Campie Primary School
and Nursery Class
Musselburgh
East Lothian Council
22 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
10
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
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How can you contact us?
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1. Background
Campie Primary School and Nursery Class were inspected in October 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 representatives of the pupil council,
and staff. Members of the inspection team also met representatives of the Parent
Council and a group of parents 1.
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 an area of Musselburgh. At the time of the inspection the roll was
519, including 70 children in the nursery class and four pupils in the support base.
Staff in the base provided support for pupils with a range of communication needs.
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.
•
Pupils’ understanding of issues of equality and fairness.
•
The role of the school’s focus on citizenship and enterprise in promoting
achievements throughout the school and nursery class.
•
The quality of adult-child interaction in the nursery to support effective
learning.
•
Success in developing partnerships with parents and the local community in
order to support pupils’ learning.
•
Leadership of the headteacher and management team and their successes in
developing teamwork to improve learning.
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 a sample of parents, P4
to P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires
appears in Appendix 2.
Parents thought the school was held in high esteem in the community and their children
enjoyed being there. They felt that staff made them feel welcome and showed concern
for the care and welfare of their children. Those interviewed during the course of the
inspection valued the regular communication in the form of newsletters and emails
which provided detailed curricular information. A few parents of children in the
nursery class felt that there was a lack of opportunity to discuss their children’s daily
activities with staff. Pupils spoke with pride about their school and felt safe and well
looked after. They thought that the school helped them to develop healthy lifestyles.
Pupils were positive about the range of opportunities they had to develop citizenship
skills and take responsibility for the environment. Teachers felt they worked well as a
team to improve pupils’ learning. They considered that they had good opportunities to
share good practice during staff development sessions. All staff liked working in the
school and were proud of their strong links with the community.
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
The quality of the curriculum was very good. Nursery staff provided a suitably broad
range of stimulating experiences and provided children with a good curriculum.
However, there was scope to make learning experiences more challenging for a few
children. Staff built effectively on children’s interests and had made a good start in
involving children in planning their learning. In the primary, pupils experienced a
broad and balanced curriculum which included well-developed activities in enterprise
education and citizenship. Whole school activities such as Eco School (Scotland)
developments provided very interesting contexts for learning. Teachers provided
progressive experiences in environmental studies and religious and moral education
and gave appropriate attention to health education in order to encourage pupils to make
healthy lifestyle choices. A few teachers provided good opportunities for pupils to
develop skills in reading, writing and information and communications technology
(ICT) across a range of curricular areas. The school was making very good progress
towards providing pupils with two hours of physical education each week, in line with
national advice. Experiences in the expressive arts was strengthened by the support of
skilled specialist teachers. In the support base, pupils experienced an appropriate broad
and balanced curriculum based on an elaborated and sensory curriculum. The
curriculum was enhanced by a visiting specialist who provided music therapy. Pupils
in the base were successfully involved with mainstream class groups for a variety of
activities including Eco school initiatives. The overall quality of teaching was good.
In the nursery, staff interacted very effectively with children to support their learning
and encourage them to think and develop ideas. They provided children with
opportunities to develop appropriate skills when using the computer and using
programmable toys. Staff used questioning well to extend learning. They encouraged
children to persevere with more complex tasks. In the support base, interaction
2
between staff and pupils was very effective. Staff had high expectations of pupils and
made effective use of visual timetables to allow them access to activities. However, the
sensory room was not always used effectively to promote learning for example, when it
was used to provide pupils with time out from classroom activities. From P1 to P7,
teachers were well organised. Classrooms were bright and offered stimulating
environments for learning. There were a number of instances of very good direct
teaching. In almost all classes, teachers made the aims and intentions of lessons clear
to pupils. Overall, however, the quality of teaching was too variable. Teachers gave
clear instructions and used praise well to build pupils’ self-confidence and reward their
achievements. In a few lessons learning was too teacher-directed and this limited
opportunities for discussion between teachers and pupils, and amongst pupils
themselves. The use of questioning to develop pupils’ understanding was not well
developed. However, the development of questioning to improve learning had been
identified as a priority on the school development plan.
