Paible School
Bayhead
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
27 April 2010

HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) inspects schools in order to let parents
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, young people and the local community know whether their school
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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 in which young people are involved. 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.
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Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers,
2 residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.
The term ‘school’ includes the nursery class or classes where appropriate.

Contents
1. The school
2. Particular strength of the school
3. How well do children and young people learn and achieve?
4. How well do staff work with others to support the learning of children and young people?
5. Are staff, children and young people actively involved in improving their school community?
6. Does the school have high expectations of all children and young people?
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
8. What happens next?
1. The school
Paible School is a non-denominational school. It serves the islands of
North Uist and Berneray. The roll was 60 when the inspection was carried out in March 2010, including 13 pupils who are educated through the medium of Gaelic in the primary stages. Young people in the secondary department continue their education beyond S2 in
Lionacleit School on Benbecula. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average in 2008/2009.
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2. Particular strengths of the school
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Well behaved, polite young people who are eager to learn.
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The high quality of young people’s work in art and design, and their confident use of information and communications technology (ICT) to support their learning across the curriculum.
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The engagement of staff and their willingness to take on new developments to improve the school.
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Partnership with parents and the local community.
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How well do children and young people learn and achieve?
Learning and achievement
Almost all young people are motivated and enthusiastic about their learning. They participate well in lessons, answering questions and contributing ideas. Young people use a wide range of ICT confidently and effectively to enhance their learning in other subject areas. In a number of classes, young people work well together on shared tasks.
For example, at S1 and S2, young people worked together very effectively to create a variety of magazine articles. This is helping them become confident, independent learners. At the start of most lessons, teachers explain to young people what they are learning and why. Young people need better and more consistent feedback on how they can improve their work. At all stages, they are developing their understanding of global issues very effectively through their topic on
‘Around the World’. Young people enjoy school. Most feel valued, safe and well cared for. A few do not feel that they are listened to or that their views are taken into account.
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Young people develop their confidence through organising and taking part in an impressive range of school concerts, shows and other events. They work hard to raise funds for a wide range of charities, both on the island and beyond. Examples include a well-publicised
Christmas shoebox appeal and fundraising activities for earthquake victims in Haiti. Many young people achieve success in a wide range of competitions, including science, sport, music, culture, Gaelic events and mathematics. Through organising and taking part in residential outdoor experiences, young people develop their physical fitness and teamworking skills. The school magazine, created by pupils, has been particularly successful at national level. Young people have a very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, fit and healthy.
The school has won a gold award for health promotion. Links with a school in France help young people develop a positive view of life in another country. Children in the Gaelic medium class play an active part in activities run by Gaelic cultural organisations. Young people celebrate their island heritage by mounting shows on local themes, for example ‘The Selkie Folk’, and ‘The Three Little Crofters’.
Across the school, most young people achieve appropriate levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading, writing and mathematics. Most make good progress from their prior levels of achievement. Young people achieve particularly well in art and design, showing creativity and an appreciation of the work of a range of artists. Young people make a good start to learning French at P5/6, but this is not sustained.
At S2, too few pupils can perform appropriately in oral and written
French. Across the school, most young people listen well to adults and to each other, and readily share their views. They can read aloud with expression and understanding. At all stages, children write creatively and take pride in their written work. Children in the Gaelic medium class are making very good progress in listening, speaking and reading in Gaelic. Their progress in writing is not fast enough. At
S1 and S2, some young people learning Gaelic can speak idiomatic, fluent Gaelic. A few are capable of making better progress. In mathematics, most children reach appropriate levels of attainment. A significant number at most stages achieve these levels earlier than might be expected. Young people at all stages are learning to handle
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and display information successfully. At P7, a few children are not sufficiently skilled in mental calculations or work competently with fractions or decimals. Most young people build well on their attainment from P7 to S2.
Curriculum and meeting learning needs
Across the school, staff are strongly committed to developing the curriculum to take good account of Curriculum for Excellence .
Well-planned interdisciplinary topics are motivating young people and helping them make links across different aspects of learning. Children are beginning to use their skills in literacy and numeracy to help them learn in other areas. Staff now need to review the work done so far to make sure that all young people’s learning needs are fully met. Young people in the Gaelic medium class have no opportunity to continue studying subjects through the medium of Gaelic into S1 and S2. Most young people are developing a responsible approach to caring for others and contributing to their environment. The school’s approaches to supporting children’s personal and social development need to include more approaches to learning about respect for others. Young people’s understanding about the world of work is developing well through their enterprise in education projects. The school provides a good range of sporting and cultural activities outwith school hours.
Many children who attend are developing confidence, life-long skills and a broad range of interests. For example, a number of children learn to play the Highland bagpipes and speak enthusiastically about their progress. There are notable strengths in the school’s provision for expressive arts. The school provides all young people with two hours of high quality physical education each week. Young people are well supported at times of transition.
