Glowing appraisal of rural Perthshire primary school

Effective leadership and staff teamwork are identified as key contributors to the success of Forgandenny Primary.

They are highlighted in an Education Scotland inspection report published yesterday which concludes with a positive assessment of the quality of education delivered at the rural school.

The inspection, carried out in May, said key strengths included well-motivated children who are actively engaged in the learning process while effective leadership by the head and strong staff teamwork had led to significant improvements in literacy and numeracy at the school.

They noted a “coherent and dynamic curriculum that reflects the school’s vision, values and aims” and wide-ranging partnerships in the community that enhanced the curriculum and children’s opportunities to achieve.

Across all five key quality indicators assessed, the school is rated as “very good”.

The report said pupils had a varied and motivating learning experience across all classes, worked well together and their learning connected them effectively to the wider world and life beyond school.

A diverse and effective range of partnerships helps to greatly extend their learning and succeed in different ways including sport and the performing arts.

The children have also been going on well-planned learning visits that enabled them to extend their creativity and curiosity, and deepen their understanding of the effect of history on current and future events.

Outdoor learning was another important strength of the curriculum.

Lifelong learning convener Bob Band welcomed the findings.

“This is an extremely positive report which reflects very well on everyone in the school community at Forgandenny Primary,” he said.

The report concluded that Education Scotland are satisfied with the overall quality of education delivered at Forgandenny and its capacity for ongoing improvement through self-evaluation.