St Boswells Primary School receives glowing HMIe report
Thursday, September 7 2006
High quality of teaching recognised in 'well-led' school.
St Boswells Primary School was inspected as part of a national sample of primary education in April 2006. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupil’s achievements, the effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for self-evaluation and capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English Language and Mathematics.
The following key strengths were identified by HM Inspectors:
The broad curriculum and teachers’ effective use of flexibility time to enhance learning.
- Polite friendly and courteous pupils who felt valued and were proud of their school.
- Pastoral care provided by a dedicated and committed staff team.
- The level of support for pupils needing additional help in their learning.
- Strong and supportive links with parents and the community.
- Leadership of the headteacher with the able support of the principal teacher in promoting a caring and inclusive learning environment.
Parents and carers, pupils and staff were very pleased with the work of this well-led school. The school provides a welcoming, caring and inclusive learning environment in which pupils were encouraged and supported to work hard and show respect and tolerance for each other. The overall quality of care and welfare of pupils was described as very good. Pupils enjoyed their education and were proud of the school, they felt safe and well looked after. Teaching was of a consistently good standard across the school and the quality of pupils’ learning experiences and their individual progress were described as good. Staff were highly supportive of each other and strongly committed to ongoing improvement in learning and teaching. The school was well placed to ensure the planned strategies for raising attainment continued to be implemented successfully and overall, its capacity for continued improvement was high. The arrangements for meeting the needs of pupils with additional support needs were very good. Support staff provided high quality support to pupils to ensure they made good progress in their learning.
Partnerships with parents and the wider community were found to be very good. The School Board and PFA were very supportive and took a keen interest in helping in the school and raising funds. Parents were involved well in the life of the school and were provided with a wide range of communication to enhance learning and teaching opportunities.
The headteacher was highly commended in the report. She was judged to be a skilled practioner and a very good leader. She had established a strong sense of school community and was highly respected by pupils, staff, parents and the community. The headteacher was ably supported by the principal teacher who carried out her responsibilities very well. Together the headteacher and principal teacher were judged as providing an effective senior management team.
The school were praised for their coherent and consistent approach to quality assurance and school improvement.
The school and education authority were recommended to continue with developments outlined in the school improvement plan, including improving experiences for pupils in information and communications technology and further raising attainment in English Language and Mathematics.
Miss Ross, the Headteacher, welcomed the report: “I am pleased with our HMIe report. St Boswells Primary School has a team of hard working, caring, committed people – staff, pupils, parents and friends of the school. Each makes a valuable and valued contribution to the life of the school.
I am particularly pleased that the high quality of teaching and learning within the school has been recognised. Our teachers set high standards for our pupils who in turn are aware of their learning goals and work hard to achieve them. HMI also recognised the high quality support provided by all the non-teaching staff.
The staff are committed to continuing improvement as was noted in the report. We will continue to embrace new challenges which will enhance the learning experience and improve achievement for our pupils.”
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