Woodmill High School
Dunfermline
Fife Council
8 December 2009
We published a report on Woodmill High School in January 2008.
That report set out key strengths of the school and main points
for action.
This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which
was carried out in September 2009. It tells you about
improvements since the original inspection in the quality of
education which the school provides. It also comments on how
the school is getting on with the main points for action. First we
focus on changes in the core work of the school. We explain how
the school has got better at helping children to learn and benefit
from being at the school. Next we look at the key processes
which enable this to happen, including the involvement of
parents1. Our report also describes developments in the ‘ethos’
of the school, by which we mean how well young people are
cared for and how much is expected of them in all aspects of
school life. Finally we comment on improvements in leadership
to help the school achieve its aims.
A copy of this report has been placed on the HMIE website
www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, you will also find
descriptions of good practice in the school and analyses of
questionnaire returns.
1
Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to
include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are
relatives or friends.
Contents
1. The school
2. Particular strengths of the school
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people’s
learning?
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving their
school community?
6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
8. What happens next?
1. The school
Woodmill High School serves the eastern part of Dunfermline and the
villages of Crombie, Limekilns and North Queensferry. Since the
original inspection, two new depute headteachers have been
appointed. There has also been a significant number of other staff
changes including some new principal teachers.
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2. Particular strengths of the school
•
Positive relationships between staff and young people.
•
Staff commitment to school improvement and out-of-class
activities.
•
Young people actively involved in decision making and improving
the school.
•
Strong and effective partnerships with parents and the community.
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
Across the school, teachers are now providing young people with
better learning experiences. Young people are increasingly more
actively involved in their learning. They work together in groups more
often. Young people have more opportunities to discuss and assess
each other’s work. In some classes, young people are using
information and communications technology to support their learning
but this requires to be extended. The school continues to provide
many opportunities for young people to achieve success. These
opportunities include a wide range of helpful out-of-class activities.
Young people’s performance in mathematics by the end of S2 has
steadily improved over the past three years. Young people’s progress
in reading has improved as a result of better courses in English
language in S1 and S2. In national examinations at S4 to S6, there
have been some small improvements but more are needed. At these
stages, the school performs less well overall than schools which serve
young people with similar needs and backgrounds. The school
recognises the need to track young people’s progress and
achievements more closely to help teachers provide better targeted
support to raise attainment. Staff have taken some very effective
steps to integrate young people from the additional support needs
2
department more fully into the life of the school. A few have become
school prefects and serve on school committees. A number attend
classes including personal and social education with their mainstream
peers.
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people’s
learning?
Staff work together more effectively to support young people’s
learning. Young people are benefiting from better coordination
between support for learning, behaviour support and guidance teams.
The school liaison group, involving people from different agencies,
now meets more frequently to consider ways of addressing the young
people’s support needs. School staff continue to have strong and
effective links with a range of partners. They use this partnership with
a local school and college well to offer additional courses. Staff work
well with others to offer young people valuable learning opportunities,
for example, the recent production with the National Theatre of
Scotland. Partnership with parents is strong.
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving
their school community?
Staff are becoming better at checking and improving the quality of their
work. Departments have started to review their performance more
systematically. Senior managers and principal teachers visit classes
regularly. This enables them to identify strengths and areas for
improvement. Teachers increasingly share good practice with their
colleagues. Staff from a few departments have started to collect
young people’s views of learning and teaching. School staff now need
to gather performance information more systematically and use it more
effectively to assess young people’s overall progress. This will help to
identify further areas requiring improvement. Staff and young people
help improve the school through various working groups. Young
people are able to make decisions through effective roles on the active
3
pupil council and other committees. They also contribute successfully
to school life and the wider community through activities that include
fundraising and buddying.
6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
The school has a very welcoming ethos and positive climate for
learning. Young people feel safe, secure and valued. Staff have high
expectations of young people’s behaviour and promote and celebrate
learners’ successes. Staff recognise that more needs to be done to
improve young people’s attendance and punctuality. Young people’s
attendance still remains below the national average. Staff are working
on a revised set of values to emphasise a sense of community and
ethos of achievement for young people. The school has taken
effective action to ensure that staff are clear on their roles and
responsibilities for child protection. The education authority has
improved the school’s security system.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
The headteacher provides senior staff with opportunities to lead and
take forward important improvements. More staff now lead and
contribute to developments that are improving young people’s
learning. A good number of staff have benefited from leadership
training provided within the school. Groups of young people have
taken on leadership roles in several areas. Seniors increasingly act as
role models for younger learners as a result of the new registration
system. They also organise events and activities, for example, girls’
football and marketing the school play. The headteacher and other
senior managers now need to ensure that improvements are
consistent across the school. This will further enhance young people’s
learning and achievements.
4
8. What happens next?
There is evidence of improvement in key areas of the school’s work
since the original inspection. Improvements in performance are now at
a satisfactory or better level. With the continued support of the
education authority, the school has the capacity to improve further.
We will make no further visits in connection with the inspection report
of January 2008. Our District Inspector will maintain contact with the
education authority to monitor improvements in learners’
achievements.
Managing Inspector: Nigel Lawrie
8 December 2009
5
When we write reports, we use the following word scale so that our
readers can see clearly what our judgments mean.
excellent
very good
good
means
means
means
satisfactory
weak
unsatisfactory
means
means
means
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas
for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
If you would like to find out more about our inspections or get an
electronic copy of this report, please go to www.hmie.gov.uk.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a
different format, for example, in a translation, or if you wish to
comment about any aspect of our inspections. You can contact us
at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at BMCT,
HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business
Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600 236. This is a service
for deaf users. Please do not use this number for voice calls as the
line will not connect you to a member of staff.
You can find our complaints procedure on our website
www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can contact our Complaints
Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education