HMIe Report on Acharacle Primary School

Pupils, parents and staff are all delighted with the findings of the HMIe inspection report on Acharacle Primary and Nursery School.  The report details the inspection carried out in February of this year and focuses on the key areas of learning, teaching and  achievement, meeting learning needs, environment for learning and leading and improving the school.

The inspection team highlighted many areas of good practice including attention to the care, welfare and development of pupils, the pupils’ own confidence and involvement in learning, the school’s success in involving parents and the innovative use of ICT in pupils’ learning.

The inspectors found that the children in the nursery and primary were happy, motivated and keen to be involved in their learning.  The staff encouraged children to develop their wider achievements and the report stated that this had contributed to the children’s confidence and to an overall ethos of achievement.

Most children were attaining appropriate levels in Reading, Writing and Maths with some attaining earlier than expected and the team were delighted to see that the children all extensively read for pleasure.

In Gaelic, the development of the language was good and the children were achieving appropriate levels across the school.  Children in Gaelic nursery were making good progress and showed understanding.

The inspectors noted that very good arrangements were in place to ensure the care and welfare of pupils and that parents were made welcome and played a significant role in contributing to the work of the school. 

The head teacher, Lyndsay Bradley,  was commended for building good relationships within the school community during her first year in post and for sharing a clear vision for improving learning and teaching across the school.

The current accommodation was rightly deemed unsatisfactory but as the new sustainable building is under way, the pupils and staff will not have too long to wait until they are able to learn in fantastic surroundings.

There were three main points for action detailed which the school will progress over the next session.  These will be to raise attainment in Writing, ensure that the needs of higher achieving pupils are met and to look at the effectiveness of the school’s approach to self evaluation in improving learning, teaching and attainment.

The inspection team was clear that Acharacle Primary had made significant improvements recently but, more importantly, had the capacity to continue to take the school forward. 

The Head Teacher said she was delighted with the progress that had been made and wanted to thank the pupils, parents and staff for their continued hard work and dedication to the nursery and school.