Standards And Quality
Standards & Quality Report for session 2010-11
Session 2009-2010 is the 9th for Sgoil nan Loch. Our school is situated in the North Lochs area of Lewis with a catchment area which includes: Ranish, Crossbost, Leurbost and Achmore. The present school roll is 104 consisting of 72 primary age pupils and 32 secondary age pupils. Little Lochies Nursery is also situated in the school and accommodates children from 21/2 -5. We have 9 full-time members of teaching staff and 9 part-time or itinerant teaching staff. We also have 5 full-time auxiliary staff and 1 full-time classroom assistant, 4 cleaners, 3 kitchen staff, a janitor, a school secretary, a nursery leader and an assistant. The school has a very supportive and active Parent Council and Forum.
Improvements in Performance: (5)
The priorities in our SIP have had a measureable impact on raising the achievement and attainment levels of our learners and the way in which the school works and interacts with parents/carers and external agencies as well as with the community. Our attainment trends compare well with similar schools and with national levels of attainment. Pupils at risk of missing out are well catered for. Our pupils have had the opportunity to develop skills in enterprise education, taking account of local, national and international perspectives. Personal and social education has been developed well across the school through a number of appropriate activities and assemblies. Our itinerant staff have ensured that pupils have experienced a range of good quality lessons in Art & Design, P.E., Home Economics, Technical Education and Music. Our staff keep useful records of pupils’ work and we have attainment profiles in place. Pupils achievements are recognised and celebrated through wall displays and at assemblies. A wide range of teaching strategies are employed, including ICT, to motivate pupils. Almost all pupils are well behaved and most are motivated to work in class. Our pupils participate in a number of activities that enable them to develop a variety of skills in different contexts and settings, eg residential experiences, swimming, music tuition, Burns Supper, Gala days and school productions. All of our pupils are making good progress in developing their confidence and self-esteem. Through the Pupil Council our pupils are able to express their views on a wide range of issues. All of our pupils have a good understanding of health issues such as healthy eating and the need for regular exercise. The school has achieved a Gold Award for health promotion.
Next steps in our development:
- To ensure full entitlement in enterprise education.
- To promote creativity within every classroom.
Learners’ Experiences: (5)
Most of our pupils are motivated and eager participants in their learning. Active learning takes place in the classroom and pupils are motivated by this approach. Very good transition arrangements exist between Nursery and P1 and P7 & S1. All relevant information is transferred from Sgoil nan Loch to the receiving school at S3 and good arrangements are in place for induction days at The Nicolson Institute. Pupils are made aware of their progress and strengths as learners by the use of feedback from staff.. Almost all pupils act responsibly and all contribute actively to the life of the school and the wider community. All pupils and staff in our school are treated with equality, fairness and respect. The quality of attainment in English is good. The quality of attainment in Mathematics is good. Almost all pupils have attained appropriate national levels in reading and writing. Our pupils have their views sought on many issues and they know that these views are valued. The School Council has consistently met to discuss issues raised by pupils and has a very good record of success in resolving these issues. Our pupils are encouraged to take an active view of their local community as well as being aware of what is going on in their country and the rest of the world. They are encouraged to become involved in projects which research and investigate local and international situations. The school is involved in a number of environmental projects which are as learning and teaching sources by all pupils in the school. The school has been awarded a number of prizes over the years for these projects and the latest of these is 2nd prize in the Scotland’s Finest Woods (Schools) Awards. This was achieved through the schools tree planting and environmental awareness programmes. Relationships between staff and pupils and pupils & pupils within the school are very good. Teachers make good use of praise to motivate and challenge pupils.
Next steps in our development:
- Further develop opportunities for pupils to evaluate their learning.
The Curriculum: (5)
Staff provide children with a broad and varied curriculum. We are in the process of revising our language and mathematics programmes in line with Curriculum for Excellence and are incorporating aspects of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing across the curriculum. Children in both sectors are involved in inter-disciplinary projects and other activities which serve to develop their capacities as confident individuals and responsible citizens. In the majority of lessons, pupils have very good opportunities to be active in their learning. In many classes, they are provided with real life contexts to enrich their understanding. All pupils are provided with 2 hours physical education each week, with additional opportunities to be involved in after school sporting activities. Many primary and all secondary pupils use the school network for file sharing and are using Glow with confidence. Pupils at the Early Stages have been using GLOW on a regular basis to interact with other schools for aspects of their learning.
