Education Scotland
Foghlam Alba
Education Scotland, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG
t 0141 242 0100
f 0141 242 5757
Textphone 01506 600236
e glasgow@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk
w www.educationscotland.gov.uk
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24 April 2012
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Dear Parent/Carer
Bushes Primary School and Nursery Class
Renfrewshire Council
Recently, as you may know, my colleagues and I visited and inspected your child’s school.
Throughout our visit, we talked to many parents and children and we worked closely with the
headteacher and staff. We wanted to find out how well children were learning and achieving
and how well the school supported 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 its development of creative experiences, support for
children who need additional help, and the leadership of all. As a result, we were able to find
out how good the school was at improving children’s education. I would now like to tell you
what we found.
How well do children learn and achieve?
Children in the nursery and across the primary classes learn very well. They are highly
motivated and excited about learning. They benefit from an outstanding, inclusive ethos
which helps them feel valued and safe. In the nursery class, children make decisions
confidently about their learning through play activities. In the primary classes, children’s skills
in emotional health and wellbeing are very well developed. They talk with confidence about
their emotions and their behaviours and support each other very well in learning and more
widely in social contexts. Across the nursery and primary classes, children talk about their
achievements and what they are learning. They feel they have ownership of the school and
take very seriously the areas of responsibilities they are allocated. They are less confident in
talking about their strengths as learners and knowing what they need to do to improve.
Teachers are good at involving children in an active way in their learning.
Children in the nursery class and across the school achieve very well. In the nursery and
primary classes, children make very good progress in English language, literacy, mathematics
and numeracy. In the nursery class, children follow instructions and express their ideas and
opinions. They have a strong awareness of shape and know how to move programmable
toys forwards, backwards and make turns through a maze. In the primary classes, they talk
and listen very well and take part in group discussions with confidence. They read a wide
range of interesting materials. Their skills in writing are strong and they apply these in a very
good range of real life contexts. In mathematics, they are very good at mental calculations
and written work. They apply their mathematical knowledge in practical situations and can
describe accurately how they work out answers to problems. They have very good skills,
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knowledge and understanding in science. Older children can discuss the differences between
an ethical dilemma and an ethical issue.
How well does the school support children to develop and learn?
The school supports children to develop and learn very well. The curriculum is very well
organised and builds on children’s learning from the nursery through to P7. The curriculum
has a well-defined framework which enables staff to be creative and to respond appropriately
to topical events which make learning relevant to children’s interests and needs. Staff make
very good use of links across the curriculum to deepen learning and challenge children’s
thinking. Relationships are very inclusive and staff know children and their family
circumstances very well. In the nursery class, children benefit from stimulating activities and
high-quality dialogue with staff which meets their learning needs fully. In the primary classes
children also benefit from discussions of a high-quality that take place during lessons. For
most children the pace of learning is appropriate and builds well on what they already know.
The school uses very effective approaches to support children who need extra help with their
learning, including effective planning and regular progress checks. A few children make
outstanding progress in their emotional development as a result of the support they receive.
How well does the school improve the quality of its work?
The school improves the quality of its work very effectively by involving all staff, partner
agencies, children and their parents. The headteacher is very active in making sure
everyone’s opinions are heard. A very good example of this was the ‘Big Thinking Day’ which
was very well attended by children, parents and staff. Staff know the school’s strengths and
what needs to be improved and, together with children, they lead improvements very well.
The school has a real sense of community in which everyone learns very well from each
other. The headteacher is highly respected by children, staff, parents and the community.
She makes a notable difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable children. Her
compelling vision for the school is clearly understood by all. She is very well supported by a
skilled management team. Together with the staff they are committed to ensuring all children
who leave at P7 are responsible, confident and successful in their learning.
This inspection of your school and nursery class found the following key strengths.
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The inclusive ethos based on very positive relationships and highly-motivated, confident
and enthusiastic children.
High levels of achievement in many areas of learning due to the impact of the dedicated
staff team and partnerships with parents and support agencies.
The school’s contribution to the local community.
The positive impact of children and staff on improving the school.
The headteacher’s outstanding leadership.
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.
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Further improve progress in learning across all aspects of a broad general education by
continuing to develop Curriculum for Excellence.
Continue to develop challenge in learning and children’s understanding of how they learn,
across all classes in a consistent way.
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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
self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will make no further
visits in connection with this inspection. The local authority will inform parents about the
school’s progress as part of the authority’s arrangements for reporting to parents on the
quality of its schools.
Elizabeth C Cole
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.hmie.gov.uk/ViewEstablishment.aspx?id=8150&type=2.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a different format, for example,
in a translation. You can contact us at enquiries@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk or write to us
at BMCT, Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale
Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact 01506
600200, or write to us at the above address or e-mail:
feedback@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk.
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