Inspectors’ rating is good news for school
Praise for Inchture primary and nursery
Pupils and staff at a Perthshire school have drawn praise from a national inspection agency.
A report, published by Education Scotland, highlighted that Inchture Primary School and Nursery Class has “wellbeing at the heart” of its teachings and commented that the staff lead “a child-centred approach”.
The findings come after a team of inspectors from Education Scotland visited the primary school and nursery class in December 2019.
During the visit, inspectors talked to parents, carers and children and worked closely with the head teacher and staff.
The primary school facilities were rated as very good in ‘leadership of change’ and ‘wellbeing, equality and inclusion’, and were rated good for ‘learning, teaching and assessment’ and ‘raising attainment and achievement’.
The report also rates the nursery service as good for ‘leadership of change,’ ‘learning, teaching and assessment’, ‘securing children’s progress’ and ‘ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’.
Key strengths of the school were highlighted in the published letter. It states: “Children who are articulate, kind and take pride in their school.
“Older children are particularly confident taking responsibilities to lead improvements in the school.
“This includes supporting health and wellbeing for younger children through the ‘Feel Good Friday’ sessions.
“The highly effective head teacher, who is passionate about leading an inclusive and welcoming school.
“She ensures that wellbeing is at the heart of the school and a child-centred approach is taken to all aspects of school life.
“As a result of senior leaders and staff, successful approaches to inclusion, equality and respect are evident. There is a caring and sensitive focus on individual needs.
“The strong teamwork of enthusiastic staff, supported by parents and partners from the Inchture community and beyond. Staff embrace professional learning and are empowered to take forward leadership of change and improvements in children’s experiences.
“Parents and partners enhance experiences for children, which supports improved outcomes for learners.
“Changes to the nursery learning environment are helping children make choices and become more independent in their learning.
“Practitioners implement approaches from professional learning positively, to support children’s different types of play.
“Their understanding of how young children learn and develop enhances support for all, including those under three years.”
The main improvements highlighted in the report, which were forwarded to the head teacher, state the need to “continue to raise attainment, through increasing challenge in learning” and to “continue to develop the curriculum”.
The report concluded: “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 will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools.”