Banton primary HMI follow-up report

November 2004

HM Inspectors (HMIE) published a report on standards and quality in Banton Primary School in October 2002. In January 2003 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.

The staff had worked effectively as a team to take forward the recommendations contained in the report. Programmes and planning in expressive arts had been improved resulting in an improvement in the breadth of the curriculum. Assessment in the expressive arts was rigorous and recording of pupils' progress was consistent and informative. Self-evaluation was effective in informing the school of future developments and priorities. Pupils' learning experiences had improved. Parents and staff were fully involved at all stages of development and were fully committed to improvement in the school's work.

The school was now well placed to sustain and build on the effective developments achieved.

3.  Progress towards the main points for action

The initial inspection report published in October 2002 identified four points for action. This section evaluates the progress made with each of the action points and the resulting improvements for pupils and other stakeholders.

3.1 The school should improve its partnership with parents and involve them, where appropriate, in school developments.

The school had met this point for action.

• The school had sent parents regular and informative newsletters about the life of the school. Parents had been informed on the use of school funds. They were consulted about curricular and wider aspects of school life through a questionnaire. Staff /parent meetings were well attended and parents were consulted about school developments at these meetings. Parents and the community fully engaged with the school and were invited to a variety of activities in the school. The school had developed links with local businesses. The school took part in the village Christmas Fayre giving the pupils good opportunities to develop their personal and social skills. The involvement of parents and the community had enhanced school developments.

3.2  The school should improve programmes, planning and arrangements for assessing and recording in the expressive arts.

The school had met this point for action.

• The headteacher and staff had written clear and effective policies for all aspects of the expressive arts. The policies gave good guidance to teachers, helped ensure efficient use of resources and made good provision for continuity and progression in pupils' learning. The school had reviewed the programme for expressive arts and had purchased additional resources. The programme now met the needs of all pupils in the school. All planning was in line with national guidelines. Assessment was planned and indicated pupils' strengths and next steps in learning. The programme was broad and progressive.

3.3  Teachers should develop more systematic approaches to planning across the school to provide clearer evaluations of pupils' learning experiences.

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

• The headteacher and staff had reviewed planning and had amended procedures to ensure systematic, rigorous planning of teaching and learning opportunities. Planning now included clear arrangements for assessment and evaluation. Teachers had used evaluation to determine next steps in pupils' learning and to decide on the most appropriate teaching methodology. All staff had been involved in the development of the new planning procedures, providing them with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the procedures and the rationale behind them. The school intended to continue to review and further develop the evaluation of learning and teaching.

3.4 The headteacher and staff should continue to improve arrangements for self-evaluation.

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

• All staff had participated in evaluating the quality of their work. The headteacher had monitored school improvement using national performance indicators. Staff monitored attainment by evaluating national test results and the progress pupils made in programmes of study. This had improved the pace of learning and had emphasised key areas for development. Further developments in self-evaluation had been planned and these would ensure continuous improvement within the school.

With effective support from North Lanarkshire Council, Banton Primary School had responded very well to the recommendations of HMIE and had improved school planning and evaluation across the curriculum. All staff had been fully involved in the development of the action plan and had supported the headteacher to undertake the recommendations within the agreed timescale. The school is well placed to continue to build on the improvements achieved to date. North Lanarkshire Council will not publish further reports in relation to the 2002 HMIE report.

Michael O'Neill, Director of Education
Cllr Charles Gray, Convenor of Education

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