Walkerburn Primary School and
Nursery Class
Scottish Borders Council
29 January 2008
Contents
Page
1. Background
1
2. Key strengths
1
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
2
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
2
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
4
6. How good is the environment for learning?
5
7. Leading and improving the school
7
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
9
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
10
How can you contact us?
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1. Background
Walkerburn Primary School and nursery class were inspected in September 2007 as
part of a national sample of primary and nursery education. The inspection covered
key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated nursery children’s and
pupils’ achievements, the effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the
school’s processes for self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for
improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and
mathematics.
HM Inspectors examined the quality of the children’s experience in the nursery, pupils’
work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff.
Members of the inspection team also met the Chair of the former School Board and a
group of parents 1. As yet there was no Parent Council in place.
The inspection team also evaluated aspects of the school’s progress in implementing
national recommendations related to improving aspects of school meals provision.
The school serves the village of Walkerburn and the surrounding area. At the time of
the inspection the roll was 48, including 10 children in the nursery class. The
proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was below the national
average. Pupils’ attendance was above the national average.
2. Key strengths
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
•
Positive relations between staff, children, pupils and parents.
•
Well behaved nursery children and primary pupils who engaged effectively
with each other during learning experiences.
•
The quality of support for pupils with additional needs and the school’s
positive approaches to inclusion.
•
Strong involvement of parents and members of the community in the life of 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.
1
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to all parents, P4 to P7
pupils an to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in
Appendix 2.
Parents felt that the school had a good reputation and played an important role in the
local community. Parents of children in the nursery class were pleased with all aspects
of the provision. A few would have liked more information about the work of the
school. Those interviewed during the inspection considered that the headteacher and
staff worked hard to provide a good education for their children. Pupils felt safe and
well looked after in school. They enjoyed taking responsibility for aspects of the
day-to-day running of the school. A few pupils would have liked more homework.
Staff considered that they had very good relationships with pupils and parents. Nursery
staff felt valued and an integral part of the life of the school. All staff felt that they
worked hard to provide a high level of pastoral care.
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
Overall, the curriculum was weak. Children in the nursery class enjoyed the play
activities provided but needed to experience a wider range of these activities. Children
had limited opportunities to make their own choices within the playroom. In the
primary classes, appropriate and flexible use of available time had enabled teachers to
raise attainment in writing. However, pupils’ knowledge and skills were not developed
systematically from stage to stage due to a lack of continuity and progression in several
curricular areas. Teachers did not make enough use of information and
communications technology (ICT) to support pupils’ learning. As yet, the school had
not considered how they would provide two hours of quality physical education each
week for all pupils, in line with national advice. Opportunities for pupils to develop
written skills in French were limited. Visiting specialists helped ensure that pupils
received a good progressive learning experience in expressive arts. There were good
opportunities for pupils to develop enterprise skills. These included a range of
recycling activities and opportunities to share the work of the school with parents and
members of the community. Overall, the quality of teaching was good. There were
some instances of very good direct teaching. Teachers were organised and planned
individual lessons well. Most teachers explained the purposes of lessons. However,
they did not consistently make effective use of questioning to support or extend
children’s learning. In a few lessons too much whole class teaching limited
opportunities for discussion between teachers and pupils, and amongst pupils
themselves. Homework tasks did not provide sufficient variety and challenge for all
pupils.
The quality of learning was adequate. Children in the nursery class were very focussed
whilst problem solving using a programmable toy. They learned about the natural
world through spending time in the school garden. However, opportunities for children
to explore, investigate and use their senses were limited. Children freely painted on the
easel and expressed their own ideas with collage materials provided by staff.
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Opportunities for children to make their own choices were limited. Children took part
in regular energetic activity where they were able to control wheeled toys, balance and
run around in a large space. Across the primary stages, most pupils were keen to learn
and settled quickly to work. They responded well to teachers’ questions. In the early
years pupils benefited from being active in their learning. They worked collaboratively
to carry out tasks and solve problems through play activities, for example, when
carrying out mathematical tasks related to project work. At P4-7, pupils worked well
together when discussing food groups and planning a healthy menu. However, overall,
at the upper stages pupils had insufficient opportunities to discuss ideas in groups and
to work collaboratively. From P4-7, the pace of learning was often too slow and did
not result in sufficient challenge for all pupils. Pupils were not always clear about what
they had to do to improve their learning in aspects of mathematics and English
language.
