HMIe Report on Conon Bridge Primary School

The primary school was commended for:

Pupils’ very good behaviour and application to their work
 
Staff commitment to ensuring the care and welfare of pupils and the very positive relationships between pupils and staff
 
Productive partnerships with the School Board, parents, partner agencies and the wider community
 
The leadership of the Head Teacher in managing change during a period of instability in staffing.
 
In a positive report the Inspectors judged that most aspects of the work of the school represented very good or good practice. They particularly recognised the good structure of the curriculum and pupils’ good attainment in both English Language and Mathematics.

All aspects of the school’s environment for learning, including equality and fairness and expectations and promoting achievement, were recognised as being examples of good or very good practice.

The Inspectors also made a limited number of recommendations for the school which included further improvement of the quality of pupils’ learning experiences and the meeting of pupils’ needs, to ensure more effective learning and teaching, to further develop the school’s approaches to self-evaluation to ensure a positive impact on pupils’ experiences and finally, to review the provision of toilets for pupils at the early stages.

The school and education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report and to share that plan with parents.

Commenting on the report, Violet McCormick, Head Teacher, said: "I am delighted that Conon Bridge has received such a positive report which reflects the wide diversity of work going on in our school. The staff and I look forward to continuing to develop and build on the very good practice which already exists in the school. There is a total commitment to moving the school forward and we have already begun to address the issues raised for action in the report. We will continue to work with the authority and with the support of everyone connected to the school to promote the highest quality of education for all our pupils."

The chairperson of the School Board, Catriona Meiklejohn, said: "The School Board is delighted with the positive results of the recent inspection. The school curriculum is well balanced and the results in Mathematics and English language are very encouraging. The relationship between staff and pupils is excellent.

"With the support from parents, the staff will continue to provide an ideal environment for the children’s education and with the areas identified in the report being acted upon, the Board are confident that Conon Bridge Primary will further improve, both educationally and socially, with pupils, parents and the wider community."