The quality of learning was good. Children in the nursery class were happy and
familiar with simple routines. They were becoming independent and learning to
cooperate and take turns. In the support base, pupils were well motivated and
responded positively to most activities. While at their work stations, pupils focused
well on activities, almost all of which provided an appropriate level of challenge. At
the primary stages, most pupils had developed positive attitudes to learning. At the
early stages, pupils responded well to a wide range of opportunities to be active in their
learning. They worked collaboratively to carry out tasks and solve problems through
play activities. Most pupils settled to work quickly and worked well on tasks set for
them. However, in a few instances, pupils did not listen well to the teacher or to each
other. At P6/7, pupils worked well together when discussing the lives of the Inuit
people. At the middle and upper stages pupils had insufficient opportunities to discuss
ideas in groups and to work collaboratively. Pupils were aware of agreed learning
targets in English language and mathematics but were not always clear about what they
had to do to improve their learning. In a few lessons the pace of learning was too slow
and did not provide sufficient challenge for all pupils.
The school made very good arrangements to develop pupils’ wider achievements. Staff
planned a wide range of progressive curricular and out-of-school experiences which
developed effectively pupils’ skills and attitudes as confident and responsible young
citizens. Pupils at all stages had regular opportunities to take responsibility on
committees and as prefects and buddies. At all stages, pupils demonstrated responsible
attitudes to each other and their environment. Their involvement in environmental
developments had recently been rewarded with the school achieving Eco School
(Scotland) green flag status and the John Muir award. The well-planned and extensive
range of out-of-school and residential opportunities developed effectively pupils’ skills
in a significant number of sports and outdoor pursuits. Pupils demonstrated skill and
confidence in a range of performing arts including playing a wide range of musical
instruments. The school had won a number of high profile national awards and had
raised significant sums for a range of charities. Pupils demonstrated active citizenship
within their community, including providing flowers and cards for residents of a local
care home. The school recorded pupils’ achievements in a roll of honour which was
shared with parents.
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English language
Children in the nursery class were making good progress in communication and
language. Most children spoke confidently to adults and each other. They enjoyed
listening to stories being read by an adult and experimented enthusiastically with early
mark making when playing imaginatively. However, children did not regularly use
books in play situations. In the support base, pupils’ skills in communication and
language were developing well. Staff made good use of ICT to enable pupils to
produce speaking booklets which they shared with their peers as part of an extended
writing task. Across the primary classes, the overall quality of attainment in English
language was very good. In recent years, pupils’ attainment in reading had improved
and attainment in writing had remained consistently high. Most pupils achieved
appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing.
Across the stages, a significant number had achieved these levels earlier than might
normally be expected. Pupils who required support in aspects of English language
were making very good progress. Across the school, most pupils were making good
progress in developing their skills in listening and talking. Most pupils listened well to
instructions and each other. At the upper stages, pupils were articulate and could
convey information clearly and confidently to an audience. However, as yet their skills
in group discussion were not well developed. By P7, pupils could identify key features
of books and had a very good understanding of what they had read. At all stages,
pupils wrote well for a variety of purposes. They were developing a good use of
language to describe characters and story settings. Overall, pupils presented their work
carefully with appropriate attention to punctuation and spelling.
Mathematics
Children in the nursery class were making good progress in their understanding of early
mathematics. Many children counted confidently and used mathematical language as
they played. A few children could identify simple shapes around the playroom. The
overall quality of attainment in mathematics in the primary classes was very good. The
school had maintained high levels of attainment over recent years and most pupils were
achieving appropriate national attainment levels. A good number of pupils at each
stage were attaining these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils for
whom aspects of mathematics were challenging were being well supported to make
good progress. Across the school, pupils had a secure understanding of how to collate
and present data using different kinds of graphs. Skills in number, money and
measurement were very well developed. For example, pupils at P4 had a very good
understanding of how to estimate when measuring. At P5, pupils could confidently and
flexibly use multiplication tables for different purposes. From the nursery class
onwards, pupils were making very good progress in their understanding of shape,
position and movement. Across the school, pupils used problem-solving strategies and
skills effectively.
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
The school met the needs of children in the nursery and primary school well, overall.
Staff knew pupils well and worked hard to provide approaches that addressed their
learning needs. In the nursery class, staff were responsive to the needs of individual
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children and supported sensitively children who needed additional help with their
learning. They had developed sound arrangements for observing and assessing
children’s development and progress. However, they did not use this information to
identify clearly future learning for individual children and ensure appropriate progress.
