have continued to focus closely on the assessment of skills
during the learning experience. Standardised testing results show that the
attainment of individuals and groups is consistent over time. ‘Follow through
arrangements’ will now be extended to include information relating to the
National
Group
Reading
Test
and
P.M.
Benchmark
results,
where
appropriate. The Durham Adaptive Standardised testing will be introduced,
in line with West Lothian policy. This will provide further insight into
individual performance over time.
Staff were given appropriate training this session in the use of SEEMIS for
reporting. Although we are in the early stages of use, this will have a some
impact on tracking for interventions.
Priorities for future development

Continue to use SEEMIS to track and monitor pupils’ progress over
time

Develop Tracking & Monitoring systems in school to include all
information about pupil progress and development

Monitor results from Durham Adaptive Assessments
diagnostically to raise attainment next session

Refine the range of assessment evidence being collected to focus
more closely on the application of skills.

Develop strategies in school which allow pupils opportunities to develop
skills in vertical groups and committees
and
use
How well is the school helping children and young people to develop and
learn? (5.1; 5.3)
Strengths
A clear Curricular Planning Overview is in place, showing progress from the
previous 3 years, a clear vision of where we are as a school and where we
are going. Staff engage regularly in professional dialogue, both in school
and with Cluster colleagues to ensure the curriculum provides a coherent
experience for learners, particularly at key transition stages. Staff are
currently working in close collaboration with St. Margaret’s Cluster
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Colleagues to ‘signpost’ skills development in Numeracy and Maths. Good
progress has been made in assessment and moderation of skills development
in close reading and R.E.
Forward plans show that staff are working confidently with Experiences and
Outcomes at all levels. Experiences and Outcomes have been ‘unpacked’ in
Literacy, Numeracy and Maths, Health and Wellbeing, and RME, although
further work needs to be done in these areas in order to ensure cohesive
pathways of learning. Programmes and courses for other curricular areas
are under review. Staff are beginning to support learners to develop the
necessary skills for life work and learning. Numeracy, Maths and Literacy
skills are applied in a variety of real life contexts through active approaches
Effective arrangements are in place for meaningful transition from Nursery
to P.1 and from P.7 to S1. Strong partnerships are in place to support this
and transitions can be evidenced through exemplary Learners’ Journeys at
Nursery / P.1 and Electronic Personal Profiles at P.7 / S.1.
Some staff CPD has been related to current improvement priorities and
individual needs are signposted through the Staff Review process. There is
a strong collegiate commitment to whole school improvement. CPD pertaining
to ALN issues has up-skilled staff and improved their ability to meet the
needs of all learners. Classroom observation has shown that autism and
dyslexia friendly strategies are in place in most classrooms benefiting all
pupils.
There is a measured focus on capacity building, particularly at the Early
level, to allow seamless transition of staff from Nursery to P.1 following an
imminent retirement. Arrangements are in place to track and monitor pupil
progress in Literacy and Numeracy. Tracking and Monitoring information is
used to:
 Put interventions in place for pupils who need them
 Form support and challenge groups in reading
 Inform groupings and teaching approaches in maths
 Track individuals and groups over time
 To look at value added issues
Staff make provision for individual learners and groups through providing a
range of differentiated tasks and provide support and challenge as an
integral part of lessons. Learning visits have shown that focus on pace,
challenge and differentiation is improving outcomes for all learners. Staff
constantly identify, review and evaluate learner’s needs and match learning
activities appropriately for all pupils. They work closely with parents and
partner agencies to ensure that learners’ social, emotional, physical and
intellectual needs are being addressed. The school is committed to the
GIRFEC agenda. Individual Education Programmes and Co-ordinated Support
Plans are regularly reviewed and updated. Parents, carers and learners
(where appropriate) are invited to contribute to IEP reviews.
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Priorities for future development

Continue to develop the curriculum in all curricular areas in line
with CfE

Use data from standardised tests for progression

Develop assessment moderation procedures in school

Introduce a consistent approach to Pupil Profiling across all stages
following analysis of BtC5 messages