The school had a wide range of approaches to helping pupils develop their wider
achievements, for example, through after school activities organised by staff, including
clubs for netball, basketball, rugby and gardening. Across the school, pupils were
making steady progress in developing their confidence and self-esteem. They
presented snapshots of the curriculum to parents and members of the community during
open evenings. At P7, pupils acted as buddies to younger pupils and participated
enthusiastically in paired reading activities. Pupils from P3 to P7 had developed
effective citizenship skills through participation in the pupil council. They had worked
well together to make the playground attractive, develop the use of playground
equipment and formulate playground rules. At P7, pupils had worked alongside older
members of the community to plan and prepare a healthy lunch which they then
enjoyed together. Pupils had worked well to attain a bronze Eco School (Scotland)
award and were working towards the silver status. They regularly monitored the use of
electricity and maintained a compost bin and wormery. Pupils were appropriately
involved in a range of fundraising activities, including, for example, UNICEF nonuniform day.
English language
Nursery children responded well to each other and were able to follow directions from
staff. They used information books to find out about their body and listened with
interest to a story. Most children were able to identify their own name. However, early
writing was not sufficiently promoted throughout the nursery. At the primary stages,
the overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was adequate. In recent
years pupils’ attainment in reading and writing had been low. However, attainment in
writing was beginning to show clear signs of improvement, particularly at the early
stages. The majority of pupils were attaining appropriate national levels and a few
were exceeding these levels. Those pupils who had not yet attained national levels
were making suitable progress in their classwork. At the early stages, pupils were
making a good start to developing literacy skills. Across the stages, pupils listened
well to adults and to one another. Most expressed their views clearly and confidently
and shared their ideas and opinions well. For example, at P4 to P7, pupils contributed
enthusiastically to a discussion about a modern version of a traditional story. Across
the stages, most pupils read well for a variety of purposes, but a few higher achieving
pupils were capable of responding to more challenging and varied tasks. At all stages,
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pupils produced some good examples of imaginative and functional writing. The
presentation of pupils’ work was variable.
Mathematics
In the nursery class, staff had not yet embedded mathematics throughout the playroom
nor within their interactions and as a result children had insufficient opportunities to
engage in appropriate experiences through play. Children’s progress in developing
mathematical skills was weak. They were able to sort familiar objects and count chairs
at the snack table. At P1 to P7, the overall quality of attainment in mathematics was
adequate and had shown improvement in recent years. The majority of pupils were
attaining appropriate national levels and a few achieved these levels earlier than might
normally be expected. Pupils who required additional support were making good
progress. At the early stages, pupils were making good progress in their understanding
of mathematical concepts. By P7, pupils could handle information effectively and were
able to interpret a range of graphs. However, they did not have enough skills and
experience in using computers to organise and display numerical information. Across
the school, pupils were good at written number work. However, at the upper stages
tasks sometimes lacked challenge. At several stages, pupils’ skills and speed in mental
calculations was insufficiently developed. Pupils at P4 were accurate and confident in
estimating length. At the middle stages, pupils could identify a range of shapes and
describe their properties confidently. At the upper stages, pupils were beginning to
develop skills in problem solving, but were not yet sufficiently aware of the range of
strategies they would use to tackle problems.
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
The school’s approaches to supporting pupils’ learning were adequate. In the nursery,
staff knew the children well. However, many of the activities were too adult directed
and there were insufficient opportunities for children to exercise free choice. Staff
observed children at play but did not use the information in a sufficiently focused way
to plan effectively for next stages in learning. Children who attended both morning and
afternoon sessions did not always experience enough different activities. In the
primary classes, most learning activities were well matched to pupils’ learning needs
but, in a minority of lessons, tasks and activities did not challenge pupils sufficiently.
In a significant number of lessons at the upper stages, opportunities for pupils to work
in groups and individually were limited. There were very effective procedures for
identifying and supporting potentially vulnerable pupils. The support for learning
teacher provided a very good level of support for individuals and small groups. She
provided advice and guidance to classroom assistants to enable them to give valuable
support to individual pupils. There were appropriate individualised educational
programmes (IEPs) in place to help pupils achieve success in their learning. IEPs were
reviewed regularly. As yet, parents and pupils were not sufficiently involved in setting
and reviewing learning targets.