Staff in the support base provided realistic and relevant learning targets for pupils.
They liaised with a range of agencies to support inclusion of pupils with additional
needs. Thorough and effective transition procedures were in place for vulnerable
pupils. In primary classes, teachers planned lessons carefully and generally set tasks
that were relevant to pupils’ interests and prior learning. On occasions, however, the
level of tasks set was not sufficiently demanding and did not challenge pupils fully.
Pupils were not always sure of what they needed to do to improve their learning. The
school had very effective approaches to identify and support pupils with additional
learning needs. The depute headteacher and support for learning teacher worked
closely with teachers, parents and a wide range of professionals to provide effective
targeted support. Classroom assistants and additional needs auxiliaries made important
contributions to pupils’ learning.
6. How good is the environment for learning?
Aspect
Comment
Pastoral care
The quality of pastoral care was very good. Pupils felt safe
and well looked after in school. The school successfully
promoted a healthy lifestyle by providing a range of
appropriate physical activities through their ‘active schools’
programme. Pupils were encouraged to adopt a varied and
balanced diet and children in the nursery enjoyed healthy
snack options. Staff were attentive and alert to the physical,
emotional and social needs of pupils. They received regular
training in child protection and effective procedures, based
on authority guidelines, were in place. Staff dealt well with
incidents concerning pupils’ behaviour and effective
strategies were in place to encourage appropriate behaviour.
There were very good arrangements in place to support the
transition of pupils between nursery and P1 and for pupils at
P7 moving to Musselburgh Grammar School. An enhanced
transition programme provided very effective additional
support for potentially vulnerable pupils transferring to
secondary school.
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6
Aspect
Comment
Quality of
accommodation
and facilities
The overall quality of accommodation was good. The
building was well maintained and security arrangements
were appropriate. There was suitable provision to ensure
access for users with disabilities. Classrooms provided
bright and welcoming learning environments. Teachers
made good use of the attractive library for group and class
work. Displays of pupils’ work and achievements were very
attractively presented throughout the school. The school,
along with pupils and parents had worked together to
redecorate the dining room which provided a very pleasant
environment for pupils. Staff made good use of the gym
hall for aspects of physical education and drama.
Climate and
relationships,
expectations
and promoting
achievement
and equality
Climate and relationships were very good. Pupils and staff
identified strongly with the school and were proud to be
associated with it. Pupils were courteous and responded
well to the school’s high expectation of behaviour. There
were well-established arrangements to reward positive
behaviour and recognise achievements. Staff expectations
of pupils’ attainment were not always sufficiently high.
Regular assemblies provided opportunities for religious
observance and to celebrate success. Pupils were involved
in decision making through their involvement in a wide
range of pupil and Eco committees and through a range of
enterprise activities. The headteacher’s strong focus on the
values of respect, tolerance and inclusion underpinned staff
and pupil understanding of equality and fairness. Pupils had
a very positive appreciation of differences in people and
were well equipped to recognise and tackle discrimination.
As yet, there was no system in place to ensure the
anonymity of pupils in receipt of free school meals.
Aspect
Comment
Partnership
with parents
and the
community
The school’s partnership with parents and the local
community were excellent. The school communicated very
well with parents through informative written reports,
curriculum workshops and parents’ evenings. Parents were
invited to join focus groups to evaluate aspects of the work
of the school. Staff encouraged home learning in a variety
of ways including through the use of maths fun packs.
Parents had provided support during activities such as maths
challenges and were represented on the health and eco
school committees. Parents were offered the opportunity to
view and discuss materials used in educating pupils about
the sensitive aspects of health education. The school
worked very effectively with other schools in the cluster and
authority. Staff had been very successful in developing
links with business, heritage and environment organisations
in order to enhance pupils’ learning experiences. These
included Eskmills, the Community Council and the John
Muir Trust. The school had developed a very good working
relationship with the former School Board and was assisting
parents with the formation of the new Parent Council.
7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
Campie Primary School served its pupils well. Its ethos was positive and relationships
between pupils and staff were very good. Staff worked collaboratively within learning
teams to take forward curricular developments and strategies to assess pupils’ progress.
