Auchmuty High School
Glenrothes
Fife Council
25 January 2011
We published a report on Auchmuty High School in June 2007.
That report set out key strengths of the school and areas for
improvement. We carried out follow-through inspections in April
2008 and March 2009 and published reports on those visits in
July 2008 and June 2009.
This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which
was carried out in November 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
Auchmuty High School serves the eastern side of Glenrothes and the
surrounding villages. A new headteacher was appointed in June 2009.
At the time of the follow-through inspection one of the depute
headteachers was on a long-term absence. Since the last
follow-through inspection there have been a number of new staffing
appointments. Young people’s attendance is below national averages.
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2. Particular strengths of the school
•
Improvements in the management of young people’s behaviour.
•
Staff who work together as a team and lead aspects of school
improvement.
•
Improved leadership and direction of the management team and
the new headteacher.
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
The quality of young people’s learning is now better. Staff now use
better questioning to encourage young people to think more about
their learning. Young people respond well when given opportunities to
work cooperatively and take responsibility for aspects of their learning.
These positive features need to be extended across the school. The
school continues to offer a range of opportunities for young people to
achieve. The newly-introduced house system provides a range of
helpful contexts for young people to engage in friendly competition and
house rivalry. The school needs to strengthen curricular links with
associated primary schools and accelerate the pace of implementation
in line with Curriculum for Excellence.
At S1/S2, young people’s achievement in reading, writing and
mathematics has improved. By the end of S4 and by the end of S6,
attainment in most key measures is now better. Fewer young people
are now excluded from school. More young people now stay on from
S5 to S6. Levels of attainment by the end of S5 have not improved.
At this stage, the school still performs less well than other schools
which serve young people with similar needs and backgrounds.
Young peoples’ attendance has fallen and is now below national
averages.
2
Staff engage with community providers to develop more appropriate
routes of progression which better meet young people’s needs. The
school’s planning to meet young people’s additional support needs has
improved. The house system has led to better links with learning
support and the school liaison group. Staff have reviewed and
improved further the school’s arrangements for managing behaviour,
including the use of a new ‘Get, Set, Go,’ positive behaviour policy.
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people’s
learning?
Parents are now more involved when pupil support issues arise,
enhancing the level of support available for young people. Staff work
well with parents to improve attendance and punctuality of children
who have difficulty with late-coming. The school needs to continue
this work. Staff have developed further partnerships with other
providers to meet the needs of vulnerable young people.
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving
their school community?
Senior managers have led well-revised approaches to observing
learning, complemented by staff peer-to-peer observations in ‘learning
rounds’. Increasingly, principal teachers use observation findings to
identify strengths and areas for development within their departments.
Staff are more fully consulted on matters pertinent to improving school.
They value this very highly, feel more engaged and are motivated to
improve their practice. More departments seek young people’s
feedback on their learning experience, and make changes as a result.
Staff now take greater account of ‘learner voice’ through committee
work that has seen an increased role for senior pupils. There remains
considerable scope to further develop ‘learner voice’ especially
regarding learning and teaching.
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6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
Expectations of young people’s behaviour and attitude to learning
have improved. The school has continued to encourage better
behaviour from young people through an improved system of rewards
and sanctions. All staff and almost all young people are positive that
behaviour has improved overall. A small core of young people still
need sustained support to manage and improve their behaviour.
Young people’s confidence and aspirations of what they can achieve
still need to be raised further.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
Senior leaders now work more effectively together. They have
developed more consistent approaches to linking with departments
and managing behaviour. The extended management team approach
has helped to improve the quality and consistency of departmental
leadership. There is a much greater sense that almost all staff work
together on a clear and agreed agenda for school improvement. Staff
are committed to working towards further improvement. The
headteacher, in leading and working with the senior management
team, is ensuring a sustained focus on improving the quality of
learning.
8. What happens next?
The school now performs better. Overall attainment, staff’s
expectations and the arrangements for self-evaluation are now at a
satisfactory or better level. With the continued support of the
education authority, the school has the capacity to improve further.
We will make no further visits in connection with the inspection of
February 2007. Our District Inspector will continue to engage with the
education authority and the school to monitor the school’s progress.
HM Inspector: Donald Macleod
25 January 2011
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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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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 2011
HM Inspectorate of Education