Inspectors tell school for deaf to improve leadership

SCOTLAND’S deaf school has been ordered to make further improvements.

Inspectors said insufficient progress had been made in improving the ability of the leadership team to manage the day-to-day running of the school.

However, Education Scotland said significant progress had been made in other areas including pupil discipline and safety and the quality of education on offer.

In 2014, Donaldson’s School, in Linlithgow, West Lothian, was served a Government improvement notice after concerns over the safety of pupils.

A subsequent investigation was launched after parents made complaints about the way the school was being run.

The latest Education Scotland report states: “Recent complaints against the school had highlighted concerns about leadership, management of challenging behaviour of children and young people, staffing skills ... and quality of learning experiences.

“Children ... are now more focused and attentive during their lessons. The majority show more interest in what they are learning and are much more settled.

“The majority of children continue to be more actively engaged in their learning and there is much less low-level disruption as a result.

The report found good progress had been made by the school in developing staff skills and putting systems in place to make sure children were kept safe.

But it added that “insufficient progress” had been made in relation to the leadership team and the management of the school.

Laura Battles, the school’s chief executive, said: “We are pleased to see our focus on continuous improvement has been recognised.

“We have invested considerable time and resource into ensuring our pupils’ needs are being met through the development of staff and new teaching approaches.

“We will continue to implement the recommendations from Education Scotland with the aim of ensuring the best outcomes and opportunities for our children.”