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6. How good is the environment for learning?
Aspect
Comment
Pastoral
care
The quality of pastoral care was good. All staff knew pupils
well and showed concern for their physical, social and
emotional needs. Staff were clear about their responsibility for
implementing school procedures in relation to child protection.
Staff warmly welcomed new children into nursery and effective
procedures were in place to support children as they moved
from nursery to P1. The home-school link worker had worked
effectively to support individual pupils and their families. She
also worked as part of a multi-agency team who regularly
provided an advice service for parents and carers in the village
hall. The headteacher and staff had worked successfully with
pupils and parents to develop appropriate strategies to promote
positive behaviour. Incidents of inappropriate behaviour were
dealt with effectively. However, there was scope to improve
further the recording of concerns and subsequent action. Pupils
were encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle. There was a tooth
brushing programme in place from nursery to P7. In the
nursery, children were provided with a healthy snack. Good
arrangements were in place for the transfer of pupils at P7 to
Peebles High School.
Aspect
Comment
Quality of
accommoda
tion and
facilities
The overall quality of accommodation was adequate. The building
was well maintained and clean. Classrooms had sufficient space for
learning and teaching which staff used to good effect. Most areas of
the school were enhanced by attractive and informative displays.
Security arrangements were appropriate. Staff made effective use of
a small hall for assemblies and to develop pupils’ learning in aspects
of physical education and drama. However, in the corridors, access
for users with restricted mobility was limited. Pupils had to travel to
another local primary school to use large equipment for gymnastics.
Aspects of provision in toilets and office accommodation were in
need of attention. Pupils made full use of a good range of
playground equipment when playing a variety of games at lunch
time.
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6
Aspect
Comment
Climate and
relationships,
expectations
and promoting
achievement
and equality
Climate and relationships within the school were good.
There was a warm and supportive atmosphere in the school.
The nursery had a happy atmosphere where all children and
their families were warmly welcomed. Pupils, parents and
members of the community identified strongly with the
school. Relationships amongst pupils and teachers were
very good. Staff regularly joined pupils for lunch in the
dining room. Pupils were courteous and polite. The school
had worked with pupils and parents to develop effective
arrangements to promote good behaviour and recognise
pupils’ achievements. However, teachers’ expectations of
pupils’ achievements were not always sufficiently high.
Regular assemblies provided appropriate opportunities for
religious observance. Pupils responded with enthusiasm to
the celebration of success and achievements at assemblies.
The school did not actively promote issues of equality.
In the nursery, celebrations were not used to promote
children’s understanding of cultural diversity.
Aspect
Comment
Partnership
with parents
and the
community
The school’s links with parents and the community were
very good. Nursery staff had very positive relationships
with parents. They provided helpful information about the
work of the nursery and children’s learning experiences.
Teachers communicated regularly with parents through
written reports, newsletters and parents’ evenings. The
recently revised report forms lacked detail about pupils’
achievements. The school had enjoyed productive
partnerships with the parent-teacher association and former
School Board. Steps were being taken to form a Parent
Council. Local residents were kept well informed about
school life through open evenings. Parents could request to
view the materials used to deliver the sensitive aspects of
health education. The school had developed productive
links with staff from a range of organisations in order to
support and extend pupils’ learning. These included, for
example, Community Police, Active Schools Coordinator
and Health Promotion Officers and Peebles High School.
7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
Walkerburn Primary School provided a welcoming and caring environment. Pupils
were confident and were developing good personal and social skills. Overall, pupils
were benefiting from effective teaching. Standards of attainment had risen recently and
were adequate in English language and mathematics. Pupils were developing an
interest in and understanding of the environment. The headteacher had worked with
staff to develop aspects of the English language curriculum and recognised that there
was scope for further improvement across the curriculum. The school did not always
provide a broad enough range of learning opportunities or match tasks and resources to
pupils’ needs. In particular, teachers did not always ensure that the pace of learning
and level of challenge was appropriate for all pupils.
