Larkhall Academy
Interim follow-through
South Lanarkshire Council
10 June 2008
Contents
Page
1.
The inspection
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2.
Continuous improvement
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3.
Progress towards meeting the main points for action
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4.
Conclusion
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How can you contact us?
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1. The inspection
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) published a report on the inspection of
Larkhall Academy in June 2007. The report indicated that HM Inspectors would engage with
the school and the education authority in monitoring progress and would publish an interim
report within one year of the publication of the original report.
Working with the school, the education authority prepared an action plan indicating how they
would address the main points for action identified in the original HMIE inspection report.
HM Inspectors carried out an interim follow-through visit to the school in March 2008. The
team assessed the extent to which the school was continuing to improve the quality of its
work, and evaluated progress made in responding to the main points for action in the initial
report.
2. Continuous improvement
Staff in Larkhall Academy were working hard and with some success to improve the quality
of education provided for pupils. The school had responded positively to support provided
by HMIE and the education authority. It had demonstrated good capacity for improvement in
its response to the main points for action in the original inspection report. The headteacher
and staff had worked well together to review the curriculum, improve attainment and to
develop important aspects of learning and teaching. In addition, they had made significant
steps towards improving their approaches to self-evaluation. This was helping staff to
identify key targets for improvement and to monitor progress rigorously. They realised that
further work was needed to meet fully the main points for action.
3. Progress towards meeting the main points for action
The initial inspection report published in June 2007 identified six main points for action.
This section evaluates the progress made with each of the action points and the resulting
improvements for pupils and other stakeholders.
3.1
Improve the curriculum, to ensure better continuity in pupils’ learning
and to meet the needs of lower attaining pupils better.
The school had made a promising start to reviewing the curriculum to ensure better
continuity in pupils’ learning and to meet the needs of lower attaining pupils.
Some subject departments had started to work more closely with associated primary schools
to improve the continuity of pupils’ learning at S1/S2. For example, each of the associated
primary schools had been allocated a named science teacher who was now providing support
and advice where appropriate. Staff from the social subject departments were now liaising
with primary staff to ensure continuity of topic work from primary into secondary. The
school had introduced an agreed core vocabulary for the S1 French course to ensure all pupils
entering secondary school started from a common point.
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The school now had a course in religious and moral education for all pupils from S1 to S4.
The school chaplaincy team had begun to plan and implement a calendar of religious
observance for pupils in S5/S6. Guidance staff were currently working on a well-considered
personal and social education programme for S5/S6 pupils to be implemented in
August 2008. Arrangements had been made with Motherwell College to allow selected
pupils to attend vocational courses at the college from August 2008. These new
arrangements will ensure that pupils can attend without disruption to their core subjects.
3.2
Ensure that all staff engage appropriately in meeting learners’ needs to
raise pupils’ aspirations and achievements.
The school had taken positive steps to meet pupils’ needs better. Stronger curricular links
with associated primary schools, for example in English, science and technical, were helping
teachers to plan more strategically to build on pupils’ prior learning. The school had made
effective use of specialist expertise within the staff, in support for learning and behaviour, to
provide targeted professional development for teachers. In addition, learning and behaviour
support staff and the education authority’s regeneration team had helped the school develop a
wider range of differentiated resources and approaches to meet needs better. Improved
monitoring of pupils’ progress was helping to clarify for pupils where their strengths lay and
their next steps in learning. At S4 to S6 in particular, more systematic arrangements helped
teachers and pupils set and review learning targets. An improved climate, which encouraged
and celebrated pupils’ successes in a range of challenging activities, was raising pupils’
aspirations and expectations of what they could achieve. Pupils were making increasingly
effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) to meet their needs. This
helped them with research tasks, in making presentations and with word-processing.
3.3
Improve attainment at all stages
The school had put in place a number of strategies to raise attainment. Teachers were taking
steps to ensure that pupils were placed in courses more appropriate to their prior
achievements. For example, in discussion with parents, pupils were placed on Access 3
courses instead of Standard Grade courses in the sciences and business education to better
meet their needs. Teachers set individual targets with pupils in S5 in 2007 and were
beginning to extend this approach to pupils at all levels in S4 to S6. The school was
developing procedures to track pupils’ progress using a range of information and sharing this
among heads of department and senior managers. Class teachers were beginning to discuss
targets with pupils and what they had to do to meet them. The attendance support group was
working to improve pupils’ attendance in partnership with pupils and parents. This had
improved the attendance of a small number of S2 and S3 pupils.
