HMIe Report on Kinmylies Primary School and Nursery Class, Inverness

In a HMIe report on Kinmylies Primary School and Nursery Class, Inverness, the inspectors noted the following particular strengths of the school:

• Children who are polite, enthusiastic and keen to learn.
• Transition arrangements between Primary 7 and the local secondary school.
• The positive start made by children in the nursery class.
In this report, the inspectors judged that the majority of the work in the nursery was judged to be good practice. No aspects of the work of the school were found to be unsatisfactory. Whilst the inspectors recognised that learners’ experiences and meeting learning needs were satisfactory some areas of weakness were identified. Important weaknesses were identified in improvements in performance and through self-evaluation, and in the curriculum.

The inspectors also agreed a number of areas for improvement with the school and education authority. These were:

• Raise attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Take forward Curriculum for Excellence to meet the needs of all children more effectively.
• Involve all staff, children and parents in thorough self evaluation and action to bring about improvement.
• Improve leadership for learning across the school.

Rachel Mohin, Head Teacher, said: "We appreciated the way in which the inspectors were keen to work with us to confirm our areas of strength and to help us identify priority areas for improvement.  Our children are keen and enthusiastic to learn. This gives us a great basis for future improvements. My staff and I are fully committed to working closely with the authority, parents and other partners to improve the future provision at Kinmylies Primary. Each and every child in our school has an entitlement to the best we can provide.”
Caroline Kirk, the Chairperson of the Parent Council, said: “The inspectors appreciated the fact that the Parent Council is very active in the school. Parents believe that Kinmylies School is a good school. We look forward to being closely involved in and supporting what promises to be a period of exciting development for the school.”