The headteacher had been in post for two years. At the time of the inspection she had
returned to work on a part-time basis after an extended period of absence. Her own
teaching was a model of good practice and during her short time in post she had
worked well with staff to improve many aspects of the work of the school. In
particular, the headteacher had worked well with staff, parents and pupils to develop
effective procedures to promote positive behaviour. She had also begun to develop a
range of appropriate approaches to monitoring and evaluating the work of the school.
Teachers regularly used quality indicators developed nationally to audit the work of the
school. However, a system to track pupils’ attainment and progress in English
language and mathematics was not yet fully effective. The school had surveyed
parents’ views on the work of the school and sought pupils’ views on recent initiatives
in learning and teaching. The headteacher visited classes to monitor learning and
teaching and provided feedback to help staff improve learning and teaching. A
continued and strengthened focus on evaluating and improving learning and teaching
would increase the school’s overall capacity for further improvement.
Nursery staff were aware of the implications of The Scottish Social services Council
and the Codes of Practice.
At the last Care Commission singleton inspection of the nursery class there were no
recommendations. Three requirements were made in the last inspection relating to
safer recruitment. These requirements were made following an audit of the providers
safe recruitment systems during May 2006. The service provider has confirmed that all
requirements have been met. A re-audit of the providers recruitment practice will be
carried out later in this inspection year.
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Main points for action
The school and education authority should take action to:
•
improve the balance and structure of the curriculum and make more use of
information and communications technology;
•
improve pace, challenge and quality of learning experiences in order to meet
the needs of nursery children and primary pupils more effectively;
•
improve attainment in English language and mathematics; and
•
improve current practice to actively promote equality and fairness.
What happens next?
The school and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan
indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan
with parents. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be
informed about the progress made by the school.
Jacqueline Horsburgh
HM Inspector
29 January 2008
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Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
The sections in the table below follow the order in this report. You can find the main
comments made about each of the quality indicators in those sections. However,
aspects of some quality indicators are relevant to other sections of the report and may
also be mentioned in those other sections.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Structure of the curriculum
The teaching process
Pupils’ learning experiences
Pupils’ attainment in English language
Pupils’ attainment in mathematics
weak
good
adequate
adequate
adequate
How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
Meeting pupils’ needs
adequate
How good is the environment for learning?
Pastoral care
Accommodation and facilities
Climate and relationships
Expectations and promoting achievement
Equality and fairness
Partnership with parents and the
community
Leading and improving the school
Leadership of the headteacher
Self-evaluation
good
good
good
adequate
adequate
very good
adequate
adequate
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors:
excellent
very good
good
adequate
weak
unsatisfactory
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
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Appendix 2
Summary of questionnaire responses
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires
are listed below.
What parents thought the school did
well
What parents think the school
could do better
•
Parents felt that staff made them
feel welcome in the school and that
parents’ evenings were helpful and
informative.
• They considered that the school
buildings were kept in good order.
• Parents thought that the school was
good at consulting them on
decisions that affected their
children.
•
What pupils thought the school did
well
What pupils think the school could
do better
•
•
Pupils enjoyed being at school and
thought that teachers explained
things well.
• They felt that teachers helped them
when they had difficulty and told
them when they had done things
well.
• They felt safe and well looked after
in school and considered that
teachers expected them to work
hard.
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•
•
•
•
A few parents would like more
information about the school’s
priorities for improving the
education of pupils.
A few parents did not consider
that the school dealt effectively
with inappropriate behaviour.
A few parents did not feel that
their children were dealt with
fairly in school.
A few pupils did not know what
to do if they were upset in school
and did not feel that all pupils
were treated fairly.
A significant number did not
consider that the behaviour of
their peers was good.
A few pupils did not consider
that they received enough
homework.
What staff thought the school did
well
What staff think the school could
do better
•
•
•
Staff liked working in the school.
They thought pupils were
enthusiastic about their learning.
• Staff considered they worked hard
to maintain good relations in the
local community.
• They felt that the school dealt
effectively with instances of
bullying.
•
•
A few support staff did not
consider that standards set for
pupils’ behaviour were
consistently upheld.
A few support staff did not
consider indiscipline was dealt
with effectively.
A few members of support staff
did not think that their staff
training time was used
effectively or that there was good
communication between senior
managers and staff.
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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 Chief
Executive, 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, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600351. 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 primary inspections, you should write in
the first instance to Chris McIlroy, HMCI, at the above address.
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,
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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
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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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