Embed new WLC procedures and GIRFEC arrangements to continue
to meet pupils’ needs
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How well is the school improving the quality of its work? (5.9)
Existing Strengths
Further progress has been made in the school’s self evaluation process this
session. The strong focus on reviewing and developing learning experiences
and outcomes has led to a closer examination of the impact on pupils of
everything we do in school. The new format for self evaluation of the
HGIOS QIs has now been embedded, showing a direct impact on pupils’
learning. All staff have used this tool to focus on current progress and
future navigation on the journey towards excellence. Through its use, the
school has identified important strengths. Teachers’ plans have been
reviewed and adapted. Professional dialogue meetings have encouraged staff
to monitor planning across each level, minimising overlap in experiences and
outcomes. Staff have worked extremely well together to further develop
active maths and close reading approaches and strategies.This has resulted
in greater consistency of classroom practice, particularly in active learning
and assessment.
Teachers are now more confident in planning and delivering the curriculum.
Short term planning, introduced last session is ensuring more timeous
intervention for pupils.
Teachers are more confident in planning for inter-disciplinary learning with
a stronger emphasis on active learning experiences and challenge activities.
Areas such as Citizenship, Enterprise, Sustainability and ECO awareness
have been integrated in an appropriate and meaningful way. There have
been regular showcase events involving parents and families learning
alongside their children and celebrating their learning. Interdisciplinary
learning has also been celebrated through school assemblies and through the
West Lothian Council and our own school Learning Blog.
There is now a need to introduce tracking documents across the curriculum
to ensure pace of learning for every pupil.
Classroom Learning Visits have been much more focused on teachers’
reflection, self-evaluation and professional dialogue. By linking these visits
to current improvement priorities and maintaining pace, challenge and
differentiation as areas for close scrutiny, there has been some
improvement in learning and teaching.
Learners across the school can talk about their learning experiences and
share success criteria during lessons. The arrangements for assessment
evidence gathering have ensured that learning experiences are more closely
matched to pupils’ needs. Pupils and Teachers are involved in profiling and
Learners’ Journeys and Pupil Achievement Profiles have kept parents fully
informed of their child’s progress at Parent Consultations. Some further
work needs to be done to develop profiling further. Staff have identified
the need to extend the range of assessment evidence gathered to reflect
the child’s skills development in line with the good practice of the Learner’s
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Journey at Early Level.
Whole school self-evaluation was a strong focus of both parents’ evenings
this session. Parents, pupils and staff were asked to participate in a post-it
event, identifying current strength and next steps for development. Many
of these next steps were immediately actioned by the acting headteacher
and progress reported on the final parents session.
The pupil council have been instrumental in evaluating learning, the learning
environment and partnership working with West Lothian Council. They have
set clear targets for improvement in relation to improving their learning
environment.
Priorities for future development






