Our Inspection Report
Background
Key strengths
What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
How well are pupils supported?
How good is the environment for learning?
Improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?
Background
Prestonpans Infant School was inspected in April 2006 as part of a national sample of primary education. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils? achievements, the effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school?s processes for self-evaluation and capacity for improvement. There was a particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.HM Inspectors examined pupils' work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA), and a group of parents.
The school serves the town of Prestonpans. At the time of the inspection the roll was 312, including 120 children in the nursery class. The work of the nursery class was not included in this inspection. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well above the national average. Pupils' attendance was below the national average. The school catered for pupils from P1 to P3. Back to top
Key strengths
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.Polite, enthusiastic and well behaved pupils.
Attainment in mathematics.
The contribution of all staff to the high quality care and welfare of all pupils.
Strong and productive partnerships with parents and the local community.
The leadership of the headteacher and her clearly-shared plans for further improvement. Back to top
What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to a sample of parents and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.Pupils, parents and staff were positive about almost all aspects of the school. All parents thought that their children found school work to be both stimulating and challenging and that they were treated fairly in school. They felt that the school was well led and that there was mutual respect between teachers and pupils. Pupils enjoyed school and felt that they had a variety of opportunities to contribute to decision-making processes and influencing change within the school. They felt safe and well looked after. Staff enjoyed working in the school and felt supported. Teachers thought that pupils were enthusiastic about learning and that pupil success was regularly celebrated.
A significant minority of support staff felt that staff training could be more effective. Back to top
How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Pupils? learning experiences and achievementsThe overall structure of the curriculum was good. Staff had recently introduced new resources for reading and were implementing very effective "Reading Teams". These
gave daily dedicated quality time to reading in small pupil groups and this was improving pupils? attitudes and confidence in reading. Recent improvements to the mathematics programme had been successful in promoting positive attitudes to mental computation and problem solving. Pupils had very valuable experiences in enterprise education with the support of local businesses and community services. A few staff needed to review the management of time particularly immediately after the morning interval to maximise the time available for pupils? learning activities. Teachers and support staff interacted very positively with pupils and used praise successfully to motivate them to do well. Staff had made a start to sharing learning intentions with pupils but there was scope to develop this further. Pupils were given some opportunities to ask questions and share what had been learned. A few staff concluded lessons by summarising the main points. These practices were not yet consistently applied by all teachers. Overall, pupils did not have sufficient opportunities for active learning through play. Homework was set regularly but was not varied enough.
In all classes, the learning environment was stimulating and motivating. Throughout the school, pupils? work was attractively displayed. In almost all classes, almost all pupils were well behaved. However, a few pupils were unable to concentrate for prolonged periods during lessons. Pupils were given some opportunities to work in pairs particularly in aspects of English language, mathematics, drama and physical education. The majority of teachers made good use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance their teaching and stimulate pupils? imaginations. However this was not consistently applied in all classes. Pupils were highly motivated when undertaking activities in the expressive arts. During music and physical education, for example, almost all pupils listened well and followed instructions carefully.
The school?s strong emphasis on implementing an effective range of praise and reward systems and the commitment of all staff to this, contributed effectively to increasing pupils? self-esteem and confidence. Representatives from all classes participated in pupil council activities. They contributed to improving aspects of the school including maintaining attractive class planters and designing and painting the dining hall mural. Pupils were regularly involved in very effective partnerships with the local community. Pupils at P3 had recently produced a very informative "Happy Trails" leaflet, in conjunction with a local business and the local authority. This has been distributed widely in the local community and is available to visitors to the area. A very colourful and useful "School Dinners" cookbook had been produced by P2 pupils with help from parents. The school offered a wide range of lunchtime and after hours clubs which were well attended by pupils from all stages. These included tennis, dance and football.
The school was involved in a range of fund raising activities which supported both local and international charities.
English language
The overall quality of pupils? attainment in English language was good. In recent years, attainment levels in reading and writing showed clear signs of improvement and most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels. Some were attaining these levels early. Pupils who had yet to attain appropriate levels were making steady progress in their coursework. There was no whole-school approach to assessing listening and talking. At all stages, most pupils listened well to instructions and responded enthusiastically to questions. They were confident in offering ideas and suggestions. They had yet to develop good skills in listening and talking in groups. Pupils were developing very good skills in reading, particularly through the Reading Teams. Most read aloud clearly and understood the main ideas in the text. A significant number of pupils did not read regularly for pleasure. Pupils wrote for a variety of purposes and had a range of opportunities to develop their writing skills. Some wrote lively and imaginative stories and poems. Standards of spelling and presentation were not consistently high across the school.
