20 January 2015
Dear Parent/Carer
Waid Academy
Fife Council
Recently, as you may know, my colleagues and I inspected your child’s school. During
our visit, we talked to parents and young people and worked closely with the
headteacher and staff. We wanted to find out how well young people are learning and
achieving and how well the school supports young people to do their best. The
headteacher shared with us the school’s successes and priorities for improvement.
We looked at some particular aspects of the school’s recent work, including the
approaches to building an inclusive learning environment, the development of
leadership across the school, and school improvement work, including improvements
in the numeracy skills of young people. As a result, we were able to find out how good
the school is at improving young people’s education.
How well do young people learn and achieve?
Young people learn and achieve very well in Waid Academy. Staff provide an
inclusive and supportive environment where young people feel well cared for and safe.
Young people engage very well in lessons and almost all enjoy their learning. They
work well together in pairs and groups, supporting each other to learn. Staff share the
purpose of lessons with young people, encourage them to work to the best of their
ability and build their self-confidence. Most young people participate well in
discussions and listen respectfully to each other and their teachers. They are
encouraged to develop their thinking and to take increasing responsibility for their own
learning. In some classes they are encouraged to evaluate their own work. Along with
feedback from their teachers, this is helping them to identify their strengths and
understand where they need to improve. The school should continue to build on this
effective practice to ensure that young people at all stages are aware of the progress
they are making in their learning. A wide variety of experiences beyond the classroom,
such as trips at home and abroad, exchange visits and participation in events and
competitions enhances young people’s learning experiences.
Young people are very active contributors to the life of the school and the wider
community. Through an extensive range of opportunities provided by the school, they
are developing skills and attributes to prepare them for life and work. Young people in
S5 and S6 play an important role as prefects, developing their leadership skills and
acting as role models for younger pupils. Participation in the successful Fairtrade
group supports young people in achieving a very good understanding of ethical
trading. Through roles such as house captains, buddies, membership of the student
Education Scotland
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Transforming lives through learning
congress and Active Schools ambassadors, young people are demonstrating their
commitment to the school community. Beyond the school, young people also develop
as responsible citizens by contributing to the local community. For example, they work
in partnership with the local food bank, help at local primary schools and raise funds
for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. Young people are volunteers in a range of
activities in their local community, in and beyond Anstruther. Significant numbers have
gained Saltire Awards as a result of their voluntary work. A wide range of sports clubs
and activities enable young people to develop their confidence and resilience. Clubs
include netball, rugby, fitness, football, hockey and basketball. Young people develop
their confidence and performance skills through participation in musical and theatrical
events such as singing in choirs and taking part in school shows. Enterprise and
employability skills are being developed through activities such as the Eco Warriors
Challenge, Food and Drink Challenge and Citizenship Challenge. Young people
studying hospitality develop their practical skills by providing high-quality catering for
whole-school events. The school celebrates the achievements of young people well,
including through displays, award ceremonies and newsletters.
The school is currently developing a clearer view of young people’s progress from S1
to S3, across all curriculum areas. From S4 to S6, overall, the attainment of those
leaving school, including in literacy and numeracy, is similar to that of others with
similar needs and backgrounds across Scotland and there are improving trends in
some important measures. Almost all young people are successful in moving on to
employment, training or further learning when leaving school. In recent years,
increasing numbers are entering higher education.
How well does the school support young people to develop and learn?
Within Waid Academy’s inclusive learning environment, young people are supported
very well to develop and learn. Most teachers plan tasks and activities well to meet
the needs of young people. The school is committed to ensuring the appropriate level
of challenge in learning for young people in all classes. The support services centre
provides a caring and nurturing environment where young people requiring additional
support feel safe and included. Support staff have a very good knowledge of the
needs of learners and use a range of well-judged strategies to help young people
make the best possible progress in their learning. They work very well with a range of
partners, including social work, community learning, Barnardo’s and Families First, to
meet individual needs. Staff from the support team have worked together with
teachers across the school to maintain a high standard of behaviour among young
people. The school ensures that young people with the greatest needs are fully
supported to make progress in their learning.
Staff are making good progress in reviewing and developing the curriculum to reflect
the principles of Curriculum for Excellence. The school’s values have informed the
developments and the views of staff, young people and parents have been taken into
account. New approaches and courses are in place in curriculum areas to provide
most young people with opportunities to make suitable progress in their learning.
There is scope to provide more opportunities which allow young people to link and
apply their learning. The school has made good progress in supporting young people
to develop their literacy skills across their learning. Staff should continue with the work
to develop a shared understanding of developing young people’s skills in numeracy
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and in understanding their health and wellbeing. Partnership working enhances the
opportunities provided, with a wide range of organisations supporting young people’s
experiences. Partners include Scottish Fisheries Museum, Fife Coastal and
Countryside Ranger Service, Cambo Estate and the Anstruther and District Allotment
Association. These strong partnerships help place the school at the heart of its local
community. Young people are very well supported to make the transition from primary
school. Staff should continue to work across the sectors to ensure all young people
can build on their prior learning and achievements.
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
The school has very effective arrangements for improving its work. The headteacher’s
clear vision for the school has led to an inclusive and supportive environment. Staff
have a strong commitment to improving outcomes for all young people and take
leading roles in driving forward school improvements. The school regularly seeks the
views of young people and parents to inform its work. It has a very rigorous and
robust approach to reviewing young people’s performance in national qualifications.
This has resulted in improved levels of attainment overall. Teachers’ continuing
professional learning is very effective in supporting improvements to learning and
teaching. Teachers share their learning well through, for example, discussing the most
effective practice to support young people to make the best possible progress in their
learning. Staff and young people across the school participate in a range of activities,
sharing the responsibility for improving the work of the school. The headteacher and
depute headteachers provide strong leadership for school improvement. They
encourage staff to be reflective and take forward new ideas. As a result, the school is
very well placed to continue improving the quality of its work.
This inspection found the following key strengths.
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Young people who are enthusiastic learners and contribute very well to the life of
the school.
The inclusive and nurturing ethos of the school which has strong partnerships with
its local community.
The very effective culture of leadership at all levels established by the headteacher.
The involvement of staff and young people in improving the work of the school.
We discussed with staff and Fife Council how they might continue to improve the
school. This is what we agreed with them.
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Continue to develop the curriculum.
Continue to implement the priorities in the well- judged school improvement plan to
further improve the achievements of all young people.
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What happens at the end of the inspection?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the
school’s very effective self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a
result, we will make no further evaluative visits in connection with this inspection.
During the inspection, we identified aspects of innovative practice which we would like
to explore further. We shall work with the school and Fife Council to record the
innovative practice and share it more widely.
Carol McDonald
HM Inspector
Additional inspection evidence, such as details of the quality indicator evaluations, for
your school can be found on the Education Scotland website at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/school/primsec/Wai
dAcademyFife.asp
If you would like to receive this letter in a different format, for example, in a translation
please contact the administration team on the above telephone number.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us
by telephone on 0141 282 5000, or e-mail: complaints@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
or write to us addressing your letter to the Complaints Manager, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Livingston EH54 6GA.
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