Progress made at primary Education watchdog monitors turnaround
An east Perthshire school and nursery which a watchdog evaluated as weak for some of its provision has improved its standards.
In March last year the Coupar Angus Primary and Nursery School was visited by education inspectors who marked it down when it came to making improvements.
And they classed it as satisfactory for meeting learning needs and its curriculum activities.
A follow-up inspection by Education Scotland was carried out in March this year. The watchdog this week reported that it was confident that it is now heading in the right direction.
In a letter sent home to parents, inspectors say this year’s visit focused on what the school has done to improve. Education Scotland heard from children, teachers and the head teacher in the process as they looked at the concerns raised in 2016.
Concerns centred on tracking pupils’ progress through their learning, with the initial inspection finding that “some children meet national expectations [but] there is limited evidence on the progress of individuals and groups over time.”
This week’s report said: “As a result, we were able to find out about the progress the school has made and how well this is supporting children’s/young people’s learning and achievements.”
It added that: “There is now a clear purpose for the curriculum and focus for staff to evaluate changes.
“Almost all children are making appropriate progress in their learning. However the pace of progress is not always consistent across different stages of the school. We have asked the school to continue to develop a culture of
Cllr Caroline Shiers excellence so that there are consistently high expectations of children at all stages.”
In other positive comments the education visitors said: “Across the school children are now more actively engaged in their learning. Children and parents say that children now have more input into what and how they learn.
“Parents describe children as enjoying their learning more and being enthusiastic about going to school.
“The school has made good progress since the original inspection. We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection.”
Perth and Kinross Council lifelong learning committee convener, Councillor Caroline Shiers, said: “I am delighted that Coupar Angus Primary School has received praise from Education Scotland after their follow-up inspection.
“We will work with the school on the areas for improvement and keep parents and carers informed on progress as part of our normal reporting.”