Mearns Castle High School
Newton Mearns
East Renfrewshire Council
26 April 2011
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) inspects schools in order to
let parents1, young people and the local community know
whether their school provides a good education. Inspectors also
discuss with school staff how they can improve the quality of
education.
At the beginning of the inspection, we ask the headteacher and
staff about the strengths of the school, what needs to improve,
and how they know. We use the information they give us to help
us plan what we are going to look at. During the inspection, we
go into classes and join other activities which young people are
involved in. We also gather the views of young people, parents,
staff and members of the local community. We find their views
very helpful and use them together with the other information we
have collected to arrive at our view of the quality of education.
This report tells you what we found during the inspection and the
quality of education in the school. We describe how well young
people are doing, how good the school is at helping them to learn
and how well it cares for them. We comment on how well staff,
parents and young people work together and how they go about
improving the school. We also comment on how well the school
works with other groups in the community, including services
which support young people. Finally, we focus on how well the
school is led and how staff help the school achieve its aims.
If you would like to learn more about our inspection of the school,
please visit www.hmie.gov.uk. Here you can find analyses of
questionnaire returns from young people, parents and staff, and
details about young people’s examination performance. We will
not provide questionnaire analyses where the numbers of returns
are so small that they could identify individuals. Where applicable
there will also be a report on the learning community surrounding
the school.
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
Mearns Castle High School is a non-denominational school which
serves Newton Mearns and the surrounding area of East
Renfrewshire. The majority of young people transfer to the school
from Mearns, Kirkhill, Eaglesham and Calderwood Lodge primary
schools. A large number of young people travel to the school from
outside the catchment area. The roll was 1297 when the inspection
was carried out in March 2011. Young people’s attendance is above
the national average.
1
2. Particular strengths of the school
•
A positive, inclusive learning environment with strong provision for
young people with additional support needs.
•
Young people who contribute much to improving their school and
community.
•
Very high levels of attainment and achievement.
•
Effective self-evaluation and high-quality continuing professional
development.
•
Strong leadership for learning across the school.
•
The outstanding leadership of the headteacher.
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
Learning and achievement
The young people of Mearns Castle High School are highly motivated
learners with high aspirations. Across the school relationships are
positive and learning is active and varied. Young people work together
very well on tasks which require them to think creatively. During
lessons, they ask questions and discuss ideas confidently. Young
people use information and communications technology (ICT),
including digital cameras and electronic voting systems, effectively to
demonstrate their learning. Staff and young people often review
learning together and agree next steps. This ensures young people
know how to keep improving. Young people’s high levels of success
in and beyond the classroom are celebrated well, for example, through
the wearing of school colours and gaining House points.
2
Most young people are developing new skills and interests through the
wide range of sports and other activities on offer, including music,
drama, debating and art. As individuals, and in teams, they achieve
tremendous success in local and national competitions. From S1 to
S6 they demonstrate leadership through enterprise, eco activities and
sports leadership. Young people in S6 further develop these skills
through volunteering in local hospitals, care homes, nurseries and
primary schools. Many young people achieve the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award. The school should continue to work with partners to accredit
young people’s achievements through other national award schemes
where possible.
In S1 and S2, young people use literacy skills well to support their
learning across the curriculum. They are increasing their
understanding of health and wellbeing appropriately. By the end of
S2, most young people achieve appropriate levels of attainment in
reading, writing and mathematics. The school performs exceptionally
well in national examinations for S4, S5 and S6. Young people’s
attainment at these stages is consistently above national averages and
much better than in schools serving young people with similar needs
and backgrounds. Young people achieve very well at Advanced
Higher level in a wide range of subjects. Almost all school leavers
successfully enter further or Higher education or employment.
Curriculum and meeting learning needs
The school has made substantial progress in taking forward
Curriculum for Excellence. Across all subjects, staff have developed
new S1 courses with a focus on skills and learning which is relevant
and enjoyable. All young people follow a broad and balanced
programme with good opportunities to link their learning across
different curriculum areas. The extended transition programme
ensures young people are very well supported as they move from
primary to secondary school. From S3, young people choose from an
appropriate range of courses which meet their needs and interests. At
S3/S4, a few young people engage in vocational learning such as
Firereach and the hairdressing programme developed in partnership
3
with community learning staff. All young people complete work
experience placements in S4 and have a range of opportunities to
develop skills for work through departmental links with employers.
Young people with additional support needs follow well-planned
individualised programmes through which they achieve success.
Effective school/college partnerships, a wide range of Advanced
Higher courses and the introduction of the science baccalaureate have
further extended the curriculum for those in S5/6. The school should
increase religious and moral education and physical education in S5
and S6 in line with national expectations.
