Auchmuty High School
Glenrothes
Fife Council
2 June 2009
We published a report on Auchmuty High School in June 2007.
That report set out key strengths of the school and main points
for action. We carried out a follow-through inspection in
April 2008 and published a report on this visit in July 2008.
This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which
was carried out in March 2009. 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 young people 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
descriptions of good practice in the school and 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. The headteacher at the time of the original
inspection resigned in January 2009. At the time of the follow-through
inspection one of the depute headteachers was acting headteacher
and there were two acting depute headteachers.
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2. Particular strengths of the school
•
Staff’s attention to young people’s care and welfare.
•
The school’s programme of continuing opportunities for young
people to achieve in various activities beyond the classroom.
3. How well do young people learn and achieve?
Almost all young people enjoy being at school. Overall, there are good
relationships between young people and staff. Most young people
work cooperatively with their teachers. The behaviour of a small
minority interrupts their own learning and that of others. A few young
people’s learning is improving because of their more regular
attendance and better timekeeping. Young people recognise and
comment on improvements in their learning experiences over recent
months. There are some good examples of learners being given
appropriate tasks and detailed individual feedback about their
progress. Overall, there is still too much variability in the quality of
young people’s learning.
Young people are becoming more confident individuals through their
contributions to assemblies, shows and outside events. They are
being helped to achieve a range of relevant life skills through taking
part in sporting, musical and cultural activities. These activities include
school trips and supported study opportunities. By the end of S2, the
majority of young people are achieving appropriate levels in reading,
writing and mathematics. More young people are achieving national
levels in reading. Young people’s performance in national
examinations at the end of S5 is improving although girls continue to
perform more poorly than boys. The performance of young people at
the end of S4 and the end of S6 is continuing to decline in most key
measures.
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At these stages, young people perform less well than, or notably less
well than, young people from similar backgrounds in schools with
similar characteristics.
4. How well do staff work with others to support young people’s
learning?
The school has well-developed learning and behavioural support
services. Commendably, staff are now identifying a few young
people’s needs earlier and appropriate learning and behavioural
support programmes are used to meet their needs. The school makes
well judged use of outside agencies to provide a wider range of
services which are helping to meet young people’s needs. Overall, the
school’s planning to meet young people’s additional support needs is
not yet sufficiently well coordinated. A minority of staff have yet to
improve learning and teaching to more effectively meet the needs of
young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs. Staff are
very committed to young people’s welfare. The school has improved
young people’s preparation for work through a range of initiatives
including effective partnerships with further education establishments,
Activate and XL programmes. The school needs to continue its work
with associated primary schools to ensure better progression in young
people’s learning and behaviour as they move from P7 to S1.
5. Are staff and young people actively involved in improving
their school community?
Staff are now more involved, and young people are beginning to be
better involved, in improving their school community. Staff work more
as a team by sharing good practice and supporting each other to
improve learning and behaviour. Young people collaborate well and
enthusiastically in organising events such as school shows and house
charity initiatives. Staff show high levels of commitment to the school.
They offer a wide range of lunch time and after school activities.
There is scope for the school and parents to encourage even greater
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participation in these activities. Teachers are more committed to and
involved in, the process of identifying the school’s strengths and areas
for further development. Departmental planning arrangements have
improved and the school now has a more comprehensive approach to
departmental reviews. Staff now take part in professional review and
development and this is linked more closely with programmes for
continuing professional development. Young people need to be more
involved in evaluating their own learning experiences.
6. Does the school have high expectations of all young people?
Staff form good relationships with young people and are supportive of
them. Young people feel that staff know them well. They are
confident that staff will help them if they have a problem. Young
people’s achievements are recognised in newsletters, assemblies and
on wall displays. The school recognises that the number of exclusions
continues to be high and is currently implementing a revised approach
to managing inappropriate behaviour in partnership with parents. The
school reward system needs to be reviewed as part of this exercise to
ensure that young people do not wait too long for rewards. Young
people respond well to a wide range of opportunities in sports and the
expressive arts, and have high expectations of personal achievement.
Staff need to have higher expectations of the quality of presentation of
young people’s work.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
The senior management team (SMT) has worked flexibly to maintain
morale. There are some promising examples of leadership being
shared across the school. Many staff have also participated in the
authority’s ‘Emerging Leader’ programme to help them improve their
skills. Staff are now leading working groups. A number of young
people serve on the health promotion committee, and others act as
buddies or supervise the dining hall and other social areas. There
remains a need to further extend leadership opportunities for young
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people and for staff, particularly at principal teacher level. The school
recognises that it needs to raise attainment further. There is a need to
ensure that the quality of learning is consistently high. In planning for
school improvement, the school should focus more on a reduced
number of agreed priorities that are seen through to completion.
The SMT need to continue to develop their ability to work as a team.
They should also ensure a more consistent focus on learning from all
staff across the school. Senior managers should continue to improve
their links with subject departments. All staff needed to work together
better to improve the management of young people’s behaviour.
8. What happens next?
The school has built upon the promising start made at the interim
inspection and improved some areas of its work since the original
inspection. There remain weaknesses in the quality of attainment at
some stages. The improved arrangements now in place for
self-evaluation are not yet having a positive effect on the quality of
young people’s experiences. We will continue to engage with the
school and the education authority in monitoring progress. We will
carry out a further follow-through visit to the school after August 2010
and will report to parents on the extent of the improvement that has
been achieved.
HM Inspector: Donald Macleod
2 June 2009
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To find out more about inspections or get an electronic copy of this
report go to www.hmie.gov.uk. Please contact the Business
Management and Communications Team (BMCT) if you wish to
enquire about our arrangements for translated or other appropriate
versions.
If you wish to comment about any of our inspections, contact us
at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or alternatively you should write in
the first instance to BMCT, HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm
House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way,
Livingston EH54 6GA.
Our complaints procedure is available from our website
www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can write to our Complaints
Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
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 (SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent
and has powers to investigate complaints about Government
departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost
EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330,
fax 0800 377 7331 or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information
about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website
at www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2009
HM Inspectorate of Education