Pupils with additional support needs, including those in the support base, were very
well supported. Standards of attainment in English language and mathematics were
very good. In some instances, learning and teaching was of a high quality. The school
was building on these successes to develop consistency in the quality of learning and
teaching across the school. In particular, teachers did not always ensure that the pace
and level of challenge was appropriate for all pupils.
The headteacher led the school very well. She had established effective management
systems which helped ensure the smooth running of the school. She had worked with
staff to identify and address areas where the school needed to improve and had taken
important and effective steps to establish an inclusive school community, strong
collegiate working and improvements to curricular programmes. The school standards
and quality report was clear, helpful and had been shared with parents. The
headteacher was very well supported by the depute headteacher. She successfully
managed the support base and had developed aspects of care and welfare and the
personal and social development programme. The headteacher and depute were both
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highly visible about the school and were accessible to and supportive of staff. The
principal teachers fulfilled their remits very well. They had taken forward work on race
relations and were supporting staff well in the development of ICT across the
curriculum. All staff had been involved in successful learning teams and individuals
had led sessions to share good practice within the school and cluster. The collective
impact of the headteacher and staff was reflected in a positive learning environment
across the school. In the nursery class, staff were aware of the Scottish Social Services
Council’s Codes of Practice and their implications. The headteacher made effective
use of a range of strategies for self-evaluation involving staff, parents and pupils. The
views of parents and pupils on the work of the school were regularly surveyed. All
findings and action plans were shared with stakeholders. Staff made regular use of
quality indicators developed nationally to assist in reviewing the work of the school.
Members of the management team monitored teachers’ plans and provided valuable
written feedback. They regularly reviewed assessment information in order to monitor
pupils’ progress. They made regular planned visits to the nursery and classrooms and
provided staff with helpful verbal feedback about the strengths of their work and areas
for improvement.
At the last Care Commission inspection there were four recommendations and one
requirement. These had all been satisfactorily addressed.
Main points for action
The school and education authority should continue to provide high quality and
improving education. In doing so, they should take account of the need to:
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•
ensure learning experiences provide appropriate pace and challenge to meet
the needs of all pupils;
•
further develop opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively and develop
independence in their learning; and
•
ensure greater consistency in learning and teaching across the school.
What happens next?
As a result of the high performance, the strong record of improvement and the very
effective leadership of this school, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in
connection with this inspection. 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 the education authority, working with the school, will provide a progress
report to parents.
Jacqueline Horsburgh
HM Inspector
22 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
How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
Meeting pupils’ needs
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, the Parent
Council, and the community
Leading and improving the school
Leadership of the headteacher
Leadership across the school
Self-evaluation
very good
good
good
very good
very good
good
very good
good
very good
very good
very good
excellent
very good
very good
very good
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors:
excellent
very good
good
adequate
weak
unsatisfactory
10
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
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 the school was
well led and that staff showed
concern for the care and welfare of
their children.
• They considered that their children
were treated fairly at school and
that there was mutual respect
between teachers and pupils.
• Parents felt that the school had
explained how they could support
their children with homework and
parents’ evenings were helpful and
informative.
•
What pupils thought the school did
well
What pupils think the school could
do better
•
Pupils considered that the school
helped them to keep safe and
healthy.
• They felt that teachers helped them
when they had difficulties and
regularly checked their homework.
• Pupils felt that they had good
opportunities to be involved in
decision making.
• They considered that teachers were
good at letting them know how
they could improve.
•
What staff thought the school did
well
What staff think the school could
do better
•
•
Staff were pleased with almost all
aspects of the work of the school.
•
•
•
A significant number did not
consider the school was good at
consulting them on decisions
affecting their children.
They did not have a clear idea
about the school’s priorities for
improvement.
A number of parents did not
consider that teachers were good
at letting them know their child’s
strengths and weaknesses.
A few pupils felt that some
pupils did not behave
appropriately.
A minority of pupils did not
consider they received the right
amount of homework.
A few members of support staff
did not consider they had good
opportunities to be involved in
decision making.
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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 Director of
Education and Children’s Services, 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 600384.
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,
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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
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office can be obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2008
HM Inspectorate of Education
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