Mathematics
In mathematics, the quality of pupils? attainment was very good. In recent years, the overall attainment in mathematics had been of a consistently high standard. Almost all pupils were attaining appropriate national levels of attainment. At P2, a majority of pupils were attaining these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils with additional support needs in mathematics were making steady progress in their learning. The introduction of a programme to support pupils having difficulty with mathematics was proving to be effective. Pupils at P3 were confident in several aspects of number. They could discuss the main components of a simple graph, write two-digit numbers to 100 and multiply and divide within the two times table. Most could identify a range of two-dimensional shapes. Pupils at P1 were making good progress in learning aspects of time. At P2, pupils were developing their problem-solving skills, but these activities could have been more challenging for a few pupils. Back to top
How well are pupils supported?
The school had very good systems in place to ensure the care and welfare of pupils.Staff knew pupils very well and took appropriate action to address their emotional, social and personal needs. Child protection procedures were in place and implemented effectively by staff. The school placed a high priority on health promotion. All pupils were involved in the "Healthy Lifestyle Showcase" which involved walks in the local community, mass aerobics, a sponsored skipping event, dance sessions and a range of food tasting events. The school had very good arrangements in place to support pupils at points of transfer from pre-school into P1 and from P3 to the P4 to P7 primary school.
Staff met the learning needs of pupils well. They planned tasks and activities carefully to address the widely differing needs of pupils. They offered a range of provision to help children overcome barriers to learning. In English language and mathematics, teachers adjusted class groupings carefully according to pupils? levels of attainment. In a few classes, the pace of learning was too slow. The learning support teacher worked closely with the headteacher and class teachers to identify and address the learning needs of pupils with additional support needs. The school had appropriate individualised educational programmes for pupils with significant additional support needs. These were regularly reviewed with parents and, as appropriate, with a wide range of outside agencies. A range of staff including a member of staff from the East Lothian Inclusion Service provided well-targeted support for learning. A few pupils also benefited from a well-planned motor programme. There was scope to review the deployment of the wide range of staff involved in supporting children?s learning to help ensure effective continuity of individual progress. Back to top
How good is the environment for learning?
Quality of accommodation and facilitiesThe quality of accommodation was very good. The school building was very well maintained and security arrangements were appropriate. Staff made very effective use of all areas to create a bright and stimulating learning environment. Examples of pupils? achievements were attractively displayed in the corridors. Teachers had created very attractive displays of pupils? work in classrooms and in all areas of the school. Pupils had access to an attractive and well-stocked library and additional areas for activities including computer-use and music. Access to the school building for disabled users was appropriate. There was substantial space for outdoor play with clearly designated areas within the playground for differing activities. The provision of toilets for both adults and pupils was limited. The school had already raised this matter with the education authority.
Climate and relationships, expectations and promoting achievement and equality
Pupils, parents and staff had a strong sense of pride in their school. Staff, pupils and visitors felt welcomed, valued and safe. Relationships between staff and pupils were very positive. Pupils were enthusiastic, friendly and helpful. The quality of teamwork and morale among staff and pupils was high. Staff had high expectations of pupils? attendance, achievements and behaviour. The school had very effective measures for tracking pupils? attendance. Through the use of school assemblies, staff recognised and promoted pupils? achievements. The school chaplain provided appropriate opportunities for regular religious observance. Staff took care to involve all pupils in the life of the school and gave very good attention to promoting success and equal access to the curriculum. However, the school did not promote cultural diversity consistently well. Pupils at all stages had regular opportunities to take responsibility by participating in a wide range of groups including ?helping hands?, the school grounds group, ?roots and fruits? and ?happy trails?.
