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Mr I McMurdo
Director of Education and Cultural Services
West Dunbartonshire Council
Council Offices
Garshake Road
DUMBARTON
G82 3PU
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Dear Mr McMurdo
FOLLOW-UP TO THE INSPECTION OF CLYDEBANK HIGH SCHOOL
WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL
The report on the above school was published in June 2000. HM Inspectors visited the school in
March 2002 to evaluate progress made in responding to the main points for action in the report.
Overall, the school and education authority had made very good progress towards meeting the main
points for action. HM Inspectors will make no further visits to the school in connection with the
June 2000 report.
I attach an evaluation and brief account of the response made by the school and the education
authority to the main points for action in the report.
I am sending a copy of this letter to parents and guardians of children currently in the school and the
other recipients of the inspection report.
Yours sincerely
Frank Crawford
HM Chief Inspector
Western Division
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Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education
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Headquarters · Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD · Telephone 0131 244 0650 · Fax 0131 244 7124 · www.scotland.gov.uk/hmie
HM Inspectorate of Education
Follow-up to the Inspection of
Clydebank High School
West Dunbartonshire Council
Main points for action
1.
The school and the education authority should address the weaknesses in
accommodation indicated in the report.
The school and education authority had made good progress towards
meeting this main point for action.
The education authority was continuing its programme of window
replacement and extending access for disabled across the school. It had
improved aspects of heating and completed essential repairs to the roof.
The school and education authority had upgraded security arrangements
and some toilet provision. Some additional maintenance was being carried
out in teaching areas as funding permitted. The education authority was
consulting widely on its proposals for major building work to the school.
2.
The school should implement its plans to improve its partnership with
parents.
The school had met this main point for action.
The new headteacher kept the School Board very well informed about key
aspects of the school and its plans for improvement. The school had
involved a group of parents effectively in reviewing the range and quality
of information for parents and the local community. Teachers and pupils
prepared well-designed communications which included regular, helpful
newsletters and an informative new website to promote the school’s work.
Through consulting parents, the school had introduced new arrangements
for parents’ evenings and the number attending were increasing. The
school also had appropriate plans to improve the quality of reports to
parents on their children’s progress.
3.
The school should review further its policy on homework and develop and
implement policies on learning and teaching and use of ICT to ensure
greater consistency in pupils’ learning.
The school had made very good progress towards meeting this main point
for action.
All departments were implementing the school’s agreed policy on
homework. Most staff ensured that pupils and parents were clear about the
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importance of homework and arrangements for completing it. Pupils now
took pride in their homework which was regularly and consistently
monitored and marked. The school’s agreed learning and teaching policy
provided clear guidance to staff, pupils and parents on promoting effective
practices and raising attainment. Staff were beginning to work more
closely and consistently with pupils to set targets and reward success to
encourage an ethos of achievement. Appropriate training was planned to
enable staff to make full use of the greatly increased ICT provision in their
teaching.
4.
The school and the education authority should ensure appropriate
individualised education programmes and planned intervention for pupils
with significant learning difficulties who do not have a Record of Needs;
and review their procedures for opening Records of Needs.
The school had met this main point for action.
The school had introduced individualised educational programmes for
pupils with significant learning difficulties, including pupils with a Record
of Needs. Teachers set clear targets for pupils’ learning in consultation
with pupils, parents and education authority support services. The school
had also made a useful start to establishing support plans for pupils with
moderate learning difficulties. The school and education authority were
liaising closely on arrangements for opening Records of Needs.
5.
The school should continue to develop its strategies for ensuring quality
and self-evaluation including the systematic monitoring and improvement
of learning and teaching.
The school had made good progress in meeting this main point for action.
Senior managers and principal teachers had defined very clearly their
respective roles in ensuring quality. They had placed an appropriately high
emphasis on monitoring learning and teaching. Teachers cross-marked
internal assessments, coursework and homework jotters to help improve
consistency within departments. Senior managers and principal teachers
had introduced a programme of informal class visits to observe agreed
aspects of pupils’ experiences. They had yet to establish a system for
formally evaluating and recording strengths in learning and teaching and
areas for improvement.
6.
The school should improve all aspects of its planning to identify
manageable priorities and ways of evaluating success directly linked to
raising attainment. Staff development and review should be more effectively
linked to the planning process.
The school had met this point for action.
The school had revised its procedures for development planning and had
reduced its priorities to a manageable number. It ensured that departmental
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plans more clearly reflected school priorities and focused on planned
improvements for pupils’ learning and attainment. The school had
established a planning calendar identifying arrangements for departmental
liaison, annual departmental review and professional review of principal
teachers. Senior managers had successfully linked their monitoring and
evaluation to this process to provide an appropriate framework for
measuring success in raising attainment. Senior managers ensured that staff
development opportunities took full account of departmental and school
priorities.
In addition to the action taken by the school to address the main
recommendations, staff in departments inspected had made very good progress in
responding to their priorities for action in the report.
Overall, the school and education authority had made very good progress
towards meeting the main points for action. HM Inspectors will make no
further visits to the school in connection with the June 2000 report.