Westruther Primary School
Quality Services - School Review Summary Report
The review programme
The review programme comprised four areas:
- Self-evaluation
- Pupils’ learning experiences
- Strategies for raising attainment with a particular focus on gifted and able pupils and the lowest attaining 20% of pupils - the authority focus
- The school chose not to take up the option of a fourth area for review
The review process
A quality improvement officer (QIO) from Quality Services and a peer reviewer reviewed Westruther Primary School in June 2006. The review team used the level four illustrations from How good is our school? (HGIOS) as its frame of reference and made their evaluation on the basis of evidence provided by the school and their own observations. The results of their findings are given below.
In order to make their evaluations, the team consulted a number of school documents, including the school improvement plan, interviewed samples of pupils, staff and parents, and observed learning and teaching. In total, ten lessons were observed.
Overall, self-evaluation and strategies for raising attainment were judged to be good and pupils’ learning experiences were very good.
Key strengths of the school
Of the areas reviewed, the school demonstrated particular strengths in the following areas:
- The weekly staff meeting attended by all staff
- The annual support staff away day with the headteacher as part of the school self evaluation process
- The weekly newsletter to parents
- The teamwork of the highly committed staff
- The number of opportunities for children to learn beyond the classroom
- Good interactive teaching and a stimulating learning environment
- Well behaved and well motivated pupils
- Main action points for the school
The school should:
- The active involvement of all stakeholders in writing the school improvement plan and the standards and quality report
- The more formal recording of the dialogue and planned actions as a result of the headteacher monitoring teachers’ forward plans
- The revision of teachers’ forward plans to show how learning will take place, what strategies will be employed to support learning and what assessments are planned to inform next steps in learning
- The identification of further opportunities for pupils to work independently
- The review of the procedures associated with national assessments
- The improved involvement of ANAs and class teachers in consultation sessions with the learning support teacher
- The attention required to the headteacher’s support for learning folder in order to keep it up to date with all relevant records
- The continued use if IEPs for children with additional needs for whom it is appropriate
What happens now?
The headteacher, in consultation with the review co-ordinator and the school quality improvement officer, will produce an action plan in response to the action points identified in the review. This action plan will be incorporated into the school improvement plan for the 2006-07 session.
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