Partnership with parents and the community
The school?s partnerships with parents and the local community was very good. The School Board and recently formed PTA were very supportive of the school. Informative newsletters, increased opportunities for parent consultation meetings, and involvement of parents in health promoting activities kept parents informed and involved in the life of the school. Parents were informed appropriately of the school?s health programme. Parent helpers assisted regularly in a range of areas. Links with the local community were very strong. The school had a high profile in the local community and had been recently involved in creating designs for the ?Canadian First Nation Totem Poles? project in conjunction with Prestongrange Arts Festival. These close links with the wider community helped enhance pupils? learning and very successfully promoted their achievements. The school had taken successful steps to improve its links with other agencies, local schools and nursery classes. Back to top
Improving the school
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors? overall evaluation of the work of the school.The school provided good quality education for its pupils within a very caring and stimulating learning environment. Teachers and support staff were successful in supporting pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning. Pupils? attainment in mathematics was very good. Attainment in English language was good. There was scope for further improvement in writing, talking and listening. Pupils with additional support needs were well supported and were making appropriate progress in their learning.
In her year in post, the headteacher had provided very effective leadership. She demonstrated a vision for improvement and was very clear about how to achieve these improvements. She was very committed to the school and had developed very positive relationships with staff, parents, pupils, other agencies and the wider community. She had led improvements to the school including improvements in reading which were having a positive impact on pupils? experiences. Together with staff, she had created and maintained a strong sense of teamwork. The recently-appointed acting depute headteacher provided valuable pastoral support to pupils, as well as continuing to support staff in the nursery class. The headteacher had introduced a number of appropriate approaches to monitor and evaluate the work of the school, including commenting on teachers? plans, sampling pupils? work and tracking pupils? progress in mathematics. There was scope for further development to track pupils? progress in English language. The school had yet to implement a formal programme of class observations. The school?s plans for improvement had identified appropriate priorities which were being delivered and implemented by a range of working groups. With the continued commitment of staff, the school was well placed to bring about further improvement in provision for pupils.
Main points for action
The school and education authority should take action to improve learning and teaching and monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. In doing so they should take account of the need to:
extend pupils? skills in the use of ICT;
continue to improve attainment in English language; and
develop further the school?s approaches to monitoring and evaluating its work and monitoring teachers? allocation of time to curricular areas.
What happens next?
The school and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan with parents. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.
Isabel Robb
HM Inspector
5 September 2006 Back to top
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
The sections in the table below follow the order in this report. You can find the main comments made about each of the quality indicators in those sections. However, aspects of some quality indicators are relevant to other sections of the report and may also be mentioned in those other sections.How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Structure of the curriculum
Good
The teaching process
Good
Pupils? learning experiences
Good
Pupils? attainment in English language
Good
Pupils? attainment in mathematics
Very good
How well are pupils supported?
Pastoral care
Very good
Meeting pupils? needs
Good
How good is the environment for learning?
Accommodation and facilities
Very good
Climate and relationships
Very good
Expectations and promoting achievement
Good
Equality and fairness
Good
Partnership with parents, the School Board, and the community
Very good
Improving the school
Leadership
Very good
Self-evaluation
Adequate
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:
excellent
excellent
very good
major strengths
good
important strengths with some areas for improvement
adequate
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
weak
important weaknesses
unsatisfactory
major weaknesses
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.
What parents thought the school did well
What parents think the school could do better
Teachers in the school set high standards for pupils? attainment.
Staff made them feel welcome in school.
Staff showed concern for children?s care and welfare.
School buildings were kept in good order.
There were no significant issues.
What staff thought the school did well
What staff think the school could do better
Staff were pleased with almost all aspects of the school.
There were no significant issues. Back to top
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.What parents thought the school did well
What parents think the school could do better
Teachers in the school set high standards for pupils? attainment.
Staff made them feel welcome in school.
Staff showed concern for children?s care and welfare.
School buildings were kept in good order.
There were no significant issues.
What staff thought the school did well
What staff think the school could do better
Staff were pleased with almost all aspects of the school.
There were no significant issues. Back to top
How can you contact us?
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Director of Education and Children?s Services, local councillors and appropriate Members of the Scottish Parliament. Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600384. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk .If you wish to comment about primary inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Chris McIlroy, Acting HMCI, at the above address.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to Hazel Dewart, Business Management Unit, HM Inspectorate of Education, Second Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office or by telephoning 01506 600258 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone 0870 011 5378 or e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman?s office can be obtained from the website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk .
Crown Copyright 2006
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.
Footnote
1. Throughout this report, the term ?parents? should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends Back to top