Alexander Peden primary HMI follow up report

1. The Inspection

HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) published a report on standards and quality in Alexander Peden Primary School in March 2004. In June 2004 North Lanarkshire Council, in collaboration with the school, prepared and published an action plan indicating how they would address the main points for action in the HMIE report within a two-year period.

A North Lanarkshire Council Quality Improvement Officer assessed the extent to which the school was continuing to improve the quality of its work, and evaluated progress made in responding to the main points for action in the original report.

2. Continuous Improvement

Senior managers and staff had worked effectively as a team to take forward the recommendations contained in the report over a period when there had been significant changes in the management team. The headteacher, who had been seconded at the time of the inspection, had returned to school. The depute,who had been acting headteacher at the time of the inspection, had been appointed as headteacher to another school in the council and a new depute had since been appointed. Senior managers had ensured progress and continuity through clear communications and good planning. There had been significant improvement in pupils' attainment in English language and mathematics. Learning and teaching had improved and pupils had been given more opportunities for active learning through co-operative learning, engaging in formative assessment approaches and visiting other classrooms. Monitoring of pupils' progress and the quality of learning and teaching had improved and had become more rigorous. Parents and staff were fully involved at all stages of development and were fully committed to improving the school.

The school was now well placed to sustain and build on its achievements.

3. Progress towards the main points for action

The initial inspection report published in March 2004 identified five points for action. This section evaluates the progress made with each of these action points and the resulting improvements for pupils and other stakeholders.

The school and education authority should take action to ensure further improvement in the work of the school and to raise achievement for all its pupils. In doing so, they should take account of the need to:

3.1 improve pupils' attainment in English language and mathematics;

There had been significant improvement in the attainment in reading and writing in English language and mathematics across the school. All staff had been given training in learning and teaching approaches in English language and mathematics. Staff from the authority's literacy base had supported the school in the implementation of new methodologies and resources in English language. All staff, including the early years worker, the learning support teacher and the classroom assistant had focussed their work on supporting improvement in pupil attainment. Pupils had benefited from a consistent approach to reading, writing and mathematics. Staff set attainment targets that were reviewed by the headteacher. Teachers worked with pupils to set personal learning targets. In addition to the overall improvement in attainment a number of pupils had achieved national standards early. An increasing number of pupils were achieving Level E in reading and writing. Assessment and testing procedures had been reviewed and were now rigorous and consistent. The school now shared targets with parents at the beginning of the school year and updated them on progress at parent interview evenings.

3.2 ensure that tasks and activities produce sufficient challenge to meet the needs of all pupils;

Development of formative assessment strategies had led to a review of approaches and expectations. Target setting had helped identify the needs of all pupils. The needs of higher attaining pupils had been addressed and pupils were exceeding national expectations. The school engaged pupils in their learning and had provided them with a range of appropriately challenging activities to meet their learning needs. A number of staff had been trained in co-operative learning approaches and had used these to ensure that tasks and activities were interactive and challenged pupils to develop both academically and socially. Improvements in learning and teaching had resulted in more focussed planning to meet the needs of pupils. The senior management team had supported the staff through training, facilitating the sharing of good practice and clear guidance on expectations and methodology. A flexible approach to support for learning had ensured that pupils' needs had been identified and met as appropriate throughout the year. All staff had a role to play and the strength of the team approach had ensured that all tasks and activities produced sufficient challenge to meet the needs of all pupils. Good feedback to pupils about their work and the identification of next steps had helped raise pupils' expectations of themselves. Pupils' application to their work had improved. Information and communication technology (ICT) had been used appropriately across the curriculum. Individual educational programmes (IEPs) had been reviewed and the targets in these were helping to meet pupils' needs.

3.3 improve the consistency of learning and teaching experiences throughout the school;

The school had made very good progress towards meeting this point for action.

All staff had been involved in all areas of the action plan ensuring a greater consistency of development, understanding and practice across the school. Developments in assessment strategies had led to a sharing of good practice across the school. Clear guidance from senior managers had ensured a consistency in expectations and in practice. Strategies to promote better behaviour had further enhanced the school's good ethos. Staff development had led to better self-evaluation and to an improvement in learning and teaching. The headteacher had undertaken classroom monitoring and had given staff feedback on their strengths and development needs. Staff development time had been well organised to enable staff to look at good practice across the school and to evaluate their own practice. Improvements in planning and learning and teaching had helped improve some pupils' motivation. Improvements in communications to parents had helped them to become more involved in their children's learning. A recent questionnaire had indicated that parents were satisfied with the range and quality of information coming from the school.

3.4 improve links with the nursery;

The school had met this action point.

The P1 teacher had become more familiar with the early years curriculum and with children's prior learning. Opportunities had been given to staff in the nursery and in P1 to familiarise themselves with the practice, curriculum and approaches of both sectors. Common approaches had been developed and increased opportunities for two-way liaison had been put into practice. P6 pupils acted as buddies for nursery pupils in preparation for them going into P1. School pupils and nursery children had been involved in activities to develop their understanding of citizenship. Professional links between the nursery and the school had been extended. The P1 teacher discussed transition records and assessments with the nursery staff. Early years' workers visited P1 pupils in September to observe pupils' development and comment on the progress being made. The nursery was an integral part of the school, taking full part in as many activities as appropriate. Nursery and school staff undertook joint staff development.

3.5 improve monitoring, assessment and recording procedures.

The school had monitored all the developments undertaken in the past two years and had ensured consistency of approach and rigorous evaluation. Assessment and recording procedures had been reviewed and amended and had been made more informative, efficient and manageable. Information on learning and attainment had been used to set targets, report to parents and to inform other staff. Time had been given to staff to discuss assessments and the impact on future learning. ICT had been used well, to give an overview of assessment information. Teachers had used assessment information to help them plan future learning and teaching. Clear guidance had been given to staff in planning assessment, recording results and using the information to identify the learning targets and needs of all pupils. Pupils had been involved in peer and self-assessment. Teachers' planning had been altered to reflect the changes in assessment procedures. Monitoring of learning and teaching, attainment targets and assessment by the headteacher and the depute had ensured that assessment folios reflected practice and were accurate indicators of pupil progress. Monitoring had enabled the school to target and address the needs of all pupils. Staff had spent time developing effective assessment strategies. The school policy ensured that pupils engaged in self-assessment and that teachers reflected on their practice. Monitoring by the headteacher had ensured a consistency across the school.

With effective support from North Lanarkshire Council, Alexander Peden Primary School had responded very well to the recommendations of HMIE and had improved attainment and consistency of learning and teaching across the curriculum. All staff had been fully involved in the development of the action plan and had supported the senior managers in undertaking the recommendations within the agreed timescale. Staff and the managers of the school had worked well together to ensure that requirements of the action plan were progressed. The school was well placed to continue the improvements achieved to date. North Lanarkshire Council will not publish further reports in relation to the 2004 HMIE report.

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