HM Inspectorate of Education
1st Floor, Endeavour House, 1 Greenmarket, Dundee DD1 4QB
t 01382 576700
f 01382 576701
e hmi.dundee@hmie.gsi.gov.uk
w www.hmie.gov.uk
31 May 2011
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Dear Parent/Carer
Peebles High School
Scottish Borders Council
As you will be aware, HM Inspectors of Education recently visited and inspected Peebles
High School. The inspection was concerned with how well young people learn and achieve;
how well they are supported by the school; and how well the school improves the quality of its
work.
In addition, we agreed with the school that we would look closely at a number of areas as
priorities for attention. These included the range of opportunities for personal achievement;
the school’s progress with Curriculum for Excellence; provision for young people with
additional support needs; and the development of leadership qualities throughout the school.
Throughout the inspection we talked to a large number of young people and worked closely
with the headteacher and staff.
How well do young people learn and achieve?
Most young people are well motivated and are learning successfully in class. They
acknowledge that they are usually taught thoroughly, particularly in certificate courses.
However, many need to be more actively involved in lessons and to have more challenge and
responsibility for their own learning. They also need to be more aware of their strengths and
areas for further development in their learning.
The encouragement of personal achievements is a strength of the school and is having a
positive impact overall on young people’s self-confidence and inter-personal skills. Many
derive considerable benefit from the wide range of sporting, musical and other cultural
activities available to them and they perform to a high level. They participate in choirs, bands
and school shows. Their communal art work displayed in the school is particularly
impressive. The school has achieved its second Scottish Eco-Schools Green Flag award.
The school eco-group works well with the community and in recycling within the school.
Young people take responsibility readily and develop skills in enterprise in a range of positive
ways, including through raising money for many local and international charities. The
school’s focus on international education has contributed fully to the development of the
values of responsible citizenship, including global citizenship. Students at S6 exercise
leadership skills in many aspects of school life. They represent the school with credit through
organising school events; and as prefects, student council members, student supporters of
younger pupils and “peer advocates”.
In S4 the school’s performance in examinations is above national averages, particularly at
Standard Grade level 5, or the equivalent. At Standard Grade levels 3 and 4, or the
equivalent, the school has performed less well than schools serving young people with similar
needs and backgrounds, although performance has improved in 2010. At S5 and S6, the
school has performed consistently well above these schools, with regard to the proportion of
young people gaining Higher and Advanced Higher awards. Almost all young people go on to
positive destinations including further and higher education, training or employment when
they leave.
How well does the school support young people to develop and learn?
The curriculum is broad and well balanced overall and carefully planned in many respects.
The school makes extensive efforts to offer a wide range of course choices for young people.
There is strong emphasis on well-focused and targeted vocational learning, related to young
people’s needs, aspirations and employment opportunities. The school also offers a wide
range of Higher and Advanced Higher courses. Unsatisfactory facilities have seriously
hampered staff in providing high quality physical education. The school is making sustained
progress with its plans for the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence at S1 and in the
planning of courses at S2/S3. It now needs to ensure that the choices made by young people
at the end of S1 build clearly on what they have learned and experienced in primary schools.
A clearer curriculum for young people with additional support needs is also required. Staff
know young people well. In the majority of classes there are suitable tasks, activities and
resources for most learners. However, some lessons lack enough pace and challenge.
Those young people experiencing difficulties with their learning also require more consistent
support. The school should develop a more coherent and effective approach towards
improving the experience of young people with additional support needs, including those with
more complex needs. In particular, better teamwork and clearer expectations about staff
roles and responsibilities are needed. In some cases more constructive partnership with
parents is also a priority. The pastoral support team plays an important role in guiding and
supporting learners. In addition, the chaplaincy team, local employers and other
professionals, including those in educational psychology and speech and language therapy,
provide valuable support for learning within the school.
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
Relationships between staff and young people are positive. Most young people feel they are
treated fairly and with respect. The senior student council, prefects and those with particular
responsibilities make a major contribution to the life of the school. However, many young
people do not feel they are as involved as they could be in improving the school and the
quality of their learning. The Parent Council, the Parent Teachers’ Association and the
PHS 200 Group are highly supportive of the school and its range of activities. Improved
communication with parents is an acknowledged priority for the school. Staff morale is
variable. Many, including the headteacher and the senior management team, are highly
committed to the school and its young people and are prepared to take initiatives and lead
developments. However, a significant proportion of staff feel they should be more
constructively involved in school improvement, through better communication and clearer
priorities.
The school serves many of its young people well. The headteacher and members of the
senior management team have a clear view of the challenges still facing the school in
meeting the full range of learners’ needs.
2.
Our inspection of your school found the following key strengths.
•
Confident, articulate and well-motivated young people.
•
The wide range of opportunities for personal achievement, offered by many committed
staff, which help many young people to develop their talents
•
High levels of attainment in certificate examinations on the part of many young people.
•
The wide range of subjects offered in the curriculum which give young people good
opportunities for personalisation and choice.
•
The well-focused opportunities for vocational learning, relevant to the needs and interest
of young people.
We discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to improve the
school. This is what we agreed with them.
•
Develop learning and teaching approaches which increase active learning and the degree
of challenge and responsibility offered to learners.
•
Develop a coherent, consistent and strategic approach towards meeting the needs of
those young people experiencing difficulties in their learning, particularly those with
complex additional support needs.
•
Build more consistently on young people’s prior learning experiences in the curriculum
especially from primary schools into S1.
•
Improve communication with parents and other stakeholders.
We are confident that with support from the education authority, the school can improve its
arrangements and procedures for ensuring continued improvement in the quality of education
provided. We will make no further visits at this time. The education authority will inform
parents about the school’s progress as part of their arrangements for reporting to parents on
the quality of its schools. Our district inspector will maintain contact with the school to support
and monitor improvements.
Yours sincerely
Lachlan MacCallum
HM Inspector
31 May 2011
The full record of inspection findings will be shared with the headteacher and staff, the local
authority and Chair of the Parent Council. This is part of our ongoing commitment to support
continuous improvement through the inspection process. Further information used during the
inspection, together with the quality indicator evaluations for Peebles HS, can be found on the
HMIE website at http://www.hmie.gov.uk/ViewEstablishment.aspx?id=7502&type=3
3.