Teachers and ancillary staff work very well with other agencies to ensure that pupils’ needs are met. They also provide high quality support for children experiencing difficulties with their learning or with health and behavioural issues. Well planned individualised educational programmes are in place for children with additional support needs. In the nursery, informative pupil profiles are in place. Nursery into early primary projects are now planned effectively each session. Effective arrangements are also in place for pupils moving into secondary and from S2 into The Nicolson Institute
The curriculum of the school is very good, it is designed to promote challenge, enjoyment, breadth, depth, progression, relevance, coherence, personalisation and choice in the learning of all pupils. There have been curriculum innovations in line with the implementation of A Curriculum for Excellence as well as some experimental work with our environmental projects. Our work of planting potatoes and vegetables in a croft adjacent to the school has continued and remains a good source of learning material. We intend to expand these experiences and contexts thereby enabling our pupils to secure the best outcome from each scenario. All of these experiences are matched to the needs of all of our pupils and where necessary we differentiate the approach used as well as the content. Our learners are encouraged to grow as citizens as a result of the promotion of a wider curriculum base. Interacting with the community and our local environment has engaged pupils with their learning. The school has good arrangements in place for ensuring the care and welfare of pupils. Our staff know the pupils well as individuals and are aware of their physical, social and emotional needs. We have a range of policies in respect of care and welfare in place and we use them effectively. Pupils feel safe and secure in the school and know what to do in any situation which causes them concern. Staff have a good knowledge & understanding of pupils’ circumstances and all have received appropriate training in child protection procedures. Our pupils have the opportunity to participate in a programme of study support activities which are designed to help develop and extend their interests and skills eg pupils in P7 have been given the opportunity to participate in a residential experience in Raasay with P7 pupils from Pairc School in May and found it very worthwhile and our S2 pupils enjoyed the week long educational visit to Edinburgh last June. Our older pupils (S2 & P6/7) have been involved in assisting our younger pupils (P1/2/3) in two areas of the curriculum – Alta maths and storybook writing.
Next steps in our development:
- Continue the implementation of ACfE outcomes & experiences.
- Develop assessment framework within ACfE.
Meeting Learning Needs: (5)
We take positive and proactive steps to ensure that all relevant factors likely to hinder learning are promptly identified and addressed. Learning support staff and partner agencies in our school provide valuable support and advice to staff and individual learners and contribute towards meeting learning needs. Individualised educational programmes contain learning targets and Coordinated Support Plans give support to those learners who require them. We involve parents and learners in reviewing learners’ needs and learning plans. We continually identify, review and evaluate learners’ needs, this is carried out through close working with the learner, parents and partner agencies. The planning of learning activities takes cognisance of individual learner’s needs and their differing abilities and aptitudes. Tasks, activities and resources provide appropriate support and challenge to enable all learners to maximise their progress. Our courses, programmes and the pace of learning are all appropriate for individuals. Ancillary & auxiliary staff play an important part in the life of the school and their roles are respected and appreciated by teachers and pupils. We conduct a weekly meeting between teaching staff and their auxiliary colleagues so that all are up-to-date on any important issues or developments. We have a very supportive Parent Council and also a good partnership with our pupils’ parents. We send home regular and relevant information about the work of the school and the pupils’ progress. We hold three parent/teacher consultation evenings per session as well as sending home an annual written report. The school provides regular informative newsletters each month. As a home-school link, each pupil has a diary which acts as an extra conduit between staff and parents it is also used for the recording of homework. Parents are welcomed at the school and are able to make appointments with staff to discuss any concerns. Our school website provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to see what Sgoil nan Loch provides.
Next steps in our development:
- To continue to improve arrangements for differentiated learning in the
secondary sector.
- To continue to develop our website.
Improvement through self-evaluation: (4)
We are fully committed to providing a secure and stimulating learning environment for all pupils. The senior management team work well together. We monitor pupils’ progress, evaluate the work of the school and provide encouragement and opportunities for all staff to contribute to school improvement. Staff feel that their opinions are respected and help shape the priorities for change. Almost all staff are directly involved in working groups and in extra curricular activities which serve to enhance and extend pupils’ learning and achievements. We have developed a clear understanding of how to use self-evaluation to improve learning and achievement by require to do more so as to maintain a robust model. As individuals and with colleagues, we evaluate our own classwork as reflective practitioners. We carry this out either through senior management observation and or peer observation (this also occurs across sectors eg secondary colleagues will observe primary colleagues and vice- versa . We work together as a school community and with partner agencies to secure the best and most effective improvements that we can. Staff views are gathered annually and we are committed to acting on the results of our self-evaluation. The views of parents and pupils are sought every two years at present. All staff working together reflect on current practice and any new initiatives, ideas and changes which we have introduced. Our improvements focus particularly on continuing improvements to learning and teaching and the achievements of all learners. As a staff we share good practice.
Next steps in our development:
- Further develop approaches to self-evaluation.
Areas of interest and development:
The school has become one of the school across Scotland who are involved in a project entitled Crofting Connections.
The school now gives the opportunity for 2 groups of children to experience Educational Residential Visits. P7 – Raasay for an outdoor pursuits week and S2 to Edinburgh for a cultural and educational week.
Our School Improvement Plan has enabled us to develop programmes in Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Well being, these will be continued next session with a major focus being Health & Well being.
Our pupils have had various opportunities to take part in competitions, festivals and workshops. Some of the highlights have been the Royal Zoological Society’s Wildbus, the visit of Generation Science with workshops on Night & Day as well as Future Earth as well as the Cooking Bus, which was a great success.
We experienced success in the Broadbay 5-a-side football competition as well as some of the Sports Festival competitions.
We have a number of pupils participating in the local MOD.
We held a very successful Homecoming event in December which involved the whole school, our local community and various artists who sang, played and painted for us.
Areas that we have identified for inclusion in our School Improvement Plan 2011-2012:
- (Continuation of) Improvement through self-evaluation.
- Transitions
- Moderating Standards across the Learning Community
 Standards and Quality Report for Session 2010-11 (PDF, 100K)
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