Muirhouse primary HMI follow up report

December 2003

HM Inspectors (HMIE) published a report on standards and quality in Muirhouse Primary School in October 2001. In January 2002, 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 2 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 the 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.  The pace of learning for all pupils had been improved through closer tracking of individuals, groups and classes.  Programmes had been amended and improved. Learning and teaching approaches had been reviewed and improvements made to planning and assessment.  Parents were fully involved at all stages of development and were fully committed to the improvement agenda.

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 2001 identified 3 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 take further steps to improve its programmes in English language, mathematics and ICT as indicated in the report.

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

• The headteacher and staff had undertaken a review of the writing programme in English language and clear guidance had been produced for staff to assist them with the delivery of the programme and to improve the pace of learning.  Pupils had been made aware of the writing targets to ensure improved learning and inform self and peer assessment.  The improved programme had resulted in improvements in attainment in Writing across the school.  The programme for mathematics had been reviewed and amended.  The new programme matched the requirements of 5-14 Mathematics and had improved attainment in this area of the curriculum.  The new programme had improved staff confidence in the delivery of an appropriate and challenging mathematics programme.  National Testing results in mathematics had improved.  Teachers had undertaken training in ICT and the school had improved the hardware available.  Staff and pupils were more confident in all aspects of ICT including the use of the internet.

3.2  Staff should improve the pace of learning in aspects of its programmes.

The school had met this point for action

• The school had improved the pace of learning in English language, reading and writing, and in mathematics.  Staff undertook training to assist them in setting challenging , achievable targets which had improved the pace of learning across all stages.  Tracking and target setting had allowed the school to predict the date for National Testing for groups and individual pupils.  The headteacher monitored the pace of learning and National Testing to ensure appropriate pace and challenge.

3.3  Staff should make more use of assessment information to evaluate the effectiveness of learning and teaching.

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

• The school had reviewed its practice in the use of assessment to inform learning and teaching and had improved forward plans to reflect planned and varied assessment.  An Assessment policy had been produced which gave staff guidance in assessment and the use made of the information gathered and as a result practice in assessment was coherent and standard across the school.  A target setting system had enabled staff to use assessment information to set high standards, improved the pace of learning and examined learning and teaching in individual classes and across the school.

With effective support from North Lanarkshire Council, Muirhouse Primary School had responded well to the recommendations of HMIE and had improved learning and teaching approaches.  All staff had been fully involved in the development of the action plan and had worked hard to support the headteacher to undertake the recommendations within the agreed timescale.  The school is well placed to continue the improvements achieved to date.  North Lanarkshire Council will not publish further reports in relation to the 2001 HMIE report.

Michael O'Neill, Director of Education  
Cllr Charles Gray, Convener (Education Committee)

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