One primary school plus one joint campus equalled two 'excellent' ratings at a North Lanarkshire school with the publication of a fantastic inspection report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIe).

 

Pupils, staff and parents at St Andrew's Primary and nursery class in Cumbernauld are all delighted with the inspection report – effectively the school's own report card – which also awards nine 'very good' and four 'good' ratings and highlights the terrific work that has been going on in the school since it opened just five years ago.

 

The school, which shares its campus with Cumbernauld Primary – the first joint campus in North Lanarkshire – was inspected in October 2007. Key aspects of the work of schools are inspected during HMIe visits including children's achievements, effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school's processes for self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for improvement.

 

As part of the visit to St Andrew's, inspectors examined the quality of the children's experiences in the nursery as well as pupils' work and spoke to pupils, staff and parents to get their views on the school.

 

The inspectors were so impressed with both St Andrew's and the joint campus working with Cumbernauld Primary that an incredible 11 of the 15 indicators of quality within the school were assessed as either 'excellent' – which means that they are outstanding or sector leading – or 'very good', which indicates that the school displays major strengths in these particular areas.

 

Significantly for the first joint campus in North Lanarkshire, the 'excellent' ratings were awarded for climate and relationships and equality and fairness and this was reflected in the key strengths identified by the inspectors.

 

These strengths include the quality of teaching and the attractive environment for learning; pupils' attainment in English language and maths; the commitment of all staff to the care and welfare of all children and pupils in the school; pupils' high standards of behaviour and courtesy, which contributed to the outstanding ethos of the school; the school's relationship with Cumbernauld Primary, which enhanced pupils' tolerance and respect and promoted joint achievements; and the leadership within the school.

 

To ensure that all pupils and parents are aware of the details of the inspection report, two special versions have been produced by St Andrew's Primary – one for pupils and one for parents.

 

"I am thrilled that the school – which celebrates its fifth birthday this month – has received such a glowing report", said Eileen Mulrooney, Head Teacher of St Andrew's Primary, "and it is testament to the input of everyone within the school community – pupils, staff, parents – that HMIe recognised the many strengths we have both within our own school and in common with Cumbernauld Primary.

 

"It's particularly pleasing that the inspectors recognised the quality of the teaching and learning environment we provide and the impact that has on attainment levels, particularly in relation to core subjects such as language and maths. This confirms that we really are giving our pupils the best possible start in life and helping them achieve their potential.

 

"As the first joint campus schools in North Lanarkshire, I am also extremely proud that our relationship with Cumbernauld Primary was identified as a key strength as there is a real commitment throughout both schools to creating a school community where everyone is valued. There is absolutely no doubt that we have achieved that and with "exceptionally high" pupil and staff morale as defined by the inspectors, we can only continue to grow from strength to strength."

 

The inspectors also recognised the recent raft of awards and accreditations achieved – collectively – by both schools including the attainment of a second ECO-flag and gold health promoting school status as well as the Better Behaviour and Attendance Award at the Scottish Education Awards, which celebrate the successes and achievements within Scottish education.

"What sums it up for me" continued Mrs Mulrooney, "is that our main point for action within the report is to keep doing more of the same. Obviously we always strive to do things bigger and better than before, but this validates the approach that we have taken – often in conjunction with Cumbernauld Primary – to deliver the best education we can for our pupils, who are after all, the citizens of tomorrow. And this report really does give everyone in the school top marks."

 

Christine Pollock, Executive Director of North Lanarkshire Council's Learning & Leisure Services, added: "HMIe inspections are an important part of the quality assurance process and this report clearly confirms that St Andrew's Primary is delivering for pupils and children and leading the way in many areas.

 

"The close working between St Andrew's and Cumbernauld Primaries is a real credit to the two head teachers and it is evident that everyone within the school community benefits from the proactive approach that has been taken to ensuring the joint campus model works as part of the local community and provides a positive environment for learning and development for both pupils and staff.

 

"Terrific morale, behaviour, enthusiasm and success exist in abundance within St Andrew's Primary and I look forward to seeing more of the same over the next five years."

 

Betty Greenwood, Head Teacher of Cumbernauld Primary, said: "While this report is based on the inspection of St Andrew's, it is terrific reading for both schools given the many references to the different areas of joint working that we take forward together on a daily basis. We are honoured to be part of this joint campus and we look forward to continuing to work with St Andrew's Primary to make a difference for our local communities in Cumbernauld."

 

Pupils from St Andrew's Primary were also keen to add their support to the comments in the HMIe report and outlined what they love about their school:

 

"I like St Andrews because the classrooms are cosy and warm. The behaviour is good and everyone around the school is nice and kind." – Julia Shaw (7) (Primary 3)

 

"I like our eco garden. It is wonderful." – Mark Thomas (7) (Primary 3)

 

"I like the size of the gym and playground. I like the way we have a pupil council and an eco committee." – Connor Gray (8) (Primary 3)

 

"Having a joint campus is really cool because we have more facilities and make more friends. We always agree on things before it happens." – Nicola Docherty (10) (Primary 6)

 

"We co-operate with each other in the joint campus. We work together to get our eco flags and health promoting awards. We have joint end-of-term assemblies with the priest and the minister. We get on very well with each other." – Hayley Sinclair (10) (Primary 6)

 

"I enjoy being part of a joint campus because we work as one big team. I know some people from Cumbernauld Primary that I met in nursery and if I need a friend they always welcome me." – Caitlin Diamond (10) (Primary 6)

 

ends

 

 

The £5 million St Andrew's and Cumbernauld Primaries joint campus in Cumbernauld opened in January 2003 and contains two primary schools, one non-denominational and one Roman Catholic as well as a nursery for three and four year olds. The two schools have a wing each but the children benefit from a number of shared facilities including a large gymnasium, dining room, library, audio visual rooms, conference room and stage.

 

The pupils also have the use of a large all-weather, floodlit football pitch which can be used as two seven-a-side pitches. A separate sports pavilion with changing room, showers and physiotherapist's room is also on site, all of which can be used by the local community. The children of both schools also share a large playground.

 

The schools also boast a couple of unique features which are at the cutting edge of the latest technology in renewable energy. One is a wind turbine, mounted on a 15m high column, which can generate around 6Kw of energy. The other is roof mounted solar panels that can generate a further 2Kw of energy.