Across the school, most staff use a range of learning and teaching
approaches effectively to meet the needs of learners. In a few
lessons, young people are not sufficiently challenged by the tasks they
are set. As a result, the pace of progress is sometimes too slow. All
staff know young people very well. Class teachers and specialist staff
provide high-quality emotional and behavioural support to young
people. The school actively seeks the support of other professionals
such as the educational psychologist to ensure young people’s needs
are met. Almost all young people who require additional learning
support are very well catered for in classes and through tutorials in the
learning centre. This high standard of additional support enables the
young people to meet the challenging targets which they help to set for
themselves. However, a few would benefit from more encouragement
to take greater responsibility for their own learning. There is scope to
further develop joint planning across the pupil support teams.
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people’s
learning?
The school works effectively with a range of partners, including Active
Schools staff, counsellors and health specialists to increase young
people’s health and wellbeing. The multi-agency Joint Support Team
provides valuable expertise to support young people with complex
needs. The campus police officer brings a strong contribution to the
school through involvement in personal and social education and
interdisciplinary learning. Community youth workers support
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vulnerable young people well to achieve success through programmes
such as Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network. The
school has successful links with a number of local employers who
contribute to lessons and whole school events which engage young
people in preparing for the world of work. Cluster links with local
primary schools are strong. Almost all parents are very happy with the
work of the school. They feel welcomed and know their concerns are
dealt with sensitively. The headteacher values parents’ views and
takes account of them in developing school improvement plans. Plans
are in place to extend opportunities for parental involvement through
parent focus groups. The Parent Council plays an active role in
keeping parents informed about the school’s work. A small number of
parents lead after-school activities for young people.
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving
their school community?
Through the pupil council and focus groups to discuss teaching and
learning, young people have a great deal of influence on school
improvement. Staff value young people’s views on teaching and
learning and increasingly make changes to their own practice as a
result. Staff and young people’s fundraising to support local and
international charities is exemplary. Through fundraising and
volunteering, the school has made a significant contribution to the
Prince and Princess of Wales’ Hospice. Staff ensure young people
are well informed about the work of the charities they support. All staff
contribute to decisions about school improvement. Young people
benefit greatly from staff’s strong commitment to continual reflection on
the quality of teaching and learning across the school. Many staff lead
their own learning and professional development through sharing good
practice and engaging with new initiatives. This is well demonstrated
for example, in their effective use of ICT to enhance learning. There is
a strong supportive culture amongst staff at all levels. They welcome
opportunities to observe each other’s lessons and value feedback on
their teaching. Staff use nationally recognised benchmarks to evaluate
the quality of their work and challenge each other effectively.
5
6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
Staff promote a positive ethos based on high standards of behaviour
and commitment to learning. In response to this, young people
demonstrate high levels of attainment and involvement in activities
which increase their achievements. They are very proud to represent
their school locally and nationally. Staff expect young people to
develop as outward looking global citizens. A great example of this is
the school’s success in achieving an Eco Schools Scotland silver
award and continued progress towards a green flag award.
Young people speak highly of the many opportunities to experience
other cultures and traditions across the curriculum and through
excursions which challenge them. This includes an expedition to
Malawi and the British Council Connecting Classrooms link with India
developed in partnership with cluster schools. Principles of equality,
inclusion, fairness and respect are very much at the heart of the way
staff and young people work together. Staff and young people are
sensitive to the diversity of religious belief within the school
community. Staff work with young people, parents and local religious
leaders to ensure arrangements for religious observance are
appropriate. Year group services and House assemblies enable all
young people to explore their shared values together.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
Mearns Castle High School is a highly achieving school community
with a clear sense of direction. The outstanding headteacher provides
very effective leadership based firmly on his professional modelling of
the school’s shared values. He is very ably supported by skilled
deputes and an extended leadership team who demonstrate high
levels of commitment to the school and to improving the life chances of
young people. There is a strong sense of ownership of the school
amongst staff and young people. Young people are very well served
by this school. Increased involvement of parents and partner agencies
in planning future developments will ensure the school further extends
its many important strengths and continues to thrive.
6
8. What happens next?
As a result of the excellent quality of education provided by the school,
we will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. The
education authority will inform parents about the school’s progress as
part of the authority’s arrangements for reporting to parents on the
quality of its schools.
We have agreed the following areas for improvement with the school
and education authority.
•
Continue to ensure positive outcomes for all learners in line with
the principles and aims of Curriculum for Excellence.
Quality indicators help schools, education authorities and inspectors to
judge what is good and what needs to be improved in the work of the
school. You can find these quality indicators in the HMIE publication
How good is our school?. Following the inspection of each school, the
Scottish Government gathers evaluations of three important quality
indicators to keep track of how well all Scottish schools are doing.
Here are the evaluations for Mearns Castle High School.
Improvements in performance
Learners’ experiences
Meeting learning needs
excellent
excellent
very good
We also evaluated the following aspects of the work of the school.
The curriculum
Improvement through self-evaluation
HM Inspector: Patricia Watson
26 April 2011
7
very good
excellent
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 2011
HM Inspectorate of Education