At the early stages, in both English and Gaelic medium classes, children’s learning needs are very well met. Across the school, most tasks and activities are appropriate. In a significant minority of classes, tasks and activities do not meet the learning needs of all young people well enough. A number of teachers need to take more account of individual learning needs when planning lessons. The
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school has very effective procedures for identifying children with additional support needs. Teachers plan very flexibly and effectively for these children, involving specialist agencies, parents and the children themselves. This ensures that they are progressing well in their learning. Almost all teachers give children clear explanations and check their understanding at the end of lessons. A few are beginning to involve children in planning their own learning targets and discussing what they want to learn. Teachers set an appropriate range of homework tasks.
4. How well do staff work with others to support the learning of children and young people?
Staff have developed very positive links with a range of support agencies and individuals, including local clergy, businesses, voluntary organisations, police and health workers. These are enhancing young people’s learning. For example, partnership with local mariners and a visit to the Lochmaddy ferry made a very positive contribution to young people’s learning through their topic on ‘The Sea’. Parents contribute to learning in various ways, for example by supporting study about world religions and providing insight into life in French-speaking
Algeria. The school communicates very effectively with parents through newsletters, workshops, the school website and pupil-led open afternoons. Parents have appropriate opportunities to view sensitive health education materials. The active and supportive Parent Council works closely with staff to support the school. Children are helped to move confidently from nursery and playgroup into P1. Those young people moving from P7 into S1 and from S2 to Lionacleit School are very well supported.
5. Are staff, children and young people actively involved in improving their school community?
Young people respond very enthusiastically to opportunities to exercise responsibility through their work on the eco-committee and in organising school events. They would benefit from more such opportunities. The pupil council has not met frequently. Membership
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of the council is open to children from P6 to S2 only. Young people would like a better say in decisions which affect them. Across the school, young people are beginning to take an active part in developing their topic work. They regularly contribute to improving their community through such activities as the daffodil tea for senior citizens and a beach clean-up. Teachers use self-evaluation well to review their work and bring about improvement. They work well together to develop aspects of the curriculum, including health and wellbeing. Staff readily support additional activities, often in connection with topic work, to extend young people’s learning. Senior managers effectively monitor the work of the school through a wide range of approaches. More focus on the impact of such activities as class visits would help improve learning and teaching further.
6. Does the school have high expectations of all children and young people?
Staff have created a very caring and supportive atmosphere where children, parents and visitors feel welcome and valued. Children are friendly and polite to one another and to visitors. Staff know children very well and show care for their welfare. The school encourages children to achieve in a variety of ways and celebrates their many successes at assemblies and through the website and displays.
Support staff make very strong contributions to the ethos and care provided to children. Most staff have a clear understanding about their role in relation to child protection. The school and education authority should ensure that catering staff receive appropriate training as a matter of urgency. Children respond well to the high standards teachers set for their behaviour. There is scope for higher expectations of what young people can attain. Children have good opportunities for religious observance. They demonstrate a good understanding of a range of faiths and cultures, particularly
Christianity.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
The headteacher demonstrates a clear vision for the school. He has
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gained the support and respect of parents, staff and young people in creating the school’s positive ethos. Well supported by the depute headteacher and staff, he has introduced a range of creative and effective approaches to improve young people’s learning. Senior staff monitor pupils’ progress and regularly evaluate the work of the school.
More rigour is now required in monitoring the progress of individual learners, to ensure appropriate levels of challenge for all young people. The school needs to take more account of young people’s views on key aspects of learning. Many class teachers are highly committed to developing their role as curricular leaders. The school is ready to improve further and is well placed to continue its development of Curriculum for Excellence.
8. What happens next?
We are confident that the school will be able to make the necessary improvements in light of the inspection findings. As a result, we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. The school and the education authority will inform parents about the school’s progress in improving the quality of education.
We have agreed the following areas for improvement with the school and education authority.
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Build on examples of very good learning and teaching to ensure that young people receive consistently high quality learning experiences.
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Continue to raise young people’s attainment by ensuring that learning activities are set at the right level for all young people.
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Improve the opportunities for young people to exercise responsibility and to contribute more to decisions which affect them.
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Quality indicators help schools and nursery classes, education authorities and inspectors to judge what is good and what needs to be improved in the work of a school and a nursery class. You can find these quality indicators in the HMIE publications How good is our school? and The Child at the Centre . 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 and nursery classes are doing.
Here are the evaluations for Paible School
Improvements in performance
Learners’ experiences good good
Meeting learning needs satisfactory
We also evaluated the following aspects of the work of the school.
The curriculum
Improvement through self-evaluation
HM Inspector: Anne McGachey
27 April 2010 good good
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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 outstanding, sector leading major strengths important strengths with some areas satisfactory means strengths just outweigh weaknesses unsatisfactory means 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 2010
HM Inspectorate of Education