Girvan Academy
South Ayrshire Council
24 August 2010
We published a report on Girvan Academy in June 2009. That
report set out key strengths of the school and main points for
action.
This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which
was carried out in May 2010. It tells you about improvements
since the original inspection in the quality of education which the
school provides. It also comments on how the school is getting
on with the main points for action. First we focus on changes in
the core work of the school. We explain how the school has got
better at helping children to learn and benefit from being at the
school. Next we look at the key processes which enable this to
happen, including the involvement of parents1. Our report also
describes developments in the ‘ethos’ of the school, by which we
mean how well young people are cared for and how much is
expected of them in all aspects of school life. Finally we
comment on improvements in leadership to help the school
achieve its aims.
A copy of this report has been placed on the HMIE website
www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, you will also find analyses
of questionnaire returns.
1
Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to
include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are
relatives or friends.
Contents
1. The school
2. Particular strengths of the school
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people's
learning?
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving their
school community?
6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
8. What happens next?
1. The school
Girvan Academy serves the town of Girvan and surrounding areas.
There have been significant changes in staffing since the original
inspection. A new headteacher has led the school since May 2009. A
new depute headteacher has been in post since August 2009. Three
new principal teachers have been appointed, with two others in acting
positions.
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2. Particular strengths of the school
•
Confident and articulate young people who are proud of their
school.
•
Commitment of staff to improving learners’ experiences and raising
young people’s aspirations.
•
Strong, well-focused leadership from the headteacher.
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
The quality of young people’s learning is now better. Most young
people are keen to learn. Young people are now enjoying a wider
range of activities in classes. Teachers are sharing the purpose of
lessons more consistently with young people to focus their learning.
The school’s approaches to monitoring young people’s progress from
S3 to S6 have improved significantly. These young people now
discuss their next steps in learning with teachers in more depth.
These approaches now need to be extended to include young people
at S1 and S2. There are promising signs that the positive steps taken
to improve the quality of learning are beginning to improve attainment
at S4. These steps have not yet had enough time to impact on
improving attainment across the school. Young people for whom staff
have created individualised educational programmes are not yet
appropriately involved in setting their learning targets and reviewing
their progress. The school is continuing to develop the curriculum,
taking account of Curriculum for Excellence. This includes working
with staff from associated primary schools to develop young people’s
literacy and numeracy skills. With enhanced course choices and
improved pathways for progression, the curriculum now meets the
needs of young people from S4 to S6 more effectively.
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4. How well do staff work with others to support young people's
learning?
The school continues to work well with a range of partners to support
young people and enhance their learning. Young people’s aspirations
have been raised through participation in international work. This
includes a Shared Responsibility project with the Colombian
government and a Swedish exchange programme. Young people
have improved their career awareness and have better developed life
skills through work with a range of community partners. Partnership
with a wide range of organisations and agencies within the local
community enables a number of young people to take a wider range of
courses. Parents feel that communication with the school has
improved. Parents of young people from S3 to S6 value the monthly
reports they now receive on their children’s progress. The Parent
Council is supportive of the work of the school. It is keen to work more
closely with the staff and young people on improving wider aspects of
the life of the school.
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving
their school community?
The pupil council now has a higher profile throughout the school. It
hosts weekly lunchtime consultation sessions for young people to raise
issues or concerns. All departments across the school now seek
young people’s views on learning and teaching. Young people
comment positively about how departments listen to their views and
act on them. A significant number of teachers are involved in
improvement groups. Staff now share good practice more effectively.
Teachers use an improved range of approaches for monitoring and
evaluating the work of the school. Helpful feedback after classroom
monitoring visits by promoted staff is helping to improve the
consistency of learning and teaching. The school now needs to
involve parents and partners further in matters relating to school
improvement.
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6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people
Young people feel safe and cared for in school. They feel that they
can comfortably raise any issues or concerns with staff or senior
pupils. They are proud of their school. The Go for Gold strategy is
successfully promoting positive behaviour. Most young people are
well-behaved in classes. The school’s regular celebration of young
people’s achievement is improving their confidence and self-esteem.
Teachers have raised their expectations of what young people can
achieve and encourage young people to choose more challenging
courses to enable them to achieve their full potential. Staff use
assemblies well to raise young people’s aspirations.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
The headteacher has shown strong leadership, and gained the respect
of young people, parents and staff. He has identified important
priorities for improvement and effectively led the school in taking a
number of positive steps. The depute headteachers carry out their
revised remits effectively and provide valuable support to staff.
Principal teachers play a more strategic role in school improvement
and are leading developments in their departments. Staff across the
school are working better as a team. Young people readily take on
leadership roles and are increasingly becoming involved in school
improvement. Staff now have a clear vision for the school. This now
needs to be shared more effectively with parents and young people.
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8. What happens next?
There is clear evidence of improvements in aspects of the school’s
work since the original inspection. With the helpful support of the
education authority, the school is now well placed to continue to
improve. More remains to be done to raise young people’s attainment.
We will carry out a further follow-through visit to the school within one
year of the publication of this report. We will report to parents on the
extent of the improvement that has been achieved.
HM Inspector: Marie McAdam
24 August 2010
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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
satisfactory
weak
unsatisfactory
means
means
means
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas
for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
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.
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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