HMIe reports on Kinlochbervie Primary School and Helmsdale Primary and Nursery Class.

HM Inspectors have today (2 September, 2008) published reports of their visits to Kinlochbervie Primary School and Helmsdale Primary and Nursery Class.

The report on Kinlochbervie Primary School, praises the work of the school and rates most aspects of the school as very good with three features as good.
 
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths at Kinlochbervie Primary:
• a very welcoming and inclusive ethos;
• courteous, well behaved and motivated pupils;
• high quality attainment in English language and mathematics;
• high quality accommodation and the use made of the local environment to support and extend learning;
• the teamwork of all staff and their contribution to meeting the needs of all learners; and
• the leadership of the Head Teacher.
 
Inspectors found that parents were very positive about almost all aspects of the school. Parents felt their children enjoyed being at school and were very well looked after. Very good opportunities were available for parents and staff to discuss children’s progress and parents were kept well informed about the life and work of the school.
 
The school’s curriculum provided a very good range of experiences and took very good account of national and education authority guidance. The school had made very good progress in achieving the priorities in its improvement plan and these planned improvements were having a positive effect on pupil’s experiences.
 
Inspectors further commented that the overall quality of care, welfare and development was very good. Staff were praised for knowing their pupils well and for being very sensitive to their emotional, social and medical needs. Staff were also praised for making good use of attractive displays in the school to enhance the learning environment. There was found to be a very good sense of community and very positive and supportive interactions between staff and pupils.
 
The very good leadership of the Head Teacher was praised and inspectors highlighted her high level of commitment, professional expertise and care in managing and moving the school forward.
 
In continuing to provide high quality education, inspectors have asked the school and the education authority to further develop the current approaches to self-evaluation to ensure they are appropriately focused on securing improvements in key areas of the school’s work. However, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this visit but have asked the authority to report further progress to parents.   
 
Head Teacher, Mrs Jill Bruce, said: “I am delighted with the findings of our HMIe report. It reflects the hard work and dedication of all the staff, pupils and parents in Kinlochbervie Primary School. It highlights our achievements throughout all aspects of school life. The inspectors have acknowledged the high standards in our school; the pupil’s work, professionalism and teamwork of staff, the very good accommodation and resources, positive ethos, motivation and the good behaviour of the pupils. The school has many strengths and we look forward to building on these in the future.”
 
Gareth Kemp, Chairperson of the Parent Council, said: “This is an excellent report which reflects the extremely hard work, dedication and commitment by Mrs Bruce, her staff, and the parents of Kinlochbervie Primary School. Everyone connected to Kinlochbervie Primary School can feel justifiably proud.”

Helmsdale Primary and nursery class were inspected by HMIe in the course of April, 2008.  At the time of the inspector’s visit, the roll was 48 in the primary school and 13 in the nursery class.

Inspectors identified several key strengths on offer to the young people:

• a polite, well behaved group of pupil;
• a school which was particularly welcoming and inclusive of all pupils;
• a particularly strong commitment from all staff to the care and welfare of the children in the school and nursery class; and
• a positive relationship between staff and pupils throughout the school.

The surveys of staff and pupils also confirmed these key strengths with parents reporting that their children were happy in Helmsdale and that staff offered helpful and meaningful parents’ evenings. Pupils too had high praise for staff that helped them to improve in class and involved them in the running of the school.

As with all inspection reports, the school has been asked to further develop some areas, supported by the council’s Quality Improvement Team, including reviewing the curriculum to improve the quality of learning and improve how the school monitors’ the progress of individual pupils.

Although not in post at the time of the inspection, newly appointed Head Teacher Glenn Paton said about the report: “One of the most important strengths of a school and its community are the people within these and the quality of the relationships which exist between them. The HMIe report highlights the quality of the relationship enjoyed by the children, staff and parents of Helmsdale Primary School and Nursery Class and there can be no better starting point for any community which strives to provide high quality educational and social experiences for its children. Nothing is ever perfect and new challenges lie ahead, but given the quality of previous co-operation and shared values, this school and its community will strive for a high quality curriculum for excellence where children achieve and are prepared for future challenges.”