11 February 2014
Dear Parent/Carer
Ladyloan Primary School and Nursery Class
Angus Council
Recently, as you may know, my colleagues and I inspected your child’s school. During
our visit, we talked to parents and children and worked closely with the headteacher
and staff. We wanted to find out how well children are learning and achieving and how
well the school supports children 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 improvements made to the school ethos
and the ways in which parents are involved in children’s learning. We also considered
how children’s individual needs are supported and how well they are learning. As a
result, we were able to find out how good the school is at improving children’s
education.
How well do children learn and achieve?
In the school and nursery class, children have a positive learning experience. Children
in the nursery and P1 are highly motivated as learners and are gaining in confidence
and independence. Almost all children in the school are eager to learn and treat one
another with care and respect. When given the opportunity, they work effectively in
pairs and small groups and enjoy opportunities to cooperate with one another. For
example, children in P6 learning about Fairtrade engaged well to reach decisions and
to justify their views. Across the school and the nursery class, children are taking a
growing responsibility for their learning. They are responding positively to the
recognition given to their successes recorded in their Wow books, wall displays and at
assemblies. We have asked staff to continue to develop their approaches to learning
and assessment in order to ensure children understand their next steps and know how
to improve. Children are especially proud of sharing their learning with their parents at
regular learning events and through regular interesting homework activities. Staff
relationships with children are very positive, and opportunities for children to learn new
skills at lunch clubs and after school are increasing. The partnership forged by the
school and the local bowling club is a positive link with the community and provides
children with the opportunity to practise bowling skills alongside club members.
At all stages, children are developing their leadership skills well. They take on a
variety of roles including prefects, buddies and pupil council representatives. They
have been successful in gaining recognition for their recycling and focus on a litter free
playground through an Eco-Schools Scotland green flag. In the nursery, children are
making good progress in developing literacy skills. However, at the primary stages,
Education Scotland
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Transforming lives through learning
children’s literacy skills are not sufficiently well developed. Most children listen
attentively and talk confidently about their learning. Children’s writing is of a
satisfactory standard. Children in the nursery and P1 are making a strong start to
early independent writing skills. Good support is provided to children who have
additional support needs including those who have English as an additional language.
The school recognises that children across the school are capable of progressing
through Curriculum for Excellence reading levels at a quicker pace. In the nursery,
children are making very good progress in numeracy. They are confident when
counting, recognising the days of the week and naming two-dimensional shapes. By
P7, children can plot coordinate points accurately and are confident about percentages
and multiplication of numbers. However, across the school, children’s attainment in
mathematics should be improved and children expected to achieve more. Children in
the nursery class and school have a very strong knowledge and understanding of
health and wellbeing and the importance of healthy lifestyles. At P3/4, children were
using information and communications technology very effectively to support their
learning about Victorian schools. Children experience very good opportunities for
physical education including learning outdoors.
How well does the school support children to develop and learn?
Across the school and nursery class, staff provide a supportive and inclusive ethos
that encourages children to value their achievements and ensures a positive climate
for children to learn. Those children who attend the additional support unit are
included very well in the mainstream classes for most of their day. This is of mutual
benefit to all children at Ladyloan Primary School. In most instances, children’s
learning needs are well met. This is most evident when children are supported
through activities that are appropriately challenging to meet the needs of individuals.
We have asked the school to ensure learning is suitably challenging for all learners,
including those who are progressing well, and that the pace of learning is increased
across all stages. The headteacher works very closely with staff, parents and partners
to identify learning needs early and to ensure appropriate support is accessed when
required. Staff who work with children who have additional support needs work
effectively as a team and support children and their families very well.
Staff provide children with interesting opportunities to develop their skills in health and
wellbeing. They are developing Curriculum for Excellence programmes for all areas of
the curriculum and are focusing on improving literacy and numeracy to ensure children
make better progress. In all classes, children have a broad and balanced experience
across the curriculum. Staff are working hard to provide interesting themes to motivate
children. For example, children in P7 are developing creative thinking skills through
the topic of Treasure Island. Staff should continue to develop the curriculum as
planned and ensure children’s skills are developed systematically and progressively.
These plans should also include more opportunities for enterprise education and
outdoor learning. The school has very effective approaches to working in partnership
with other agencies to support children. These approaches work particularly well in
the nursery class and when children move into P1. The headteacher and staff have
strong links with Arbroath High School ensuring children build on their learning when
they enter S1 and are continuing to refine and improve this transition.
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How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
The headteacher has been in post for one year. In that time, she has gained the
respect of staff, pupils and parents. She is an effective leader who knows the
strengths and development needs of the school well. She has high expectations and
has successfully improved children’s behaviour, staff morale and created a positive
ethos for all. She has fostered a climate of trust where staff are confident about their
roles and responsibilities. She has encouraged staff to share leadership and has
provided the recently-appointed depute and principal teacher with opportunities to
develop strengths in their respective remits. They work effectively as a senior
management team and are now ready to share their vision for the school more fully.
Together they have gathered a wide range of information through consultation with
staff, children and parents. Parents are very happy with the improvements that have
resulted, for example, in the formation of the homework policy. The Parent Council is
very supportive of the school’s work and regularly supports successful fundraising
events. Staff morale at the school has improved significantly. Staff are fully committed
to developing the curriculum and improving learning and teaching. The headteacher,
depute headteacher and principal teacher are well placed to lead the school and to
raise standards yet further.
This inspection found the following key strengths.
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The effective leadership of the headteacher and her positive impact on
relationships with pupils, staff and parents.
Inclusion of children who have additional support needs.
Children who are eager to learn and to contribute to the inclusive ethos of the
school.
The high-quality pastoral care provided by staff.
Positive learning experiences in the nursery and at P1.
We discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to
improve the school and nursery class. This is what we agreed with them.

Continue to implement the school improvement plan to bring about improvement in
the curriculum and to raise attainment.
What happens at the end of the inspection?
We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the
school’s self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will
make no further visits in connection with this inspection. As part of its arrangements
for reporting to parents on the quality of education, Angus Council will inform parents
about the school’s progress.
Susan Gow
HM Inspector
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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/Lady
loanPrimarySchoolAngus.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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