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1. The Inspection
HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) published a report on standards and quality in St.Gerard's Primary School in June 2005. In August 2005, 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.
North Lanarkshire Council Quality Improvement Officers visited the school in February 2006 and 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
The headteacher, depute headteacher and staff had built on strengths in assessment in the school, to develop consistency of practice and expectations across the school. Teachers had been given clear guidance to ensure best practice, and had experienced high quality staff development provided by the education authority and from within the school. The challenging approach had been carefully monitored by the senior managers to encourage teachers to develop and evaluate their own practice. Teachers were now very confident in their approach and had a clear plan for further improvements. Pupils were becoming confident individuals and successful learners. Most teachers had attended training in co-operative learning techniques resulting in an increase in the pace of learning. Parents had been fully consulted about the development.
The school was now well placed to sustain and build on its achievements.
4. Progress towards the main points for action
The initial inspection report published in June 2005 identified two 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 continue to improve its procedures for assessing and recording pupils' progress, sharing next steps and setting targets for further learning;
The school had met this recommendation.
The headteacher had very effectively led staff in an audit of practice, resulting in identifying and sharing best practice across the school. Staff development in formative assessment strategies had raised pupils' attainment and had developed consistent learning and teaching strategies that provided pupils with appropriate challenge. Through careful planning of developments and supporting staff, the headteacher had ensured consistency across the school. This had resulted in further improvements in learning and teaching and professional evaluation of strengths and aspects for improvement. All teachers shared the purposes of lessons with pupils and supported them in setting targets to improve their learning. Staff training to develop their questioning techniques had been effective in helping pupils explore their own and others ideas. Further developments in giving pupils written and oral feedback on their work had challenged pupils, raised attainment and made pupils confident about their learning. Peer-assessment and self -assessment had made pupils more aware of the purposes of lessons and had ensured that they were actively engaged in learning. Teachers' planners had been adapted to include assessment strategies. Improvements had been made in pupil profiles and in reporting to parents, ensuring that the transition between classes was well informed and easily managed. The school had ensured that prior learning was built on by identifying next steps in learning more accurately. Personal learning planning had been implemented in some classes and plans were in place to extend this. Children were identifying personal targets and reviewing their learning in a structured way. A booklet of good practice in assessment had been written and shared with all staff.
3.2 continue to refine its procedures for monitoring, evaluation and improving the quality of education.
The school had met this recommendation.
The headteacher and depute had raised awareness of good practice in monitoring and self-evaluation across the school. Staff were more aware of the benefits of evaluating their work against national quality indicators. There had been staff development and support to ensure that all staff were reflective practitioners with a positive influence on learning and teaching, achievement and attainment in the school. Staff had been given good opportunities to share information, assessment procedures and teaching methods resulting in an improvement in the quality of pupils' experience. The needs of pupils and teachers had been identified and structures had been put in place to ensure that these needs were met. Pupils had been involved in monitoring and evaluating the school's work. Parents had been encouraged to be actively involved by commenting on their children's work and through personal learning planning. The staff welcomed the improvements to class monitoring by the headteacher and depute headteacher, appreciated the supportive feedback given to them and embraced the professional challenge. New members of staff were given the necessary support to enable them to have the same high standards and expectations of achievement.
4. Conclusion
With effective support from North Lanarkshire Council, St Gerard's Primary School had responded very well to the recommendations of HMIE in the report of June 2005. All staff had been fully involved in the development of the action plan and had supported senior managers in undertaking the recommendations within the agreed timescale. The headteacher, the depute and the staff had worked as a very effective team developing the good practices into areas of excellence. The school showed a strong capacity to continue the improvements achieved to date.
North Lanarkshire Council will not publish further reports in relation to the June 2005 HMIE report.
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