Education Scotland’s report on Kelso High School published

During their visit in November last year, inspectors talked to parents, carers and young people and worked closely with the head teacher and staff.

Strengths

The Inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work:

• Young people are respectful, polite, and keen to learn. They demonstrate positive attitudes, supportive relationships, and strong aspirations to achieve well. This contributes to a positive ethos across the school.
• Young people and staff have strong digital skills. They use a wide range of approaches to support learning, remove barriers, and enhance engagement. This is leading to improved access to learning.
• Staff are strongly committed to making positive changes. The headteacher has built a culture where staff feel confident to lead, work together and improve practice. This approach encourages shared responsibility and supports professional growth.
• Partners enrich young people’s learning and provide a valuable range of opportunities for achievements. They also provide young people with beneficial support as they move from primary to secondary school.

Areas of improvement

The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the head teacher and a representative from the council:

• Senior leaders and staff should strengthen leadership across the school to ensure a consistent approach to improvement. They should lead change in a planned, purposeful, and collaborative way. Parents, young people, and partners should be more actively involved in making the school better.
• Teachers should continue to improve learning and teaching by increasing the pace of lessons and the level of challenge in learning activities. They should use assessment information more effectively to meet the needs of all young people. Teachers should engage in regular professional discussion to share and agree standards of young people’s work.
• Senior leaders and staff should develop further whole-school approaches to inclusion and equality. This should ensure that all young people are included and engaged in the life of the school.
• Senior leaders and teachers should put in place a clear strategy to improve, at pace, young people’s progress, attainment, and achievement from S1 to S6. This should ensure the curriculum raises attainment and addresses effectively changes in patterns of young people’s attainment.

Headteacher Jill Lothian:

“We are delighted that the recent inspection recognised many positive features of our school. Our young people were recognised for their good manners, positive attitudes, and enthusiasm for learning, which all contribute to a welcoming and supportive school environment.

“Staff were acknowledged for their dedication and willingness to work together to improve practice, supported by a strong culture of collaboration. Our partners continue to play an important role in enhancing learning experiences and supporting successful transitions from primary to secondary school.

“The feedback also identified priorities for further development. These include strengthening leadership at all levels and improvement planning and making more effective use of assessment information.  A clear focus on raising progress, attainment and achievement from S1 to S6 will underpin our improvement work.

“We remain committed to working closely with parents, young people and partners as we take this work forward.”

Harriet Campbell, Parent Council Chair:

“I am delighted that HMIE rightly found that our young people are respectful, polite and keen to learn. They are a credit to themselves, the school, and the town. The positive findings about the staff and Mrs Lothian's leadership are also pleasing.

“While it is disappointing that Kelso High School was considered weak in raising attainment and achievement, the parent council is already addressing this with the school.  We will continue to support the young people, staff, and leadership to improve.  In this context, we note the impact of recent significant staffing challenges and look to SBC to provide the support required to allow all young people to aim high and to achieve their best.

“Finally, we note that HMIE hoped that parents would be more active in making the school better and we - the parent council - welcome involvement from any and all parents in helping us meet this aim.”

As a result of Education Scotland’s inspection findings, the school will be given additional support and more time to make necessary improvements. Inspectors will then return to carry out a further inspection of the school within one year of the publication of the report.