There were signs of some improvement in pupils’ attainment. By the end of S2, the majority
of pupils continued to attain expected national levels of attainment in mathematics, reading,
listening and talking. A minority of pupils attained appropriate levels in writing. Pupils’
attainment in mathematics and writing had improved slightly. By the end of S4, performance
at SCQF level 3 and level 4 remained well below the national average and below that of
similar schools. Performance at SCQF level 5 continued to be below the national average
and in line with similar schools. By the end of S5, performance at SCQF level 6 had
improved in 2007 and was now in line with the national average but this continued to be
overall below that of similar schools. By the end of S6, performance continued to be below
national averages at SCQF level 6 and the school performed notably less well than other
2
schools. At SCQF level 7 the school performed in line with the national average and similar
schools.
All departments had analysed assessment information, including SQA attainment data, and
had identified a number of strategies to improve the quality of teaching for effective learning.
This included developing programmes and teaching and learning materials to address
underperformance. The school required to continue to develop these approaches and monitor
their effectiveness. Staff needed to take further action to address the high number of no
awards at Standard Grade and to continue to improve attainment at all levels.
3.4
Improve the administration of free school meals to ensure that pupils
are not being openly identified.
The education authority and the school had now put in place arrangements for the
administration of free school meals to ensure that pupils were not openly identified.
3.5
Address the health and safety concerns over accommodation identified
in this report.
The education authority had organised appropriate repairs and building work within the
context of its programme to provide a new school by August 2009. It had taken immediate
steps to address health and safety concerns identified during the inspection. Improved
arrangements supported regular checks on the school property by authority staff and a
prompter review of repair requests.
3.6
Improve the way the school evaluates its own performance, especially
pupils’ learning teaching and meeting needs, so that key improvement
targets can be identified and progress towards them monitored
rigorously.
The headteacher and his senior team had worked energetically with staff to implement a new
culture of self-evaluation. Together, they had developed a more coherent and systematic
approach to monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. The senior depute collated
key findings from class visits and senior managers and discussed these with teachers and
principal teachers. As a result, many staff were developing and sharing strategies for more
effective questioning, appropriate use of praise and increased pace and challenge. An
attendance support group had been set up to address poor levels of attendance amongst S2
and S3 pupils. The headteacher, working closely with the senior depute, had introduced a
series of effective quality assurance discussions between principal teachers and the link
member of the senior management team. These discussions had helped to improve
communication and the sharing of information about the work of departments. They included
a rigorous analysis of examination results, reasons for strong or weak performance and,
where appropriate, agreed strategies for improvement. Individual targets were being set
within departments for all Standard Grade and Higher Grade pupils. These were monitored
rigorously by class teachers with ongoing feedback provided to pupils and their parents. The
school was now better placed to develop effective approaches to monitoring and quality
assurance and improve overall attainment. With a strong lead from senior managers, staff
were creating a positive climate for whole-school improvements to learning and teaching and
systematic arrangements for tracking progress and target-setting.
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4. Conclusion
Working with the headteacher, and with support from HMIE and a range of education
authority officers, staff had taken positive first steps towards making Larkhall Academy a
better school. In some areas significant progress had been made. The school was now more
stable overall, and a good platform for improvement had been established. Further work was
required to sustain the positive changes and improve pupils’ attainment. The education
authority should continue to work closely with the headteacher and his senior management
team.
HM Inspectors will continue to engage with the school and education authority. They will
undertake follow-through inspection of the school and will report to parents within two years
of publication of the initial report.
Nick Pepin, HMI
District Inspector
10 June 2008
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How can you contact us?
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Executive
Director (Education Resources), local councillors and appropriate Members of the Scottish
Parliament. Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from
HM Inspectorate of Education, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG or by
telephoning 0141 242 0100. Copies are also available on our website: www.hmie.gov.uk.
HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of follow-through inspections, you should write
in the first instance to Annette Bruton, HMCI, HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm
House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our
Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management and Communications Team, Second
Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston,
EH54 6GA. You can also e-mail HMIEcomplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our
complaints procedure is available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our
website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints
procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
(SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about
Government departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641,
Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or
e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be
obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2008
HM Inspectorate of Education
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stated.
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