19 August 2014
Dear Parent/Carer
Comely Park Primary School and Nursery Class
Falkirk 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 interdisciplinary learning, approaches to
literacy, transitions and outdoor 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?
We found that your children are very proud of their school. During the inspection,
children told us how much they appreciate their school and all staff. In the nursery
class, children are enthusiastic and motivated to learn through the stimulating play
activities. They like discussing and planning their learning with staff using attractive
‘floorbooks’ and learning journals. At the primary stages, children learn effectively with
each other in groups and in pairs. Overall, they know how well they are progressing
through the quality of conversations they have with teachers and support staff. They
feel they can influence the learning in class by making their own suggestions about the
direction of study. Across the school and nursery, children value each other. They
have a strong sense of wellbeing through their friendships and in the way their
achievements are recognised by the school and each other. In all classes, children
told us they are very satisfied with the important contributions they make to school life.
They are proud of their achievements in sustainability. The school has attained three
Eco-Schools Scotland Green Flags. Children in the nursery grow their own vegetables
and children at all stages benefit from the peaceful courtyard garden. Children are
very proud of the displays around the school, in particular the quality and range of their
art work. Opportunities to share skills in, for example, dance, music, Gaelic and
French all contribute to children feeling valued and successful.
In the nursery and at the primary stages, children are making strong progress in
literacy. They listen very well and engage in rich conversation using a wide ranging
vocabulary. Children enjoy reading and older children are able to give an informed
insight into the work of different authors. The Patrons of Reading project, the
appointing of a school Makar and work on the Scots language have contributed to an
enthusiasm for literacy. In the nursery, children value their writing and use it as part of
Education Scotland
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Transforming lives through learning
their displays around the playroom. At the primary stages, children write
well-structured stories, create informative leaflets and can summarise their research to
write factual accounts. In the nursery, children use numeracy confidently through their
play, for example, in the ‘travel agent’s’. They have fun with numbers through songs
and games. At the primary stages, children are making good progress in building on
these skills. We agreed with the school that a focus on mathematics and numeracy
next session would guide further improvement and help children have a greater insight
into the relevance of their skills. By P7, most children are confident in mental
calculations and can apply problem-solving approaches. Children show a keen
interest in science. They have learned to create electrical circuits and can talk about
the benefits of plants.
How well does the school support children to develop and learn?
Across the nursery and the primary stages, there is a calm, productive ethos. The
work of staff in using nurturing approaches is helping children to be successful. In the
nursery class, staff meet the learning needs of children effectively. They use their
knowledge of individual children and their families to plan learning activities which are,
increasingly, set at the right level of challenge. At the primary stages, teachers build
on the work from nursery well and continue to take account of what children can do
and what they need to improve on. Children who need extra help in their learning are
supported very well in school by a team of staff who are focused on their learning
needs. Learning support staff, class teachers and school support staff use
individualised planning to build effectively on children’s skills and wellbeing to enable
them to work confidently alongside their peers in class. We agreed with the school
that, as planned, they should take forward plans to continue to increase the levels of
challenge in activities and lessons in the nursery and primary stages to enable children
to work to their potential. In the school and nursery, children explained how much they
enjoy the variety of rich learning experiences planned by their teachers and nursery
staff. Strong leadership provided by the management team is continuing to build a
curriculum which is relevant, broad and enables children to learn at a deeper level.
We agreed with them they should continue work to ensure the curriculum challenges
children and helps them make progress in their learning from nursery to P7. A whole
school project, ‘Going for Glasgow 2014’ is creating a wave of excitement. Effective
partnerships with the local community are enabling children to experience an
impressive range of sports including archery, canoeing and hip hop dancing. Through
studying Scotland and the Commonwealth, children are gaining a deeper insight into
what it means to be a responsible citizen. This session, teachers are working together
closely to share how they use different areas of Curriculum for Excellence to help
children make connections across their learning. We agreed that this is working well
and that the next step is to help children use their skills in literacy and numeracy
consistently well. Transitions into nursery, through to P1 and on to local high schools
are very well planned. Children and parents feel informed and supported. Joint
working between the school and high school subject departments is beginning to
ensure that children can build on what they have already learned when they enter S1.
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
We found that the school is committed to improving the outcomes for your children.
The headteacher is highly experienced and plays an active leadership role in the work
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of neighbouring schools and Falkirk Council. She is supported by a determined
depute headteacher who shares her knowledge of effective learning and teaching
enthusiastically with staff. Together, they mentor the highly-skilled principal teachers
who go beyond their remits to provide well-judged leadership and rich learning
experiences for your children. Teachers work very well as a team and all carry out
leadership roles to ensure the school continues to improve. As a result, children are
benefiting from creative areas of study, improvements in literacy, science and more
opportunities to learn about the world of work through the community. At the nursery
and the primary stages, staff use a comprehensive range of approaches to establish
what they do well and what they can continue to improve. These include seeking your
views and those of your children. You as parents are invited to take a more active role
in supporting improvement around the school through becoming a member of the
parent council. Every teacher monitors and tracks children’s progress and
achievements over time. We have asked promoted staff to gather this information
about children’s progress as they move from stage to stage. This will help ensure
children are all attaining as highly as possible. The school has the capacity to
continue to build on its strengths.
This inspection found the following key strengths.
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Confident, motivated children who appreciate and are very proud of their nursery
and school.
The teamwork of staff in providing rich learning experiences in the nursery and
school.
The quality of children’s literacy skills, in particular, writing.
The range of partnerships to support children and provide stimulating learning
experiences.
Led by the headteacher, the leadership of the management team and the
commitment of all staff toward continuous improvement.
We discussed with staff and Falkirk Council how they might continue to improve the
school, including the nursery class. This is what we agreed with them.
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As planned, continue to improve the challenge and progression in children’s
learning, taking account of Curriculum for Excellence guidance.
Gather information about children’s progress from stage to stage and use it even
more effectively to ensure all children attain as highly as possible.
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, Falkirk Council will inform parents
about the school’s progress.
Shona ES Taylor
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/Com
elyParkPrimarySchoolFalkirk.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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