Braehead Primary’s gold-star report
A school boss has been praised for leading the turnaround at a primary once slammed by inspectors.
Bobby McPherson and his team at Braehead received glowing praise in their latest progress report.
Officials from Education Scotland hailed the school’s new management for bringing “stability” to the ranks.
The North Ayr primary had been panned during a 2017 inspection in which it was branded “weak” across key categories such as leadership, teaching and levels of attainment.
Fiona McAvoy, who would later receive an MBE, was drafted in as acting head following the report to start the rescue mission.
And she handed over the permanent reins to Mr McPherson in 2019, who has since continued the recovery.
During a visit in November, inspectors found improvement across the board and noted the key appointments of a permanent head teacher, a depute head teacher and a principal teacher.
They also singled out the hard work of Mr McPherson and his staff to support children and their families during the Covid pandemic.
It was noted that children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy is beginning to improve.
And staff in the school’s early years centre were also praised for creating online profiles that record children’s learning journey, which they share with
parents.
Mr McPherson told the Ayrshire Post: “I am delighted that the inspection report has recognised the progress Braehead Primary and early years centre has made since 2019.
“It reflects the hard work, teamwork, commitment and dedication of our staff team, parents and carers, pupils, community, and partner organisations.
“I am very fortunate and very proud to be the head teacher.
“I would like to thank our whole school team and the local community for the continuous support they give to our children, it makes such a huge difference.
“I am looking forward to the next part of our journey as a school as we
continue to aim high and make further improvements.”
Councillor William Grant, schools’ spokesman at South Ayrshire Council, added: “The head teacher and his staff have done a fantastic job to successfully address the recommendations from the previous report.
“The last 18 months has challenged learning in all our schools, but the inspectors noted that staff at Braehead used digital technology very well during the lockdowns and also provided practical support to children and their families.
He added: “I’m sure the school will continue to work with parents and the wider community to build on this success.”