Dalmellington Primary and Early Childhood Centre celebrate recent inspection report and earning GOLD Rights Respecting Award!
Dalmellington Primary School and Early Childhood Centre has been celebrating the results of their recent inspection, published on Tuesday 28 April, by Education Scotland.
The school was inspected in March by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) over the course of a week and in their report the inspectors highlighted strengths in the school’s work. This includes ‘respectful, responsible and happy children’, that the children ‘engage very well in their learning and are confident to share their achievements’, that there is a ‘positive, caring and nurturing ethos’ and highlighted the ‘highly effective approaches to leadership of improvement.
The report also highlighted that ‘all the staff in the school and ECC work very well together to support children to attain and achieve’ and that they also knew the ‘children and families very well’ which meant they could ‘identify accurately children’s learning and wellbeing needs’.
And that isn’t all!
Just after receiving their glowing inspection report the school was informed that they had earned a Gold: Rights Respecting Award from UNICEF, a leading organisation supporting children and their rights across the world.
The school, which is one of just eleven primary schools in East Ayrshire to earn this prestigious award, had to demonstrate that the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child had been embedded into their ethos and curriculum.
An assessor from UNICEF attended the school in March and through interviews with staff, children and parents and carers, assessed that the children and the wider school community knew about and understood the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and could describe how it impacts on their lives and on the lives of children everywhere.
Local member Councillor Jim Kyle and Quality Improvement Manager, Derek Forsyth visited the school to congratulate Headteacher Laura Clapperton and her team on their achievements and join in the celebrations.
Councillor Elaine Cowan, Spokesperson for Education, and Children and Young People said: “Dalmellington Primary and Early Childhood Centre should be very proud of their excellent report and to earn a Gold Rights Respecting Schools Award at the same time is nothing short of remarkable. I would like to offer my congratulations to Headteacher Laura Clapperton and her whole team who have worked incredibly hard to encourage the children to achieve and most importantly be happy, confident learners.”
Headteacher Laura Clapperton said: “The inspectors from Education Scotland joined us for a week in March and participated in all aspects of school life. The children had a really important role to play in the inspection process and were enthusiastic participants, which is reflected in the report. I am incredibly proud of the children and delighted that they were recognised as confident and friendly.
“This report is the result of teamwork and collaboration. It reflects the hard work of every member of the school staff and our shared goal of ensuring that every child reaches their full potential. The children are at the centre of every decision we take, and their wellbeing is our highest priority.
“This approach is also reflected in our Gold: Rights Respecting Award from UNICEF, which demonstrates that children’s rights are embedded across the school and underpin every part of school life.
“The report by the RRSA assessor demonstrates the importance of children’s rights in the classroom and that the children regularly lead discussions on rights.
“Receiving our HMIE report and Gold: Rights Respecting Award has been a real celebration for our school and the whole community. I am very proud of my team and the children.”