Positive progress at Hillhead Primary School

‘very good progress’

‘significant improvements’

‘improved learning experiences’

‘calm and settled environment’ 

These are just a few of the positive observations made by Education Scotland during their follow up inspection of Hillhead Primary School in March this year.

The original inspection took place in November 2017, with a monitoring visit in August 2018 to assess progress against a number of improvement actions for the school.

The inspection in March this year concluded that the school has made good progress since the original inspection, and no further visits would be required in connection with the original inspection.

The main findings of the final report are set out below:

Improved outcomes for all children at Hillhead Primary School:

Overall, there has been very good progress in taking forward this area for improvement. Effective and stable leadership and improved relationships have yielded positive results for both pupils and staff.

Continue to improve learning and teaching across the school:

There has been significant improvement in children’s engagement in their learning. There is a calm, more settled environment where almost all children enjoy learning, and are more engaged during lessons. The pace of learning has improved, with children becoming more actively involved in their learning.

Develop a school curriculum that is relevant and meets the needs of all learners:

There has been good progress in taking forward this area for improvement. All children now receive their full entitlement to a broad general education and there are plans to ensure children make appropriate progress in their learning. Children are responding very well to these experiences.

Raise attainment and achievement across all primary stages, through meeting the wellbeing, inclusion and learning needs of all children:

Senior leaders and staff have continued to work together to improve the ethos and climate for learning across the school, with a focus on successfully becoming a nurturing school. Bullying has declined and children have an improved sense of safety. The school is now a calm, happy, purposeful and more inclusive environment for learning.

Continue to develop approaches for planning, assessment and moderation, including robust tracking and monitoring of children’s progress:

Overall, the school has made satisfactory progress in taking forward approaches to planning, teaching, learning and assessment. Staff work well together to plan children’s learning, having benefited from professional learning with a focus on tracking children’s progress on an ongoing basis. Senior leaders and staff are able to identify more accurately children who would benefit from further targeted support in their learning and this is leading to better outcomes for children.

Councillor Fiona Campbell, cabinet member for Education welcomed the findings from this latest inspection report for Hillhead Primary School.

She said: “As an education authority, we are delighted with the findings in this report. The Education Management team and teaching staff at the school have worked hard to achieve the recommendations set out in the earlier inspection report. 

“Going forward, this provides a firm foundation for continued improvement at Hillhead, as the team ensures that our children and young people continue to flourish and grow in a stable and nurturing learning environment.”