Embed a Self-Evaluation Cycle which has been agreed by all
stakeholders.
Embed the use of classroom Self-Evaluation records which impact
on learning and teaching
Robust Tracking & Monitoring system needs to be developed
Extend the self evaluation of HGIOS QIs to C@C to cover Early
level
Further involve the Pupil Council in self-evaluation practices in school
Use pupil focus groups to evaluate practice and developments
How well is the school working with partners? (8.1)
Strengths
The school has a very high profile in the local community. There are well
established community links through St. Peter’s Parish. All pupils have
opportunities for regular church visits, religious observance and liaison
visits from the school chaplain. Lay members of St. Peter’s Church have
a regular programme of visits to enhance existing prayer and religious
observance practices.
The school works in partnership with local businesses and community
personnel including Credit Union, RBS, Sainsburys, Morrisons, West
Lothian Foodbank, Health Centre, Community Police, to enhance
curricular outcomes and experiences for learners at all stages.
There are effective transition arrangements in place from Nursery into
P.1. We currently have 17 Nursery schools which feed in to St. John
Ogilvie School. There is strong liaison with all of these centres and each
one is visited by the PT before pupils start. Pre-integration multiagency meetings are always held for pupils with ASN entering P.1. This
ensures that parents are confident that necessary support will be in
place for their child starting school. Learners’ Journey Documents are
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used from Nursery into P.1 (and beyond for some pupils). These early
profiles ensure continuity of learning and approaches across the Early
Level. This session has been a year of capacity building to ensure P.1
staff have quality staff development and training at Nursery level.
School has worked in close partnership with Ann Doyle, West Lothian
Council to achieve this.
Strong partnerships exist with St. Margaret’s Academy and these have
been further strengthened this year with close collaboration with the
Cluster Raising Attainment Officer. Curriculum transition procedures
ensure continuity and progression for learners moving from P.7 to S.1.
Increased visits to St. Margaret’s Academy, as part of the Tuesday
Trio arrangements have ensured shared standards and expectations in a
practical context. There is also strong pastoral support for vulnerable
pupils during transition through strong partnership working with CYPT,
Social Work, Barnardos, Autism and ADHD outreach services. These
services work effectively with school staff to provide enhanced
transition for those who require it. There is a strong commitment to
producing quality electronic profiles. There are very supportive
arrangements in place for ASN and vulnerable pupils across all stages of
the school. This year an induction programme is in place for a new
Support For Learning Teacher. She has benefited from well established
arrangements for multi-agency working including the Educational
Psychologist, Speech therapist, Outreach Services and Child Health.
Meetings are held termly with the SMT to prioritise support and ensure
all appropriate referrals are being made. The timetable has been
flexible to include necessary ‘nurture’ check-in slots for pupils with
SEBN. This has had a positive impact on the learning culture in various
classrooms across the school.
The school has provided opportunities for secondary pupils who wish to
build up their work experience in a variety of capacities. We have
supported secondary pupils from St. Margaret’s, Inveralmond and Deans
and liaise with appropriate staff regarding their progress.
Areas for development
 Continue to extend local business links to further enhance the
curriculum
 Continue to promote a chaplaincy presence in the school to enhance
delivery of This is Our Faith
 Early level joint topic arrangements to be extended to include other
nursery partners
 Review support arrangements for next session to incorporate reintegration of high tarif pupil
 Review SFL arrangements and evaluate for impact on pupils’ progress
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How does the school ensure equality and inclusion and promote diversity
across the school?
Equality, inclusion and diversity are an integral part of our school ethos and
mission statement. All pupils, staff and parents are treated with respect
within this inclusive framework.
Staff have been up-skilled in dealing with a range of ASN / SEBN in the
classroom setting. Pupils within this range are supported within West
Lothian Council’s Continuum of Support arrangements. Differentiation
through resources, support or IEPs is an expectation in all classes.
Every effort is made to include and support pupils and parents with EAL
needs, through letter translations and interpreters where necessary.
Cultural diversity is included as part of class assembly topics and religious
diversity is covered through our R.E. programme. The Rights Respecting
Schools Initiative has been tentatively introduced and will be further
embedded next session.
Behaviour is dealt with promptly and fairly, within the school’s Positive
Behaviour Programme. All staff have high expectations and are consistent in
their approach. Pupils who have difficulty with anger management and social
skills are supported in class by a Pupil Support Worker and have designated
nurture slots within the Support for learning timetable.
What stage is the school at in taking forward Curriculum for Excellence?
All staff have worked extremely hard to develop aspects of CfE over the
last few years. At this stage of implementation, it is important to take a
more strategic approach and join all the different threads of previous
development together. Next session, all staff will be taking a closer look at
BtC3 and BtC5 in order to further develop the school’s provision. Pathways
of learning in Literacy, Mathematics and Health & Wellbeing need to be
further developed and moderation as a constant and ongoing activity needs
to be explored.
Improvement Priority 2013 -2014: Raising Attainment
What are your key areas of development to take this priority forward?
1. CfE. (1.1, 2.1,5.1)
Further implement Curriculum for Excellence with a close study of
BtC3 and BtC5 by all staff.
2. The Curriculum (5.1, 5.3, 5.1)
Further develop curricular pathways by reviewing the work already
done and by developing new pathways for Science and Social
Subjects.
3. School structures and processes (5.1, 5.3, 5.9)
Review current structures in place across whole school and ensure
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consistency of approach at all levels – CP, Healthcare, SfL, Recording
practices.
Based on the above information, at this point in time, how would you evaluate
your school on the following quality indicators?
1.1
2.1
5.1
5.3
5.9
8.1
Improvements in performance
Learners’ experience
Curriculum
Meeting learning needs
Improvement through self-evaluation
Partnership with the community, educational
establishments, agencies and employers
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Satisfactory
Good
Good
Good
Good
Very good