Head teacher praised after school insepction

A head teacher has been praised for her “undiminished passion”in her work to improve the education and life skills experience of her pupils in one of Livingston’s hardest hit areas.

Sharon Wallace faced questions following a recent inspection from HMI Inspectorate at Letham Primary in Craigshill.

Members of West Lothian Council’s Education Quality Assurance Committee heard of the work at the school to improve chances for the 198 pupils.

The school is ranked fifth in the county SMID list of most deprived schools.

Free meal take up is 37 per cent. The breakfast club has around 130 children attending daily.

The report said:“There is a warm and welcoming ethos across the school.

“The school works hard to provide an inclusive and nurturing environment for children and their families in an area of economic and social deprivation.”

It added:“Parents are very supportive of the school through‘Chatter Matters’and other regular opportunities, parents engage in the wider life of the school and have provided effective feedback to enable the school to move forward.”

The report recommended improving learning and teaching, and said more rigorous approaches to assessing children’s progress are needed to improve their attainment.

Mrs Wallace said figures from the inspection showed that“gaps are closing”.

She added that teachers are continuing to use training opportunities within the school and support from staff in the school’s cluster.

She added:“I am confident with improvements already made and with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff team, we will continue to make improvements.”

Councillor Chris Horne said: “I was struck at our first meeting at your passion for working in what is a tough gig.

“It’s great to see that that passion is undiminished and to see progress is going in the right direction.”